Tigers Sign Jose Urena, Designate Eric Haase
6:54pm: The Tigers have announced the signing. They designated catcher Eric Haase for assignment in a corresponding move. Haase, whom Detroit acquired from division-rival Cleveland last winter, collected 19 plate appearances for the Tigers in 2020. The 28-year-old owns a .122/.170/.184 line in 53 major league PA.
5:08pm: The Tigers have agreed to a one-year deal with free-agent right-hander Jose Urena, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. It’s a $3.25MM pact, Robert Murray of FanSided reports. The contract comes with up to $250K in incentives based on games started, according to Heyman. Urena is a client of Kelly Kinzer.
Detroit will be the second major league organization for Urena, a 29-year-old who pitched in the bigs with the Marlins from 2015-20. Urena enjoyed a couple of respectable seasons in Miami from 2017-18, during which he recorded a 3.90 ERA/4.68 FIP with 6.36 K/9, 3.01 BB/9 and a 46.3 percent groundball rate across 343 2/3 innings.
At his best, Urena looked like a potential building block for the Marlins’ rotation, but the team soured on him after he was unable to offer much positive production during the previous two seasons. Urena threw 108 frames from 2019-20, including 23 1/3 last season, and combined for a subpar 5.25 ERA/5.02 FIP. Despite a fastball that clocked in at 95.5 mph, Urena notched one of his lowest strikeout rates of his career last season with 5.79 per nine and registered by far his highest BB/9 (5.01). The Marlins then non-tendered Urena in lieu of paying him a projected $3.8MM to $4.2MM via arbitration.
Urena will now look to get back on track in Detroit, which has Matthew Boyd, Spencer Turnbull, Michael Fulmer, Daniel Norris and Tyler Alexander as veterans with at least some degree of starting experience. Meanwhile, prospects Casey Mize, Matt Manning and Tarik Skubal don’t seem far away from vying for full-time roles. Urena figures to be a stopgap for the Tigers, then, but they clearly regard him as an interesting reclamation project.
Astros, Jason Castro In Serious Contract Talks
The Astros and free-agent catcher Jason Castro are discussing a contract, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. They’re “in serious talks and could be headed for a deal soon,” per Feinsand.
Signing with the Astros would be a homecoming of sorts for Castro, who began his career with the franchise after it used the 10th overall pick on him in 2008. He made his major league debut two years and later and became a regular for the Astros, with whom he batted .232/.309/.390 with 62 home runs in 2,266 plate appearances through 2016. That doesn’t look like a great stat line on paper, but with a 94 wRC+, Castro was an effective offensive player relative to his position. Castro combined that with well-regarded work behind the plate, where he has consistently earned praise for his pitch-framing skills.
Since his initial Astros tenure concluded, the 33-year-old Castro has played with the Twins, Angels and Padres. He inked a three-year, $24.5MM contract with Minnesota before 2017, and aside from an injury-shortened campaign in 2018, Castro gave the team solid production. Castro moved on last offseason on a one-year, $6.85MM guarantee with the Angels, who wound up sending him to the Padres before the August trade deadline. All told, Castro hit .188/.293/.375 with two home runs in 92 plate appearances between the two teams.
If he goes back to Houston, the left-handed Castro would team with righty-hitting Martin Maldonado to form a platoon at catcher. Garrett Stubbs, who has totaled a mere 49 PA in the bigs, is the only other catcher on the Astros’ 40-man roster.
Astros Sign Jose Siri To Minor League Contract
The Astros have signed outfielder Jose Siri to a minor league contract, Robert Murray of FanSided tweets. Siri’s deal includes an invitation to major league spring training.
Before joining the Astros, the 25-year-old Siri had already been with three organizations – the Reds, Mariners and Giants. Siri was a well-regarded prospect in his younger days, but he hasn’t appeared in the majors yet. In his most recent minor league action, Siri batted .237/.300/.357 with 11 home runs and 26 stolen bases over 517 plate appearances between the Reds’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates in 2019. The Reds then lost Siri on waivers to the Mariners, who lost him to the Giants last March. The Giants outrighted Siri in July.
Although he has no MLB track record to speak of, Siri could push for a roster spot in Houston, whose outfield will inevitably deal with major changes this offseason. George Springer, Michael Brantley and Josh Reddick are free agents, leaving the Astros with Kyle Tucker as their lone regular outfielder who’s a lock to return in 2021.
Mets Hire Zack Scott As Assistant General Manager
The Mets have hired Zack Scott as their senior vice president/assistant general manager, Jon Heyman of MLB Network was among those to report. Scott was previously Boston’s assistant GM.
Scott spent the past 17 years in various roles with the Red Sox, which put him on the map for the Mets as they sought a new GM. They ultimately gave that job to Jared Porter, who worked with Scott in Boston’s front office for several years. Scott reportedly was the runner-up to Porter for the position.
“I’ve known Zack for over 15 years, and worked with him daily for 10 of those years,” Porter said of Scott (via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). “He’s a strong leader who is a very creative and dynamic thinker. Zack is well rounded in all areas of baseball operations.”
Scott’s addition is the latest high-profile move for a Mets front office that has undergone significant changes since new owner Steve Cohen took over in November. Before hiring Porter and Scott, New York parted with general manager Brodie Van Wagenen and brought back former GM Sandy Alderson as team president.
MLBTR Poll: George Springer’s Future
Longtime Astros outfielder George Springer entered free agency this winter as one of the most coveted players on the open market. Understandably so, as the 31-year-old hit an excellent .270/.361/.491 with 174 home runs in 3,567 plate appearances from 2014-20. Thanks to his tremendous output in Houston’s uniform, MLBTR ranked Springer as the third-best free agent available at the beginning of the offseason, projecting him for a five-year, $125MM contract.
Almost two months into free agency, the Astros, Mets and Blue Jays are the only teams with reported interest in Springer. It’s unclear, though, whether the Astros are willing to dole out another nine-figure contract, despite what Springer has meant to the club. The Mets, led by deep-pocketed rookie owner Steve Cohen, could turn to Springer as their new center fielder, though that might mean trading one of their other outfielders (Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, Dominic Smith). Similarly, the Blue Jays have a decent outfield on paper with Randal Grichuk, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Teoscar Hernandez. However, the team doesn’t appear content with Grichuk as its center fielder, so it could bring in Springer and let go of Grichuk or one of its other outfielders in a deal.
While Houston, New York and Toronto look like the front-runners to sign Springer, a “mystery team” could step in and steal the three-time All-Star. Which club do you expect to sign Springer? (Poll link for app users)
Who will sign George Springer?
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Mets 53% (11,607)
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Blue Jays 21% (4,696)
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Other 14% (3,132)
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Astros 11% (2,455)
Total votes: 21,890
Free Agent Notes: LeMahieu, Realmuto, Arihara, Hand
The Mets “recently contacted” infielder DJ LeMahieu, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. The fight for LeMahieu appeared to be between his previous team, the Yankees, as well as the Blue Jays, but it would be difficult to count the deep-pocketed Mets out of the mix. Signing LeMahieu would enable the Mets to send Jeff McNeil from second to third base, though it’s unclear what that would mean for J.D. Davis, who started the majority of Mets games at the hot corner in 2020.
- New Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and Jeff Berry, the agent for free-agent catcher J.T. Realmuto, had a discussion Monday, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic relays. Negotiations did not occur during that talk, but Dombrowski made sure to mention that the Phillies want Realmuto back, per Montemurro. They have made Realmuto an offer, Heyman relays.
- The Rangers are among the teams “believed” to have interest in right-hander Kohei Arihara, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweets. The 28-year-old Arihara, whom the Nippon Ham Fighters of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball posted earlier this offseason, logged a 3.74 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 over 836 innings. MLB teams have until Dec. 26 to sign Arihara.
- Minnesota native Brad Hand, one of the top relievers on the open market, told Darren Wolfson of SKOR North that he’d “love to play” for the Twins in 2021. However, the southpaw isn’t sure if the Twins are interested in signing him. Hand reached free agency when the division-rival Indians declined his $10MM club option after last season, which came as a surprise considering the 30-year-old was one of baseball’s top relievers in 2020.
Red Sox Sign Stephen Gonsalves To Minor League Deal
The Red Sox have re-signed left-hander Stephen Gonsalves to a minor league pact, per Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. The team previously outrighted Gonsalves in late August. His new deal includes an invitation to major league spring training.
Gonsalves, now 26 years old, became a pro when the Twins used a fourth-round pick on him in 2013. He eventually became a top 100 prospect, though he didn’t see much major league time with the team or make a notable impact in Minnesota. Gonsalves concluded his Twins tenure with 24 2/3 innings of 6.57 ERA/5.72 FIP ball with ghastly strikeout and walk numbers (5.84 K/9, 8.03 BB/9). The 2018 season has been his lone big league experience to this point.
The Twins moved on from Gonsalves going into 2020, when the Mets added him via waivers. Gonsalves didn’t last long with the Mets, though, as the Red Sox picked him up as a waiver claim in July. He’ll continue trying to work his way back to the majors as a member of the Red Sox.
Padres Sign Nick Burdi, Nick Ramirez To Minor League Deals
The Padres have signed right-hander Nick Burdi and lefty Nick Ramirez to minor league contracts, according to Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The hard-throwing Burdi underwent his second Tommy John surgery in October, so the 27-year-old probably won’t be available to the Padres at all in 2021. A second-round pick of the Twins in 2014, Burdi appeared in the majors with the Pirates in each of the previous three seasons, though he only combined for 12 1/3 innings. He also has just five Triple-A innings under his belt, but Burdi has pitched to a 3.44 ERA with 12.2 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 115 minor league frames.
Ramirez, 31, debuted in 2019 and led the Tigers’ bullpen in innings (79 2/3) that year. He threw another 10 2/3 last season. Overall, Ramirez pitched to a 4.28 ERA/4.71 FIP with 8.47 K/9, 3.89 BB/9 and a 46.2 percent groundball rate in a Tigers uniform. Detroit outrighted him in October.
Latest On DJ LeMahieu
The Yankees haven’t made it any secret that their top offseason priority is to re-sign second baseman DJ LeMahieu. However, they’re facing serious competition from American League rival Toronto. The Blue Jays may be the top threat to the Yankees for LeMahieu, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports.
At last check, the Yankees and LeMahieu – a 2020 AL MVP contender and the league’s batting champion – were far apart in contract negotiations. The 32-year-old LeMahieu is reportedly seeking a five-year, $100MM contract, while the Yankees seem to be in the $75MM to $80MM range over four seasons. The two sides want to stay together, but unless they’re able to close the gap, it could open the door even more for the Blue Jays. MLBTR predicted at the outset of the offseason that the Jays would end up with LeMahieu, who would form an excellent double-play tandem with shortstop Bo Bichette. Cavan Biggio would presumably move from second to third on a Toronto team with LeMahieu, giving the club one of the league’s top infields.
Bichette would like to see LeMahieu move north, as he told teammate Ross Stripling (via Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News): “I think DJ LeMahieu is the best hitter in baseball, and I don’t even really think it’s close, from what I’ve seen. He’s probably the No. 1 player I’d want to play with in the league. If that would happen, that would be awesome for us, but either way, man, our team’s pretty good already.”
Having gone 32-28 in 2020, the Blue Jays do look like a top contender in the AL. They finished a game behind the Yankees, though, and if they’re going to to overtake New York, it would help to steal one of its best players. The Jays are making a real effort to do just that.
Mets Sign Wilfredo Tovar, Tom Windle To Minors Deals
The Mets announced that they have signed infielder Wilfredo Tovar and left-hander Tom Windle to minor league contracts with invitations to major league spring training. The club also made the previously reported minor league signings of reliever Jerry Blevins and starter Jerad Eickhoff official.
This will be the second Mets go-around for the 29-year-old Tovar, who was previously part of the organization from 2008-15. Tovar saw scant major league experience during that time, totaling 22 plate appearances, but amassed 88 PA with the Angels in 2019. Overall, Tovar has batted .188/.241/.238 with no home runs in 110 major league PA and .268/.342/.352 with 30 homers and 179 steals over 2,011 minor league trips to the plate.
Windle was a second-round pick of the Dodgers in 2013, but he still hasn’t cracked the majors. Along with righty Zach Eflin, Windle was part of the Dodgers-Phillies trade that sent shortstop Jimmy Rollins to Los Angeles in December 2014. Windle, 28, spent time in Triple-A ball with the Phillies in 2018-19 and notched a 4.21 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9 across 104 2/3 innings.