Braves Rumors

Minor Moves: Beavan, Herrera, Sitton, Kohn, Carrera, Obispo

By Jeff Todd | December 4, 2014 at 1:10am CDT

Here are the latest minor moves …

The Diamondbacks have signed righty Blake Beavan to a minor league deal, via the MLB.com transactions page. The former first-round pick was outrighted by the Marines back in August.
The Cubs inked second baseman Jonathan Herrera, per the same source. Herrera lost his roster spot with the Red Sox a month ago after a fairly disappointing campaign in Boston.
The Angels re-signed righty Yoslan Herrera on a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports on Twitter. Herrera had been non-tendered yesterday.
Likewise, southpaw Kraig Sitton has re-signed with the Rockies on a minor league deal a day after being non-tendered, the club announced via Twitter. Sitton posted a 3.68 ERA last year at the Double-A level.
Righty Michael Kohn has gone to the Braves on a minor league deal with a big league camp invite, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports on Twitter. Kohn originally signed with the Rays but was designated off the 40-man roster.
The Blue Jays announced the signing of outfielder Ezequiel Carrera to a minor league deal. Carrera was designated recently to clear space for the Tigers’ claim of Josh Zeid.
The Brewers have signed righty Wirfin Obispo, the club’s player development account tweeted. Obispo, 30, spent last year with the Braves and Pirates organizations and worked to a 4.12 ERA over 48 Triple-A frames.

NL Notes: Upton, Ross, Hundley, Lackey, Cards

By Jeff Todd | December 3, 2014 at 9:27pm CDT

The Braves have already received attractive trade proposals for outfielder Justin Upton, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. With several free agents off the board, a deal could come together soon, per Sherman, possibly during the upcoming Winter Meetings. The team’s addition of free agent Nick Markakis would appear to increase the odds of the club dealing Upton and/or Evan Gattis, though its final course remains unclear.

Braves Sign Nick Markakis

By Jeff Todd | December 3, 2014 at 5:15pm CDT

The Braves have officially agreed to a four-year deal with free agent outfielder Nick Markakis, as Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported on Twitter. He will be guaranteed $44MM in the pact, per Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Markakis is repped by Jamie Murphy of TWC Sports.

For Atlanta, the move marks yet another fascinating plot point in an offseason of change. After dealing homegrown star Jason Heyward, the club has now replaced him with another defense-first corner outfielder in Markakis. Of course, Markakis is older, but he is also much cheaper than Heyward figures to be when he eventually lands a big new contract off his own.

Markakis, who grew up in the Atlanta area, will bring a somewhat polarizing skillset to his new home. He has a high-OBP, low-power bat that generally make him a slightly above-average offensive player. Though he has been more than that in the past, his recent history and advanced age suggest that Markakis will probably not return to his days of hitting at 20% or even 30% above league average.

And while Markakis is considered an excellent defender by many, both UZR and Defensive Runs Saved have turned some skepticism towards that assessment in recent years. Those metrics have tended to value him more as an average performer in right, with a lack of range outweighing his excellent arm and steady glovework. That debate will continue in Atlanta, where Markakis will be looking to fill some awfully big shoes in right.

While the Markakis contract falls shy of the $48MM that MLBTR’s Steve Adams predicted he would receive, it is certainly right in the ballpark for a tough-to-peg player. It appeared that Markakis was set to return to Baltimore on a contract of this general magnitude before talks sputtered. Recent reports had suggested both that Markakis was looking at suitors other than the incumbent Orioles, and that talks had picked up with Atlanta.

Markakis ultimately lands just $14MM shy of the Nelson Cruz pact, a not-insignificant achievement for a right fielder who has not hit 20 home runs since 2008. Melky Cabrera stands as the obvious prize amongst remaining free agent outfielders. He and players like Colby Rasmus may benefit from the fact that Markakis went to a seemingly-unlikely suitor.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Talks Between Braves, Markakis Intensifying

By Jeff Todd | December 3, 2014 at 3:53pm CDT

The negotiations between the Braves and outfielder Nick Markakis are intensifying, Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports on Twitter. A contract could land in the realm of four years and $45MM, Olney suggests.

Atlanta’s interest in the long-time Orioles outfielder has seemingly ramped up quickly over the last few days. A team contingent including assistant GM John Coppolella and manager Fredi Gonzalez paid him a visit recently. Of course, other teams — including the Giants, Blue Jays, and O’s — are all said to be after Markakis as well.

The price tag that Olney suggests would land just shy of the prediction of MLBTR’s Steve Adams (4/$48MM). It is not yet clear what that kind of outlay on a 31-year-old veteran would mean for an organization that has been re-shaping its decision-making apparatus and roster in several ways this offseason.

Braves Sign Jim Johnson

By Steve Adams | December 3, 2014 at 12:35pm CDT

12:35pm: Johnson’s base salary will be $1.6MM, and he can earn up to $900K worth of incentives, tweets SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo.

12:07pm: The Braves announced that they have signed former Orioles closer Jim Johnson to a one-year, Major League contract (Twitter link). The right-hander is a client of Moye Sports Associates.

Johnson, 31, is just a season removed from back-to-back campaigns of 50-plus saves — each of which led the American League. His 101 saves from 2012-13 bloated his arbitration payday to $10MM last year, however, which was enough for the Orioles to trade him to the A’s in what was more or less a salary dump, despite the fact that he had continued to post solid numbers.

To say that Johnson’s Oakland tenure didn’t go as planned would be an understatement. The 2012 All-Star lost his closing gig to Sean Doolittle early in the 2014 season and never appeared comfortable in green and gold. He posted a 7.14 ERA with 6.3 K/9, 5.1 BB/9 and a typically strong ground-ball rate of 56.8 percent. After being designated for assignment and ultimately released, Johnson latched on with the Tigers but didn’t fare much better, allowing 10 runs in 13 innings with a 14-to-12 K/BB ratio.

It’s fair to say that Johnson was never the elite reliever that one might expect by glancing solely at his saves totals. Even in his peak seasons from 2011-13, he posted a 2.70 ERA but with a sub-par 6.1 K/9 rate. However, that’s certainly not to say that Johnson isn’t a quality relief arm. If last year’s control problems are corrected, Johnson figures to be an excellent rebound candidate to replace Jordan Walden (traded to the Cardinals along with Jason Heyward) in a setup role for Craig Kimbrel. Johnson’s never posted a ground-ball rate lower than 51 percent, and that mark has been 58 percent or better in each of the past four seasons. Johnson’s sinker continued to induce grounders last season and there was no drop-off in its velocity (average 93.6 mph), so the Braves presumably have a nice buy-low candidate to add to a bullpen that features Kimbrel, Shae Simmons, James Russell and David Carpenter, among others.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2014-15 National League Non-Tenders

By Jeff Todd | December 2, 2014 at 10:57pm CDT

Major League clubs have until 11pm CT tonight to tender contracts to players for the 2015 season. We’ll run down the list of National League non-tenders here, and update it as reports come in. Remember that you can track all of the action using MLBTR’s Non-Tender tracker, and we offer a full list of non-tender candidates (in the estimation of MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes). Also important for reference is the set of arbitration salary projections from MLBTR and contributor Matt Swartz. Click here for an explanation of the process, and be sure to check out this piece featuring some interesting observations from Tim regarding non-tender considerations.

The Rockies have non-tendered lefty Kraig Sitton, the team announced.
The Pirates have non-tendered Gaby Sanchez and Chaz Roe, the club announced. Sanchez was in DFA limbo.
The Cardinals will non-tender Daniel Descalso, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. That move seemed rather likely, as MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch reported last night.
Lefty Wesley Wright and catcher John Baker have been non-tendered by the Cubs, the team announced. Wright certainly qualifies as a surprise, as the 29-year-old was solid for the Cubs and was projected to earn just $2MM.
The Reds have non-tendered righties Logan Ondrusek and Curtis Partch, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon reports.
Meanwhile, the Giants have tendered all arb-eligible players contracts, Alex Pavlovic of the Mercury News reports on Twitter.
The Mets have announced that Eric Young Jr. has been non-tendered, ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin tweets.
The Braves have dropped the biggest non-tender news of the day thus far, releasing Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy to the open market. Otherwise, the only teams announcing to this point have decided to tender all of their players.
There will are no non-tenders to report for the Diamondbacks, who have announced that they have tendered contracts to all eligible players (via MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert, on Twitter).
The same holds true for the Marlins, per MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro (Twitter link).
The Nationals have announced that they have tendered contracts to all ten eligible players, per Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com (via Twitter). Washington had previously agreed to avoid arbitration with one other player from the packed class (Kevin Frandsen).

Braves Met Yesterday With Nick Markakis

By Jeff Todd | December 2, 2014 at 7:15pm CDT

9:00pm: Assistant GM John Coppolella was also on the trip, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports on Twitter. The presence of Hart’s top lieutenant certainly lends even more credence to the idea that the pursuit is serious.

7:15pm: The Braves sent a group, led by manager Fredi Gonzalez, to meet with outfielder Nick Markakis yesterday in Maryland, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports. While the meeting was more of an introductory opportunity than a negotiating session, it does seem to indicate that Atlanta is serious about pursuing Markakis.

Reports have been flying on Markakis since Connolly wrote yesterday that the long-time Oriole was set to explore the market more fully after talks had stalled with his former employer. Today, we learned that the Braves were joined (not necessarily exclusively) by the Blue Jays, Giants, and incumbent O’s in pursuit of Markakis.

Atlanta has an obvious need for a corner outfielder, and Markakis’s Georgia roots make him a natural target. Of course, it remains unclear whether the Braves’ new head baseball executive, John Hart, will really make a competitive run at an older player after dealing away Jason Heyward and seemingly marketing Justin Upton. While those two players are younger, of course, they are also pending free agents who always looked to be tough extension targets. On the other hand, Atlanta appears to have a good bit of work to do before it can again be considered a true contender, and the 31-year-old Markakis may make better sense for a team with more present-day production in its lineup.

Braves Non-Tender Medlen, Beachy, Schlosser

By Jeff Todd | December 2, 2014 at 5:16pm CDT

The Braves have non-tendered righties Kris Medlen, Brandon Beachy, and Gus Schlosser, per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (Twitter link). The team has tendered contracts to its remaining eligible players: lefties Mike Minor and James Russell and righty David Carpenter.

The move is somewhat jolting, though perhaps not entirely unexpected; indeed, I noted in my offseason outlook for Atlanta that the move had to at least be considered, particularly if an incentive-based arrangement could not be worked out. Both Medlen and Beachy have been outstanding when healthy, but the pair missed all of 2015 after each undergoing a second Tommy John procedure.

With Medlen projected by MLBTR/Matt Swartz to earn $5.8MM, the club was said to be looking for a way to avoid that kind of guarantee in crafting a new deal. Likewise, Beachy’s $1.5MM projected tab was probably steep given his expected timeline and likelihood of returning to form.

Despite the move, the Braves will still try to work out a contract with the now-free agent hurlers, Bowman reports on Twitter. But the team could well run into some competition, as both righties have demonstrated rather high ceilings.

Atlanta tried to entice Medlen with a deal that would have promised him $5.8MM for the coming season, matching his earnings last year, tweets David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. But the club was looking for a good rate on an option for 2016, which apparently was the sticking point in negotiations.

Braves, Blue Jays, Giants, O’s In On Markakis

By Steve Adams | December 2, 2014 at 11:55am CDT

11:55am: Orioles executive VP/GM Dan Duquette tells MLB.com’s Britt Ghiroli that Baltimore is still very much in the mix for Markakis (Twitter link). “Rumors of our demise are largely exaggerated,” he tells Ghiroli.

10:56am: On the heels of last night’s report that Nick Markakis is no longer likely to re-sign with the Orioles, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that the Braves, Blue Jays and Giants are among the teams that have shown interest in signing Markakis. Heyman notes that the Orioles, of course, will continue to try to re-sign their long-time right fielder.

As Heyman notes, Markakis is a Georgia native that grew up in the Atlanta area, attended college just two hours or so from Atlanta and has a home in that area. With the Braves trading Jason Heyward and listening on Justin Upton, it does seem like Atlanta could eventually have a fit in its outfield. The Blue Jays, Heyman writes, have been “lurking” for awhile and will look to add at least one outfielder, while the Giants’ interest may hinge on the outcome of their pursuit of Jon Lester.

Markakis hit .276/.342/.386 with 14 homers last season and was said at one point to be nearing a four-year deal with Baltimore. However, last night’s report from the Baltimore Sun’s Dan Connolly indicated that the O’s may not be comfortable with the four-year term of that potential contract. I profiled Markakis back in mid-October and pegged him for a four-year, $48MM pact, and it seems that his camp will now field offers from other clubs as it seeks to lock in that fourth guaranteed year. From a speculative standpoint, I’d think that the Tigers, Royals, Mariners, White Sox and Reds are also fits (though not all can necessarily afford to meet Markakis’ asking price).

Braves, Medlen Have Discussed Two-Year Deal

By Steve Adams | December 2, 2014 at 8:20am CDT

With tonight’s non-tender deadline looming, the Braves have discussed a two-year deal with non-tender candidate Kris Medlen, reports MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (Twitter links). Bowman also notes that a one-year deal with a team option for 2016 could make some degree of sense for both sides.

Medlen is a non-tender candidate through no fault of his own; he recently enjoyed an excellent 2013 campaign, but a torn ulnar collateral ligament in Spring Training led to his second career Tommy John surgery. We’ve projected Medlen to earn the same $5.8MM in 2015 that he did in 2014, though it’s possible he could have his salary cut by as much as 20 percent (the maximum allowed), meaning he’d cost at least $4.65MM next year. For a player who may not be ready for Opening Day (his Tommy John surgery came on March 18 of last year) and could potentially miss months of the 2015 campaign, that’s a somewhat risky notion.

By signing a two-year deal, the Braves could back-load the contract and remove some of the risk from Medlen’s recovery season — a season that historically isn’t as sharp for a pitcher as the subsequent seasons. Medlen, meanwhile, could guarantee himself more money than the $4.65MM to $5.8MM he stands to earn in 2015. An increased guarantee would hardly be insignificant for the 29-year-old Medlen, who has banked about $9.7MM in his career to this point.

When healthy, Medlen has been nothing short of excellent in his career. The former 10th-round pick has a lifetime 2.95 ERA with 7.6 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and a 46.2 percent ground-ball rate in 512 2/3 innings at the Major League level. Based on that success, it’s not surprising to see the Braves trying to get a bit creative to keep Medlen in the fold.

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