Week In Review: 2/7/16 – 2/12/16
Here’s a look back at the past week at MLBTR.
Key Moves
- MLB permanently banned Mets reliever Jenrry Mejia after Mejia had his third positive PED test.
- The Athletics acquired outfielder Khris Davis from the Brewers for prospects Jacob Nottingham and Bubba Derby.
- The Diamondbacks signed reliever Tyler Clippard to a two-year deal.
Arbitration
- Players avoiding arbitration this week included Aroldis Chapman (link) and Brandon Belt (link). A full list of arbitration-avoiding deals can be found at MLBTR’s Arbitration Tracker.
Extensions
- Blue Jays – IF Josh Donaldson (two years)
- Diamondbacks – OF A.J. Pollock (two years)
- Royals – IF Mike Moustakas (two years)
Signings / Re-signings
- White Sox – P Mat Latos (one year)
- Indians – P Tommy Hunter (one year)
Trades
- Phillies – acquired IF Taylor Featherston from Angels for a PTBNL
Claimed
- Cubs – P C.J. Riefenhauser (from Orioles)
Designated For Assignment
- Athletics – P Sean Nolin (link)
- Indians – C Tony Wolters (link)
- Cubs – P Edgar Olmos (link)
- Phillies – P Bobby LaFromboise (later outrighted)
- Diamondbacks – P Will Locante (link)
Key Minor League Signings
- Marlins – P Craig Breslow (link)
- Cubs – OF Matt Murton (link)
- Brewers – P Blaine Boyer (link)
- Pirates – P Cory Luebke (link), P Eric O’Flaherty (link)
- Braves – P Carlos Torres (link)
- Orioles – P Dale Thayer (link)
- Mariners – P Joel Peralta (link)
- White Sox – 1B Travis Ishikawa (link)
- Padres – IF Skip Schumaker (link)
- Indians – P Craig Stammen (link)
Quick Hits: Harris, Seratelli, Fowler
To celebrate the end of the Super Bowl and the unofficial beginning of the baseball season, FOX Sports’ Jon Morosi lists ten key story lines from the upcoming MLB season. At the top is whether the Cubs can ride a 97-win 2015 campaign and a string of high-profile free agent signings (Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist, John Lackey) to their first World Series win since 1908. Elsewhere, Morosi quickly reviews the offseasons of the Dodgers, Red Sox, Yankees, Nationals, Royals and Diamondbacks, assessing their chances of winning in 2016. Here’s more from around the game.
- Cardinals pitcher Mitch Harris took a highly unusual path to the big leagues — he was drafted in 2008 but spent years away from the game serving in the Navy before making his minor-league debut in 2013 as a 27-year-old and quickly making his way to the Majors. One of the challenges he faced while serving was keeping up with what big-league hitters were up to, FanGraphs’ David Laurila writes. Harris says, though, that in some ways, his ignorance of his opponents could be a strength. “When I came back, I didn’t always have an idea of who I was facing,” he says. “There was no… I don’t like to use the word fear, so I guess you could say I wasn’t nervous to face anybody.” Harris had a relatively successful rookie season in 2015, posting a 3.67 ERA (albeit with 4.3 BB/9 and a modest 5.0 K/9) in his first 27 innings in the bigs.
- Longtime Royals and Mets minor-league utilityman Anthony Seratelli is retiring, Laurila notes. In retirement, Seratelli plans on building his audio and video production company. The 32-year-old played at the Triple-A level in 2012-2014 and played with the Seibu Lions in Japan last season, but never reached the Majors. He exits with a .371 career minor-league OBP in parts of eight seasons.
- Dexter Fowler tops the list of remaining free agents who are worth signing, ESPN’s David Schoenfield writes. Schoenfield notes that Fowler would be a good add for the White Sox, who have a need in the outfield and a protected first-round pick. Of course, White Sox GM Rick Hahn has previously expressed reluctance to part with the Sox’ next pick, at No. 28 overall, although the team recently has been connected to Fowler anyway.
NL Notes: Diamondbacks, Fowler, Dodgers
The Diamondbacks are considering having left fielder David Peralta and right fielder Yasmany Tomas switch positions, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes. The idea is that, given the departure of Ender Inciarte in the Shelby Miller trade, the Diamondbacks stand to take a step back in right field, the corner outfield position those within the game generally consider to require a higher degree of skill. Peralta isn’t the defender that Inciarte is, but he’s better than Tomas. Tomas has said he’s more comfortable in right, but if the Diamondbacks do have him switch with Peralta, Tomas will get all of Spring Training to adjust to his new position. Here’s more from the National League.
- The Cardinals are the best fit for Dexter Fowler, MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince writes. Fowler tops Castrovince’s list of this offseason’s top remaining free agents (which also includes names like Yovani Gallardo, Ian Desmond and Tyler Clippard). Randal Grichuk had sports hernia surgery in December, Castrovince points out, and the Cards can use a veteran outfielder to help compensate for the inexperience of players like Stephen Piscotty and Tommy Pham.
- If the Dodgers can stay healthy, they won’t have many roster decisions to make in Spring Training, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times. They will have to decide whether Hyun-jin Ryu, who’s returning from surgery, is healthy enough to take the ball every fifth day. There’s also the issue of how to handle Alex Guerrero, who lacks a defensive position, hit very poorly in the second half of the 2015 season and who can’t be optioned without his permission. In general, though, the Dodgers don’t figure to have many position battles.
NL Notes: Arrieta, Pirates, Phillies
Now is the time for the Cubs to try to sign ace Jake Arrieta to a long-term deal, Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago writes. Arrieta and the Cubs recently agreed on a one-year, $10.7MM contract to avoid arbitration in Arrieta’s second year of eligibility. Arrieta can currently become a free agent after the 2017 season. Of course, Arrieta’s agent Scott Boras would surely agree that an extension for Arrieta shouldn’t be cheap after his Cy Young award-winning 2015 season, and since Arrieta turns 30 next month, he might only have one shot at a big free agent deal, meaning he might not be inclined to sign now unless the deal is quite long. Also, Arrieta’s incredible stretch run changed the landscape since we last closely considered his extension candidacy. Levine proposes a four-year deal at an average of $23MM per season, with two club options. While it’s true that Arrieta’s salaries for the next two seasons are essentially set via the arbitration process, a $92MM deal with options would, in my opinion, be unlikely to bring Boras and Arrieta to the table. Recent history suggests Arrieta has a shot at a deal in the $200MM range if he waits until after 2017. Here’s more from the National League.
- The Pirates won 98 games last season and have a strong core in place, but many of their top competitors in the National League have improved, Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. The Cubs have had a busy and productive offseason, and while the Cardinals have lost talent (some of it to their rivals in Chicago), they should benefit somewhat from better luck with injuries. The rest of the league, too, has become increasingly polarized, with several very bad teams, but lots of potentially strong ones, including the Mets, Nationals, Dodgers, Giants and Diamondbacks. The Bucs, however, continue to believe in themselves. “There’s no question the Cubs did a fantastic job on balancing amateur player acquisition and timing it with those young players being ready to hit the major league level and then pouring a ton of money into free agency,” says Pirates GM Neal Huntington. “They are going to be good going forward. The Cardinals are going to be good going forward. Our belief is, with this core that we have, that we are going to continue to be good going forward.”
- The Phillies don’t figure to be one of the NL contenders in 2016. They should, however, be fun, as FanGraphs’ Paul Swydan writes. They suddenly have only a handful of over-30 players, and the younger ones offer a mix of power (Maikel Franco), defensive ability (Odubel Herrera), speed (Cesar Hernandez) and, among the Phillies’ young pitchers, control (Aaron Nola). Then there’s top prospect J.P. Crawford, who could make his debut in 2016, along with a number of other very interesting minor leaguers, including Nick Williams, Andrew Knapp, Dylan Cozens, Jake Thompson, Vincent Velasquez and Mark Appel.
Agent Larry Reynolds On Justin Upton, Howie Kendrick
Larry Reynolds, the agent whose client list includes Justin Upton and Howie Kendrick, spoke to MLB Network Radio Sunday. Here are the highlights (links to SoundCloud).
- Upton ended up with a robust six-year, $132.75MM deal with the Tigers this winter, Reynolds says that Upton’s search for a new team hit a snag this offseason before he ultimately signed. Some teams’ potential interest in Upton was muted by their desire to avoid exceeding the luxury tax threshold. (Reynolds doesn’t say who, but it’s easy to imagine the Angels, for example, worrying about that issue.) Also, a robust trade market held up potential free agent signings, with some teams wanting to explore that market before making a commitment to a free agent. Reynolds also says that many teams were offering Upton short-term deals. The agent understandably notes that he found such deals unappealing, given that Upton is highly talented and just 28. Of course, Detroit ultimately came through with a long-term offer.
- It was, perhaps, a rough winter for Kendrick, who lingered on the free agent market before officially signing a seemingly disappointing two-year, $20MM deal to stay with the Dodgers. The qualifying offer had a strong impact on Kendrick, Reynolds says, since he didn’t have the “star power” of some other free agents who rejected the QO. For Kendrick, the effect of the qualifying offer on his market wasn’t purely about the amount of money he could get, but about the way it restricted his ability to choose what team (what manager, what front office, and so on) he wanted to play for. Reynolds says that it “wasn’t a slam dunk to jump out into the market” rather than accepting the qualifying offer, but Kendrick felt, and Reynolds agreed, that Kendrick had earned the right to choose his next team via free agency.
MLBTR Originals
A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR the last seven days:
- On the latest edition of the MLBTR Podcast, Steve Adams and host Jeff Todd previewed potential extension talks between players and clubs as we head toward Spring Training. A new episode of the podcast is released every Thursday and can be accessed on iTunes, SoundCloud, and Stitcher.
- Separately, Steve wrote about the last few years of February extensions, noting that Felix Hernandez, Freddie Freeman, Homer Bailey and Ryan Zimmerman all agreed to their current deals in past Februaries.
- Jeff charted free agent spending by team so far this offseason, with the Cubs, Tigers and Giants ranking as the heaviest-spending teams this winter and the Brewers, Reds and Yankees bringing up the rear.
- This afternoon, Mark Polishuk asked which of the remaining qualifying offer free agents (Ian Desmond, Dexter Fowler and Yovani Gallardo) would be last to sign. So far, 52% of MLBTR readers think it will be Desmond.
- In his Tuesday chat, Steve discussed the recent Brewers/Diamondbacks trade as well as the immediate futures of Fowler, Mat Latos and Cliff Lee.
- In Friday’s chat, Jeff answered questions about what the Pirates might do for the rest of the offseason, as well as potential trade fits for James Loney.
- Recently, MLB Trade Rumors launched our official Instagram account: @TradeRumorsMLB. Each day, we’re sharing images about the hottest topics in baseball. We invite you to give us a like, weigh in with your thoughts in the comments, and even pass the link on to a friend. Follow us on Instagram today!
Week In Review: 1/30/16 – 2/6/16
Here’s a look back at the past week at MLBTR.
Key Moves
- The Diamondbacks acquired infielder Jean Segura and pitcher Tyler Wagner from the Brewers for infielder Aaron Hill, pitcher Chase Anderson, infielder Isan Diaz and cash.
Arbitration
- Players avoiding arbitration this week included Jake Arrieta (link) and Zach Britton (link). A full list of arbitration-avoiding deals can be found at MLBTR’s Arbitration Tracker.
Signings / Re-signings
- Blue Jays – P Gavin Floyd (one year)
Trades
- Orioles – acquired P Odrisamer Despaigne from Padres for P Jean Cosme
- Pirates – acquired P Jesse Biddle from Twins for P Yoervis Medina
- Blue Jays – acquired OF Darrell Ceciliani from Mets for a PTBNL or cash
Claimed
- Angels – P Christian Friedrich (from Rockies)
- Yankees – IF Ronald Torreyes (from Angels)
Designated For Assignment
- Blue Jays – P Chad Jenkins (link)
- Angels – IF Taylor Featherston (link)
- Orioles – P C.J. Riefenhauser (link)
- Yankees – OF Lane Adams (link)
Outrighted
- Pirates – P A.J. Schugel (link)
Released
- Royals – P Louis Coleman (link)
Retired
- P Freddy Garcia (link)
- OF Andruw Jones (link)
Key Minor League Signings
- Giants – IF Conor Gillaspie (link)
- Blue Jays – P David Aardsma (link)
- Orioles – P Hideki Okajima (link)
- Nationals – IF Brendan Ryan (link)
- Twins – OF Carlos Quentin (link)
- Mariners – IF Dayner Moreira (link)
- Royals – OF Travis Snider (link)
Other
- OF Jonny Gomes agreed to sign with the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan
Dipoto On Mariners’ Offseason, Hitting, Zunino
At a luncheon on Thursday, Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto looked back at the Mariners’ offseason in a wide-ranging, and a transcript of his remarks has since been provided by Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. I highly recommend you read the whole thing, but here are some of the highlights.
- The Mariners are “probably done making significant moves” this offseason, Dipoto says, after an offseason in which they’ve acquired Adam Lind, Nori Aoki, Wade Miley, Joaquin Benoit, Steve Cishek, Leonys Martin, Chris Iannetta and Nate Karns, among others, while also re-signing Hisashi Iwakuma.
- One theme for the Mariners this offseason seems to have been having hitters post higher on-base percentages. Dipoto mentions that he thinks the team as currently constituted is a good bet to post higher OBPs than it has in the recent past. The team also held a “hitting summit” earlier this month in which they had hitting coach Edgar Martinez work with hitters on controlling the strike zone. “Edgar Martinez was perhaps one of the greatest right-handed hitters I’ve ever watched and did a better job of controlling the strike zone than about anyone that you could imagine in the last 30 years, and one of the best of all time,” says Dipoto. “It was a very easy thing for him to teach.” Last year, the Mariners finished 11th in the AL with a .311 OBP. New additions Lind and Aoki, both of whom posted OBPs above .350 last year, should help with that total.
- Much of the Mariners’ Opening Day roster currently appears set, but Dipoto mentions that there will be competition in the bullpen and the back of the rotation, and also for a right-handed platoon partner for Lind. Gaby Sanchez, who recently joined the M’s on a minor league deal, will be one possibility there, along with Jesus Montero and Stefen Romero.
- If Iannetta is healthy and all goes well, he will be the Mariners’ starting catcher, Dipoto says. Ideally, they would prefer to have former top prospect Mike Zunino — who hit just .174/.230/.300 in an ugly 2015 season — start the season at Triple-A Tacoma. Dipoto notes that Zunino zoomed through the minor leagues after being drafted third overall in 2012. In total, he’s spent just 462 plate appearances there.
- Dipoto says the team imagines itself with a win total in the mid-80s next season, with the possibility that it could win more.
East Notes: Moncada, Phillies, Orioles
Signing with the Red Sox and living in the United States has been a series of surprises for Cuban top prospect Yoan Moncada, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com writes. For example, when Moncada signed, his agent Dave Hastings says he had to explain to his client how taxes worked. “[W]hen he got his check and he knew what he was getting gross because I told him what he was getting. So then the net amount was deposited into his account and he calls my wife up and starts yelling, ‘What’s going on?!’ Even though I told him taxes were taken out, he just had no idea,” says Hastings. Moncada has purchased a house down the block from Hastings and his wife, and he’s formed a close bond with them both. Here are a few quick notes from around the East divsions.
- When the Astros made Mark Appel the top pick in the 2013 draft, the righty was joining the Houston organization with the big-league team in the midst of an 111-loss season. Since then, though, the Astros’ fortunes have changed quickly. Now, Appel sees something similar unfolding with the Phillies, Jim Salisbury writes for Baseball America (subscription only). “This really reminds me of where the Astros were when I got drafted,” Appel said. “I was able to see the turnaround and how quickly it can happen.” If the Phillies do quickly reemerge, it will probably be due in part to recent deals that have returned players like Appel, Vincent Velasquez, Nick Williams, Jake Thompson and Jorge Alfaro.
- If the Orioles were to sign another free agent who has rejected a qualifying offer, they would lose the No. 14 pick in the upcoming draft. They also have the No. 29 overall pick, for the departure of Wei-Yin Chen; an extra second-round pick, for failing to sign last year’s second-rounder Jonathan Hughes; and a Comp Round B pick. So, theoretically, they could lose the No. 14 overall pick and still have plenty of early-round picks left over. But, as MASNsports.com’s Steve Melewski points out, losing the pick would also cut into their bonus pool, leaving them less flexibility to sign players who might require big bonuses. Right now, the Orioles’ projected pool of $10.6MM ranks sixth in the Majors.
Royals Sign Travis Snider To Minor League Deal
The Royals have announced that they’ve signed corner outfielder Travis Snider to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite. Snider is a client of CAA Sports.
Snider, who will turn 28 this week, batted .232/.313/.350 in 265 plate appearances split between the Orioles and Pirates in 2015. The Orioles sent two pitching prospects to Pittsburgh for Snider he performed well in a part-time role in 2014, but he was a disappointment in Baltimore and was ultimately released. He re-signed with the Bucs and rejoined the team when rosters expanded in September.
Snider, the 14th overall pick in the 2006 draft, was once a top prospect in the Blue Jays organization but has struggled to string together productive seasons in the Majors. He has, however, done just enough with the bat (with a career .244/.311/.399 line) to potentially provide an organization with a good left-handed bench option. Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan tweets that Snider is one of the higher-upside players to sign a minor league deal this offseason, and given Snider’s youth and pedigree, it’s hard to argue that point. It’s worth noting, however, that there will be limited time for the Royals to realize that upside, since Snider can become a free agent again with about a half a season more service time.