Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Avila On Tigers’ Anticipated Payroll Timeline

By | at

Tigers GM Al Avila suggested today that his eyes are still fixed well into the future, as Detroit’s WXYZ.com covers. That was largely safe to assume anyway, of course, but his discussion of the team’s financial planning is still important to note.

Avila did not just focus on the club’s expected arrival of new talent at the MLB level. As he put it, instead: “After 2020, our payroll will be in a lot better place for us to be aggressive going into 2021.” That focus on MLB spending is interesting for a few reasons.

For one thing, the difference between the 2020 and 2021 balance sheets isn’t hard to suss out. Both include $30MM for Miguel Cabrera; only the former comes with $25MM for Jordan Zimmermann and the final $6MM owed to Prince Fielder. Of course, those are the club’s only future commitments, so it still seems a bit curious to suggest that the long-term payroll trajectory is the driving force here.

Relatedly, it seems the organization has already largely decided that next winter won’t be an opportune time to push some cash onto the table. The Tigers have spent a decent bit of coin on one-year free agent deals since launching their rebuild, but mostly have targeted veteran gap-fillers who might turn into summer trade chips. It has long seemed interesting to wonder whether the club might consider putting its once-lofty payroll to use by chasing down some reasonably spendy players on the open market, even if it means taking a bit of risk. But it appears that will not be the case this winter or next.

So, when will the Tigers open things up? Avila didn’t make any promises, saying “we will have some money by 2021 to start going out there” but suggesting that hasn’t been pre-determined to be a breaking point. “Whether it be 2021 or 2022, at that point, we will be in a place, from a payroll perspective where I want to be at,” he said. Needless to say, it’s plenty understandable that the club has not yet decided how it’ll act at that point. And it’s also fair to avoid the setting of overly specific expectations. Still, the fuzzy future picture is no doubt less than inspiring for fans who may be looking ahead to two or three more clear rebuilding seasons.

While the Tigers have managed to draw down their spending over the past two years from its $200MM-ish heights in 2016-17, the club has never had a clear path to a quick rebuild. There was over $125MM on the books to open the 2018 season and there’ll be over $112MM to pay this year, due in no small part to ongoing obligations that are vestiges of the team’s last effort to contend. It has also taken a while to get the farm system producing again, too, as the club doesn’t seem to have come away from its post-contention veteran swaps with many significant assets and has only just begun reaping the rewards of top draft position. There are certainly some bright spots in the organization, especially with an intriguing mix of pitching talent building in the minors, but it seems the Detroit organization has no intentions of rushing the process.

Rangers Sign Asdrubal Cabrera

By | at

TODAY: The Rangers have officially announced the signing.

TUESDAY: The Rangers have agreed to a one-year deal with veteran infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, pending a physical, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link). The deal promises the Octagon client $3.5MM, per ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan (via Twitter).

Initial indications are that Cabrera will primarily line up at third base in Texas. With the team’s middle-infield duo already settled, that certainly makes sense. No doubt, the chance for regular duty was a large part of the draw for the long-time big leaguer.

Cabrera, 33, has spent most of his career in the middle infield, with the lion’s share of that time coming at shortstop. He has lined up at third in recent seasons, but still only has accumulated 471 2/3 frames at the hot corner — representing less than four percent of his total action in the field at the game’s highest level.

While Cabrera has at times actually drawn improved grades on his glove at short in recent years, particularly in the eyes of UZR, his range has long represented a major demerit. Since he’s otherwise a surehanded fielder, and clearly has the arm to work on the left side of the infield, suggests that third base represents a sensible position.

Of course, the calling card for Cabrera remains his bat. He has actually turned things up over the past three years, posting a cumulative .274/.334/.456 slash in that span that’s reflective of his best earlier-career campaigns. The switch-hitter hits for a high average, delivers a fair bit of pop (23 home runs in 2018), and has long succeeded against both right- and left-handed pitching (career .752 OPS vs. .759 OPS, respectively).

In many regards, this seems to be a bit of a bargain rate for a solid veteran who has delivered so much offense in recent seasons. Though he fell just off of MLBTR’s list of the top fifty free agents, receiving honorable mention consideration, Cabrera is younger than Jed Lowrie (who signed for two years and $20MM) and easily outperformed Brian Dozier (one year, $9MM) at the plate last year.

Trouble was, this year’s market (including free agents and trade candidates) was loaded with players who could handle second and/or third base. Among them, Marwin Gonzalez, Mike Moustakas, Josh Harrison, Derek Dietrich, Neil Walker, Logan Forsythe, and others remain available on the open market (in addition, of course, to superstar Manny Machado). As it turns out, Cabrera will land just shy of Ian Kinsler in total guarantee, though he’ll avoid handing over control of another season via club option.

With the move, the Rangers will fill the void created when they traded Jurickson Profar earlier in the offseason. Elvis Andrus and Rougned Odor will remain entrenched at shortstop and second base, respectively, though it surely doesn’t hurt that Cabrera could step in at either position if a need arises. Slugger Joey Gallo will presumably range the outfield, though he’s also an option at third base if there’s a need.

In conjunction with some other veteran additions — veteran backstop Jeff Mathis, three starters (Lance Lynn, Drew Smyly, Shelby Miller), and reliever Jesse Chavez — the Rangers have certainly shored up their roster. Among those acquisitions, only Mathis and Lynn required multiple years, and none of the salaries represents a major outlay for an organization that has a history of significant payrolls and is readying for a new stadium boost.

All in all, there’s greater upside on hand than you might have expected, particularly if a few key young players can make strides. Still, it’s tough to see this group making a strong run in a top-heavy American League. Maintaining a reasonably competitive product won’t allow the Rangers to pocket cost-savings and draft picks to the extent they might have otherwise, but it should help boost revenue and fan interest in the near-term. It’ll be interesting to see how the roster reloading effort shakes out in Texas.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Giants Sign Drew Pomeranz

By | at

2:55pm: The incentive pay is quite achievable, so long as the Giants keep Pomeranz on board and keep him in the rotation. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has the details (Twitter link).

Pomeranz gets $500K if he’s on the active roster coming out of camp and upon the season’s 150th day, in addition to a quarter million apiece for being on the roster 90 and 120 days into the 2019 campaign. He also receives $250K for reaching 25 and 50 innings, a provision which will be met early if he’s a starter and can still be triggered if he works from the pen.

The rest of the cash requires Pomeranz to open ballgames. He gets $125K apiece upon his second, fourth, sixth, and eighth start; $100K upon reaching 10, 14, 16, 18, 20, 24, 27, and 30; and a final $200K if he records a full 32-start campaign.

2:05pm: The Giants announced the move, with outfielder Mike Gerber being designated for assignment to clear roster space.

12:43pm: The Giants have agreed to terms with southpaw Drew Pomeranz, according to Larry Krueger of KNBR. Pomeranz will be guaranteed just $1.5MM, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com tweets. There are incentives that can push the total value to $5MM, though, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com (Twitter link).

Pomeranz becomes the second veteran lefty to sign no in San Francisco this winter, joining Derek Holland in that regard. He’ll be looking to follow Holland in a different regard as well — namely, utilizing the opportunity to work in the spacious ballpark to help spur a career turnaround.

New Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi may have relied on the opinions of preexisting staff members in bringing back Holland, but he’s no doubt applying plenty of his own experience in securing a deal with Pomeranz. Zaidi was a key member of the Oakland front office during the lefty’s tenure with the Athletics.

At thirty years of age, Pomeranz could still author a second bounceback, having done so previously when he landed with the A’s after washing out with the Rockies. It wasn’t long ago, after all, that Pomeranz was wrapping up a four-year run in which he threw 499 1/3 innings of 3.24 ERA ball with 9.1 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9.

Unfortunately, Pomeranz’s final season with the RedSox — who gave up a top prospect to get him in a trade that ultimately came under scrutiny for the Padres’ failure to disclose medical info — did not go as well as his first full year in Boston. Making it through just 74 innings in an injury-ravaged 2018 season, Pomeranz worked to an ugly 6.08 ERA while allowing 5.4 free passes and 1.5 home runs per nine innings. Arm issues clearly nagged him all year long, with a flexor tendon strain and biceps tendinitis ultimately identified as specific maladies, as Pomeranz lost nearly two ticks on his average fastball.

All things considered, this seems like a rather easy and minimal risk for the Giants to take. It stands to reason that the club offered Pomeranz a clear path to a rotation job as part of its sales pitch, though the plans are not fully clear. If he does take a spot in the starting five, it would appear to bump fellow lefties Andrew Suarez and Ty Blach out of the prospective Opening Day rotation (at least on paper).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cubs To Sign Colin Rea

By | at

The Cubs have agreed to a minors deal with righty Colin Rea, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports on Twitter. Details otherwise remain unclear.

Now 28 years of age, Rea at one point seemed likely to be a steady rotation piece at the game’s highest level. In fact, the Marlins acquired him on just that premise in the middle of the 2016 season.

Things took a stunning turn when Rea exited his first start in Miami with an elbow injury, teeing up a controversy with the Padres that resulted in Rea being shipped back to San Diego. Rea ended up undergoing Tommy John surgery not long thereafter, costing him all of the 2017 season.

Though he returned to the hill last year, Rea managed only a 5.73 ERA in 75 1/3 innings in the upper minors. The San Diego club dropped him at the outset of the offseason. He’ll look to get back on track in Chicago and perhaps provide an interesting depth option for the Cubs.

Also joining the Chicago organization is outfielder Zach Borenstein, Eddy adds. The 28-year-old has yet to crack the bigs, but has posted some solid numbers at times at Triple-A. In five total seasons there, he carries a .260/.337/.476 slash, popping 65 home runs but also going down on strikes 493 times in 1,657 plate appearances.

Padres “Checked In” On Four Prominent Free Agents

By | at

Those wondering whether the Padres will make a big move or two this winter still don’t have an answer, but indications are that the club is at least exploring the possibility of just that. Per Jon Heyman of Fancred, via Twitter, the San Diego organization has “checked in” on four prominent free agents.

Most notably, the Friars are said to have at least reached out to both Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, the top two available free agents. San Diego GM A.J. Preller has also put in calls regarding utility man Marwin Gonzalez and third baseman Mike Moustakas, per the report.

Importantly, it’s far from clear whether the Padres are a serious pursuer of any of these high-profile names. Indeed, Heyman says it’s not even known if any have received offers. And it stands to reason that the club will tread carefully.

Still, it bears mentioning that the Pads are among the organizations hunting around in these markets. Though we’ve heard some chatter on all four players throughout the winter, it’s entirely unclear at this point where they’ll end up.

It’s worth noting, of course, that Machado and Harper are in a different stratosphere altogether from Gonzalez and Moustakas. Landing one of the former two would be a franchise-altering decision that would come with huge consequences — and, as Heyman notes, ramped-up expectations of a near-term competitive timeline. The latter two ballplayers are established, quality veterans who would no doubt improve the overall roster but not come with nearly the upside (or require nearly the same level of investment).

Having shocked the market by landing Eric Hosmer last year, and with a clear imperative to make some strides in the standings, the San Diego organization has to be considered at least a conceptually possible dark horse threat on these (if not also other) players. That’s true even if adding one of these players would require some corresponding trades, as the Padres’ mass of intriguing but not-yet-fully-established MLB talent has long seemed likely to be cleared out to some degree.

Diamondbacks To Sign Travis Snider

By | at

The Diamondbacks have agreed to a minor-league deal with outfielder Travis Snider, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter). It’s not evident whether it includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training.

Snider, 30, has spent eight years in the big leagues, compiling nearly two thousand plate appearances along the way. The former top prospect had some productive campaigns, but never established himself as more than a part-time player. All told, he’s a .244/.311/.399 hitter in the big leagues.

It has been three seasons now since Snider touched the majors. After a tepid 2015 campaign, Snider played the ensuing two seasons on minor-league deals. He found himself out of the affiliated ranks altogether in 2018, instead heading to the indy ball circuit and posting a .290/.374/.463 slash in his 404 plate appearances for the Long Island Ducks.

The vast majority of Snider’s opportunities in the majors came against right-handed pitching. It’s likely he’ll be viewed as a platoon option moving forward — if, that is, he can show enough in the upper minors to get a chance if a need arises.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/23/19

By | at

We’ll use this post to catch up on some recent minor moves and track any new ones that emerge …

  • The Dodgers reportedly have a minors deal in place with veteran backstop Josh Thole. Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter), the arrangement includes a $600K potential MLB salary as well as an opt-out opportunity on July 1st. Thole has seen time in eight MLB seasons, slashing a cumulative .242/.313/.306 through 1,499 plate appearances, but hasn’t been asked up to the bigs since 2016. He plied his trade last year at Double-A with the Tigers organization.
  • Meanwhile, righty David Hale is reportedly headed to the Yankees on his own minor-league accord. The 31-year-old bounced on and off of the New York roster last season (as well as that of the Twins) and will again represent a depth piece for the Yanks. Hale’s chief appeal is his ability to function in a swing capacity, giving innings from the bullpen or if needed taking a spot start. He spent most of 2018 at Triple-A, working to a 4.20 ERA in 55 2/3 innings through 11 starts while compiling 7.1 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9.
  • The Nationals have reportedly lined up on an agreement with outfielder Tyler Goeddel, the terms of which remain unknown. He’ll be hoping for an eventual shot to return to the majors after struggling in a 92-game stint with the Phillies back in 2016. Goeddel, 26, hit just .219/.298/.329 last year in the upper minors with the Reds and Dodgers organizations.
  • Finally, the Cubs have also reportedly added a player on a minors deal, with infielder Cristhian Adames slated to join the organization. Now 27 years of age, the switch-hitter saw time over four MLB seasons with the Rockies but failed to make it back up last year. In his 498 Triple-A plate appearances with the Marlins org, Adames, put up a .269/.324/.370 batting line. Adames is capable of playing all over the infield and has primarily appeared at shortstop as a professional.

Brewers Promote, Extend David Stearns

By | at

The Brewers have promoted David Stearns to the position of president of baseball operations, per a club announcement. He has also received a contract extension of unknown length.

The news comes as little surprise after a strong Milwaukee run in 2018, with the club taking the NL Central title and advancing to the NLCS. Stearns, who took over as the club’s GM in the fall of 2015 (on a contract of still-unknown duration), drew interest from other organizations this winter but was obviously viewed as a critical piece in the Brewers’ own long-term plans.

Also receiving a title bump from the organization was Rick Schlesinger, who becomes the president of business operations. He had previously functioned as the chief operating officer for eight years.

While the news is certainly not without its ramifications — a longer, presumably better-compensated tenure for both men, along with new business cards and office placards — it largely represents a confirmation that the Milwaukee club is pleased with its current trajectory. In addition to the successes on the field, the announcement lauds the business-side efforts to continue improving Miller Park and launch a new Arizona facility.

Of course, the organization also had a significant announcement yesterday: Miller Park will have a new name after two more seasons. It’s not yet known exactly what the facility will be called, but American Family Insurance will own the rights for the next 15-year period. That will help boost revenues, with a prospective new television rights deal also on the horizon as a means of potentially enhancing the income stream.

If owner Mark Attanasio has his way, the business and baseball ops departments will continue to boost one another — the former helping to charge fan interest and the latter providing the funds needed to boost payroll. According to Schlesinger, that’s how things have gone to this point. “David and I both understand the importance of our two disciplines working together as one, cohesive unit, and we embrace that approach throughout the organization,” he said.

From a hot stove perspective, it seems that things will largely continue on as before. Presumably, Stearns will continue to function in much the same capacity. Whether or not assistant GM Matt Arnold — who joined the organization shortly after Stearns did — will get his own new title remains to be seen.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Wilin Rosario Seeking Deal With MLB Organization

By | at

Former major leaguer Wilin Rosario has spent the past several seasons plying his trade in Asia. Now, he’s seeking a return to the affiliated ranks, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Soon to turn 30 years of age, Rosario spent five seasons with the Rockies but found his opportunities fizzle out as he struggled behind the dish and declined at the plate. At his best a high-power, albeit defensively middling catcher, Rosario finished his run in Colorado in 2015 as a first baseman who slashed just .268/.295/.416.

Of course, it was still clear that Rosario had ample pop in his bat, having swatted 71 home runs and compiled a .200 isolated power mark through 1,601 MLB plate appearances. That made him an appealing target for Asian ballclubs, many of which have unearthed sluggers in need of a new opportunity in recent years.

Rosario thrived in a two-season run in Korea’s top league, equaling his tally of 71 major-league long balls in just 1,069 trips to the plate. That showing led to a deal that brought him to Japan last year, though Rosario stumbled in Hanshin. In 302 plate appearances, he managed only a .242/.285/.374 batting line with eight home runs.

Under the circumstances, it’s clear that Rosario will be looking for a minor-league deal. He’ll surely draw interest on a risk-free arrangement, but he’ll need to earn his way back into the majors with a strong showing in camp and/or at the Triple-A level.

Mariners To Re-Sign Ichiro Suzuki

By | at

The Mariners have reached agreement on a minor-league deal with ageless outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). It would pay him at a $750K rate in the majors.

While the contract may come as a surprise to some, it has long been something of an inevitability. When the legendary former star wrapped up his most recent stint with the M’s last May, the sides made clear that the arrangement — in which Ichiro traveled and trained with the big league club but did not suit up for games — would not preclude a return to action in the future. Since that time, Ichiro has prepared to play in 2019, with the club indicating it would give him an opportunity in camp.

At this point, it’s a risk-free move for the Seattle team. Indications are that Ichiro will at least be utilized to open the season, as the M’s are slated to kick things off with a two-game series in his native Japan in which the team will be able to carry a 28-man roster. Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess whether Ichiro has a real shot at sticking on the active roster, but it certainly seems at least possible he’ll do so in what has already been declared something of a transition year for the club.

Needless to say, it’s an unusual situation. Then again, few if any players have combined Ichiro’s (metaphorically) towering stature with his unending drive to play the game. For a Seattle team that has failed to reach its goals over the past few seasons (and then some), there’s obviously an opportunity here to continue to benefit from a uniquely great player. There’s also still no shortage of potentially tricky terrain to navigate.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top