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Braves Close To Acquiring Ryan Doumit

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The Braves and Twins are finalizing a deal that would send catcher/outfielder Ryan Doumit to Atlanta, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Doumit, who will turn 33 on April 3, is coming off a down season in which he batted .247/.314/.396 and dealt with concussion issues late in the year. However he’s just one year removed from a strong .275/.320/.461 showing with a career-high 18 homers for the Twins.

Though he’s not considered a strong defensive catcher, Doumit would give the Braves a cheap option behind the dish in the wake of Brian McCann’s departure to the Yankees. Doumit is owed jusr $3.5MM in 2014. The Braves have Evan Gattis, Gerald Laird and Christian Bethancourt as internal options at catcher, but Bethancourt could require more seasoning, Laird is a backup and Gattis has serious OBP concerns. He alsos struggled against right-handed pitching (.236/.284/.473), which is where Doumit exceeds (.270/.330/.454).

This post was originally published on Dec. 18.

AL East Links: Floyd, Ackley, Ortiz, Rays

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Despite pitching just 28 1/3 innings in 2013, Gavin Floyd inked a one-year deal with the Braves yesterday that is worth $4MM and could reach $8.5MM via incentives. That's a fine payday for a mid-rotation arm coming off Tommy John surgery, but Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that Floyd could have been paid even more handsomely. According to Connolly, the Orioles offered Floyd a two-year deal that could have reached $20MM after incentives, but Floyd turned them down. Here's more out of the AL East…

Braves Avoid Arbitration With Brandon Beachy

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2:47pm: Beachy's deal will pay him $1.45MM in 2014, according to Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish (on Twitter).

2:18pm: The Braves announced, via press release, that they have avoided arbitration with right-hander Brandon Beachy by agreeing to a one-year deal.

Beachy, 27, returned from 2012 Tommy John surgery last season to post a 4.50 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 1.2 BB/9 in 30 innings of work for the Braves. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had projected Beachy to earn just $900K in arbitration due to the missed time with his elbow injury. He looked to be in the midst of a breakout season in 2012, having posted a 2.00 ERA through 81 innings in the Braves' rotation when he went down with his injury.

Beachy figures to be in Atlanta's rotation again in 2014 alongside Mike Minor, Julio Teheran, Kris Medlen and the newly signed Gavin Floyd, with Alex Wood potentially filling in as Floyd recovers from his own Tommy John.

As can be seen in MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker, the Braves still have a whopping seven players eligible, meaning general manager Frank Wren and his staff will have plenty of work on their hands.

Braves Sign Gavin Floyd

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The Braves added depth to their rotation today, officially announcing the signing of righty Gavin Floyd to a one-year deal.  ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports that Floyd will earn a $4MM base salary and can earn another $4.5MM with incentives. Floyd is represented by Moye Sports Associates.

Floyd-Gavin

Floyd, who turns 31 in roughly six weeks, posted a 5.18 ERA in 24 1/3 innings for the White Sox last season before going down for the year with a torn ulnar collateral ligament that required Tommy John surgery. Prior to that injury-shortened season, the former No. 4 overall pick had been a fairly durable mid-rotation starter for the White Sox, averaging 190 innings of 4.12 ERA ball with 7.2 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 per season from 2008-12 in the hitter-friendly confines of U.S. Cellular Field.

The contract is similar to the deal that Mike Pelfrey signed with the Twins headed into the 2013 season. Pelfrey had Tommy John surgery on May 1, 2012 and signed for $4MM plus another $1.5MM worth of incentives. Floyd's Tommy John came on May 8, 2013, and he hopes to be throwing in the Majors by early May, according to Crasnick.

Floyd will eventually join a rotation that should consist of Mike Minor, Kris Medlen, Brandon Beachy and Julio Teheran as well. Left-hander Alex Wood could fill the void early in the season as Floyd works his way back from injury. It's also no guarantee that Floyd will be able to return so early. Though many Tommy John victims are able to make their recovery in a year's time, Scott Baker and Ryan Madson both serve as very recent reminders that the recovery process can be filled with significant setbacks.

Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun first reported (on Twitter) that Floyd was near a deal with an unknown club, and David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported that the Braves were the team (also via Twitter).  Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first reported an agreement had been reached.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Braves Close To Deal With Gavin Floyd

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TODAY: A deal bringing Floyd to Atlanta could be completed tomorrow, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports. Crasnick notes that Floyd hopes to be ready to throw MLB innings by May.

YESTERDAY: The Braves are close to a deal with free agent Gavin Floyd, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter).  While the two sides are nearing agreement, nothing has been finalized yet.

Yesterday, it was reported that Floyd was close to inking a deal with an unknown club.  Floyd missed most of the 2013 season after having Tommy John surgery in May.  In 168 innings with the White Sox in 2012, he posted a 4.29 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9. 

The Orioles were among the clubs with interest in the right-hander, but they were ruled out yesterday.  The Twins also had interest back in November.

Floyd is represented by Moye Sports Associates, according to the MLBTR Agency Database.

NL Notes: Reds, Arroyo, Braves, Giants, Phillies

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Homer Bailey is due to become a free agent after the season, but the Reds are telling other teams that they don't want to trade him, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports (via Twitter). The Reds are worried about their depth in starting pitching, and Heyman notes that the return of Bronson Arroyo might be able to help them. Heyman also tweets that the Reds are one of the finalists for Arroyo, along with the Twins and two other teams. Here are more notes from around the National League.

  • The Braves are not interested in Arroyo, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. They would prefer a starting pitcher with better stuff, O'Brien says.
  • One player the Braves do like is sidearmer Luis Vasquez, who they recently signed to a minor-league contract, O'Brien writes. "He’s [Peter] Moylan plus five miles an hour," says GM Frank Wren. "Moylan at his best was probably 92, and this is 94, 97 routinely. It’s definitely a different look." Vasquez, who will be 28 in April, posted a 2.52 ERA with 11.6 K/9 and 7.1 BB/9 in 35 2/3 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A in 2013. Clearly, he'll have to improve his control to make an impact in the Majors.
  • The Giants had interest in Omar Infante, FOX Sports' Jon Morosi tweets. Somewhat surprisingly, they were interested in using him as a left fielder in 2014, before eventually moving him to third base. Infante today agreed to terms on a four-year deal with the Royals to be their second baseman.
  • The Phillies are neither rebuilding nor contending, and their plan is unclear, argues Matt Gelb of the Inquirer. Since late July, for example, the Phillies have spent $69MM signing or re-signing aging veterans Chase Utley, Carlos Ruiz and Marlon Byrd, and yet they are trying to trade veteran closer Jonathan Papelbon. Meanwhile, Gelb argues, they agreed to sign Roberto Hernandez because they hadn't developed enough pitching on their own.

Braves To Sign Mat Gamel

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The Braves have agreed to terms with corner infielder Mat Gamel on a minor league deal, according to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith.

Gamel, 26, didn't play in 2013 after tearing his ACL for a second conseutive season. Formerly rated as one of the game's top prospects (Baseball America had him No. 34 in all of baseball prior to the 2009 season), Gamel has posted a .229/.305/.367 batting line in 269 Major League plate appearances.

He's absolutely feasted on Triple-A pitching in a larger sample, slashing .301/.374/.512 with 53 home runs in 1247 plate appearances. Gamel looked to be in line to replace the injured Corey Hart at Milwaukee's everyday first baseman in 2013 before his second ACL tear. The Jet Sports client has yet to receive an everyday opportunity at the Major League level, though he batted a solid .242/.338/.422 in 148 Major League plate appearances as a 23-year-old in 2009.

Quick Hits: Rays, Kimbrel, Weeks, Kalish, Madson

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Andrew Friedman doesn't think the Rays' search for a first baseman will last beyond another week, the club's executive VP told reporters (including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times).  "There were some suggestions…of movement" between the Rays and James Loney on Thursday, Topkin reports, and Loney remains the Rays' top choice, though at less than his three-year, $27MM asking price.  If Loney signs elsewhere, Topkin expects the Rays to acquire a first baseman in a trade rather than in free agency.

Here are some more items from around baseball as we conclude the 2013 Winter Meetings…

  • This might be the optimal time for the Braves to trade Craig Kimbrel, ESPN's Buster Olney writes (Insider subscription required).  Kimbrel is about to get much more expensive now that he's eligible for arbitration, to the point that Kimbrel's incredible statistics "broke" the arbitration projection model used by MLBTR's Matt Swartz.
  • Rumors connecting Rickie Weeks to the Blue Jays, Braves and Marlins during the Winter Meetings were all false, Brewers GM Doug Melvin tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link).
  • Ryan Kalish "is in the final stages" of signing with a new team, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.  Kalish was non-tendered by the Red Sox earlier this month.  The outfielder missed the entire 2013 season recovering from shoulder and neck surgeries.
  • Several teams, including the Red Sox, have been scouting right-hander Ryan Madson, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports.  The Rockies were also recently linked to Madson, who has missed two full seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery.
  • ESPN's Paul Swydan (Insider subscription required) lists four teams who could be helped by the inexpensive additions of Kevin Youkilis, Brian Roberts, Johan Santana and Jeff Francis, respectively.  Swydan also wrote about how Clint Barmes could help the Mets, but Barmes re-signed with the Pirates earlier today.
  • Diamondbacks president/CEO Derrick Hall discussed his team's desire for a top starting pitcher, the recent Mark Trumbo deal and several other topics during a live chat with fans on MLB.com.
  • The Pirates, Orioles and Indians could be risking their recent success with their hesitation to spend, USA Today's Bob Nightengale opines.
  • Several team executives and scouts joined ESPN's Jayson Stark in listing the winners and losers of the offseason thus far, with a pair of teams (the Mariners and Yankees) somewhat in between, in the "winners with an asterisk" category.

NL East Notes: Papelbon, Braves, Samardzija, Nats

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Trading Jonathan Papelbon wouldn't solve much for the Phillies at this point, opines Corey Seidman of CSNPhilly.com. Seidman runs down a possible scenario in which the Phillies ate $6MM to move Papelbon, noting that GM Ruben Amaro Jr. would then still try to sign a replacement. Names like Grant Balfour and Joaquin Benoit could cost upwards of $10MM per season anyhow, meaning the Phillies may not even save much money should that scenario play out. Papelbon will have more value to teams at the trade deadline when fewer quality options are available, writes Seidman. Here's more from the NL East…

  • David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets that the Braves have approached some of their young stars about extensions over the past two years but felt they'd have to overpay to get something done.
  • O'Brien also runs down the Braves needs on the heels of a quiet Winter Meetings, noting that they're optimistic about re-signing Eric O'Flaherty. Atlanta is still pursuing a veteran bench bat — O'Brien mentions Eric Chavez — and are still interested in Jeff Samardzija. The Braves may be considered the favorites to land Samardzija at this point, says O'Brien, noting that payroll constraints will likely preclude them from pursuing David Price.
  • After adding to their rotation, bench and bullpen, the Nationals will now turn their focus to extending Ian Desmond and Jordan Zimmermann, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Should the Nats be unable to extend Zimmermann, they may be forced to consider trading him this time next season, one source told Kilgore.
  • Nate McLouth spoke to former teammate Adam LaRoche (whom he called one of his favorite teammates ever) and asked what the Nationals clubhouse was like before deciding to sign there, writes Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. McLouth doesn't hold ill will toward the Orioles for not retaining him.

Braves Avoid Arbitration With Jordan Walden

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The Braves have reached agreement on a one-year, $1.49MM deal with Jordan Walden to avoid arbitration, according to Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 Twin Cities (via Twitter).  Walden was projected to earn $1.5MM by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.

Walden, 26, came to the Braves in a November 2012 deal that shipped Tommy Hanson to the Angels.  The right-hander had a 2.47 ERA and limited opponents to a .194 batting average in 47 appearances from April through August, but stumbled in the final months of the season.  Walden's final line was a 3.45 ERA with 10.3 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9.

Walden is represented by Don Mitchell of Gaylord Sports Management, as shown in the MLBTR Agency Database.

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