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Archives for January 2018

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/21/18

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Here are the latest minor league moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…

  • The Dodgers have agreed to a deal with right-hander Andrew Robinson, as announced by Robinson himself via Twitter.  The contract is presumably a minor league pact for the former Georgia Tech hurler, who turns 30 in February.  Robinson has a 3.88 ERA, 8.4 K/9 and 3.35 K/BB rate over 531 career minor league innings, with only eight of those frames coming at the Triple-A level.  He spent 2017 with the Nationals’ Double-A affiliate, and Robinson’s previous seven pro seasons included stints in the Houston, Atlanta, and Baltimore farm systems.

Brewers Reportedly Close To Making Trade

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There’s “buzz” that the Brewers are closing in on a trade, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN reports. Crasnick doesn’t offer any details about an exact trade partner or players involved, though he notes that the Brewers have been discussing outfielders with multiple teams (Twitter link).

At present, the Brewers have several outfielders who are either established major leaguers or players who are closing in on regular roles. The group includes Ryan Braun, Domingo Santana, Keon Broxton, Brett Phillips and Lewis Brinson. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported earlier this month that the Brewers could move someone from that quintet for much-needed starting pitching and to open up room for free agent center fielder Lorenzo Cain. The 31-year-old Cain was a “frequent topic of conversation” for Milwaukee’s front office, Rosenthal wrote at the time.

If a deal does happen, it won’t be with San Francisco, according to Crasnick, even though the Giants and Brewers discussed Santana and Broxton earlier this offseason. The White Sox, on the other hand, are a possibility, Crasnick suggests (via Twitter).

Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel adds (on Twitter) that the Brewers have been shopping Santana since last month’s Winter Meetings, and he notes that they’re also in the market for second base help. Milwaukee received disappointing production at the keystone most of last season from Jonathan Villar, who remains in the fold. Villar’s down season led the Brewers to acquire Neil Walker last August. Although Walker thrived during his month and a half with the Brewers, he’s currently a free agent.

Quick Hits: Cobb, Uehara, Slow Offseason

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Right-hander Alex Cobb entered free agency among the best available players, a 30-year-old destined to land one of the offseason’s richest contracts. While a hefty payday should still come, Cobb – like the rest of this year’s premier free agents – continues to wait for a deal nearly three months after the market opened. Cobb acknowledged to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that his trip to free agency during this famously plodding winter hasn’t gone according to plan, noting that “somewhere between November and December you realize how slow things are going and you kind of start reading the writing on the wall that this is a little bit of a different offseason than years before.” Cobb added that there has been frustration along the way, though he realizes he’s in the same situation as so many other unsigned players. “You just kind of change your frame of mind to accepting the fact that this thing is going to go down to the wire and you get comfortable with that,” he told Topkin in a piece that features other interesting quotes.

  • Reliever Koji Uehara also seems perturbed with this offseason’s free agent process. And at 42 years old (43 in March), he’s unsure if he’s going to receive a major league offer. If one doesn’t come, Uehara could call it quits. “I’ll retire if I’m only offered a minor league deal,” he said (via the Kyodo News). “There have been some talks, but no offers have been forthcoming. It seems like something’s on the horizon and then it isn’t. I can be patient for a little longer.” In the event Uehara does secure a big league pact for 2018, he’s “more than 90 percent certain” he’ll stick with his previously stated goal to retire after the season. That would give him 10 major league campaigns and 10 years as a pro in his native Japan. Despite his age, Uehara remained a major league-caliber reliever in 2017. As a member of the Cubs, the righty registered a 3.98 ERA with 10.47 K/9 and 2.51 BB/9 across 43 innings.
  • As MLB and the MLBPA spar over the league’s forthcoming implementation of a pitch clock, Buster Olney of ESPN writes that the two sides’ relationship may be at its worst point since the 1994-95 labor stoppage. The current collective bargaining agreement (which expires in December 2021) is seemingly a key reason, as many agents have suggested to Olney that the MLBPA “lost enormous financial ground” when it agreed to the CBA a year ago. As mentioned earlier, there’s a lack of movement in free agency; some agents believe the market inactivity has helped lead to the union’s close-mindedness toward the league’s ideas to speed up pace of play, per Olney, who argues that would be senseless on the MLBPA’s part. While there are plenty of theories about what has caused the offseason to go the way it has, one agent opined to Olney that collusion on the part of teams isn’t an issue. “I don’t think for one instant that this is collusion,” stated the agent. “[The union] negotiated the terms of this CBA, and it’s up to us [the agents] to adjust and give the best possible advice to our clients based on the market.”
  • Continuing with the slow winter theme, Travis Sawchik of The Athletic observes that teams’ growing skepticism toward paying for free agents’ decline years is among the primary reasons for the glacial pace (subscription required/highly recommended). Indeed, one executive told Sawchik that “it’s not if you will lose on free agency, it’s how much you will lose.” Sawchik goes on to posit that the longer the offseason stays this way, the more likely it is low- to mid-spending teams could land quality players at discounted costs. He points to the Pirates’ signing of David Freese in 2016 and the Indians’ addition of Edwin Encarnacion last winter as recent examples of that happening.

5 Key Stories: 1/13/18 – 1/20/18

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Here are the biggest stories MLBTR has featured since last weekend…

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Pittsburgh says goodbye to two stars: Dating back to the 2016 season, it seemed like a matter of when – not if – the Pirates would trade center fielder Andrew McCutchen and right-hander Gerrit Cole. It finally happened in separate deals over the past week. McCutchen went to San Francisco for two players, and Cole headed to Houston to join the reigning champions in a package that netted the Bucs a quartet of potential contributors.

McCutchen and Cole (particularly the former) were terrific Pirates during their long tenures with the organization, but their lack of team control helped lead to the end of both eras. The 31-year-old McCutchen is only signed through the upcoming season, and it seemed unlikely before the trade that the Pirates would extend him. While Cole has two more years remaining, the low-payroll Pirates weren’t going to re-up the Scott Boras client before his eventual trip to free agency. As such, general manager Neal Huntington took what he believed were the best offers for both players. Some Pirates fans are incredibly displeased, though, even petitioning for owner Bob Nutting to sell the franchise.

…But Felipe Rivero’s sticking around: The Pirates’ excellent closer was already under control via arbitration for the next four seasons, but the club elected to extend him anyway. In doing so, the Bucs bought out all of Rivero’s arb years and potentially a couple free agent seasons. The reasonably priced deal guarantees the 26-year-old left-hander $22MM, while each option (2022 and ’23) is worth what will be a team-friendly $10MM if Rivero’s dominance continues.  In 2017, his first full season in Pittsburgh, the ex-National saved 21 of 23 opportunities and pitched to a 1.67 ERA across 75 1/3 innings. In the process, Rivero notched 10.51 K/9 against 2.39 BB/9 and logged a 52.9 percent groundball rate.

Padres extend a (Brad) Hand: San Diego’s Hand, another of the game’s premier southpaw relievers, landed an extension before Rivero. Like Rivero, Hand was already under control prior to the deal, as he wouldn’t have been eligible for free agency until after 2019. Hand’s payday is for a guaranteed $19.75MM over the next three years, and it also comes with a $10MM club option for 2021. The soon-to-be 28-year-old Hand had been popular in trade rumors prior to the extension, but he could now be part of the next good Padres team – if their rebuild goes as planned, that is. Hand was about as effective as Rivero last season, with a 2.16 ERA, 11.8 K/9 against 2.27 BB/9 and a 46.3 percent grounder rate over 79 1/3 frames.

Blue Jays add power to outfield: The Blue Jays picked up a couple home run-hitting corner outfielders in Randal Grichuk, whom they acquired from the Cardinals, and free agent signing Curtis Granderson. Grichuk, a 26-year-old right-handed hitter, cost Toronto reliever Dominic Leone – who was a standout in 2017 – as well as pitching prospect Conner Greene. The lefty-swinging Granderson pulled in a one-year, $5MM guarantee entering his age-37 season. With Grichuk and Granderson in the fold, GM Ross Atkins acknowledged that the Jays could listen to offers for corner outfielders Steve Pearce and Ezequiel Carrera.

A few other recognizable free agents come off the board: Surprisingly, the Twins reeled in reliever Addison Reed for just $16.75MM over two years – a much lower guarantee than most expected entering the offseason. A desire to play in the Midwest reportedly helped lead Reed to Minnesota, where he’s likely to set up for recently signed closer Fernando Rodney. At 29, Reed is the youngest free agent to find a team over the past week-plus. Aside from the previously mentioned Granderson, a slew of other 30-somethings in Jay Bruce, Adrian Gonzalez, Howie Kendrick and Brian Duensing also exited the market.

Bruce got the richest deal (three years, $39MM) and is once again a member of the Mets, with whom he played parts of the previous two seasons. Gonzalez will join him as part of the 2018 Mets, though his previous employer – the Braves, who released him in December after a luxury tax-geared trade with the Dodgers – will take care of nearly all of his $22MM salary. The Mets will only pay Gonzalez a minimum salary. Kendrick, who finished 2017 with the Nationals after they acquired him from the Phillies at midseason, returned to Washington for a two-year, $7MM guarantee. He figures to once again offer the Nats a quality utility player. And after a resurgent 2017, Duensing re-upped with the Cubs – also on a two-year, $7MM contract.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Pirates, Astros, Mets, Jays, Phils, Rox, Cards

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This week in baseball blogs…

Submissions: ZachBBWI @gmail.com

MLBTR Originals

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Recapping this week’s original content from MLBTR…

  • Even after acquiring Andrew McCutchen, the Giants are in the market for a center fielder. San Francisco’s preference to stay under the $197MM luxury tax threshold may limit its options, though Steve Adams still found 13 reasonably priced candidates whom the club could acquire via free agency or trade.
  • With McCutchen, Gerrit Cole, Evan Longoria and Yangervis Solarte having been part of recent deals, Jeff Todd updated his list of the league’s top 60 trade candidates. The piece is loaded with household names, including Christian Yelich and Chris Archer.
  • In the newest editions of MLBTR’s Free Agent Profile series (links: 1, 2), Steve examined right-hander Alex Cobb’s case for a big payday, while Kyle Downing did the same with reliever Greg Holland.
  • Brewers right-hander Tim Dillard provided his latest Inner Monologue, this one touching on subjects including “Star Wars” and giveaway nights.
  • The contract extension portion of the offseason isn’t far away, leading Jeff to break down the largest deals given to veterans entering their final year of team control.
  • After news broke that Marlins second baseman Starlin Castro would prefer to play elsewhere in 2018, I tried to find plausible fits for him via trade. It wasn’t easy.
  • The latest poll at MLBTR focused on where free agent right-hander Yu Darvish will sign. The plurality of voters see him ending up with the Cubs. On the other hand, the results suggest there’s little hope for a Darvish-Dodgers reunion.

Orioles Interested In Jarrod Dyson

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Free agent outfielder Jarrod Dyson is a possibility for the Orioles, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. The club has “checked his medicals,” Kubatko writes.

This is the second straight offseason in which Dyson has been on the Orioles’ radar, as Kubatko notes that general manager Dan Duquette discussed Dyson with Kansas City before the Royals traded him to the Mariners last winter. Now, Dyson would provide the Orioles a left-handed-hitting outfielder – which is on their offseason wish list – to add to a group that currently includes four righties (Adam Jones, Trey Mancini, Austin Hays and Joey Rickard) and a switch-hitter (Anthony Santander). Notably, the 33-year-old Dyson owns pronounced platoon splits, having hit a meager .215/.293/.259 against left-handed pitchers during his career and a playable .267/.331/.372 versus righties.

While he has never been a major threat with the bat, including during a.251/.324/.350 showing in 2017 with the Mariners, Dyson has provided significant value with both his glove and legs. Since debuting with the Royals in 2010, Dyson has accounted for 55 Defensive Runs Saved and a 52.1 Ultimate Zone Rating in center field, and he managed terrific numbers in those categories last year (10 DRS, 5.4 UZR). With Jones entrenched in center field, it seems Dyson would mostly play right in Baltimore. Regardless, he’d strengthen an Orioles outfield that finished last season 23rd in DRS (minus-15) and 29th in UZR (minus-21.1).

As a team, the Orioles struggled mightily on the base paths in 2017, ranking dead last in steals (32) and a similarly woeful 28th in FanGraphs’ BsR metric. That’s another area in which Dyson would help, as he swiped 28 bags on 35 attempts in 2017 and hasn’t ended a season with fewer than 26 steals since he started seeing extensive action in 2011. Dyson has also graded out well according to BsR, most recently placing 12th among 287 major leaguers with at least 300 plate appearances last season.

Considering Dyson’s strengths and the Orioles’ weaknesses, a fit would seem to make sense, though Kubatko cautions that they’d need to be “sold on his health” for a signing to happen. With Dyson being an aging player who underwent sports hernia surgery last September, that may not be a sure thing.

Quick Hits: Moustakas, Blackmon, Kipnis

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A few notes from around MLB as we wrap up another day in this historically sluggish offseason…

  • While free agent third baseman Mike Moustakas hasn’t drawn much reported interest of late, that wasn’t the case early in the offseason, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com writes. However, teams that initially pursued Moustakas balked at his asking price, Feinsand adds. Now, at least one general manager expects Moustakas to land a far less valuable deal than some outlets – including MLBTR – projected entering the offseason. “When you see what (Jay) Bruce got from the Mets, it’s hard to see Moustakas getting more than that,” said the GM, referring to Bruce’s three-year, $39MM contract. While Bruce will play his age-31 season in 2018 and Moustakas won’t turn 30 until September, the former did not enter the winter with a qualifying offer attached. Moustakas did, which is among a few factors that have worked against him on the market, as Feinsand details in his piece.
  • Center fielder Charlie Blackmon could be part of one of the best free agent classes of all-time next year, but he’s open to signing an extension with the Rockies and forgoing a trip to the market. “It’s a two-way street,” the 31-year-old told Thomas Harding of MLB.com. “I really like playing here. It’s been a great place to be. I like the people. I like the teammates. And I’ve also been on a one-year situation for the past three to four years, so it doesn’t really change anything for me. I’m used to that go-out-and-produce mindset. Hopefully, something happens. That would be great.” If something doesn’t happen, the reigning NL batting champion (.331) will play 2018 for $14MM and vie for a third straight star-caliber season.
  • The Indians reportedly plan to play Jason Kipnis at second base in 2018, but they haven’t yet informed him of that, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com relays. It’s “more than likely” Kipnis will man the keystone, manager Terry Francona acknowledged, though Bastian notes that he may open the year in left field if Michael Brantley isn’t ready to return from the right ankle surgery he underwent in October. Kipnis, for his part, is “excited to play wherever they need me.” The career-long Indian, 30, also indicated he’s pleased to still be with Cleveland, despite offseason trade rumors.

AL Notes & Rumors: Archer, Royals, Dozier, Red Sox

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It remains unclear whether the Rays will move Chris Archer, but Jon Morosi of MLB.com writes that they and other teams have been “engaged in consistent trade talks” centering on the right-hander “in recent weeks.” Archer, a 29-year-old front-end starter who’s on one of baseball’s most appealing contracts (he’s controllable through 2021 for $34MM), has unsurprisingly drawn reported interest from a host of teams this offseason. Dealing Archer and his $6.25MM salary would help the Rays with their goal to cut payroll for 2018, but it would obviously make it all the more difficult for the team to compete in a division featuring Boston, New York and an active Toronto club.

More AL rumblings:

  • If the Royals re-sign free agent first baseman Eric Hosmer, they’ll give more serious consideration to trading left-hander Danny Duffy, closer Kelvin Herrera and right-hander Jason Hammel, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Bringing back Hosmer and keeping those players would ostensibly give the Royals a better chance to compete in 2018, though they’re reportedly in line to cut payroll and rebuild even if they do re-up him. Of Duffy, Herrera and Hammel, the former is the priciest – he’s owed $60MM through 2021, including $14MM this season – but also likely the player with the most trade value. Both Herrera and Hammel could become free agents in a year, depending in part on what happens with the latter’s $12MM mutual option for 2019. In the meantime, Herrera will earn $7.94MM this year, and Hammel will collect $9MM.
  • The Twins still haven’t discussed a contract extension with Brian Dozier, and the star second baseman informed Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com that he’s “a little bit” surprised about that. The club is waiting on potential extensions until spring training draws closer, per Bollinger, though Dozier seems prepared to test the market in a year if Minnesota doesn’t make him a suitable offer by next winter. “I’ve had a lot of talks with a lot of guys about approaching free agency and how to handle it,” Dozier said. “I don’t want to get too caught up in it. But it is the writing on the wall and the elephant in the room.” Dozier, who will turn 31 in May, is slated to play the final season of a four-year, $20MM contract extension in 2018. That deal has been an absolute bargain for the Twins, who saw Dozier account for 14.2 fWAR/13.3 rWAR and bat .258/.335/.496 with 104 home runs over the first three years of the pact.
  • Red Sox left-hander Brian Johnson has drawn trade interest this offseason, Cafardo reports. The hurler is out of minor league options, meaning the Red Sox could lose him to waivers if they don’t trade him and he doesn’t make their 25-man roster, Cafardo notes. Johnson, a first-round pick of the Red Sox in 2012 and a former top 100 prospect, has seen minimal big league action to this point (31 1/3 innings). The 27-year-old tossed 27 1/3 major league frames across five starts last season and did OK, notching a 4.33 ERA/4.90 FIP with 7.0 K/9 and 2.67 BB/9. Johnson fared better over 90 1/3 Triple-A innings (3.09 ERA/4.19 FIP, 6.97 K/9, 2.79 BB/9).

Twins Interested In Wade Miley

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The Twins and the agents for Yu Darvish, Lance Lynn, Alex Cobb, Wade Miley, Chris Tillman and Mike Napoli are “maintaining regular dialogue,” according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter). Minnesota’s interest in nearly all of those names was already known before Saturday, though this is the first reported connection between the team and Miley.

While the Twins are seeking a front-end starter to complement their only reliable options – Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios – chief baseball officer Derek Falvey revealed this week that they’re also pursuing “value adds” for their rotation. The 31-year-old Miley would qualify as the latter, considering the struggles the left-hander has endured lately.

As a member of the Orioles in 2017, Miley made 32 starts to reach the 30 mark for the fifth straight year, but he averaged fewer than five innings per appearance and finished with 157 1/3 frames – the lowest full-season total of his career. He also notched personal worsts in ERA (5.61), FIP (5.27) and walks per nine (5.32). As a result, the Orioles decided after the season to decline Miley’s $12MM option for 2018 in favor of a $500K buyout, thus sending him to the open market.

Despite his impressive track record of durability, run prevention hasn’t been a strong suit for Miley for the majority of his career, which began in 2011. At his best, Miley combined for an outstanding 3.44 ERA/3.57 FIP across 397 1/3 innings as a Diamondback from 2012-13. Since then, he has pitched to a 4.89 ERA/4.32 FIP over 718 1/3 frames in Arizona, Boston, Seattle and Baltimore.

Miley, to his credit, isn’t that far removed from serving as a competent innings eater with the Red Sox in 2015. And while last season was mostly disastrous, he did manage an 8.12 K/9 – the second-highest figure of his career – along with a quality groundball percentage (50.3). Maintaining those numbers and cutting walks closer to his career mark (3.13 BB/9) would help make Miley a useful back-end option for the Twins or another club in 2018. He’ll also need positive regression in the home run department after last year saw him record a 19.4 percent HR-to-fly ball rate (compared to a lifetime 12.5 percent).

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