Braves, Phil Coke Agree To Minor League Deal
5:15pm: Coke did not receive an invite to Major League Spring Training, tweets MLB.com’s Mark Bowman.
4:07pm: The Braves and left-hander Phil Coke have agreed to a minor league contract, reports MLive.com’s Chris Iott (via Twitter). The 33-year-old Coke is a client of Full Circle Sports Management.
Coke began the 2015 campaign with the Cubs but found himself designated for assignment and subsequently released after yielding seven earned runs in 10 innings with the club. Coke latched on with the Blue Jays on a minor league deal but pitched just 2 2/3 innings before the club attempted to option him to Triple-A Buffalo. Coke, as a player with with more than five years of service time, had the right to decline the optional assignment and did so in favor of free agency. He signed a new minor league deal with Oakland after that but surrendered 16 runs in 14 2/3 innings with their Triple-A affiliate and didn’t force his way onto the club’s big league roster.
While Coke clearly had a down year in 2015, he’s a season removed from a 3.88 ERA across 58 innings with the Tigers and entered the 2015 campaign with a lifetime 4.16 ERA, 6.9 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9. His ground-ball rate has steadily increased throughout his career, topping 55 percent in each of the past two seasons, and his heater checked in at a strong average of 93 mph in 2015. Coke has held lefties to a .239/.298/.356 batting line throughout his career and will look to work his way into an Atlanta bullpen that also features lefty options in the form of Ian Krol (his former Tigers teammate), Matt Marksberry, Alex Torres and Rule 5 pick Evan Rutckyj.
Aaron Altherr Out Four To Six Months Due To Wrist Surgery
The rebuilding Phillies suffered a significant loss today, announcing that oufielder Aaron Altherr requires wrist surgery and will be sidelined for four to six months. Altherr’s surgery will repair a torn extensor carpi ulnaris retinaculum in his left wrist and will be performed tomorrow by Dr. Randall Culp. Altherr reportedly suffered the injury making a diving play back on March 4, though his initial belief was that this injury wasn’t as serious as a previous wrist injury that required surgery in 2013.
The 25-year-old Altherr figured to receive everyday at-bats (or close to it) in Philadelphia on the heels of a solid rookie campaign in which he batted .241/.338/.489 in 161 trips to the plate. Altherr racked up 11 doubles, four triples and five homers in addition to six steals in his brief time with the Phils, flashing the extra-base power and speed that made him one of the organization’s more intriguing prospects. Between that success and the .293/.367/.487 batting line authored by Altherr between Double-A and Triple-A last year, the German-born outfielder had little to prove in the minor leagues.
With Altherr now spending the bulk, if not the entirety of the season on the disabled list, the door is open for Rule 5 pick Tyler Goeddel to make the club and carve out a role with the team. The Phillies also have sophomore Odubel Herrera (a Rule 5 pick himself a year ago) in the mix after his own strong rookie season. Veteran Peter Bourjos and former top prospect Cody Asche are both options for manager Pete Mackanin, too, though each will need to rebuild his stock after a poor showing in 2015.
Pro Football Rumors Has NFL Free Agency Covered
The NFL’s free agent period will officially begin in less than 24 hours and several big name players are poised to change teams. The Broncos badly want to elevate quarterback Brock Osweiler to the starting role in 2016, but he will be courted by the Texans and several other teams if he is not signed by tomorrow. Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon is arguably the best pass rusher in this year’s crop and the Giants, Raiders, Browns, and Titans are in pursuit. The Jaguars are also high on Vernon and they could pair him with the newly-signed Malik Jackson. Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin could join up with an NFC West rival and Dolphins tailback Lamar Miller could land with another team in the state of Florida. You can keep up with these storylines and many, many more with Pro Football Rumors.
Need to study up on these names? Well, we have you covered with PFR’s Top 50 NFL Free Agents list. Read our comprehensive guide to see where Doug Martin, Janoris Jenkins, Damon Harrison, Eric Weddle, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Greg Hardy, and other free agent notables rank.
Whether you’re a hardcore football fan or more of a casual watcher, you’re going to want to stay plugged in with PFR all offseason long. Here’s how you can get our up-to-the-second NFL news:
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Click here to read a transcript of today’s chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams.
NL West Notes: D-Backs, Padres, Inciarte, Lincecum, Blash, Reyes
Diamondbacks executives Tony La Russa and Dave Stewart tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that their winter wasn’t just about near-term contention. The club has also picked up some younger assets since the front office turned over, and was careful to protect its most prized younger assets — Jake Lamb, Brandon Drury, Archie Bradley — who La Russa deemed “too dear” to be dealt. That being said, there’s no question that the haul given up for Shelby Miller — along with other decisions to give up controllable talent to free up money and add other pieces — was about maximizing the club’s chances now, with several key players in their primes and Zack Greinke joining the fold. As Stewart puts it, “you trade the unknown for the known.”
- Interestingly, Stewart added that the Padres had “big interest” in center fielder Ender Inciarte before he was shipped to Atlanta in the Miller deal. But San Diego wasn’t willing to deal away Tyson Ross or Andrew Cashner to get him, according to the D-Backs GM. That’s certainly a bit surprising to hear in regard to Cashner, who — despite his established ceiling — is coming off of an uninspiring 2015 season and is destined for free agency after the season.
- The Padres have been “very active” in pursuing free agent righty Tim Lincecum, agent Rick Thurman said in an appearance on The Mighty 1090 (via Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune). Teams are waiting for the former Cy Young winner to put on a showcase, which Thurman now says will take place within the next two weeks. He explains that Lincecum preferred to work his way back to form on his own before signing, with the plan being to “build[] up his arm strength so that when he actually goes and does a showcase he’s going to be game-ready.”
- Meanwhile, Lin has an interesting piece on Padres hopeful Jabari Blash, who says he’s come a long way since he was a laid back teenager in his native U.S. Virgin Islands. The towering 26-year-old is still raw, of course, which is why he was available in the Rule 5 draft. San Diego will give him every opportunity to make good on his talent and earn a spot this spring, writes Lin.
- Commissioner Rob Manfred says that he’ll be prepared to move quickly on disciplining Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes once his legal proceedings are completed, Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports. Manfred explained that he doesn’t rush a decision, only to learn something new thereafter. “My expectation is, once that process plays out, we’ll be in position to act quickly,” he said. “We’ll have access to all the facts.”
Carter Capps To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
High-powered Marlins reliever Carter Capps will undergo Tommy John surgery today, the club has announced. The 25-year-old right-hander will have his UCL replaced by surgeon James Andrews.
Both team and player had been holding out hope for a better outcome from yesterday’s visit with Andrews. It would appear that the famed elbow repairman advised in favor of the procedure, which will knock Capps out for the entirety of the 2016 season and — depending upon his recovery timeline — a piece of 2017 as well.
The news is enormously disappointing for all involved. It’s hard to overstate just how good Capps was last year — when he was healthy — and Miami surely had visions of him forming a high-quality 1-2 punch with A.J. Ramos. Indeed, there was some talk of sliding Capps into the closer role, in part to help manage his usage but also in reflection of the fact that he led all of baseball with a 0.87 SIERA on the strength of an absurd strikeout-to-walk ratio (16.8 K/9 vs. 2.0 BB/9).
It’s perhaps even more disappointing for Capps himself, who had only just reached arbitration eligibility. Despite his dominance last year, his relatively low innings count in 2015 and underwhelming prior results held him to a $988K salary. Another big season — especially if utilized in the 9th — would have set Capps up for a major raise.
Instead, he’ll enter next winter with expectations of receiving a repeat of his current-year earnings. The Marlins will surely feel that price is worth the risk, and will also control Capps for a final arb-eligible season in 2018 before he qualifies for the open market.
It remains to be seen what Miami will do to address this loss. Surely, a replacement that would match Capps in quality won’t be available (at least, for anything less than an exorbitant rate). The club still has plenty of big fastballs in the pen, but will likely be looking to add depth. Whether or not an immediate move is explored, there ought to be plenty of options as camp battles are won and lost late in the spring.
It’s worth noting that Capps landed as the tenth most likely Tommy John patient in all of baseball in the recent statistical study undertaken by MLBTR contributor Bradley Woodrum. As Woodrum has explained in that post and in his appearance on last week’s MLBTR Podcast, the bottom-line predictive value of his work is relatively low (although still surprisingly powerful), so the placement of Capps and other higher-risk arms shouldn’t be viewed as an expectation of surgery so much as an indication that such pitchers may be worthy of increased attention and caution by their respective teams.
Astros, A.J. Hinch Have Agreed To “Revised” Contract
The Astros reached agreement with manager A.J. Hinch on a “revised” contract at some point earlier in the offseason, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports. His new agreement is said to increase his earnings and “put[] him in position to remain with the club longer.” All told, says Drellich, Hinch now appears to have a guaranteed term that runs through 2018.
Precise details remain hazy in large part because the exact terms of Hinch’s original contract were never entirely clear. Reports at the time pegged it at three years and an option, but he has suggested that may not have been the case.
Regardless of whether this deal is properly termed an extension, or whether it is just includes the exercise of an option year, it obviously reflects an enhanced commitment from the organization. Hinch impressed on all fronts last year, bringing a broad skillset to the job and drawing positive reviews from GM Jeff Luhnow and owner Jim Crane.
The proof was in the pudding, of course, as the new-look ‘Stros surged to the post-season and very nearly took the AL West. With a host of exciting young players returning, and a few key additions plugged in over the winter, expectations are high in Houston for 2016. That doesn’t mean a repeat will be easy; the entire American League has hopes of contending, and the western division in particular seems wide open.
MLBTR Mailbag: Bruce, Royals, Top 50, Pre-Arb, Aybar, A’s
Time for this week’s MLBTR Mailbag! Thanks for all the questions, and sorry if we couldn’t get to yours. (It was great to see many first-time submissions this week; we always enjoy hearing a little bit about your motivations to write in!) Remember that you can also chat with Steve Adams and myself on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, respectively, and tune in to MLBTR’s weekly podcast every Thursday.
On to the questions …
Will Jay Bruce be traded before the season starts? — Jason R.
Well, the Orioles now look to be out of the market after adding Pedro Alvarez, and barring a revival of talks with the Blue Jays that option may be gone. I don’t see the Angels taking on enough salary to make that a viable landing spot, and the same holds for the Indians. The White Sox might have made sense, but now they’ve got Austin Jackson.
Looking around the league, I’m not sure I see an immediate match. An injury could always change things, of course, but as it stands it looks like the Reds will need to hope that Bruce has a strong first half and see how the summer trade market develops.
The Royals have three AAA outfielders on their 40-man roster, who all delivered great offensive numbers last year: Brett Eibner, Reymond Fuentes and Jose Martinez. But nobody is talking about them as a potential RF for the Royals. Do they have any flaws? Or what is the problem? — Holger B.
Writing in from Germany is a sure way to get your question answered! Thanks for reading all the way over in Europe.
In a way, I have to disagree with the premise of the question, because I think that people following the club closely are well aware that these guys are in the mix with Jarrod Dyson going down. All are on the 40-man, which means the team has something invested and believes they have at least some near-term and/or potential future value to the organization. And let’s be honest: the competition should be wide open at this point. Travis Snider is the most established choice to platoon with Paulo Orlando, who played a big role last year, but neither is a surefire option.
Do Eibner, Fuentes, and Martinez have flaws? Well, sure. Any player does, and none of them even cracked the top 15 of Baseball America’s recently-released organizational prospect rankings — though Eibner and Martinez landed on the back half of the list. Both of those players hit from the right side and had impressive seasons last year at Triple-A, so they could presumably push Orlando for his role or challenge for a final bench spot. Fuentes, meanwhile, will be squared up against Snider. He’s a speedy player who swings from the left side, making him a closer match to Dyson’s skillset.
Beyond that, you’d need to ask a prospect hound or team beat writer for more info. I think what’s most interesting here is that Kansas City could open the year with some of the names noted above in significant spots. While that seems sub-optimal from my perspective, I’ve learned not to question the Dayton Moore-Ned Yost magic. And if nothing else there are plenty of possibilities; second base still seems to me a bigger overall organizational question mark.
Now that most of the top 50 FAs have signed who do you feel is the best value for their respective team? — Jake
Okay, I think I’m ready to go on record here. Your question touches upon both value from a market perspective and organizational fit, so I’ll address it in that way. Thus, even if I were to believe that Ian Desmond represents a bargain at $8MM — which I do — I don’t think I’d choose him since he is obviously a bit of an experiment in the outfield.
Among MLBTR’s top fifty free agents — all of whom have now signed except for David Freese and Justin Morneau — I’m going to pick …. well, I’m going to pick the city of Chicago. Getting Austin Jackson and Mat Latos for just $8MM in total, without sacrificing a draft pick, looks like a coup for the White Sox. The organization needed to add a lot of pieces, and managed to do it at a minimal cost through these signings and a couple of trades. Sure, there’s plenty of risk, but both look like outstanding values as younger players with plenty at stake. Meanwhile, the Cubs’ additions of Dexter Fowler and John Lackey are two other deals I quite liked, and I’m also fairly bullish on the more significant investments that the team made in Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist. Honorable mention: Matt Wieters to the Orioles, by way of qualifying offer acceptance.
Do you think with all the publicity about Gerrit Cole and Jacob deGrom‘s salary for 2016, that we could see a change to pre-arbitration salaries in the new CBA? — Nicolas C.
I think we will, but not necessarily due to Cole and deGrom in particular. All of the rules governing player salaries, from the league minimum to the qualifying offer, function primarily to shift around the overall chunk of the game’s money that is allocated to players, and it’s been clear for some time now that the players in the pre-arb service classes are increasingly underpaid. The divide is all the more glaring given the huge contributions that young stars (and plenty of other quality players) have made not long after cracking the majors. It’s time for a bump, if not also some other modifications to the ways in which pre-arb salaries are arrived at.
Would Erick Aybar be a fit to fill in while Jhonny Peralta mends for the Redbirds? If so, what might the Braves get in return and would Coppy do it?
There’s little question that the Atlanta front office will listen to any interest in basically any of its players — they dealt Craig Kimbrel the day before the season started last year, after all — and I don’t doubt that this kind of scenario was contemplated when Aybar was added in the Andrelton Simmons deal. In the grand scheme of things, trading Aybar would hardly warrant outrage from the Braves fanbase with Kimbrel, Simmons, and so many others already gone. And it isn’t hard to see a plausible match from the Cardinals’ side, since Jedd Gyorko has no track record at short, the team is obviously set up to compete right now, and the NL Central may be out of reach with a slow start.
That being said, I wouldn’t expect a deal to come easy. Dave Cameron of Fangraphs suggested Aybar as a replacement, but rightly noted that the Braves probably aren’t as motivated to part with him right now as one might expect. The organization wants to begin moving in the right direction, and relying on options like Daniel Castro, Chase d’Arnaud, and Reid Brignac to open the year at short is probably not the best way to put a winning product on the field. And they’d obviously face the same barren open market situation as the Cards if they went looking for an alternative.
I’m not going to guess at precisely what St. Louis would need to offer up to get the Braves to bite, but I’m willing to bet that it won’t be terribly palatable. Atlanta would probably find it less painful to deal Aybar at the deadline, assuming the club isn’t firmly in contention, and would likely be looking for some legitimate upside in return to do a deal now. Steve Adams just ran down a whole host of possible options for the Cards to consider, and it looks to me as if one or more of the other names on his list will ultimately shake loose at a much lower price tag. If Peralta’s outlook for a return is fairly positive, the need might only be for a temporary stopgap, so the guess here is that St. Louis waits for someone else to become available. (And if all else fails, surely the Yankees would part with Pete Kozma?)
The A’s roster seems a little too full. Is there a trade coming? — Isaac G.
Predicting the Oakland front office is a fool’s errand, but I’d be surprised if it felt the need to shed any depth. That’s not to say that you won’t see players depart, possibly by way of minor trades, especially if there aren’t any significant injuries. But that’s more likely to be driven by roster constraints — guys who are out of options, minor league free agents with opt-outs, etc. — than by any decision to cash in assets. It’s rare enough to see significant springtime deals as it is, and Oakland will surely prefer to maintain flexibility entering the year.
AL West Notes: Astros, Parker, A’s, Angels
The Astros‘ first-base situation is one of the more fluid among contenders league-wide, but Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle writes that the competition is off to a compelling start. Possible options such as A.J. Reed, Tyler White, Jon Singleton, and Matt Duffy are among the players who have begun making their case for major league jobs, and Drellich explains that it won’t be long before the team will begin to make its choices. “The at-bats are going to start to dry up with the competition,” said manager A.J. Hinch, who added that he’ll begin to give more playing time to the most likely candidates in the middle of March.
Here’s some more camp news out of the AL West:
- Athletics righty Jarrod Parker is going to be limited to bullpen duty as he tries to work back from an elbow fracture (not to mention his two prior Tommy John procedures), Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The 27-year-old, who hasn’t seen MLB action since 2013, will likely trim his offerings down to a fastball-change combination. He’s currently building up his arm strength in bullpen sessions, and says that he’s just taking things one step at a time. “Expectations are not in my vocabulary anymore,” said Parker. “I just go day to day and try to be in tune, see how I feel, give what I’ve got that day and not try to reach.”
- The Athletics have received good signs on the injury front from catcher Stephen Vogt and righty Jesse Hahn, as Slusser further reports. Vogt, who isn’t far removed from an elbow procedure, hit two home runs today and says he was glad to be able to “trust the elbow” and “take full swings and not feel any pain.” And Hahn, who was limited last year with a concerning forearm strain, looked good in his two innings and says he feels healthy. Likewise, outfielder Coco Crisp looks to be in good form after an injury-riddled 2015 season, manager Bob Melvin told reporters including John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter).
- Over in Angels camp, the left field situation remains an interesting one to watch, and MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez writes that 24-year-old Rafael Ortega is a player who has impressed early. Of course, the organization still seems set to go with a platoon of Daniel Nava and Craig Gentry to open the season. As Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times reports, they have taken a long and winding road to this point.
AL East Notes: Sims, Stroman, Ramirez, Bogaerts, Rodriguez
Spring training provides many opportunities for teams to interact with their fans, but it isn’t often that you hear about a club actually signing one. But the Yankees did just that for ten-year-old Landis Sims, an inspiring young man who miraculously has devised a way to play baseball despite being born without hands or lower legs. It’s a great story, courtesy of ESPN.com’s Andrew Marchand, and well worth a read. Congratulations to Landis on his opportunity in Yanks camp!
Here’s more from the AL East:
- Budding Blue Jays staff ace Marcus Stroman has impressed plenty already, but Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca writes that he’s working on taking the next step by tinkering with a quick pitch to keep hitters off balance. More notable than the new offering itself, perhaps, is the process behind it. “I always like to pick hitters’ brains,” explains Stroman, “and the biggest thing sometimes hitters say that messes them up is when pitchers change their tempo, change their motion, change their delivery.” Generally, the soon-to-be 25-year-old righty says that he “feel[s] extremely strong out there on the mound” this spring.
- While the focus on Red Sox first baseman Hanley Ramirez has revolved around his transition in the field, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports that he’s also working to re-tool his swing. The surprising Travis Shaw is doing all he can to push Ramirez this spring, but Boston skipper John Farrell says he’s pleased with what he’s seen thus far at the plate from the veteran. His swing is “more compact,” says Farrell, “more of a line-drive approach.” Ramirez started strong last year offensively but faded to a substandard .249/.291/.426 overall batting line on the season.
- As Rob Bradford of WEEI.com writes, Ramirez once wrestled with the decision whether to accept an early-career extension, ultimately accepting one with the Marlins. Now, current Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts could be facing a similar choice. While Bogaerts previously suggested that Boston had not initiated talks, his response was somewhat different when asked recently. “I would just say I’m working hard, and will keep working hard,” he said when asked about a possible long-term deal. “People who work hard get good rewards, so we’ll see what happens what happens with that in the end. I’m just trying to focus on the game now.” While it’s not yet clear whether serious talks are underway, or whether they will ultimately occur this winter, it is certainly interesting to consider whether Boston will make a real run at locking up the Scott Boras client, a former top prospect who broke out last year and still has four years of team control remaining.
- The Red Sox have a limited window to get enticing young lefty Eduardo Rodriguez ready to open the season in the rotation, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports. He is staying off of the mound for the time being after recently suffering a tweak to his right kneecap. Boston is proceeding cautiously with a pitcher who is expected to be a key cog for years to come, and appears to feel good about leaning on its depth if that proves necessary. The 22-year-old contributed 121 2/3 innings of 3.85 ERA pitching last year, with 7.2 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9, and with 170 total frames (including his Triple-A output) he seems ready to take on a full season’s workload if he can return in time for a full ramp-up.