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Quick Hits: Chacin, Morneau, Wright, Fowler, Cardinals

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Jhoulys Chacin has pitched well for the Braves in his Spring Training outings and, perhaps most importantly for the righty, his troublesome shoulder is feeling good.  “When I signed, my mindset was just to come to Spring Training as strong as I could be and to just pitch the only way I know how to pitch….I just want to go through all of this year and the rest of my career with my shoulder strong,” Chacin tells MLB.com’s Mark Bowman.  It would be a nice bargain for Atlanta if Chacin returned to the form he showed when he was a healthy and productive member of the Rockies staff, as Chacin is only signed to a minor league deal.  Here’s some more from around baseball…

  • “Nothing has materialized” for Justin Morneau this offseason, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes, though the veteran first baseman isn’t announcing his retirement.  Morneau said in November that he was adamant about continuing his career after working to come back from concussion and neck issues, though those same injuries limited him to just 49 games in 2015.  Health questions notwithstanding, Morneau did hit .316/.363/.487 with 20 homers in 732 PA over the last two seasons and he won the NL batting title in 2014, so it’s rather surprising that his market has been almost entirely quiet.  The Indians were the only club known to have interest and they went with Mike Napoli instead due to Napoli’s right-handed bat.  Morneau is the last member of MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents still looking for a new team.
  • Also from Cafardo, he notes that Red Sox right-hander Steven Wright is out of options and “a few teams are watching Wright’s camp with great anticipation.”  Wright, a knuckleballer, could still make Boston’s big league roster as a reliever or possibly as the team’s fifth starter if Eduardo Rodriguez is not healthy to start the year.
  • Dexter Fowler spoke to Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com about the surprising turn of events that saw the outfielder re-sign with the Cubs.  Despite media reports that had Fowler all but officially signed with the Orioles, Fowler said he and Baltimore “never really were close” to an agreement.  “They wanted me to pay them what they said the draft choice I was costing them was valued at.  They wanted me to pay them for the pick.  So we said, OK, then give me an opt-out after one year, and they said that’s something they won’t do,” Fowler said.  Casey Close, Fowler’s agent, also commented on the situation last month and had some harsh words for both the Orioles and the media.
  • Also from Gammons, he notes that it isn’t the Cardinals’ style to make rash moves, so the club is likely to be cautious in gauging their response to Jhonny Peralta’s injury absence.  St. Louis was linked to Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed earlier today, though Gammons thinks Arizona wouldn’t settle for anything less than a top minor leaguer like righty Luke Weaver (ranked by Baseball America as the Cards’ fourth-best prospect).
  • Matthew Bowman is “more likely than not” to make the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster as a reliever, Adam Rubin of ESPN.com writes.  Bowman was plucked off of the Mets’ roster in December’s Rule 5 draft.  The 24-year-old has pitched mostly as a starter in his minor league career and it would be somewhat of a surprise to see him pass several veteran options to lock down a bullpen job.  As a Rule 5 pick, of course, Bowman has to stay on the St. Louis 25-man roster all season or else be offered back to the Mets.

Cardinals Considering Nick Ahmed

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The Cardinals will be without shortstop Jhonny Peralta for up to three months and they are exploring options to help replace him at shortstop.  One player that the organization is considering is Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed, according to Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe.

Cafardo cautions that the Cardinals are “just starting” their search process for shortstops, but Ahmed is, at the very least, on the list of potential trade targets for St. Louis.  As it stands, the Cardinals’ internal candidates to fill in at short are Jedd Gyorko, Aledmys Diaz, and Greg Garcia.  For different reasons, none of those three players are ideal for the role.  Gyorko was ID’d by some as the main candidate to fill-in for Peralta early on, but he has limited experience at the shortstop position.

It’s not hard to imagine the Diamondbacks parting with the defensively-gifted Ahmed for the right price.  The D’Backs could start Chris Owings at second base and Jean Segura at shortstop,  making Ahmed somewhat expendable.  On Sunday morning, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote that one Diamondbacks official indicated that he would be comfortable seeing Ahmed relegated to a utility role or made into a trade candidate.

Peralta’s timetable on his left thumb injury could theoretically line him up for a return in early June, but Mark Saxon of ESPN reported that his return would more likely be around the All-Star break in July.  Last week, MLBTR’s Steve Adams ran down possible replacements the Cardinals could bring in for the injured Peralta.   Steve listed Ahmed as a trade possibility, along with D’Backs teammate Chris Owings and several other interesting names.

Rosenthal On Blue Jays, Bautista, D’Backs, Ahmed

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Now with the Angels, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wonders if shortstop Andrelton Simmons can develop into a better hitter.  Simmons is working hard on the offensive side of his game, but he is also appreciative of the fact that the Halos value him highly for what he does in the field.

“It feels great, man. It helps you build that confidence,” Simmons said. “I don’t have to go up there and be that big-name hitter. I just have to play my part — hit-and-run, bunt the guy over. That might take a little pressure off me and make it easier. I’m still trying to be a better hitter. Everybody is. You try to pick up from guys like Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. Hopefully by the end of the year, I learn a lot from them.”

Here’s a look at some of the highlights from Rosenthal’s column:

NL West Notes: Upton, Wood, Pederson, Dodgers, D-Backs

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Padres outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. says he’s “tired of trying to live up to other people’s expectations” and intends to “work hard” and “have fun” in San Diego, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. As Sanders writes, the elder Upton brother has long been looked upon to deliver results befitting his talent, draft status, and contracts, and he’s obviously endured some rough years along the way. But he’s still only 31 years old and turned things around last year, posting a .259/.327/.429 slash in 228 plate appearances while profiling as a solid defender in center. While the $31.9MM left on his contract over the next two years, which the Friars took on in the Craig Kimbrel swap, still looks rather expensive, it’s certainly possible that Upton will continue that momentum and function as a valuable member of the roster.

Here are a few more notes from the NL West:

  • Dodgers lefty Alex Wood missed his scheduled start today after experiencing forearm tightness, as Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports. As things stand, though, the team is “optimistic” that the current issue is a minor one, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter links), and Wood himself says the soreness is “extremely mild.” Acquired last summer, Wood figures to be an important component of the club’s rotation depth as it deals with the extended absences of pitchers such as Brandon McCarthy and Brett Anderson, as well as the continued uncertainty surrounding Hyun-jin Ryu. It’s certainly too soon to know whether there’s cause for real concern regarding Wood, but he’s always been a player who has faced questions about his durability due to his unorthodox delivery and prior Tommy John surgery. Indeed, the statistical research of MLBTR contributor Bradley Woodrum suggested that Wood is at a heightened risk of a TJ procedure this year, as he checked in at 72% above the league average risk. While that shouldn’t be read to indicate that Wood is particularly likely to require a UCL replacement in the coming season, it does perhaps point towards cautious handling, and the club seems to be proceeding accordingly.
  • The Dodgers intend to utilize Joc Pederson as the team’s regular center fielder, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports. While the team is giving an extended look to Trayce Thompson this spring, skipper Dave Roberts explains that the much-hyped Pederson “looks good, much more comfortable at the plate” now than he did down the stretch and remains  “a plus defender in center field.”
  • J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles News Group examines the Dodgers’ extensive recent history on the Cuban market in an interesting piece. The demand for Cuban talent jumped with Yasiel Puig’s success, Hoornstra explains, but has begun to stabilize — in player assessment, if not overall spending levels — as more and more players from the island have made their way north. While Los Angeles has continued to invest in Cuban ballplayers, GM Farhan Zaidi also explains that the organization has done more to “create a stronger assimilation program” to help ensure they’ll succeed. “I think you sort of gain information from not just players you’ve signed from that market in the past, but who other teams have signed, what kind of players have succeeded. Why they’ve succeeded,” says Zaidi. “Not just their inherent talent level, but were they given the support system that I think these guys need to succeed?”
  • Speaking at the SABR analytics conference, Diamondbacks CEO Derrick Hall explained the reasoning behind the organization’s decision to part with young talent in recent months, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. Arizona was prepared to deal with some criticism, and acknowledges that it hurt to give up some strong prospects to build for the present. He explained that the D-Backs will always focus on “building from within,” but nevertheless felt the time was right “to somewhat abandon that with a couple of moves that we made so that we can create that flexibility because we think we can win now.” That doesn’t mean the team will always operated that way going forward, though, he stressed. “It is a unique model and it’s not something we’re going to practice forever,” says Hall. “It’s not going to define us. We’re not always going to look that way.”

NL West Notes: D-Backs, Padres, Inciarte, Lincecum, Blash, Reyes

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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.”

NL West Notes: Dodgers, Greinke, Rosales, Gray, Samardzija

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Dodgers lefty Hyun-jin Ryu is being given some extra rest after feeling discomfort in his surgically repaired left shoulder, writes MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick. Neither Ryu nor manager Dave Roberts would characterize the discomfort as a setback, with Ryu saying he didn’t feel significant pain, and Roberts adding that the discomfort is a normal part of the recovery process from this type of surgery. Nevertheless, the status of Ryu’s shoulder will be something the Dodgers monitor closely this spring in his first season back from surgery to repair a torn labrum. Ryu was recently said to be about two weeks behind the rest of the Dodgers’ starters (Twitter link via Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times), and that was prior to today’s news.

More on the Dodgers and their division…

  • Gurnick tweets that lefty Brett Anderson is also dealing with an ailment, as his Friday start is uncertain after he tweaked his back throwing live batting practice yesterday. Anderson underwent some tests today to determine the nature of the potential injury, and as Gurnick notes, he does have a history of back troubles, having undergone surgery in 2014.
  • Sticking with the mildly macabre Dodgers injury theme, righty Josh Ravin will be out for eight to 12 weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured left forearm that he injured earlier this week in a car crash, McCullough tweets. As was noted at the time of the injury, Ravin was perhaps an unlikely candidate to make the club out of Spring Training, but the injury of course removes any doubt.
  • Diamondbacks scouting director Deric Ladnier told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that ace Zack Greinke joined him and other D-backs scouts in south Florida earlier this winter to watch some amateur games as the club scouted in preparation for the June draft. “I’m not saying he’s going to help us make decisions because he’s not, but I do like listening to him because he brings a different perspective,” said Ladnier. “Shame on me if I don’t.” Greinke’s interest in scouting is nothing new, Piecoro writes. In fact, Ladnier, who was the Royals’ scouting director when Greinke was drafted, invited Greinke into the Royals’ draft meetings on a number of occasions. Piecoro notes that Greinke also attended some scouting meetings with the Brewers and Dodgers. “He follows it diligently,” said Ladnier. “It’s something he loves to do. I have no problem with him coming in and peeking his head in.” Greinke clearly has plenty of innings left in his arm, but I doubt he’d have difficulty finding a team interested in adding him as a special assignment scout following his playing days.
  • Infielder Adam Rosales, who is with the Padres on a minor league deal/non-roster invite to Spring Training this season, spoke to MLB.com’s Corey Brock about the transaction whirlwind in which he was involved back in 2014. In a span of 13 days, Rosales was designated for assignment three times and claimed off waivers three times — each by either the Rangers or Athletics. Rosales called the sequence “challenging,” but eventually found some levity in his plight. “You just have to see some humor in it … and take it in stride and appreciate the opportunities you have,” he explained. GM A.J. Preller, who was an assistant GM with the Rangers at the time of that ordeal, spoke highly of Rosales’ versatility and clubhouse presence, explaining some of the reasoning behind his signing of Rosales this winter.
  • Rockies prospect Jon Gray debuted his new curveball in his first spring outing today, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, and was pleased with the outcome. Gray says he was surprised by the number he threw (seven), thinking he’d throw three or four over his two-inning affair. Gray spoke to Saunders about his aim to develop two different curves — one to throw for strikes and one to bounce in front of the plate as an out pitch — as he seeks to deliver on the promise that made him the No. 3 pick in the 2013 draft.
  • Giants GM Bobby Evans talked with MLB.com’s Tracy Ringolsby about his pursuit of Jeff Samardzia this offseason. “The benefit of Posey, the benefit of Dave Righetti and [bullpen coach] Mark Gardner, the benefit of AT&T Park and the benefit of a support cast where he’s not expected to be the No. 1 or No. 2 guy, all those elements combined to allow us to make the investment,” said Evans of the five-year, $90MM deal he used to reel in Shark (terrible pun intended — my apologies). Samardzija admitted to Ringolsby that the barrage of rumors swirling around his name wore on him last summer, to some extent, though he didn’t blame any of his 2015 struggles on the stress associated with that talk. The Giants, Ringolsby writes, feel there’s still untapped potential in Samardzija’s powerful arm.

Minor MLB Transactions: 2/29/16

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Outfielder Andrew Brown, who had been in big league camp with the Angels as a non-roster invitee, has now elected to retire from baseball rather than embark on a 10th professional season, MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez tweets. According to Gonzalez, the 31-year-old Brown decided he would rather spend time with his children than continue to pursue a playing career. Brown last appeared in the Majors as a member of the 2014 Mets. In parts of four big league seasons, the former 18th-rounder batted .220/.281/.390 with 14 homers in 362 plate appearances. Brown went overseas and enjoyed great success in Korea last year, where he batted .261/.360/.496 with 28 homers in his lone KBO experience. Best wishes to Andrew in whatever steps he takes following his playing career.

Here are the day’s minor transactions from around the league…

  • The D-backs have signed former Pirates/Nationals/Twins closer Matt Capps to a minor league contract, according to Baseball America’s Matt Eddy. Earlier this month, FOX’s Jon Morosi reported that Capps was eyeing a big league comeback after having been absent from the Majors since 2012. After being non-tendered by the Pirates and signed to a one-year deal by the Nationals prior to the 2010 season, Capps was traded to the Twins in one of the more lopsided swaps in recent memory, with Wilson Ramos heading to the Nats in exchange. Capps did go on to pitch well in his first half-season with Minnesota before struggling in 2011 and 2012. The 32-year-old has a lifetime 3.52 ERA with 6.5 K/9, 1.7 BB/9 and a 39.5 percent ground-ball rate in 439 2/3 innings as a big league reliever.

Diamondbacks Sign Rickie Weeks To Minor League Deal

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The Diamondbacks have signed infielder/outfielder Rickie Weeks to a minor league contract, as per the team’s official Twitter feed.  The deal contains an invitation to their big league Spring Training camp.  Weeks is represented by the Legacy Agency.

Weeks hit just .167/.263/.250 in 95 plate appearances with the Mariners last season before being released in June.  He’ll provide the D’Backs with some minor league depth at both his natural second base position and possibly in left field, as he appeared in 19 games in left last season (the first time he’d played outfield in his 13-year pro career).

Weeks, 33, was selected by the Brewers with second overall pick of the 2003 draft and delivered some big seasons as Milwaukee’s regular second baseman before struggling to just a .228/.323/.389 slash line in 1457 PA over the last four seasons.  That total includes a strong .809 OPS in part-time action in 2014, boosted by terrific numbers against left-handed pitching.  With so many right-handed hitting infield and outfield options in Arizona’s camp already, however, it may be tough for Weeks to find a spot on the 25-man roster.

International Notes: Diamondbacks, La O, Gutierrez

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The D-backs made a minor international move today, as MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports, signing 18-year-old Mexican right-hander Edgar Martinez for an undisclosed bonus. While the exact amount given to Martinez isn’t known, the signing bonus is required to come in at $300K or less, as the D-backs are barred from signing international amateurs for more than that figure during this signing period and the 2016-17 international signing period as a result of their spending in the 2014-15 signing period. The addition of Martinez could be a sign of things to come, Sanchez writes, as Arizona is making an effort to increase its presence in Mexico. The D-backs introduced three new employees at a press conference in Mexico last month with an eye toward acquiring more Mexican talent in the future. “We naturally want to have a presence down there, not only from a marketing standpoint, but from a scouting perspective,” CEO Derrick Hall explained to Sanchez. “For me, the priority is to find and develop a top talent from Mexico.”

A couple of more notes on some more prominent international free agents…

  • Free agent third baseman Luis Yander La O has signed with the Legacy Agency, tweets Sanchez. The 24-year-old, who is exempt from international bonus pools, is exploring the market and preparing for a possible showcase, Sanchez notes. MLB declared La O a free agent a month ago, and Baseball America’s Ben Badler has previously written that La O is nearly MLB-ready. La O doesn’t possess much power but had an extraordinarily low strikeout rate in Cuba (five percent) and is said to be an above-average defender at third base that can handle second base as well.
  • Sanchez also reported yesterday that right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez is also being repped by Legacy after signing on with the agency recently (Twitter link). Gutierrez is “on track” to host a showcase sometime next month, Sanchez adds. Gutierrez has been a free agent since last July, but there’s been very little talk about the talented right-hander since that time. When he was declared a free agent, Badler noted that some scouts preferred Gutierrez’s overall package to that of $16MM Dodgers right-hander Yadier Alvarez. The 20-year-old Gutierrez is subject to bonus pools and is currently the top-ranked unsigned amateur on Sanchez’s rankings at MLB.com (No. 2 overall). Sanchez notes that Gutierrez has a low-90s fastball and plus curveball in his scouting report.

NL Notes: McCutchen, Rockies, Morrow, D-Backs, Mattingly

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Pirates superstar Andrew McCutchen voiced his desire to spend his entire career in Pittsburgh yesterday, and on Tuesday general manager Neal Huntington told ESPN’s Jayson Stark that the Bucs would explore an extension for McCutchen at the “appropriate time,” though he declined to delve into specifics. Huntington explained that the Pirates would love to retain McCutchen for “an awfully long time,” though he noted that the remaining three years on McCutchen’s deal is a lengthy period of time in its own right. “At the same time, we do want to honor his interest,” the GM told Stark. “And at the appropriate time, in the appropriate way, we will look to see if there is a common financial ground that allows us to build a championship team around a given player. … Any team can basically afford any player. It’s just how do you afford championship-caliber players around that one player.” 

Some more notes from around the Senior Circuit…

  • Rockies GM Jeff Bridich declined to put a timeline on the Rockies’ path back to contention when meeting with reporters today, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. “Why limit ourselves?” Bridich asked rhetorically. “So if I were to come out and say something that’s pleasing to the ear of you, or a fan here or a fan there, and I say, ‘We’re not going to win for X.’ So what? What’s the point of doing that? It’s about people. It’s about process. … Why say something where it’s got to happen X number of months and years in the future, where really a lot of good things can happen this year?” The Rockies have certainly acted as if they believe they can win in 2016 this winter, and Bridich’s comments seem to imply they indeed hold that belief, even if it’s not necessarily an expectation.
  • Brandon Morrow tells Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune that he probably could’ve secured a big league deal elsewhere this winter, as he had “soft offers” of Major League deals from other clubs, but he wanted to remain with the Padres and “wasn’t afraid” to take a minor league deal with an invite to camp. Morrow didn’t specify exactly what he meant with that explanation — verbal willingness by other teams to explore big league deals, perhaps — but he went on to explain to Lin that he thinks highly of San Diego’s training staff, team doctors and strength coaches. He also voiced an oft-overlooked aspect of remaining in one place (or in securing a multi-year deal): “I didn’t want to bounce around, I guess. It’s just the continuity; the doctors knew me since I was injured, obviously. … Going to a new spot, they’d only know what you tell them instead of having firsthand knowledge.” It’s easy to suggest that players should be comfortable on one-year deals, though Morrow’s comments serve as a reminder that there are benefits to the stability of remaining in one place.
  • Diamondbacks CEO Derrick Hall held court with the media on Tuesday and explained that the deferred money included in Zack Greinke’s stunning six-year contract isn’t the start of any sort of trend, writes Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. “It’s not something that we’re going to start doing now,” said Hall of deferring money,” “but in this case we felt we needed to really bite the bullet on this one, with that window we talk about and our big glaring hole.” As Piecoro notes and as Hall implies in his later comments, the D-backs have previously run into problems by offering too many deferred payments and don’t want to start down that road once again.
  • The hiring of manager Don Mattingly already has Marlins players buzzing about the upcoming season, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Mattingly held a closed-doors meeting with the team before the first full workout of Spring Training, and the new skipper wasted little time in getting his players on his side. “I went out to practice [Tuesday] like I wanted to eat the world,” Jose Fernandez told Spencer. Fellow right-hander Tom Koehler said that Mattingly’s address gave him “chills.” Mattingly spoke to Spencer after the speech and discussed the upcoming season, noting that he believes payroll to be a largely overblown component of successful teams, highlighting the Royals’ back-to-back World Series appearances.
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