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Braves Re-Sign Josh Tomlin

By Jeff Todd | February 12, 2020 at 8:33am CDT

The Braves have re-signed righty Josh Tomlin, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman was among those to cover on Twitter. It’s a minor-league deal.

Tomlin, 35, was a steadying presence for the Atlanta organization in 2019. Over 79 1/3 innings of action in 51 appearances, he worked to a 3.74 ERA. Though he managed only 51 strikeouts, Tomlin also posted a typically stingy tally of just seven free passes.

One of the game’s softer-throwing pitchers, Tomlin also generates an abundance of spin on both his fastball and curve. With his consistently exceptional control, it’s just enough for the veteran to avoid hard contact — but he’s always walking a fine line. In 2018, opposing hitters produced a .396 wOBA (.379 xwOBA) with a whopping 3.20 home runs per nine. Last year, Tomlin managed to limit them to a .308 wOBA (.312 xwOBA) and a palatable 1.59 HR/9.

Clearly, Tomlin will have to earn his way onto the active roster in camp. It’s hard to handicap the odds at this point, but unless injuries intervene, the Braves could be left to decide between Tomlin and one of their younger arms for a seventh pen slot.

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Atlanta Braves Transactions Josh Tomlin

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No Deal Between Padres & Tim Beckham

By Jeff Todd | February 12, 2020 at 8:32am CDT

9:17am: Halt the presses on this one: Heyman now tweets that he mixed up his Beckhams. The Friars were already known to have a deal with infielder Gordon Beckham.

8:32am: The Padres have signed shortstop Tim Beckham, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). It’s a minor-league arrangement.

Though Beckham can compete in camp for a spot in the pecking order in the San Diego system, he won’t be a candidate to head north on the active roster. He’ll first need to finish serving an 80-game PED suspension.

Beckham would first be eligible to appear with the Pads about a month into the season, but it stands to reason he’ll be ticketed for Triple-A to begin his time with the organization. There isn’t an immediate opening for a roster spot now anyway, though the situation could be quite a bit different come May.

If things go well, Beckham could give the Friars an alternative or complement to second baseman Jurickson Profar. The club also features utility options Ty France and Greg Garcia.

The 30-year-old Beckham has had quite the roller-coaster of a career. He’ll never reach the promise that some foresaw when he was selected with the first overall pick of the 2008 draft. Beckham has had his moments over the years, with stretches of useful and even high-quality play in the majors, but has not yet found consistency.

All told, Beckham owns a .249/.302/.431 lifetime slash line through 1,751 plate appearances — roughly league-average output. He’s probably not quite an average fielder at shortstop and doesn’t run the bases particularly well, but there’s ample reason to believe he’s good enough for a platoon or reserve infield job of some kind in the majors.

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San Diego Padres Transactions Tim Beckham

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Eppler: “Nothing Active Right Now”

By Jeff Todd | February 12, 2020 at 6:17am CDT

Angels GM Billy Eppler addressed the media after a busy, but perhaps still incomplete roster-building effort this winter. He says there’s “nothing active right now” when it comes to trade talks, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

That’s further indication that the team won’t be revisiting the deal that would’ve brought in Joc Pederson and Ross Stripling from the Dodgers. It also suggests that there’s no alternative arrangement already in the works.

Still, the Halos are understandably still scanning the market. Eppler says the club is “open” to bringing in another experienced rotation option — “if it fits and it makes sense.”

With news emerging that Shohei Ohtani won’t be in the rotation to open the season, the need is even more clear. As things stand, the staff is fronted by veterans Andrew Heaney, Julio Teheran, and Dylan Bundy. Younger pitchers such as Griffin Canning, Jaime Barria, Patrick Sandoval, and Jose Suarez would battle for the other two spots.

It’s still reasonable to hope that Ohtani will provide top-end results once he is back. And most of these hurlers have some degree of upside. But there’s an awful lot of uncertainty for a club that has clear designs on a return to the postseason this year.

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Los Angeles Angels

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Phillies Outright J.D. Hammer

By Jeff Todd | February 11, 2020 at 12:58pm CDT

The Phillies have outrighted right-hander J.D. Hammer, the club announced. He had recently been designated for assignment.

Hammer reached the bigs last year but didn’t exactly find success right out of the gates. He did manage a 3.79 ERA in his 19 innings of action, but did so in spite of an ugly 13:12 K/BB ratio.

The 25-year-old Hammer also showed major walk problems during his time at Triple-A last year. But he was lights out before that at the penultimate level of the minors and has a history of gaudy K/BB numbers.

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Philadelphia Phillies Transactions J.D. Hammer

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Orioles Claim Ramon Urias

By Jeff Todd | February 11, 2020 at 12:47pm CDT

The Orioles announced they’ve claimed infielder Ramon Urias off waivers from the Cardinals. Fellow infielder Pat Valaika was outrighted after clearing waivers, the team further announced.

It’s the latest in a long-running string of infield additions for the O’s, who’ve collected young glove-men at nearly the same rate the Giants have claimed relief pitchers. Urias and Valaika will both be among the camp competitors for utility roles, presuming there is no further action in the next week.

Urias spent most of his developmental time in the Mexican League, impressing there before jumping to the Cards. He’s primarily a second baseman but also has logged substantial time at the hot corner.

Though Urias has shown well with the bat at times over the past two seasons, he hasn’t yet forced his way into the majors. Urias slashed .263/.369/.424 in 375 Triple-A plate appearances last year — a touch below average in that high-powered offensive environment — but has since struggled quite a bit in Mexican winter ball.

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Baltimore Orioles St. Louis Cardinals Transactions Pat Valaika Ramon Urias

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Shohei Ohtani Expected To Return To Mound In Mid-May

By Jeff Todd | February 11, 2020 at 12:42pm CDT

The Angels hope to turn Shohei Ohtani back into a two-way performer rather early in the 2020 season — just not quite as soon as might have been hoped. He’s presently on track to step back into the rotation in mid-May, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports (Twitter link).

It’s generally promising to hear that Ohtani has a course charted for polishing off his Tommy John surgery rehab. But it’s not an especially speedy track. Ohtani received his new ulnar collateral ligament on October 1st of 2018 — a procedure that was delayed to allow him to continue serving as a DH late in that immensely impressive rookie campaign.

It was all but inevitable that Ohtani wouldn’t be able to pitch in 2019. There was never any effort to rush him back — for obvious reasons, given his immense long-term value. But it always seemed reasonable to presume that the uber-talented 25-year-old would be ready to roll at the start of the 2020 campaign, at which time he’ll be more than 18 months removed from his surgery.

Ohtani will still be able to serve as a DH from the jump. But missing another six weeks of his mound work — if indeed he’s able to throw in the majors at the projected point — dents the Halos’ hopes to turn in an impressive start-to-finish season that breaks a postseason drought. Toppling the Astros obviously won’t be easy.

This news adds to the impetus to get another arm in the stable. We discussed that matter earlier today in the context of the team’s collapsed bid to acquire Ross Stripling.

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Los Angeles Angels Shohei Ohtani

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Phillies Hope For 2nd Half Return From David Robertson

By Jeff Todd | February 11, 2020 at 12:25pm CDT

The Phillies are hopeful they’ve got a built-in summer acquisition in the form of veteran reliever David Robertson. As Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports on Twitter, new Phils skipper Joe Girardi says that he hopes Robertson will be able to make it back for the second half of the 2020 campaign.

Long a steady and productive late-inning hurler, Robertson endured a brutal first year in Philadelphia after signing on to a two-year deal last winter. He made just seven appearances, breaking a string of nine-straight seasons of 60+ games, and ultimately required Tommy John surgery in mid-August.

The timing of the procedure not only halted any hope of a late-2019 return, but also put Robertson’s 2020 availability in doubt. It was obviously a rough development for the Phils, who are in need of just the kind of output Robertson had long provided and still owe him $13MM (including a buyout on a club option).

Fortunately, it now seems there’s enough progress that a return at some point in 2020 is possible to envision. The team probably can’t make any assumptions about whether, when, and in what form Robertson will make it back. But realistic hope is better than nothing and the Phillies may have more clarity by the time the trade deadline rolls around.

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Philadelphia Phillies David Robertson

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Details On Collapse Of Dodgers-Angels Trade

By Jeff Todd | February 11, 2020 at 11:53am CDT

The second (or perhaps third) prong of the Mookie Betts blockbuster involved a cross-town swap between the Dodgers and Angels. But when the first iteration of the Betts agreement became bogged down in health concerns and re-negotiations, the intra-LA deal fell apart.

Accordingly, as things stand, the Dodgers still employ outfielder Joc Pederson and swingman Ross Stripling — two rather talented players — along with prospect Andy Pages. And intriguing young infielder Luis Rengifo remains with the Halos, along with whatever other players would’ve been included.

In theory, there’s nothing stopping the teams from resurrecting this agreement. It arguably would suit the Dodgers even better now, as the final version of the Betts swap cost the team an upper-level infielder and brought in a high-ceiling swingman with some MLB experience to go with veteran starter David Price. Adding Rengifo while parting with Stripling would restore much of the prior balance in the Dodgers’ roster situation. While Pederson is hardly extraneous now that Betts is on hand, his role obviously won’t be as robust.

Given the nature of the termination of talks, though, a revival doesn’t seem likely. Per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic (subscription link), Angels owner Arte Moreno personally halted the prospective agreement as uncertainty lingered. His specific intentions aren’t known entirely, though as Ardaya writes, he has certainly operated with vigor and urgency of late after a string of disappointing seasons.

It’s interesting to wonder what could come next. For the Angels, there’s obviously a desire to add a rotation piece and perhaps pick up some more offense. And the club is willing to part with Rengifo in the right circumstances. It stands to reason that the Halos will continue working the phone lines even as Spring Training opens. Some rather notable candidates remain available, at least in theory, though at this point teams have likely already made their prices known.

And what of the Dodgers, who had notified Pederson that he was being sent out to Anaheim? These two veterans are still quite useful but will now enter uncertain situations with the knowledge they had been deemed expendable. No doubt the club would rather shed some salary and cash them both in for a younger, more flexible asset — as had been the plan when this deal came together. It’s possible the team will have shifting interest in talks involving these players. The ultimate Betts deal involved different pieces than had been expected. No doubt the Dodgers will be interested in any scenario that conveys long-term value and roster flexibility.

Whether there’s more action to come over the coming weeks is anyone’s guess. But the potential energy for movement is undeniable.

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Los Angeles Angels Los Angeles Dodgers Joc Pederson Luis Rengifo Ross Stripling

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Athletics Showing Interest In Jason Kipnis

By Jeff Todd | February 11, 2020 at 10:29am CDT

The Athletics have shown some level of interest in veteran infielder Jason Kipnis, per Martin Gallegos of MLB.com (via Twitter). It’s not yet clear whether a deal is likely and if so whether it’d include a 40-man roster spot.

It has been a quiet offseason thus far for Kipnis, who hit the open market for the first time when the Indians declined a club option. He has drawn interest from the Cubs, but it has otherwise been crickets.

The 32-year-old Kipnis is accustomed to regular playing time, having accrued nearly five thousand plate appearances over a nine-year run with the Cleveland organization. But clear-cut opportunities at his customary second base have been hard to come by this winter, with a bevy of other candidates also available.

It has been some time since Kipnis was a high-grade offensive threat. He’s a .236/.305/.403 hitter over the past three seasons. But Kipnis has always been much more effective against right-handed than left-handed pitching; unsurprisingly, Gallegos suggests the A’s would consider him in a platoon capacity.

UZR likes him in the field, though DRS and Statcast’s Outs Above Average do not. Kipnis has logged brief time in center field, so perhaps a new team could explore moving him around.

The Athletics already added a left-handed utility piece in Tony Kemp, though the team has committed little more than 40-man space to him at this point. It’s possible he and Kipnis could battle in camp for a role. Veteran lefty utilityman Ryan Goins is also on hand. Righty hitters Chad Pinder and Franklin Barreto factor in the potential mix at second base as well.

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Oakland Athletics Jason Kipnis

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Cubs Still Discussing Kris Bryant Trade Scenarios

By Jeff Todd | February 11, 2020 at 8:54am CDT

Spring Training is already getting rolling, but it seems there’s still some possibility for a big deal or two. The Cubs are still talking through possible Kris Bryant trade scenarios with rival organizations, according to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic (subscription link).

There’s still no indication that Bryant is particularly likely to be dealt, or that talks are especially hot and heavy with any given team. But the Chicago organization is not only “still active in the trade market,” per Mooney, but is “feeling a sense of urgency to do something” to improve the roster.

Potential landing spots remain as obvious as ever on paper — and as obscure as ever in terms of firm public knowledge. Mooney says the Rockies and Cubs still haven’t “completely dismissed” sorting out a wild swap involving Nolan Arenado, but it remains awfully hard to see that coming together.

Otherwise, we can only assess reasonable fits based upon an analysis of rosters, balance sheets, and tangential reporting. The Rangers make a good bit of conceptual sense as a match. It seems fair to wonder whether the Padres could engage the Cubs after missing on Mookie Betts, with the idea of utilizing Bryant in the corner outfield. The Phillies certainly could stand to improve at third base; the Braves and Nationals also make some degree of sense.

As much as anything, the still-open situation makes for added intrigue as the Cubs prepare to launch a fascinating spring. The team is not only attempting a cultural re-boot, but still has quite a few roster and playing-time situations to sort through. And there’ll be no shortage of scrutiny after another deafeningly quiet winter on the transactional front.

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Chicago Cubs Colorado Rockies Kris Bryant Nolan Arenado

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