Cafardo’s Latest: Quintana, Holland, Napoli, Arroyo
In his latest Boston Globe column, Nick Cafardo lists 15 big-earning players who could be potential trade candidates this winter “with a little creativity” from their teams and any interested trade partners. Cafardo also has some hot stove buzz…
- One general manager says that Jose Quintana‘s name didn’t come up in talks with the White Sox, leading the GM “to believe they’d like to hold on to him. [Chris] Sale was mentioned, [Carlos] Rodon was mentioned and all the others, but not Quintana.” Reports have the White Sox ready to listen on any player who isn’t under long-term control, though Quintana technically doesn’t fit this description. He is under contract through 2019 with a club option for 2020, and given how Quintana has pitched during his career, that early-career extension has become a bargain for the Sox. Rodon’s inclusion is interesting, as the highly-touted lefty can’t hit free agency until after the 2021 season, though just because Rodon’s name may have been mentioned in discussions obviously isn’t any sign that Chicago is exploring trades.
- A team’s senior advisor chimed in on Greg Holland‘s recent showcase for scouts, saying that while Holland’s velocity was down, it was “good enough where you could see that if he rehabs properly he’ll get there. There was nothing there to excite you but nothing there to discourage you either.” Despite this rather unexciting review, Holland drew plenty of interest, as 18 teams reportedly sent personnel to watch Holland throw after missing all of 2016 rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. The senior advisor isn’t sure Holland will be able to find a two-year/$20-22MM offer that has been “floated” in connection with him. MLBTR predicted slightly less (two years, $18MM) for the reliever, though as evidenced by the Brett Cecil signing earlier today, there could be some surprising numbers on the relief market this offseason.
- Mike Napoli has been getting some interest from National League teams as a full-time first baseman. This is a obviously a good sign for Napoli’s market, as it shows that NL teams aren’t necessarily scared away by his age (35) or increased DH usage last season in Cleveland. Napoli’s defensive metrics at first were below average in 2016, after years of delivering very solid glovework throughout his career.
- Bronson Arroyo is three or four weeks away from knowing if a stem-cell procedure from Dr. James Andrews has properly healed his elbow. If the veteran righty is finally healthy, Arroyo is eager to continue his career. “I definitely want to keep going. Baseball is in my DNA,” Arroyo said. “I think when you’re in my position, you have to give it every chance, seeking everything medically available to see if you can keep doing it. The stem-cell injection was the last hope. If it doesn’t work, I know I’ve given it every chance.” Arroyo, who turns 40 in February, was a model of durability throughout his long career but he hasn’t pitched in the bigs since June 2014 due to both Tommy John surgery and then shoulder problems.
White Sox Willing To Trade Any Player With Less Than Four Years Of Control
The White Sox are telling teams that they’re willing to trade any player on their roster who is under team control for less than four years, ESPN’s Buster Olney reports (subscription required). Chicago GM Rick Hahn has already spoken of wanting to pursue longer-term assets this offseason, while earlier reports have suggested that Hahn has been open to trading almost any of his current players.
The list of White Sox players with less than four years of club control remaining includes Melky Cabrera, Todd Frazier, Brett Lawrie, David Robertson, Jose Abreu, James Shields, Zach Putnam, Avisail Garcia, Miguel Gonzalez, Jake Petricka, Dan Jennings and ace Chris Sale (whose deal contains club options for 2018 and 2019 that look like no-brainers to be exercised). Jose Quintana, Adam Eaton and Nate Jones are all technically under contract for less than four years as well, though their deals all contain club options for the 2020 season and, for Eaton and Jones, options for 2021.
It remains to be seen if the Sox are planning to embark on a full-scale rebuild, though as Olney notes, other teams are becoming and more convinced that Sale will be traded this winter. “And once you trade him, why would you stop there?” one evaluator asks Olney rhetorically. As MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes pointed out in his preview of the White Sox offseason, however, the franchise has previously tried to both rebuild and reload at the same time, and the Sox could try to do so again rather than start from scratch.
There’s obviously quite a bit of talent in the aforementioned list of players, so Chicago could look to just deal one or two of those names to free up some payroll space for further moves. (The arbitration-eligible likes of Lawrie or Garcia could also be non-tendered to save some more cash.) Building on what the anonymous evaluator told Olney, it would only be clear that the White Sox are embarking on a major roster shuffle if a building block piece like Sale, Quintana or Eaton is traded.
Minor MLB Transactions: 11/19/16
The latest minor moves from around the baseball world…
- The Giants signed southpaw Michael Roth to a minor league deal, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Twitter link). Roth has appeared in parts of three big league seasons with the Angels and Rangers, posting an 8.50 ERA over 36 career innings. He spent most of 2016 pitching for the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate, and he managed a strong 2.97 ERA over 145 1/3 innings, starting 23 of 28 games.
- The Giants have also signed infielder Juniel Querecuto to a minor league deal, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports via Twitter. The 24-year-old made his major league debut in 2016, appearing in four games with the Rays. Since being signed out of Venezuela and beginning his pro career at age 17, Querecuto has hit .253/.311/.319 over 2112 minor league plate appearances.
- Former Mets utilityman Eric Campbell will sign with the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball, according to reports out of Japan (hat tip to ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin). The Mets outrighted Campbell off their 40-man roster earlier this month and he elected to become a free agent. Campbell, who turns 30 in April, has a .622 OPS over 505 career plate appearances in the bigs, all as a member of the Mets from 2014-16. Most of Campbell’s playing time has been at third base, though he has also seen significant time at first and left field, as well as limited action as a shortstop, right fielder and second baseman.
- The Mariners announced that outfielder Stefen Romero has been released so that he can pursue an opportunity to play in Japan. Romero appeared in 72 games for Seattle in his 2014 rookie season but just 22 since, amassing a .195/.242/.307 career slash line over 233 plate appearances. A 12th-round pick for the M’s in the 2010 draft, Romero showed some promise in the minors, posting an .875 OPS and an even 100 homers over 2567 minor league PA.
Marlins Notes: Volquez, Wood, Morton, Dunn, Morris, Chapman, Mathis
The Marlins hadn’t made an offer to free agent righty Edinson Volquez as of the middle of last week, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson reports. Volquez makes sense as a target for the Fish — an innings-eating veteran with a fairly solid recent track record, yet whose price tag may be limited thanks to a rough 2016 season. Volquez posted a 5.37 ERA, 6.61 K/9 and 51.2% grounder rate over 189 1/3 innings with the Royals last year, with ERA indicators showing that his ERA was at least somewhat inflated by a .319 BABIP and only a 65.7% strand rate. Jackson notes that the Marlins have been “linked” to Volquez, so it seems like there could still be a chance of something more substantive happening between the two sides.
Here’s more on Miami’s search for arms in another piece from Jackson…
- Travis Wood is drawing interest from the Marlins, who see him as a starting pitcher. The lefty pitched exclusively out of the bullpen for the Cubs in 2016, though Wood has a previous history as a durable starter, even cracking 200 innings with Chicago in 2013. Wood posted a 2.95 ERA last year but was helped by a .215 BABIP and an above-average strand rate; ERA indicators such as FIP (4.54), xFIP (4.83) and SIERA (4.46) were less impressed by his performance.
- Miami had some interest in Charlie Morton before the free agent signed a two-year deal with Houston earlier this week.
- “Discussions are ongoing” between the Marlins and Mike Dunn about a reunion. The veteran southpaw has posted solid numbers over six years in Miami’s bullpen, though he did miss time with a forearm strain last season and saw both his fastball velocity and strikeout rate drop. That said, Dunn also posted the lowest walk rate of his career and he held left-handed hitters to a .702 OPS.
- The Marlins haven’t been pursuing another of their free agent relievers, Bryan Morris. The righty is coming off a rough 2016 season that saw him limited to just 24 games due to back surgery and outrighted off of Miami’s 40-man roster in late September.
- The Marlins have already been rumored to have interest in Kenley Jansen as the team looks to focus on the back end of its bullpen, though Aroldis Chapman (the other top-tier closer on the market) doesn’t look like an option. An associate of Chapman tells Jackson that it would be “highly unlikely” if the closer signed with Miami.
- Jeff Mathis has received interest from several clubs but the Marlins aren’t yet one of them. Jackson feels the Fish may yet still look to bring back the veteran catcher, noting that the team didn’t re-sign him until mid-December last offseason.
Ross Atkins On Morales, Encarnacion, Bautista, Saunders, Gurriel
The Blue Jays’ signing of Kendrys Morales became official yesterday, and GM Ross Atkins met with reporters (including Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith) to discuss both Morales and other hot stove-related items…
- Though Morales has almost exclusively been a designated hitter over the last two seasons, Atkins said the veteran could receive a “good deal” of time at first base, or at least some time at first or in the outfield depending on other possible acquisitions. Morales has played 16 games at first and five games as a right fielder since the start of the 2015 season, and he has primarily served as a DH since infamously breaking his ankle celebrating a walkoff homer during the 2010 season. Given that Morales didn’t acquit himself well in his brief stint in the outfield, one would think Toronto would only use him as an emergency right fielder rather than even a part-time option for the position.
- Morales’ signing makes it “slightly less likely” that the Jays will re-sign Edwin Encarnacion, “but it by no means eliminates that possibility,” Atkins said. The Morales signing “doesn’t impact us on Jose [Bautista] in any way,” Atkins noted, as there is less of a positional overlap between Bautista and Morales as there is with Encarnacion. It didn’t seem likely that both free agents would return to Toronto even prior to Morales’ acquisition, though Atkins said that “we still feel that both are realistic for us.”
- Michael Saunders, another internal free agent, is still “squarely” on the Jays’ radar as the club looks to address its outfield situation. “We are going to be aggressive in trying to add one or two pieces to our outfield depending upon what’s available,” Atkins said. “We’re extremely active in trade discussions and free agent discussions…The outfield is certainly a need for us.” With Bautista and Saunders in free agency, the Blue Jays are left with Melvin Upton Jr., Ezequiel Carrera and Dalton Pompey as part-time or bench candidates in the corner outfield slots (plus defensive standout Kevin Pillar presumably continuing in center.)
- International signing Lourdes Gurriel Jr. could also be a candidate for the outfield when he’s ready for the majors, though Atkins said that Gurriel will probably be used at second, third and shortstop as he begins 2017 in the minors. “He’s a very, very good athlete and a lot of the (positional) decision will come down to how we view his athleticism once we get a more objective view of that,” Atkins said.
Nationals Re-Sign Chris Heisey
TODAY: The Nationals have officially announced the signing.
NOVEMBER 11: The Nationals have agreed to a one-year, $1.4MM to bring back outfielder Chris Heisey, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The contract includes various performance incentives as well.
[RELATED: Updated Nationals Depth Chart]
Heisey, 31, provided Washington with a solid, right-handed-hitting presence from the bench last year. He ended with a .216/.290/.446 slash over 155 plate appearances, with nine home runs. There’s a fair bit of swing and miss in his game — he posted a 28.4% K rate last year — and Heisey has been an essentially average fielder and baserunner. But he obviously impressed the Nats, and it probably didn’t hurt that he came up with a big home run in the NLDS.
Looking at the roster, locking in a right-handed-hitting outfielder probably doesn’t dictate many other moves. Heisey has traditionally carried reverse splits, and will be expected to play a relatively minor role as a spot starter and pinch hitter. The signing probably doesn’t help Michael Taylor‘s chances of cracking the Opening Day roster, and makes it appear somewhat unlikely that the club will sign a more significant fourth outfielder, but otherwise the primary needs remain the same.
Yankees Notes: Headley, Gardner, Cespedes, Beltran, Hammel
The Yankees have received trade inquiries about both third baseman Chase Headley and left fielder Brett Gardner, GM Brian Cashman told reporters (including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch). “They’re still here and they’re here for a reason, but we’ll see,” Cashman said. “We have our interest in getting younger and stronger and more flexible, and improve our present and our future. If all that provides that opportunity, then I think I’ll be talking to our owner and see if he’ll consider it.”
The switch-hitting Headley hit .253/.331/.385 with 14 homers over 529 PA last season, as he sandwiched four months of pretty good hitting between a dreadful April and a mediocre September. While he posted below-average numbers at the plate (92 wRC+) for the second consecutive year, Headley rebounded from a poor defensive year in 2015 to deliver his usual strong performance at the hot corner in 2016, with +7 Defensive Runs Runs Saved and 8.6 UZR/150.
Powered by his defense and a tremendous year on the basepaths (3.9 on Fangraphs’ Baserunning metric), Headley was worth 2.6 fWAR in 2016, which made him more than worth his $13MM salary. The veteran will earn $13MM in each of the next two seasons and turns 33 in May, however, so it makes sense that New York is at least open to listening to offers for Headley’s services as part of the club’s continuing effort to get both younger and cheaper. Since the Yankees don’t have another obvious third base option immediately ready to step in, trading Headley could be a precursor to another move to adding a third baseman.
Gardner is also entering his age-33 season, and is guaranteed $25MM over the next two seasons (counting the $2MM buyout of his $12.5MM club option for 2019). The veteran outfielder hit .261/.351/.362 with seven home runs over 634 PA and ended up with a pretty similar season to Headley — 2.4 fWAR built on excellent defense and baserunning moreso than hitting. Aside from his injury-shortened 2012, Gardner has produced at least 2.3 fWAR in every season since 2009, so it’s no surprise that teams looking for an outfield upgrade have been in touch with Cashman.
If Gardner is dealt, the Yankees could replace him in a big way in left field with Yoenis Cespedes. Cashman confirmed that he had spoken to Cespedes’ representatives and that he expects more talks to take place now that the Yankees have freed up some payroll by dealing Brian McCann.
Signing the 31-year-old Cespedes (MLBTR’s top-rated free agent on the market) would obviously cost the Yankees over $100MM and commit them to a deal well into Cespedes’ mid-30’s, which may not jibe with the team’s overall desire to get younger. Cespedes is quite a bit younger and probably more likely to remain productive in 2017 than veterans like Carlos Beltran or Jose Bautista, though those older players would also be available on much shorter contracts. Cespedes in particular would be able to replace Gardner’s defense as well, while Beltran or Bautista have defensive limitations.
“I’m going to be open-minded to what’s available,” Cashman said. “We now will pursue bats, but we’ll see if it takes us anywhere. It could be a DH-only situation; obviously the preference always is going to be someone that can provide positional ability so you have more flexibility on your roster. We’ll see where it takes us.”
The general manager acknowledged interest in reunions with Beltran and Aroldis Chapman, both dealt by the Yankees in the leadup to last year’s trade deadline.
Hoch also reports that “the Yankees have started the information-gathering process” in regards to both Rich Hill and Jason Hammel. Hill was already known to be a potential New York target this winter, while this is the first time Hammel has been linked to the Yankees (or any team) since the Cubs surprisingly declined his option after the World Series. The 34-year-old Hammel is a reliable and productive innings-eater who would be a good fit in the Yankees rotation, though his price tag could be driven up since free agent pitching is so scarce this offseason.
Outrighted: Smith, Centeno, Brennan
As teams finalized their 40-man rosters yesterday in advance of the Rule 5 draft, here are a few more outrights…
- The Athletics outrighted right-hander Josh Smith, as per a team announcement. Oakland just claimed Smith off waivers from the Reds earlier this month. The 29-year-old righty has 92 1/3 career big league innings under his belt, posting a 5.46 ERA, 7.6 K/9 and 1.66 K/BB rate for the Reds over the last two seasons as both a starter and reliever.
- The Twins placed catcher Juan Centeno on outright waivers as part of their roster moves today, the club announced. Centeno hit a respectable .261/.312/.392 over 192 PA with Minnesota last season, easily the most playing time he has received during his four years in the bigs.
- The White Sox have outrighted right-hander Brandon Brennan to Triple-A, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports on Twitter. A fourth-round pick for the Sox in the 2012 draft, Brennan has a 4.94 ERA, 1.90 K/BB rate and 6.5 K/9 over 347 2/3 pro innings, none above the Double-A level.
Free Agent/Trade Rumblings: Beltran, McCutchen, Guerra, Moreland
Quite a bit of competition is lining up for Carlos Beltran, who is now being pursued by both the Red Sox and Yankees, as Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald writes. The Blue Jays, too, have reached out, and the Astros seemingly remain a possibility, providing yet more evidence that multiple organizations currently have more interest in a limited commitment to Beltran than they do a lengthier pact with Edwin Encarnacion. While Toronto’s addition of Kendrys Morales has started the movement on sluggers, there are a wide variety still available, and it promises to remain an area of intrigue for much of the offseason.
A few more late-night notes from around the league…
- Pirates skipper Clint Hurdle certainly didn’t sound like he’s convinced center fielder Andrew McCutchen will remain with the organization when the 2017 season begins, as Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. “I’ll take it one day at a time,” said Hurdle when asked about the possibility of a McCutchen trade. “I think any general manager that’s in a market similar to the one we’re in has to explore the possibility of (trading) players who have one or two years left on their contracts. You have to see what value is there to keep or to move.” While McCutchen is hopeful of spending his career in Pittsburgh, Biertempfel writes that the Pirates haven’t approached him about extending his current six-year, $51.5MM contract, which has one more guaranteed year (2017) and an affordable club option (2018).
- The Brewers are getting trade inquiries on right-hander Junior Guerra, reports Jon Morosi of the MLB Network (via Twitter). That Milwaukee would receive interest isn’t necessarily a shock, given Guerra’s controllable nature and the strong debut season he had in Milwaukee. It’ll be interesting to see if further reports emerge about GM David Stearns seriously entertaining offers on Guerra, whose 2016 success was certainly unique in nature. This past year marked Guerra’s rookie season, but unlike most first-year success stories, Guerra is a 31-year-old (32 in January) that was plucked off waivers by Stearns last offseason and enjoyed a terrific but somewhat out-of-the-blue debut. The former Braves, Mets and White Sox farmhand made 20 starts for Milwaukee and quietly pitched to a 2.81 ERA with 7.4 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a 45.3 percent ground-ball rate while averaging a tick over 93 mph on his fastball. Guerra still holds tremendous appeal for the the 2017 season, but it seems likely that the Brewers will at least listen to offers on him, as Milwaukee may not contend until 2018 or even 2019, at which point Guerra will be in his age-33 or age-34 season.
- First baseman Mitch Moreland is a free agent for the first time in his career, but he said in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM yesterday (Twitter link) that if things go his way, he’d be back with the Rangers in 2017 and beyond. “Texas would be my first choice,” said the 31-year-old. “I love it there.” Whether the Rangers reciprocate that interest isn’t yet known, but the team does have a need at first base and DH with Moreland hitting the open market and Prince Fielder‘s sudden retirement. Texas does have the option of letting the much-ballyhooed Joey Gallo take some of those at-bats in 2017, though there have been indications that the organization feels he’d benefit from opening next year in the minors. Texas has presently been focused on other matters and is reportedly on the verge of completing a one-year deal with righty Andrew Cashner. Moreland, meanwhile, turned in another 20-homer season in 2016 but saw his OBP dip as well. Overall, he hit .233/.298/.422 with 22 big flies in 503 trips to the plate.
Blue Jays Sign Kendrys Morales
With several question marks surrounding their lineup for the 2017 season, the Blue Jays have struck early to add some offense to the equation, formally announcing on Friday that they’ve signed free agent designated hitter/first baseman Kendrys Morales to a three-year, $33MM contract (as was first reported last week). Morales is represented by Wasserman.
[Related: Updated Blue Jays Depth Chart]
Entering last Friday, when the deal was first repored, the sides had been connected, but not in a particularly serious way. However, it quickly emerged that Toronto was making serious pursuit, and in fact it now seems clear that the club was finalizing a rather surprising early strike for the 33-year-old switch-hitter. That being said, it’s the timing that’s particularly eye-opening, as the match has long made a good bit of sense.
Indeed, Morales-to-the-Jays is just what MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicted in his ranking of the top fifty free agents. The third year went beyond expectations, though it comes with a fairly modest boost in what might have been anticipated in total compensation. Going to the extra year, but doing so at a palatable average annual value, may well explain why this deal was able to be completed so rapidly. Ultimately, Morales will earn a slight raise over the three year, $30MM pact signed two winters ago by another former Royals designated hitter, Billy Butler.
Though he’s coming off of a much better platform than was Butler, Morales is a fair sight older. This contract seems like a solid result for him. He slumped early in 2016 and finished strong, with the final result of a .263/.327/.468 batting line and thirty home runs over 618 plate appearances. He was even better in 2015, so there’s good reason to think he can continue to be an above-average offensive force, but Morales is a terrible baserunner and isn’t likely to be relied upon for regular work in the field.
It had seemed that Toronto would at least spend a bit more time looking into a return for Edwin Encarnacion, who had continued to express a preference to return. With this signing, though, he seems destined to head elsewhere. It is still theoretically possible that a reunion with Encarnacion could come together, as he’d be slated for first with Morales at DH. But that’s tough to imagine, as it would tie up a huge amount of the available payroll space and leave the team without any improvement in the corner outfield.
Instead, the Jays will likely go out looking for a few more assets with a good bit of their powder still dry. Whatever ongoing interest the team had in long-time star right fielder Jose Bautista could remain intact, as he’d make a cleaner fit at this point than would Encarnacion, though Morales’s presence at the DH slot for a three-year term complicates even that connection. If another hefty payroll hit isn’t in order, the club may instead aim further down the market and attempt to find some value in the corner outfield. Toronto is presumably also looking at adding some pitching, though perhaps that’s less of a priority.
Christopher Meola first reported the agreement and contract details (Twitter links).