Marlins Still Interested In Veteran Starter
JAN. 21: In addition to the names mentioned yesterday, right-hander Kyle Lohse is also a consideration for the Marlins, Heyman tweets. The 37-year-old Lohse’s name has scarcely been mentioned this winter, as the veteran struggled through one of the worst seasons of his career in 2015, posting a 5.85 ERA in 152 1/3 innings. Lohse displayed solid (albeit somewhat diminished) control and didn’t see any sort of dip in velocity, but he was plagued by a decreased strand rate and spikes in his homer-to-flyball rate and BABIP.
JAN. 20: The Marlins still have interest in adding a veteran starter, as Jon Heyman notes on Twitter and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported this morning. Doug Fister and Alfredo Simon are possible names under consideration, as are rehabbing hurlers Cliff Lee and Tim Lincecum.
Certainly, those pitchers represent two of the most accomplished veteran bounceback candidates who remain on the market. Fister and Mat Latos have long been considered the class of the rebound hopefuls, but it seems safe to say the latter won’t be coming back to Miami after his brief run there in 2015.
We haven’t heard much on Simon this winter, but Fister is said to be seeking a two-year deal in the $22MM range. Drawing either pitcher will likely require not only some guaranteed money, but also an appealing opportunity.
It’s not clear how far the Fish will extend themselves to bring in another option, and Jackson suggests that the ballclub is looking for a low-cost investment. If that doesn’t happen, he says, then the organization is prepared to move on with what it has.
That makes sense, as Miami has already added a veteran pitcher in Edwin Jackson who’s had success in the past but needed an opportunity in the present. Obviously, the signing of Wei-Yin Chen went a long way toward shoring up the top of the staff. And the team still has a solid inventory of internal depth options.
The Remaining Market For Infielders
We’ve already checked in on the free agent market for starting pitching and outfielders, and today’s offering also contains some solid names that might’ve gone off the board already in other years. As of January 20th, there’s still a good bit of infield talent left to be found in free agency:
Best Available
- Ian Desmond — Demand for Desmond has always looked iffy, with few big spenders needing shortstops, and his rough 2015 season is certainly cause for hesitation. But, he has quite a lot of upside with a fairly lofty, established MLB ceiling and still has the athleticism required to play anywhere on the diamond.
- Howie Kendrick — He’s not a flashy player and might’ve lost some market steam with some injuries late in 2015, but Kendrick is a dependable, high-quality regular who could still make for a very nice addition.
Potential Major Contributors
- Pedro Alvarez — We all know that Alvarez is a major negative with the glove and has limited on-base abilities, but his power is legitimate, he dominates right-handed pitching, he’s not yet 29, and there’s arguably impact to be had in the right situation.
- David Freese — A respected veteran who has been reliably average in the field and at the plate, Freese’s production has been steady but unspectacular over the years. That dependability is precisely what might make him so interesting to a contender that needs to plug a hole at the hot corner.
- Dae-ho Lee — The Korean slugger is coming off of a big year in Japan’s NPB, but he’ll turn 34 in June and all his potential value is tied up in his bat. There’s no way of knowing how capably he’d adjust to Major League pitching, but his lifetime .901 OPS between the KBO and NPB is intriguing.
- Justin Morneau — He showed enough with a late-2015 run to think he can still deliver a high-OBP bat with just enough pop, and he could make for a nice finishing piece to some rosters.
- Steve Pearce — He’s always handled the glove well at first and even showed he can play some second last year, and even a partial rebound towards his 2014 numbers could make Pearce a great value.
- Jimmy Rollins — A moribund shortstop market is not helping the veteran, who remains a surehanded defender. He could make a good bit of sense as a heavily-used utilityman, particularly for a team with an unproven shortstop.
- Juan Uribe — The 36-year-old just keeps chugging along. He produced at slightly-above-average rates in all facets of the game last year and is valued for his clubhouse presence. Defensive metrics continue to reflect favorably on his glovework at the hot corner as well.
Platoon/Bench/Depth Options
First Basemen
- Ike Davis — Struggled in his latest chance with the A’s but has still yet to turn 29. He bashed 32 homers as recently as 2012.
- Corey Hart — It’s been a long time since he’s been healthy, and his status remains unclear heading into 2016. Prior to multiple knee surgeries, Hart was a consistent 25-30 homer threat.
- Chris Parmelee — It’s never quite translated to the majors, but Parmelee has generally hit well in the upper minors. The former first-round pick isn’t even 28 yet.
- Gaby Sanchez — The 32-year-old’s plans are unclear after a middling season last year in Japan, but he has a history of hitting left-handed pitching well.
Catchers
- Carlos Corporan — If you want a backstop with reasonably extensive, recent MLB experience, Corporan is the safest option in free agency.
- Wilin Rosario — Rosario has never replicated the offense he posted in his rookie year, and defensive questions have led to increased time at first base and in the outfield. There’s been mention of Rosario possibly headed to the KBO, though no Korean team has announced a signing to this point.
Second Basemen
- Dan Uggla — The veteran continued to struggle in his age-35 campaign, though he offers the type of veteran presence that teams love.
- Rickie Weeks — He signed with the Mariners as an outfielder, and that just didn’t work out as Weeks failed to repeat a promising 2014 season.
Third Basemen
- Conor Gillaspie — He’s shown glimpses in the past, isn’t yet 29, and can be controlled for future arb years, but he needs to hit a good bit more since his glove isn’t held in high regard.
- Casey McGehee — It’s hard to put a positive spin on McGehee’s 2015, but he was quite solid the year prior.
Shortstops
- Clint Barmes — While he’s never done much with the stick, Barmes is typically a wizard in the field. But his metrics have dropped off in the last two seasons.
Multi-Position
- Jeff Baker — Things didn’t work out last year in Miami, but Baker should still get a look elsewhere. His career numbers against lefties are impressive.
- Willie Bloomquist — He just didn’t hit enough to stick on the Seattle roster last year, and the 38-year-old didn’t play in the season’s second half.
- Alberto Callaspo — He’s struggled at the plate with the A’s, Braves and Dodgers over the past two seasons, but he’s a switch-hitter with extensive experience at second and third.
- Jonathan Herrera — The 31-year-old has never hit much, but his glove rates well at second, and he can handle shortstop and third base as well.
- Maicer Izturis — Izturis hasn’t played since early 2014 due to serious knee and shoulder injuries.
- Skip Schumaker — His two-year deal with the Reds yielded little in terms of on-field value, but a club could value the 35-year-old’s experience.
Padres To Sign Fernando Rodney
The Padres have agreed to a major league contract with right-handed reliever Fernando Rodney, Jon Heyman reports on Twitter. Rodney and the Friars had been said to be nearing agreement in recent days.
The deal includes a $2MM guarantee for the Octagon Sports client, according to Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter links). He’ll receive a $1.6MM base salary, with a floating-value club option that comes with a $400K buyout.
The deal includes a complicated set of provisions for incentives and the option year, according to Lin (Twitter links). Rodney can earn $5MM annually in incentives. And the 2017 option price tag will be $2MM plus whatever incentive value Rodney reaches in 2016. For instance, if Rodney were to hit all incentives in the coming season, the option value would be $7MM (and his maximum earnings for 2017 would be $12MM, because that year’s incentives could still be reached as well).
Rodney, who’ll join San Diego for his age-39 campaign, seems in line for a chance at taking the save opportunities for the club. After dealing away quality arms in Craig Kimbrel and Joaquin Benoit, and watching Shawn Kelley depart via free agency, there’s a ton of uncertainty in the Padres’ pen.
The talented-but-unpredictable Rodney probably isn’t best characterized as a stabilizing presence, but he’ll certainly infuse some punch into the late-inning mix. If nothing else, he’s still delivering a blazing mid-90s fastball despite his age.
It’s hard to know what to expect out of the man with the big right arm and the tilted brim. He had one of the most dominating seasons in recent memory back in 2012; followed that up with two more strong overall campaigns (though he occasionally left fans on edge with his escape feats); and then imploded early last year in Seattle.
Certainly, 2015 presents two possible versions of Rodney at this stage of his career. With the Mariners, he put up 50 2/3 frames of 5.68 ERA pitching. A declining swinging strike rate (just 9.6% last year) left him with a relatively meager 7.6 K/9 to go with 4.4 BB/9 for the M’s. But he turned it on after joining the Cubs late in the year. In twelve innings, he allowed just one earned run while striking out 15 batters and issuing only four free passes. And it bears noting, too, that Rodney still generates groundballs on about half of the balls put in play against him.
MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez first reported on the option and incentives (Twitter links).
Marlins Designate Mike Strong, Outright Andre Rienzo
The Marlins have announced that lefty Mike Strong has been designated for assignment, presumably to clear roster space for Wei-Yin Chen. Meanwhile, the previously-designate Andre Rienzo has cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A.
Strong was claimed from the Brewers earlier in the winter. He’s yet to crack the majors, and only just reached Triple-A last year. The 27-year-old struggled in dozen appearances there, but had thrown 49 2/3 strong frames at the Double-A level (2.54 ERA, 8.9 K/9 vs. 3.6 BB/9) earlier in the year.
Rienzo will serve as a useful depth piece in the Miami system. He was bumped from the 40-man about a week ago, when the team announced the addition of Edwin Jackson.
Pirates Extend Chris Stewart
4:10pm: The Pirates have announced the two-year extension and third-year club option via press release.
JAN. 19, 3:39pm: Stewart has passed his physical, and his deal will be announced soon, reports SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo. Per Cotillo, Stewart will earn $3MM over the life of the deal. That includes salaries of $1.35MM in 2016, $1.4MM in 2017 and a $250K buyout on a $1.5MM option for the 2018 season (links to Twitter).
JAN. 14: The Pirates have reached agreement on a two-year extension with backstop Chris Stewart, according to a report from Robert Murray of Baseball Essential (Twitter link). The deal will reportedly also come with a club option for a third season.
MLBTR had projected Stewart to earn $1.6MM this season in his final year of arbitration eligibility. Instead of just taking a single-season payout, he’ll promise away one free agent season and leave another in the control of the Pirates.
Stewart, 33, has taken 1,060 plate appearances in parts of nine seasons in the majors. He’s settled in as a reserve for the Bucs over the last two years, slashing .292/.340/.336 (without a single home run or stolen base) in that period. He’s a highly-rated pitch framer and was charged with just one passed ball last year, though he’s caught less than a quarter of the baserunners who’ve tried to steal on him in Pittsburgh.
While the guaranteed salary has yet to be reported, it seems obvious with the move that Pittsburgh intends to utilize Stewart as its backup for at least the next two seasons. What remains unclear is whether the organization will be able to work out a multi-year arrangement with starter Francisco Cervelli, who had a breakout 2015 campaign and is also entering his final year of arbitration control.
Latest On Yoenis Cespedes
The departure of Justin Upton from the free agent market leaves the spotlight squarely on fellow star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. We recently heard of interest from as many as ten teams and the possibility of a fairly short signing timeline. And there’s been some chatter today as his market begins to take greater form.
Here’s the latest:
- Marlins president David Samson tells reporters, including Bob Nightengale of USA Today, that his team has no interest in signing Cespedes (Twitter link). Samson cited the team’s already crowded outfield picture as a reason for not pursuing the slugger.
Earlier Updates
- The Marlins “have discussed pursuing” the star Cuban on some kind of “short-term deal,” Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports on Twitter. But he says that it’s hard to see the club being in the lead for his services, and it’s also hard to disagree with that assessment. For such a move to come together, Rosenthal suggests, Miami would likely need to line up a deal involving center fielder Marcell Ozuna. (Presumably, Christian Yelich would slide to center.)
- Rosenthal also tweets that the Nationals are indeed interested in Cespedes, too — but only if his asking price comes down. We heard mention earlier today (via BobNightengale of USA Today, on Twitter) that both the Nats and the Astros had some discussions on Upton and might also be involved on Cespedes. It’s a bit of a stretch to imagine the Nats adding Cespedes, at least without making another move, though Washington is perhaps better able to take on his salary obligations than are other organizations with rumored interest. From a roster perspective, the team could in theory demote or trade Michael Taylor, put Ben Revere in a timeshare with Jayson Werth, and utilize Bryce Harper and/or Cespedes in center when Revere isn’t in the lineup.
- The Braves are yet another N.L. East club with continued amenability to a short-term pact with the star outfielder, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. As with the other teams, a trade — probably involving Nick Markakis or Ender Inciarte — could conceivably go along with a signing scenario. But O’Brien’s cautionary words seem worth heeding: “Don’t hold your breath.”
- We touched upon where things stand with the incumbent Mets this morning, though we haven’t heard of any recent movement on the team’s stance. (No word from the Phillies, alas.) Of course, it’s certainly plausible to imagine teams from other divisions remaining involved or joining the hunt.
Dodgers To Sign Joe Blanton
The Dodgers have struck a one-year deal with righty Joe Blanton, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports on Twitter. He’ll earn a guaranteed $4MM in the agreement, per the report.
Blanton’s new deal includes some incentives as well, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports adds on Twitter. He stands to earn $250K bonuses at the fifty and sixty-inning threshold, and another $500K if he can make it to seventy.
The 35-year-old Blanton had long been a durable, back-of-the-rotation starter. But his career was at risk of stalling out after a string of rough seasons; indeed, it seemed at one point he might be retiring and he never pitched in the majors in 2014.
2015 proved a revelation for the veteran hurler, though, as he put up a sparkling campaign while working primarily from the pen for the first time in his career. He was good for the Royals and even better after being acquired off of the waiver wire by the Pirates. All told, Blanton spun 76 frames of 2.84 ERA pitching with 9.4 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9 to go with a 48.6% groundball rate.
Los Angeles intends to utilize Blanton in the pen, of course, with Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times suggesting (Twitter link) that he may function as a long man. As Hernandez notes, it makes particular sense to have an effective, multi-inning righty given the large number of southpaws in the Dodgers’ rotation.
Pirates Claim A.J. Schugel
The Pirates have claimed righty A.J. Schugel off waivers from the Mariners, Pittsburgh announced. A corresponding move was not announced.
Schugel has found himself bouncing around the wire this winter. First, he was bumped from the Diamondbacks’ roster to make way for Zack Greinke. Seattle claimed him but set him loose to add Joe Wieland. And now he’s landed in Pittsburgh.
The 26-year-old threw 115 1/3 innings of 4.84 ERA pitching with 6.2 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 in his second attempt at Triple-A last year. He did earn his first brief call-up to the majors, though, and has more success in the lower levels of the minors in prior seasons.
Reactions To And Effects Of The Justin Upton Deal
Last night’s news that the Tigers had landed Justin Upton surprised some, who felt that his market may have dried up. But while pitching was first in the queue this winter, we’ve seen a steady stream of position player signings at or near expectations ever since we hit 2016.
With the agreement set to be announced tomorrow after a physical, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter link), here are some reactions to and ramifications of the move:
- Both the Nationals and Astros had expressed interest in Upton, and “may” look instead at top remaining free agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. Neither team looks in need of a player at that position, of course, but both are in position to be opportunistic. (Houston has been fairly quiet after a bold trade deadline, while Washington still appears to be about $30MM shy of its 2015 payroll after several moves.)
- The Braves also had conversations with Upton, says Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, but the club was only discussing a six-year deal at a “significantly lower average annual value” than Upton’s new contract provides. GM John Coppolella acknowledged the chats, adding that his club will “remain both opportunistic and disciplined.”
- Tigers owner Mike Ilitch was “absolutely ready” to sign Chris Davis, tweets Jon Heyman, but GM Al Avila talked him out of taking that route. From where I stand, that seems wise; unless Detroit was convinced that Davis could play the corner outfield on a regular basis for at least another year or two, it’s hard to see how he’d fit.
- Once the decision was made to focus on Upton, Avila and skipper Brad Ausmus went to Phoenix and negotiated with Upton over the weekend, Nightengale reports. Per the report, the White Sox, Rangers, and Astros were other key teams in the hunt for Upton.
- A source with knowledge of the Astros‘ side of things tells Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle that the interest was never very “serious.” It does not appear that the ‘Stros talked about much more than a three-year scenario. (While it isn’t clear what kind of ideas might have been batted around, MLBTR’s Steve Adams has written about the plausibility of an opt-out-driven, high-AAV, multi-year pillow contract concept.)
- Ilitch’s latest big move proves that he’s the “most munificent owner in professional sports,” Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports argues. Certainly, he’s proven willing on plenty of occasions to plunk down the cash needed to arm his ballclub, this time cracking the luxury tax ceiling to add Upton. (They’ve done so previously on at least one occasion.)
- From my perspective, it seems that Detroit got a nice price on a prime-aged free agent. The price comes in well below our expectations here at MLBTR, and even further below what Upton might have commanded with a bigger platform year. It may or may not be reasonable to hope that he has some growth remaining as a player, but even the current package makes for a solid investment given his age. As always, there’s risk. But as major win-now, open-market moves go, it’s hard to do much better.
The Remaining Market For Outfielders
We looked yesterday to see what was left on the open market in terms of starting pitching, and today we’ll turn our attention to the outfield grass. The pool of outfielders just lost a top player in Justin Upton, but it’s still flush with talent. And as the Upton signing shows, where there’s ability, there’s often money to chase it.
Clubs looking for upgrades, complements, or depth can draw from a group of free agents that still includes the following names:
Best Available
- Yoenis Cespedes — There’s not much left to say at this point. With Upton and Chris Davis off the market, Cespedes is the only remaining free agent who warranted a nine-figure prediction entering the winter.
- Dexter Fowler — Something of a forgotten man, it remains to be seen how much the qualifying offer will tell on Fowler’s ultimate earning level. He remains a steady, high-quality option who still has plenty of reasonable landing spots.
Bounceback Candidates
- Austin Jackson — We haven’t heard much chatter on AJax, but he’s an interesting buy-low option — particularly since he can play center field.
- Steve Pearce — Despite a relatively tough 2015, Pearce’s huge 2014 and his relatively flexible glove make him an intriguing player.
Platoon/Bench Options (Age 31 or Below)
- Domonic Brown — The former top prospect will be looking for opportunity, first and foremost; a non-contender could take a shot on his upside. It doesn’t hurt that he has another year of arb control remaining.
- Matt Joyce — Last year was a disaster, but he was a steady offensive producer for years before.
- David Lough — With an excellent glove, a return to his near-average offensive lines of 2013-14 would make Lough a nice reserve outfielder.
- Travis Snider — He’s still quite young, and has had his moments, but will probably be forced to earn his next chance after a down 2015.
- Drew Stubbs — Having a center-field-capable glove goes a long way, but Stubbs has never consistently produced at the plate.
- Delmon Young — Having a league-average-or-better bat goes a long way, but Young doesn’t play the field well and didn’t hit last year for Baltimore.
Platoon/Bench Options (Age 32+)
- Marlon Byrd — He still has pop in the bat at 38 years of age and should draw plenty of interest, whether as a second-division semi-regular or a useful bench bat for a contender.
- David DeJesus — While he ended last year with little playing time and even less production for the Angels, DeJesus still looked like a capable-enough reserve outfielder for most of the year with the Rays.
- Chris Denorfia — He’s now two years removed from above-average offensive production, but teams will still have interest.
- Jeff Francoeur — After a solid late-year run, Francoeur could land his first guaranteed deal in some time.
- Jonny Gomes — The overall line wasn’t great, but Gomes still had above-average numbers against lefties last year.
- David Murphy — The Halos preferred Murphy to DeJesus down the stretch last year, but he hasn’t exactly set the world afire in recent campaigns.
- Ryan Raburn — Just … read this.
- Alex Rios — The Royals gave him pretty significant money last year, but he ended with -1.1 rWAR and will need to bounce back in 2016.
- Skip Schumaker — He’s more a utilityman than a pure outfield option given the light bat.
- Grady Sizemore — There’s no longer hope for a return to stardom, but Sizemore quietly had a solid run late with Tampa Bay.
- Will Venable — As a left-handed bat that can still play center, he’ll have plenty of appeal.
- Shane Victorino — Could a return to health — and switch-hitting — spur a late-career renaissance?
- Rickie Weeks — Things didn’t go well last year after a bounceback 2014, so he’ll be searching for another shot in ’16.
International
- Alexei Bell — The veteran is not yet a free agent, but will surely be hoping for a chance to play at the major league level in the near term.
- Guillermo Heredia — At 24 years of age, he could be near major league readiness, though he isn’t the most highly-regarded prospect from Cuba.
- Randy Arozarena — He’s still just twenty, but is an intriguing name to watch.