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Archives for February 2017

Twins Claim Ehire Adrianza, Designate Pat Light

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The Twins have claimed infielder Ehire Adrianza off waivers from the Brewers, as per a team press release.  To make room on the 40-man roster, Minnesota designated right-hander Pat Light for assignment.

Adrianza has now been designated for assignment and claimed on waivers twice this week, as Milwaukee claimed him from the Giants on January 31.  The Giants DFA’ed the 27-year-old to make room for Nick Hundley, while the Brewers quickly designated Adrianza themselves after claiming Jesus Aguilar off waivers from Cleveland (though Brewers GM David Stearns said that his team was hopeful of keeping Adrianza if he cleared waivers).

Adrianza has a .220/.292/.313 slash line over 331 career plate appearances in the big leagues, all with San Francisco from 2013-16.  While the switch-hitter has never delivered much at the plate even at the minor league level, Adrianza has displayed defensive versatility as a shortstop and second baseman, plus a handful of games at third.  He’ll join a fellow switch-hitter in Eduardo Escobar as the Twins’ primary reserve infielders, and while both could end up competing for a lone job, the Twins could have particular need for infield bench depth.  Miguel Sano’s ability to handle third base is still up in the air and Jorge Polanco is still largely unproven as a major leaguer.  Polanco will obviously get a lot of time to prove himself, though Sano could ultimately be moved to DH if he can’t manage to be at least passable at the hot corner.

Light, 25, made his MLB debut in 2016 and had a rough introduction to the Show.  The righty posted an 11.34 ERA over 16 2/3 innings with the Twins and Red Sox, allowing four homers in his brief amount of mound time and issuing as many walks (16) as strikeouts.  The hard-throwing Light came to Minnesota from Boston at the trade deadline in exchange for Fernando Abad.  The 37th overall pick of the 2012 draft, Light posted a 4.35 ERA, 7.4 K/9 and 2.16 K/BB rate over 297 2/3 IP in the minors, though his results improved after being moved to full-time bullpen work in 2015.

Jon Niese To Throw For Teams Wednesday

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Free agent left-hander Jon Niese will throw for interested clubs on Wednesday, reports Ken Davidoff of the New York Post (Twitter link).

The 30-year-old Niese is coming off what was easily the worst season of his Major League career. In 121 innings split between the Pirates and Mets, Niese struggled to a 5.50 ERA with 6.5 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 51.1 percent ground-ball rate. His deteriorated performance led the Pirates to shift him into the bullpen and ultimately trade him back to the Mets in exchange for lefty reliever Antonio Bastardo, who’d struggled in his first year with a new team as well. Niese made just six appearances with the Mets before undergoing knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus, which ultimately ended his season.

Though the 2016 season was one that Niese would like to forget, the southpaw has long been a steady mid-rotation arm. He averaged 28 starts and 171 innings per season from 2010-15 (all with the Mets), working to a collective 3.86 ERA in 1028 2/3 innings. Niese has never been one to miss many bats and has seen his strikeout rate fade a bit over the years, but he’s typically displayed solid control and above-average ground-ball tendencies.

Even with a rebound season, Niese profiles mostly as a back-of-the-rotation arm. But given what figures to be a low cost of acquisition and a pre-2016 track record of league-average innings, he’d make sense for a club looking for options at the five spot in the rotation or as a swingman/long reliever.

Astros Agree To Two-Year Deal With Will Harris

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FEB. 6: FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets that Harris’ 2019 option will increase to $6.5MM with 15 games finished in 2018. It’ll increase to $7.5MM if Harris finishes 25 games and $8.5MM if he finishes 35 games.

FEB. 3: The Astros have avoided arbitration by striking a two-year deal with righty Will Harris, per Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle (links to Twitter). He’ll receive a $5MM guarantee ($2.2MM in 2017 and $2.8MM in 2018) in the pact, which also gives Houston a club option for the 2019 campaign. The value of the option will be determined by how many games Harris finishes in the 2018 season, with a range of between $5.5MM and $8.5MM.

The sides had been slated for an arbitration hearing, with Harris (via his agent, Gavin Kahn) filing at $2.3MM and the club countering at $1.95MM. MLBTR and contributor Matt Swartz had projected a $2.5MM payday for the 2017 season. Instead of settling, or accepting the decision of an arbitration panel, the sides decided upon a multi-year arrangement that provides some cost certainty to the club while offering some protection to a late-blooming player.

Harris, 32, has largely flown under the radar since breaking into the majors in 2012 — at least until his brief recent stint as the Houston closer last year. But he has produced rather compelling peripherals for quite some time, and that has shown up in the results column since he was claimed by the ’Stros from the Diamondbacks just after the conclusion of the 2014 campaign.

Over the past two seasons, Harris owns a 2.07 ERA over 135 innings. He carries a sturdy 9.1 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9, and has induced grounders on more than half of the balls put in play against him. That makes him one of the game’s better setup men, even if he’s rarely recognized as such.

Though there’s no added control in the arrangement, Houston could certainly stand to save quite a bit of money. Anything close to a repeat of his 2016 season would otherwise have lined Harris up for a big raise. And though he’ll retain a bit of upside in the option year, that too could prove a bargain (both in the arbitration context and more generally). That being said, it’s also easy to see the merit in the arrangement for the righty, who has earned at (or just over) the league minimum to this stage of his career. Given his age and the injury risk inherent to his trade, securing an added season worth of guaranteed money obviously made for a compelling opportunity.

Nationals, White Sox Still Discussing David Robertson Trade

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Bullpen help remains a primary need for the Nationals in what has been a rather quiet offseason in terms of pitching additions, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Nats are still discussing potential David Robertson trades with the White Sox. Adding Robertson, who is controlled for another two seasons at a total of $25MM, would provide the Nats with an experienced arm to shut down games and also give manager Dusty Baker some much-needed depth.

The problem in talks is somewhat familiar for the Nationals, per Rosenthal, as the team’s ownership is reluctant to take on all of the remaining money on Robertson’s contract. Beyond that, after parting with Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning to acquire the remaining five years of control over Adam Eaton, the Nats’ front office isn’t keen on surrendering top-tier prospects.

That Robertson is coming off his worst season since 2010 can’t make the Nationals any more eager to part with premium young talent. While the 31-year-old (32 in April) maintained his continually impressive strikeout rate (10.8 K/9) and saw his ground-ball rate rebound after a dip in 2015, Robertson averaged an uncharacteristic 4.6 walks per nine innings pitched. Robertson’s fastball velocity was consistent with his career marks, though, and he once again avoided spending any time on the disabled list, so there’s perhaps reason to hope that 2016’s control issues were a blip on the radar.

As it stands right now, Shawn Kelley and Blake Treinen are poised to be the two primary right-handers at the back of the Washington bullpen. They’ll be joined by left-handers Sammy Solis and Oliver Perez, with the remaining three spots somewhat up for grabs. Young right-handers Trevor Gott, A.J. Cole, Koda Glover, Austin Adams and Jimmy Cordero will all be in the mix for spots, as will more seasoned non-roster invitees Joe Nathan, Vance Worley, Jeremy Guthrie and Jacob Turner.

There are plenty of options for the Nationals at present, but there’s little in terms of certainty beyond the top few members of the relief corps. And, of course, it should be noted that Kelley’s season ended in frightening fashion, as an arm injury forced him from Game 5 of the National League Division Series. Both player and team expressed optimism in the following days that the injury was not serious, but that type of injury for any pitcher — let alone one that already has two Tommy John surgeries under his belt — is troubling nonetheless.

If the Nationals want to pursue other avenues to acquire late-inning help, those options have dwindled over the course of the winter. Sergio Romo and Joe Blanton are the top remaining right-handed relievers on the market (though Romo may be wrapping up a deal with the Dodgers), while the majority of the other trade options come with similar caveats to Robertson.

MLBTR Poll: Finding A Fit For Chris Carter

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As we head into February, Chris Carter’s winter continues to drag on. The slugger tied Nolan Arenado for the NL home run crown last season, but the Brewers non-tendered him, casting him into a market full of similar players, many of whom also still haven’t found new teams. Also, at least a couple recent signings (such as Mark Trumbo to the Orioles, Brandon Moss to the Royals and perhaps even Mark Reynolds to the Rockies) have seemingly foreclosed upon possible destinations for Carter. A variety of teams have been connected to Carter recently, and MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently listed some more speculative fits. Where do you think he might end up? Here are some possibilities, some admittedly more likely than others.

Rays. Tampa Bay recently came to terms with Logan Morrison, but is seemingly still interested in acquiring a right-handed bat. Carter would certainly qualify, although there are a number of other possibilities, including Mike Napoli, Franklin Gutierrez and Byung Ho Park.

Rangers. Texas has been strongly connected to Napoli, although no deal has been consummated yet, and Carter would seemingly work as a backup option. Scott Boras, meanwhile, is reportedly trying to sell the Rangers on signing another potential DH, Pedro Alvarez.

Marlins. Carter would give Miami a righty to pair with Justin Bour at first base, and the Marlins reportedly have had interest in Carter. MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro, though, recently pointed out that the Marlins don’t figure to spend much more than their current $110MM payroll, and wrote that the possibility they would sign Carter was “extremely remote.”

White Sox. The White Sox are only a speculative possibility, as there’s been little or no reporting connecting them to Carter. But the team has a clear opening at DH, and Carter would be a fun fit at homer-happy Guaranteed Rate Field.

Mariners. This is another speculative fit, and perhaps a less likely one, since the team has Nelson Cruz at DH and righty Danny Valencia said upon being acquired earlier this offseason that he expected to play first base (where he’ll presumably complement lefty Dan Vogelbach). Given Valencia’s ability to play other positions, though, and given that the Mariners have preferred to allow Cruz to play the outfield once a series or so, perhaps the Mariners could see an opportunity here, although that seems like a stretch.

Athletics. Incumbent A’s first baseman Yonder Alonso is coming off a very poor season, and the team could potentially use Carter at first and DH while also using Ryon Healy at those positions. The A’s tend to be opportunistic and haven’t been shy about making moves in February, although there’s been nothing specifically connecting them to Carter.

Japan. Carter’s agent, former Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart, recently said his client could consider offers from overseas, and Japanese teams would surely love to acquire a high-profile MLB hitter like Carter. And as MLBTR’s Adams pointed out, the Brewers were not able to find a trade partner for Carter when his projected arbitration salary was in the $8MM range, suggesting that he won’t be able to land much of a guaranteed MLB salary. Carter himself recently said his priority was to sign with an MLB team, however.

Other. There are, of course, more out-of-nowhere possibilities. Perhaps the Nationals could see a chance to upgrade at first, although one would think they’d have more interest in a left-handed hitter they could pair with Ryan Zimmerman, who’s controllable through 2020. Maybe the Mets could attempt to add Carter after Lucas Duda’s injury-plagued 2016 and Jay Bruce’s underwhelming stint with them, although it seems like quite a stretch to think that Duda or Carter would ever play the outfield, and the team could use Bruce or Michael Conforto at first if Duda’s back issues flare up again. Maybe the Blue Jays could see a chance to upgrade, although their acquisition of the lefty-mashing Steve Pearce complicates that possibility quite a bit. And perhaps Carter could even return to the Brewers, although that would have seemed far more likely had they traded Ryan Braun, whose departure could have bumped Eric Thames to the outfield. There’s also the possibility an injury could create an opportunity for Carter that we haven’t yet anticipated.

So where do you think Carter will go? (Link to poll for Trade Rumors app users)

Key Recent February Trades

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The month of February is upon us, and it’s typically a relatively quiet month for significant trades. Still, there have been a few big ones in the past five years. Here’s a look back at some of the key trades to take place in Februaries of the recent past.

2016

February 12: Athletics acquire OF Khris Davis from Brewers for C Jacob Nottingham and P Bubba Derby. The A’s acquired some power last February, grabbing Davis from a rebuilding Brewers club. Davis hit a solid .247/.307/.524 and tied for third in the AL with 42 homers in his first year in Oakland. Nottingham, meanwhile, hit a disappointing .234/.295/.347 with the Brewers’ Double-A affiliate, although he was young for the level; he currently ranks as the 16th-best prospect in the Brewers’ much-improved system, according to MLB.com. Derby struggled in Class A+.

February 25: Athletics acquire OF Chris Coghlan from Cubs for P Aaron Brooks. The Davis trade wasn’t the Athletics’ only outfielder acquisition last February, although their deal to pick up Coghlan didn’t go nearly as well as the Davis trade, even though Coghlan was coming off two straight productive seasons in Chicago. Coghlan batted a miserable .146/.215/.272 in 172 plate appearances in Oakland before the A’s shipped him back to the Cubs for Arismendy Alcantara in June. Brooks, meanwhile, missed the entire season due to a hip contusion; he’ll serve as depth for the Cubs in 2017.

2015: None

2014

February 13: Rays acquire P Nate Karns from Nationals for P Felipe Rivero, C Jose Lobaton and OF Drew Vettleson. This deal turned out to be more interesting than it looked at the time. Karns had spent the 2013 season as a 25-year-old pitching well but not spectacularly at the Double-A level. He spent most of 2014 at Triple-A, then quietly had a strong season with the Rays in 2015 before heading to Seattle in a six-player deal that netted the Rays Brad Miller, Danny Farquhar and Logan Morrison. For the Nationals, Lobaton, a backup catcher, looked like the centerpiece of their side of the deal at the time. He’s had a good run in Washington, hitting respectably and framing well, but it was Rivero who became the highest-value asset — he emerged as a flame-throwing lefty reliever, and the Nats eventually shipped him to Pittsburgh as the key piece in the Mark Melancon deal. Vettleson was a first-round pick in 2010, but he’s stalled in the Nationals system and was demoted to Class A+ last year.

2013

February 4: Athletics acquire SS Jed Lowrie and P Fernando Rodriguez from Astros for 1B Chris Carter, P Brad Peacock and C Max Stassi. Lowrie was coming off a solid .244/.331/.438 season in 2012 in Houston, and he was even better in 2013 in Oakland, batting .290/.344/.446. He was modestly productive in 2014 before heading back to the Astros as a free agent. Rodriguez, meanwhile, missed all of 2013 and much of 2014 after having Tommy John surgery but pitched fairly well for the A’s in 2015 and 2016, posting a 3.99 ERA, 9.2 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 99 1/3 innings with the club before heading to the Cubs as a minor-league free agent this winter. The then-rebuilding Astros, meanwhile, received a package centered on Carter, then coming off an encouraging rookie season. Carter hit 90 home runs in three seasons in Houston but struck out 545 times over that period and was ultimately non-tendered. Peacock has provided the Astros with rotation depth, while Stassi has made only brief big-league appearances over the last four seasons, generally struggling at Triple-A.

February 13: Yankees acquire P Shawn Kelley from Mariners for OF Abraham Almonte. The Mariners had designated Kelley for assignment, and acquiring Almonte was a straightforward attempt on their part to get some value for him. Seattle’s initial decision to designate Kelley remains puzzling, however. He had just posted a good 3.25 ERA, 9.1 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 for them in 2012. He remained modestly productive in three seasons in New York and San Diego before landing a three-year, $15MM deal with the Nationals last winter. Almonte, meanwhile, struggled to get established with the Mariners, then the Padres and Indians.

February 22: White Sox acquire 3B Conor Gillaspie from Giants for P Jeff Soptic. This was another trade that looked relatively minor — Gillaspie was out of options, and with Pablo Sandoval then entrenched at third base, the Giants had limited use for him. He emerged as a decent regular in 2013 and 2014 with the White Sox (hitting .265/.322/.404 in that span) before struggling in 2015 and heading to the Angels in a minor trade. Soptic threw very hard but had persistent control problems and has spent the past four years at Class A+.

2012

February 6: Orioles acquire P Jason Hammel and P Matt Lindstrom from Rockies for P Jeremy Guthrie. Like many pitchers, Hammel struggled to establish himself in Colorado. But his career bloomed in Baltimore and then in Chicago. In five years since leaving Denver, he’s posted a 3.88 ERA, 8.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 over 771 innings, and he currently rates as MLBTR’s top remaining free agent. Lindstrom pitched well for the Orioles before heading to Arizona in a midseason trade for Joe Saunders. Guthrie’s stint in Colorado went poorly, and he headed to Kansas City in another ill-fated Rockies trade; they received Jonathan Sanchez in return, and Sanchez made just three poor starts for them. Guthrie, meanwhile, reestablished himself as a good back-end rotation option in Kansas City.

February 19: Pirates acquire A.J. Burnett and cash from Yankees for P Diego Moreno and OF Exicardo Cayones. The Yankees were likely happy to be rid of Burnett and a portion of his remaining contract after he posted a 4.79, 7.9 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in parts of three seasons in New York. But he thrived in Pittsburgh, where he became one of the NL’s top ground-ball pitchers and served as a veteran leader for the 2013 Bucs as they had their first winning season in two decades. Moreno pitched briefly for the Yankees in 2015; Cayones never made it to Double-A.

Quick Hits: Rockies, Mets, Astros

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A few notes from around the majors:

  • Both the Marlins and Pirates have made changes to their outfield alignments this offseason, and the Rockies should follow suit, opines Jim Bowden of ESPN.com. Specifically, the club ought to flip center fielder Charlie Blackmon – who has spent most of his career manning the middle – and left fielder David Dahl, Bowden argues. Blackmon, 30, has been a plus defender in left (three Defensive Runs Saved, 3.2 Ultimate Zone Rating), albeit over only 574 innings, but a negative in center across a 3,126-inning sample size (minus-15 DRS, minus-27.1 UZR). Dahl, meanwhile, drew near-neutral grades (minus-1 DRS, 0.4 UZR) in a combined 481 innings at all three outfield positions in 2016, his rookie campaign. At the time of Dahl’s July promotion to the majors, Baseball America’s Kyle Glaser noted that the 22-year-old possesses “superb defensive skills” and should be the Rockies’ long-term answer in center.
  • When Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom underwent season-ending elbow surgery in September, the expectation was that he’d be ready for spring training. That remains the case, fortunately, as deGrom told Kevin Kernan of the New York Post he hasn’t “had any of the pain that was there” since having his ulnar nerve repositioned. The surgery, therefore, has been a success to this point, declared deGrom, who explained the issues that caused him to undergo the procedure. “It started with some tingling in my fingers,’’ said deGrom, whose last start of 2016 came Sept. 1. “Then it turned into a sharp pain. I don’t know if it’s because it was getting aggravated more, but that’s what was happening.”
  • After a 15 1/3-inning cup of coffee in the majors last season, right-handed reliever Jandel Gustave has a strong chance to make the Astros out of camp this year, writes Jake Kaplan of Baseball America (subscription required and recommended). Manager A.J. Hinch is bullish on the hard-throwing Gustave, who racked up 16 strikeouts against four walks and yielded six earned runs on 13 hits last year with Houston. “I think he’s right in the mix to make our bullpen, both by improvements that he’s made in the last couple of seasons but also the first impression in the big leagues,” Hinch said of the 24-year-old. “He has an elite fastball and a developing breaking ball.”

Pirates Changing Outfield Alignment

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SUNDAY: The Pirates will indeed change their outfield alignment, manager Clint Hurdle announced Sunday. After primarily playing right field during his first three seasons, Polanco will head to left. McCutchen will cede center to Marte and take over in right.

“We believe this alignment will maximize our outfield production,” said Hurdle. “Our men were very professional and respectful of the team and each other throughout the process, and are selfless in helping us strengthen our team defensively.”

SATURDAY: It appears there will be a changing of the guard in the Pirates’ outfield this year. After spending most of his first four-plus seasons in left field, Starling Marte will shift to center in 2017, he told MLB Dominicana (Twitter link; h/t Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). If that happens, the longtime face of the franchise, five-time All-Star center fielder Andrew McCutchen, will join Gregory Polanco as the team’s starting corner outfielders.

Given the vastly different defensive results Marte and McCutchen have produced in recent seasons, it’s no surprise that the Pirates look poised to shake up their outfield alignment. Since debuting in 2012, Marte has accounted for the majors’ sixth-most Defensive Runs Saved (73) and recorded an impressive Ultimate Zone Rating of 31.4. McCutchen, on the other hand, has fallen off drastically in the grass and is coming off a year in which he finished last in the majors in DRS (minus-28) and second last in UZR (minus-18.7).

In addition to his defensive troubles, McCutchen posted the worst offensive output of his brilliant career in 2016 (a still-respectable .256/.336/.430 line with 24 home runs in 675 plate appearances) and has been the subject of trade rumors this offseason. While it looked as if the Pirates would move McCutchen at the Winter Meetings, no deal materialized and general manager Neal Huntington declared afterward that the team would go forward with the 2013 NL MVP on its roster. Of course, Huntington could still trade McCutchen sometime in the near future – the 30-year-old has two seasons, including a 2018 club option, and up to $28.5MM remaining on his contract. In the meantime, he could become a corner outfielder after lining up exclusively in center during his first eight seasons.

The 28-year-old Marte – unlike McCutchen, perhaps – is in line to serve as a Bucs cornerstone for the foreseeable future. Marte, who’s fresh off his fourth straight full season of easily above-average production, is controllable through the 2021 campaign at an affordable $46.5MM. Now, as part of an effort to ameliorate a Pittsburgh defense that was among the majors’ poorest during a 78-win 2016, Marte seems likely to go forward at the outfield’s most important position.

Poll: Byung Ho Park’s Future

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Transactions across Major League Baseball have begun to pick up as the spring closes in, and no move has come as a bigger surprise this week than the Twins’ decision to designate first baseman/DH Byung Ho Park for assignment on Friday. After signing 36-year-old reliever Matt Belisle to a cheap contract, rebuilding Minnesota jettisoned Park from its 40-man roster just one year after doling out $24.85MM to land him. Before committing a four-year, $12MM deal to Park last winter, the Twins had to pay his previous team, the Nexen Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization, a $12.85MM posting fee to acquire his negotiating rights.

Byung Ho Park

Despite the low-payroll Twins’ investment in Park under previous general manager Terry Ryan, the club’s new front office – led by chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and GM Thad Levine – clearly isn’t enamored of the 30-year-old. It’s easy to see why, perhaps, as Park certainly failed to live up to the hype accompanying him in his first year in the States. Park hit an underwhelming .191/.275/.409 with a 32.8 percent strikeout rate in 244 plate appearances with the Twins before they optioned him to Triple-A Rochester on July 1. While he was significantly more productive after the demotion, largely thanks to a .526 slugging percentage, Park still hit an ugly .224 and posted a sub-.300 on-base rate in 128 PAs with Rochester.

In fairness to Park, a wrist injury – for which he underwent season-ending surgery in late August – may have stunted him in 2016. Plus, as FanGraphs’ Travis Sawchik pointed out earlier this week in a piece urging the Twins not to give up on Park (they designated him two days later), he did show encouraging signs as a rookie despite his less-than-gaudy triple slash. Evidenced somewhat by his 12 home runs and .219 ISO (league average was .162) in limited major league action, Park packed a wallop last season. Moreover, only one player with at least 75 batted-ball events (Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez, who laid waste to the league as a rookie) posted a greater percentage of barrels than Park, while just nine registered higher exit velocities on fly balls and line drives. At 97.2 mph, Park was right in line with David Ortiz and Giancarlo Stanton.

So, there could be notable upside present with Park, and although he’s currently in seven-day DFA limbo, it’s arguable that his price tag shouldn’t serve as a deterrent if another club is interested in picking him up. The expectation is that Park will clear waivers, La Velle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune reported Friday, but his remaining contract is rather insignificant to most major league teams.

As one of Sawchik’s FanGraphs colleagues, Dave Cameron, wrote Friday, Park could make sense for any of the Rangers, Athletics and White Sox. All three have questions at first base and/or DH, as do the frugal Rays, who have been on the lookout for a right-handed bat throughout the offseason and continue to search for one in the wake of re-signing lefty-swinging first baseman Logan Morrison. Of course, any of those teams could simply sign Chris Carter, who co-led the National League with 41 home runs last season, or even 34-homer man Mike Napoli if they’re willing to spend more. However, controlling Park through the 2019 season at an ultra-affordable $9.25MM might make him a more enticing option for someone hoping his tendency to hit the ball hard leads to a statistical breakout. If not, Park will head into spring training as one of the Twins’ non-roster invitees and try to get back on their 40-man at some point this year. Is that what ought to happen, though, or is Park currently worthy of a roster spot elsewhere?

(Poll link for Trade Rumors App users)

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Cards, O’s, A’s, Jays, D-backs, Cubs

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