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Reds Claim Nefi Ogando

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The Reds have claimed righty Nefi Ogando off waivers from the Pirates, according to Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). He follows Lisalverto Bonilla in moving from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati via the waiver wire.

Ogando, 27, already swapped jerseys earlier this winter (on paper, at least) when the Pirates grabbed him from the Marlins in another waiver move. Now, he’s on the move to the Bucs’ NL Central rivals, who are obviously still looking to bolster their relief ranks after the unit turned in an unsightly overall effort in 2017.

The righty brings a big fastball and has shown strong groundball results in his limited time in the majors, though he has recorded just ten strikeouts against ten walks over his 19 2/3 MLB frames. Over his 52 2/3 innings at the highest level of the minors, Ogando owns a 3.08 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9.

 

Starting Pitcher Arbitration Decisions Released

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Arbitration decisions on several first-year arb-eligible starting pitchers have been released. According to prior reports, the outcomes of the pending cases were being held until all had been heard and decided, to avoid earlier results impacting later decisions.

Three starters won their cases:

  • Collin McHugh, Astros: With his victory, McHugh will earn $3.85MM rather than the $3.35MM that the team had argued for, as Brian McTaggart of MLB.com first reported on Twitter.
  • Jake Odorizzi, Rays: In another relatively high-dollar case, the right-hander will get his requested $4.1MM payday over the club’s $3.825MM submission, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter).
  • Marcus Stroman, Blue Jays: Stroman takes home $3.4MM in his Super Two year instead of the team’s $3.1MM proposal, also via Heyman.

Teams prevailed against three others:

  • Taijuan Walker, Diamondbacks: The new Arizona rotation member, who’s also a Super Two qualifier, will earn $2.25MM instead of his filing figure of $2.6MM, per Jack Magruder of Fan Rag (via Twitter).
  • Chase Anderson, Brewers: Anderson, the final Super Two member of this bunch, will settle for the team’s $2.45MM proffer rather than the $2.85MM he sought, according to Heyman.
  • Michael Wacha, Cardinals: In his first year of eligibility, Wacha will take home $2.775MM, falling shy of his $3.2MM request, per Heyman.

Rockies Re-Sign Mark Reynolds

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FEBRUARY 14: Reynolds would earn $1.5MM if he makes the roster, and can add up to $2MM via incentives, per Heyman (via Twitter).

FEBRUARY 1, 7:50pm: Colorado has announced the deal, noting that it unsurprisingly includes an invitation to MLB camp.

7:05pm: The Rockies have agreed to a minor-league deal with first baseman Mark Reynolds, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag. His potential salary and opt-out opportunities remain unreported at this time.

Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise, at this stage at least, that Reynolds couldn’t find a 40-man spot. There just wasn’t enough demand to account for all of the available power-hitting, first base/DH types that were on the market. Righty sluggers Mike Napoli and Chris Carter remain unsigned, as do a variety of lefty bats.

That said, Reynolds has also put together a string of relatively disappointing seasons. He hit at an approximately league-average rate in his 441 plate appearances for Colorado — the .282/.356/.450 batting line was obviously influenced by the altitude — but launched only 14 long balls and didn’t quite capitalize on his opportunity at regular playing time. It was an improvement, at least, over the prior two seasons, when Reynolds combined for a .213/.301/.396 slash over 865 plate appearances with the Cardinals and Brewers.

[RELATED: Updated Rockies Depth Chart]

For the Rockies, the low-risk addition creates some interesting possibilities. When a southpaw takes the hill, the club can now utilize Reynolds at first while bumping Ian Desmond into the outfield in place of one of the team’s many lefty-swinging outfielders. (It should be noted, though, that Reynolds carries minimal lifetime platoon splits and actually struggled against southpaws last year.)

Of course, Reynolds will need to make the roster first. Though he’s no longer the prolific home run hitter he once was, Reynolds still packs some punch. And he does typically draw solid defensive ratings for his glovework at first base. But he also offers nothing in the way of defensive versatility, meaning that the organization may have to decide between carrying a bench bat or an extra reliever as camp draws to a close.

Twins To Sign Craig Breslow

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FEBRUARY 14: Breslow will earn $1.25MM if he makes the MLB roster, per Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter). The deal includes $1MM in available incentives, per Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (via Twitter). Breslow will have an opt-out opportunity, too, with Berardino tweeting that the clause can be exercised “around 10 days before Opening Day.”

FEBRUARY 8: The Twins have agreed to a minor-league deal with lefty Craig Breslow, the veteran hurler tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Terms are not known at this time, though Breslow suggests he turned down potentially more lucrative offers from other organizations.

Breslow, 36, may have preferred Minnesota for its open staff opportunities, though it probably doesn’t hurt that he first fully established himself in the majors there back in 2008. After stops with the Padres, Red Sox, and Indians, Breslow checked in with the Twins before moving on to the Athletics. He threw well for three years in Oakland before moving to the Diamondbacks and then back to Boston, where he stayed for four years.

Most recently, Breslow contributed 14 frames to the 2016 Marlins. He allowed seven earned runs on 21 hits, with seven strikeouts and four walks, before being designated for assignment. Though he did not end up signing on with another MLB organization in 2016, Breslow spent the offseason overhauling his delivery in an attempt to stage a late-career renaissance.

While it may be optimistic to expect those new mechanics to spur a full-blown revival, Breslow tells Rosenthal that he hopes to be able to function as a force against left-handed hitters. And it’s only fair to note that the southpaw has long defied expectations. Chosen in the 26th round out of Yale, Breslow has accumulated over 500 innings of 3.35 ERA pitching across 11 MLB seasons.

[RELATED: Updated Twins Depth Chart]

For Minnesota, Breslow represents both another depth piece and a respected voice in camp. The club surely is in need of southpaw relievers, and Breslow figures to battle for a roster spot this spring with pitchers such as Taylor Rogers, Buddy Boshers, Ryan O’Rourke, and Mason Melotakis.

Giants To Sign David Hernandez

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10:07am: Hernandez would earn $1.5MM if he makes the MLB roster, Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News reports on Twitter. He has already passed his physical.

9:18am: The Giants have agreed to a minor-league deal with righty David Hernandez, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Other terms of the agreement remain unreported at this time.

Hernandez, 31, landed a $3.9MM deal last year with the Phillies, but he’ll need to earn a major league job in camp this time around. He ended up posting an up-and-down season, but did show that he was fully recovered from Tommy John surgery and capable of providing innings.

Over 72 2/3 frames in 2016, Hernandez worked to a 3.84 ERA with a healthy 9.9 K/9 to go with a sub-optimal 4.0 BB/9 walk rate. While he continued to generate few grounders (37.3% groundball rate) and allow a few too many home runs (1.36 HR/9 and 14.3% HR/FB), he also showed typically strong velocity (94.0 mph average four-seam fastball) and swinging-strike numbers (11.7% SwStr).

While that effort largely fell in line with Hernandez’s overall career numbers, perhaps there’s still some upside left in his right arm. He logged a 2.50 ERA with 12.9 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 over 68 1/3 innings back in 2012, and still has much the same arsenal that he did then.

For San Francisco, the move puts another experienced late-inning arm in camp at a minimal commitment. Hernandez will likely compete with pitchers such as George Kontos, Cory Gearrin, and fellow minor-league signee Bryan Morris for a slot in the Giants’ relief corps.

Rays Designate Eddie Gamboa, Announce Nathan Eovaldi Signing

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The Rays have designated righty Eddie Gamboa for assignment, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times first reported (via Twitter). The move was made to clear roster space for fellow righty Nathan Eovaldi, whose signing was announced.

Though Eovaldi will not be available to the team, as he recovers from elbow surgery, his roster spot can be used again once he’s placed on the 60-day DL. It remains to be seen whether Gamboa will remain with the Rays. Assuming that he clears outright waivers, he could reject an assignment, as he has been outrighted previously.

Gamboa, a 32-year-old knuckleballer, finally made his big league debut last year in Tampa Bay, holding opposing hitters to two earned runs on nine base hits over 13 1/3 innings. He earned that brief look with a solid showing at Triple-A, where Gamboa spun 94 frames of 2.68 ERA ball with 8.5 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9.

Poll: Best Remaining Free Agent Starter?

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In recent days, we’ve seen Jason Hammel, Nathan Eovaldi, and now Travis Wood leave the board. But with camps opening around the league, there are still a few notable starters who don’t yet know where to report.

As ever, rotation depth is a key consideration for any organization. Contenders need to ensure they’ll be able to fill up innings with at-least competent pitching, while rebuilding clubs need to protect their younger arms (and also may look to capture some upside by turning a veteran into a trade chip).

Organizations that aren’t quite set in the starting pitching department will likely have some of these names at the tops of their lists. Which do you think is the best bet to turn in a strong 2017 campaign? (Presented in alphabetical order.)

  • Jorge De La Rosa — The 35-year-old lefty largely scuffled in 2016, but turned in a solid 4.35 ERA over his nine seasons in the game’s toughest pitching environment, Coors Field.
  • Doug Fister — The towering right-hander turned in 164 innings of 2.41 ERA ball as recently as 2014, and showed he was healthy even as he struggled last year.
  • Mat Latos — Though he has been markedly disappointing in each of the past two seasons, Latos only just turned 29 and was a top-quality starter for the five preceding campaigns.
  • Colby Lewis — Sure, he’s 37 years of age and doesn’t generate many strikeouts, but Lewis did provide 19 starts of 3.71 ERA pitching in 2016.
  • Tim Lincecum — An attempted comeback last year fell flat, and it has been a long time since Lincecum flashed his former Cy Young form, but is it too late for the 32-year-old to settle in as a serviceable arm?
  • Jon Niese — Though his stint with the Pirates didn’t pan out, the now-30-year-old Niese was deemed a worthwhile bet by the pitching-savvy Bucs and was a solid performer for the better part of the prior eight years.
  • Jake Peavy — Another pitcher coming off of a poor season, the 35-year-old Peavy provided the Giants with 189 1/3 innings of sub-3.00 ERA work following his mid-2014 acquisition.
  • Jered Weaver — The days of competing for Cy Young awards are surely over, but if Weaver can recover even a bit of his lost velocity, perhaps he can salvage a late-career run beginning with his age-34 season.

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Quick Hits: MacPhail, Biagini, Bumgarner, Bour

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Phillies president Andy MacPhail shared his thoughts on the status of the organization’s rebuild with MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. Expressing his agreement with the offseason maneuverings of GM Matt Klentak, MacPhail emphasized that he’s expecting tangible progress, but won’t necessarily reduce his assessment to the team’s win-loss record. Notably, MacPhail suggested that the organization could be readying to further open its substantial pocketbook next winter. The organization’s fairly significant investment in short-term veterans this winter was driven by ownership’s determination to improve the on-field product, he indicated, and it seems that yet further spending is contemplated for the future. MacPhail acknowledged that the Phillies could “absolutely” boost their payroll into the top half or third of the league by the 2018 season.

Here are a few more notes from around the league:

  • The Blue Jays intend to stretch out righty Joe Biagini as a starter this spring, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca writes. A surprisingly productive Rule 5 reliever last year, the 26-year-old could even end up starting out in the Triple-A rotation when camp breaks — though GM Ross Atkins says that’s hardly a certainty. Biagini’s status may impact the composition of the bullpen, which Davidi examines further. Mike Bolsinger and Bo Schultz are two out-of-options arms who’ll be batting for the final slots with a variety of other pitchers, he notes.
  • A new deal for star Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner may need to wait until at least next year, owing to luxury tax considerations, as Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News writes. But the already fabled, still youthful southpaw says he’s not unhappy with the lack of contract movement as camp opens. As Baggarly notes, the team has suggested that it is ready to discuss a second extension whenever Bumgarner likes, but striking accord now would drive up the team’s tax bill because future years would be averaged in determining his CBA hit.
  • Marlins manager Don Mattingly says that Justin Bour will be a regular at first base, as Tim Healey of the Sun-Sentinel reports. Though Bour’s limited trips to the plate against left-handed pitching thus far haven’t been very promising, the organization seems intent on giving him a chance to show he can be more than a platoon player. “This is a guy who has an opportunity,” said Mattingly. “We think he’s getting better.”

Minor MLB Transactions: 2/13/17

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Here are the latest minor moves from around the game:

  • Outfielder Jerry Sands has signed on with the indy ball Somerset Patriots, per a club announcement. While plenty of former big leaguers land in the independent leagues — with a fair number making it back — it’s quite a surprise to see Sands take that route at this stage of his career. The 29-year-old Sands has seen action in five MLB campaigns, including last year with the White Sox, compiling a pedestrian .238/.303/.367 batting line in less than 500 total plate appearances. But he has handled lefties at a productive .285/.335/.477 clip in the majors and has been rather productive during his six seasons of action at Triple-A (.266/.351/.478). Sands did fall well shy of that mark during his time at the highest level of the minors in 2016, though, which may explain why he failed to attract a strong enough opportunity to land with an affiliated club.
  • The Rangers have announced the signing of Adam Loewen to a minor-league deal, which includes an invitation to MLB camp. Loewen, 32, switched from pitching to hitting and then back again. He appeared briefly in the majors in each of the last two seasons, with the Phillies and then the Diamondbacks, though the results were rather forgettable. Loewen did post a 3.91 ERA over forty relief appearances at Triple-A in 2016, though he averaged 6.1 walks to go with 10.6 strikeouts per nine.
  • Also joining the Rangers on a minors pact is fellow southpaw Bobby LaFromboise, per Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). He won’t receive an invite, though, so he’ll have to earn his way into the MLB picture with a strong showing. LaFromboise, 30, has appeared in parts of three MLB seasons, compiling a 3.63 ERA with 23 strikeouts against just five walks in his 22 1/3 total innings. Despite entering camp last year with a shot at making the Phillies’ roster, LaFromboise fell apart early at Triple-A and was released over the summer. Over his 16 2/3 innings, the lefty allowed 11 earned runs (and 17 total runs) on 29 hits over 16 2/3 innings, striking out just eight batters while allowing nine free passes. That stat line was uncharacteristic for a pitcher who had typically performed quite well in the upper minors, but perhaps the long layoff will afford him a chance to return to form.

Blue Jays Release A.J. Jimenez

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FEB. 13: The Blue Jays announced today that Jimenez has been released.

FEB. 9: The Blue Jays have announced that catcher A.J. Jimenez was designated for assignment. His roster spot was needed for the previously reported signing of righty Joe Smith, whose deal was also announced.

Jimenez, 26, has taken an odd career route to date. He has remained in the Toronto organization for all of his nine professional seasons, but hasn’t yet cracked the majors. Most recently, he was added back to the 40-man in November — only now to be removed yet again.

Last year, Jimenez returned for his fourth run at the Triple-A level. He ended up with a .241/.290/.377 batting line over 248 plate appearances, representing rather typical levels of offensive production for him in the upper minors. Though he once rated as one of the Blue Jays’ top organizational prospects, he’s struggled greatly across three straight minor league campaigns. He’d have had to beat out offseason additions Jarrod Saltalamacchia (minor league free agent) and Juan Graterol (waiver claim) in order to win a spot as the backup to Russell Martin this season.

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