Coaching Notes: McGwire, Henley, Magadan, Rowand
Let’s catch up on the latest coaching signings as teams finalize their field staffs:
- One-time superstar slugger Mark McGwire is set to join the Padres as the bench coach alongside new manager Andy Green, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com recently reports. (Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune first reported as a strong possibility.) McGwire has worked as a hitting coach with the Cardinals and Dodgers over the past six years. The 52-year-old’s ascension to a bench coach role suggests that a managerial opportunity might not be far off.
- The Nationals have brought back Bobby Henley as the team’s third base coach, per a club announcement. Henley was set loose along with the rest of the staff (and manager Matt Williams) at the end of a disappointing 2015 campaign, but he’ll join hitting coach Rick Schu in reprising their roles. Most of skipper Dusty Baker’s staff is now set.
- Dave Magadan has been announced as the Diamondbacks‘ new hitting coach. A 16-year MLB veteran, Magadan has previously worked in the Padres, Red Sox, and Rangers organizations, most recently serving as the top batting instructor for Texas.
- Former big leaguer Aaron Rowand will serve as a minor league outfield and baserunning instructor, the White Sox have announced. Rowand, 38, retired after the 2011 season. He’ll return to the place where he started his professional and MLB career.
Minor MLB Transactions: 11-25-15
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- The Rays released catcher J.P. Arencibia after recently designating him for assignment, per the team’s transactions page. Arencibia, 29, had an impressive 24-game run with Tampa Bay late in the season, but it wasn’t enough for the club to tender him a contract. He ought to get plenty of interest as a free agent from teams looking for major-league-capable receiving options.
- Mariners lefty Danny Hultzen cleared outright waivers, the club announced. Though his talent has always been evident, Hultzen’s shoulder has not been willing. Despite going second overall in the 2011 draft, Hultzen has yet to tally 200 professional innings pitched.
- Backstop Adrian Nieto tweets that he’s signed on with the Marlins. Nieto was a Rule 5 pick of the White Sox who stuck on the big league roster for all of 2014, but the switch-hitter didn’t hit much at the Double-A level last year and lost his roster spot in Chicago.
- The Orioles announced a host of minor league signings today. Among the notable names are righties Pedro Beato and Todd Redmond, lefty Cesar Cabral, and catcher Audry Perez. The 29-year-old Beato has 93 1/3 innings of MLB experience under his belt, while Redmond was a regular part of the Blue Jays’ pen from 2013-14 before losing his job last year. Cabral and Perez both have much more limited MLB experience. They each return to the Baltimore organization after spending most of 2015 at Triple-A Norfolk.
- The Blue Jays have signed lefty Scott Diamond to a minor league deal, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports. The 29-year-old will receive a big league camp invite after tossing 150 1/3 solid Triple-A frames last year in the Rays organization.
International Notes: Thames, Lee, Cuba
Korean stars Jae-gyun Hwang and Byung-ho Park may soon be joining countryman Jung-ho Kang in making the KBO to MLB transition. (Hwang will be posted next Monday, while Park is in a negotiating window with the Twins.) But perhaps the most interesting trans-Pacific baseball story is playing out on the Korean peninsula. Former big league outfielder Eric Thames was recently named the 2015 KBO MVP. Thames, who just turned 29, showed some pop and promise in North America, but never quite seized an opportunity and moved to Korea after he failed to receive a big league call-up in his age-26 campaign. All he’s done since is devastate his new league, putting up consecutive seasons with an OPS of over 1.100. Thames is under contract with the NC Dinos for one more campaign, but figures to draw strong interest from Japan’s NPB as well as major league organizations if he can post anything approaching his 2015 numbers, which were ridiculous even for the hitter-friendly KBO: .381/.497/.790 with 47 home runs and 40 stolen bases in 595 plate appearances.
If you’re interested in taking a peek at Thames’ exploits, check out this Naver Sports highlight video. Here are some other notes on the international market:
- Free agent first baseman Dae-ho Lee — a South Korean who has been playing in Japan — will visit the United States in early December to meet with MLB clubs, according to another report from Yoo. The 33-year-old power hitter is drawing interest from “multiple” teams, his Korean agency (Montis) tells Yoo. He’s already shown he ability to excel in both the KBO and NPB and last year was his best in Japan, as he slashed .282/.368/.524 with 31 home runs.
- While the Asian markets have grabbed much of the recent attention, Cuba remains a hotbed for international activity. Baseball America’s Ben Badler has the latest on a variety of intriguing players from the neighboring island. The Reds appear to be in the lead to sign slick defender Alfredo Rodriguez, says Badler, while the Cubs and Dodgers are expected to lead the charge on other bonus-pool-bound players that become eligible to sign out of Cuba.
- Badler also has some updates on a group of other touted players. Outfielder Guillermo Heredia and righty Vladimir Gutierrez are training in Florida and holding private workouts, while pitchers Norge Ruiz and Cionel Perez are set to hold showcases in the coming weeks.
Heyman’s Latest: Madson, Iwakuma, Alvarez, Zobrist, O’s, Perez, Freese
Let’s take a look in at the latest reporting from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, who touched upon several notable stories today (all via his Inside Baseball column, except as otherwise noted):
- The Dodgers have had contact with free agent righty Ryan Madson, Heyman says. The veteran, who enjoyed a remarkable turnaround last year, could be one of several options as Los Angeles looks to beef up its pen.
- The Mariners have long said that re-signing Hisashi Iwakuma is a priority, and GM Jerry Dipoto reaffirmed that stance only days ago. Heyman writes that the club is “willing to go to around $24 million or so over two years” for the accomplished veteran. It’s not entirely clear whether there’s any willingness to go beyond that amount, but it seems a bit light for a pitcher of Iwakuma’s ability. (MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicts a three-year, $45MM deal for the righty.)
- Pirates first baseman Pedro Alvarez would welcome a trade, writes Heyman. It’s been known for awhile that Alvarez is on the block due to his rising arbitration salary, poor glove and struggles with left-handed pitching. The Pirates almost certainly don’t want to pay Alvarez his projected $8.1MM salary next season and could very well non-tender him next week if they can’t find a taker. Heyman notes that the Orioles make some sense, and I’d add the Athletics as a speculative fit also. He’s probably best off with an AL club where he can DH, but it’s also fun to think of the power numbers Alvarez could log at Coors Field.
- The Cardinals are among the most interested teams in Ben Zobrist and have reached out to his representatives at Octagon, reports Heyman. Zobrist was linked to the Cardinals last week, and Heyman notes that there are as many as 20 teams believed to have interest in the versatile switch-hitter. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that the Cardinals are indeed in the mix, but it remains to be seen whether they can sell Zobrist on a super-utility role (an “uber-role,” as Goold terms it). Zobrist’s preference is reportedly to play second base.
- While the Orioles are prioritizing an effort to bring back Chris Davis, the club has legitimate interest in outfielder Alex Gordon. Meanwhile, Heyman says that he’d be surprised if the club pursues Gerardo Parra as a corner outfield option, since “they weren’t all that impressed by him” over the last several months.
- The Royals may be “willing to at least talk” with the reps of backstop Salvador Perez about “reworking” his early-career extension. That contract has become almost comically team-friendly since it was signed — a reflection of both the significant risk taken on by the team at the time and the extent to which Perez has rewarded that trust. It’s not entirely clear what kind of scenario could be pursued, but all indications are that Kansas City would be bargaining from a position of strength.
- There’s at least “a bit” of contact between the Angels and free agent third baseman David Freese, says Heyman. A reunion continues to appear possible, though the club will likely look to see how some other market possibilities play out before committing to the veteran.
Orioles Interested In Yovani Gallardo
The Orioles have made contact with the representatives of Yovani Gallardo to express interest in the free agent righty, Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports. Encina cautions that it is still early in the process and there does not appear to be any likelihood of near-term movement. Indeed, we heard recently that Gallardo’s agent expects it to take some time for his market to develop.
Gallardo, 29, took the twentieth spot on the top fifty free agent list of MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes. While he no longer profiles as a top-of-the-rotation arm, Gallardo fits in the mold of other recent free agent hurlers who have commanded four-year deals at better than $12MM annually. Dierkes predicts that he can achieve a $52MM guarantee on the open market.
Of course, one of those recent comparables — Ubaldo Jimenez — signed his deal with Baltimore two years ago. That contract was, and still is, the richest pitching contract ever given out by the club.
The O’s needed to give up a draft pick to sign Jimenez, and the same would be required to add Gallardo, who declined a qualifying offer from the Rangers. Baltimore owns the 15th overall pick in this year’s draft and stands to add two more top selections if and when Chris Davis and Wei-Yin Chen sign with new teams.
Baltimore’s staff certainly appears to be in need of supplementation, as MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk explained in his offseason outlook piece on the club. Gallardo comes with his share of risk — metrics suggest that his sub-3.50 ERA over the last two seasons has been about half a run per nine lucky — but he has been exceedingly durable and has a a nice overall track record of production.
Braves Sign Bud Norris
The Braves have agreed to a one-year major league deal with free agent righty Bud Norris, the club announced. He’ll earn $2.5MM for 2016, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
Norris, 30, will look for redemption in Atlanta after suffering through a rough 2015 season. On the year, he allowed 6.72 earned runs per nine over 83 innings with 7.7 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9. Along the way, Norris lost his rotation spot and ultimately his roster spot with the Orioles before landing in the Padres’ bullpen.
The Braves will plug Norris into the rotation, GM John Coppolella tells David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). He has been useful in such a role previously, of course: in 955 2/3 career innings as a starter, Norris owns a 4.38 ERA. And that’s skewed somewhat by his early-career results.
Atlanta obviously needed another depth piece in its rotation. While there are a number of young players at or near the majors, the staff has a fair bit of uncertainty. The only sure things, arguably, are Shelby Miller and Julio Teheran, but it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if either or both ended up being traded.
If the righty doesn’t transition well back to the starting staff, he could always turn into a useful reliever. Norris did manage a career-best 11.3 K/9 rate while working in the San Diego pen last season.
Mariners Sign Chris Iannetta, Designate John Hicks
TODAY: Iannetta can earn up to $1.75MM in performance bonuses in the coming season, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune tweets. The club picks up a 2017 option, at a $4.25MM price tag, which can also vest at $6MM under unspecified circumstances.
YESTERDAY, 6:28pm: The contract guarantees Iannetta $4.25MM and includes incentives, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports on Twitter.
6:03pm: The deal includes some form of option for 2017, Iannetta indicated to reporters on a conference call to discuss the signing (via MLB.com’s Greg Johns, on Twitter).
5:07pm: The Mariners have signed catcher Chris Iannetta to a one-year deal, the club announced. Fellow backstop John Hicks was designated for assignment to clear roster space.
A deal was said to be close during the GM Meetings, but it obviously took a bit longer to come together. Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto obviously continues to be a fan of the veteran, as he brought him to the Angels when he ran that club.
Iannetta is entering his age-33 season on the heels of a rough 2015 campaign. In his 317 plate appearances last year, Iannetta slashed just .188/.293/.335. He did, however, reach double-digit home runs for the fifth time in his career and maintained a strong 12.9% walk rate. Also, a .225 BABIP may go some way toward explaining the poor overall results.
Of course, there’s also quite a bit of history suggesting that Iannetta can bounce back offensively. He produced at or above the league-average rate for seven of the eight seasons before 2015 and owns a .231/.351/.405 lifetime slash line.
Notably, though he endured a rough campaign at the plate, Iannetta was better than ever behind it. After years of sub-par results, StatCorner rated him the fifth-best framer in baseball last year. And Baseball Prospectus credits him not only with a remarkable turnaround in framing, but also in overall defensive value.
If Iannetta can carry that forward, he and Mike Zunino could make up an outstanding defensive unit. It remains to be seen how the playing time will be allocated between the two, but Iannetta will certainly provide some cover to allow Seattle an opportunity to take some of burden off of the 24-year-old, who limped to a .174/.230/.300 batting line last year.
Hicks, 26, received his first big league call-up last year and recorded just two hits in a tiny sample of 34 plate appearances. Over parts of two seasons at the Triple-A level, the University of Virginia product has slashed .253/.295/.366 and hit eight home runs in 432 plate appearances.
Padres’ Preller Meets With Japanese Free Agent Nobuhiro Matsuda
Two top members of the Padres front office — GM A.J. Preller and director of player personnel Logan White — met recently with free agent third baseman Nobuhiro Matsuda, as reported by Japan’s Sponichi outlet (and as confirmed by Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, on Twitter). The Japanese star is interested in pursuing a deal with a major league club, per Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), who also reported San Diego’s interest.
Matsuda chose an opportune time to attempt the move across the Pacific. He hit 35 homers last season — aided, at least in part, by newly-reduced dimensions at his home park — and put up a strong .287/.357/.533 slash. That constituted a career year by many measures (home runs, OBP, OPS), but Matsuda has been a consistently strong offensive performer.
The 32-year-old slugger is a free agent, so his former NPB team — the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks — won’t be able to claim a release fee. It also means there are no time limitations on his signing.
For the Padres, it’s not entirely clear how pursuit of the veteran would serve the club’s overall roster construction efforts. It’s possible to imagine that Matsuda will be available at a reasonable price tag, and San Diego’s west coast location would hold obvious appeal. But the team already has several options at third, including Yangervis Solarte and Will Middlebrooks. The former could, theoretically, be traded or used in a reserve/super-utility role. And the latter is arguably a non-tender candidate.
The meeting occurred during a scouting trip to Asia, per Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune, so it’s probably not worth reading too much into the in-person contact — especially as contract terms were not discussed. On the other hand, it is notable that such key decisionmakers met with Matsuda, and Lin writes that the pair “used the meeting to express their interest in Matsuda.”
Diamondbacks Avoid Arbitration With Matt Reynolds
The Diamondbacks have avoided arbitration with lefty Matt Reynolds, Zach Buchanan of AZCentral.com reports on Twitter. Reynolds will receive $675K next season, with a $25K bonus if he makes 55 appearances.
That number falls a bit shy of the $800K that MLBTR projected Reynolds to earn. Of course, the southpaw had seemed a plausible non-tender candidate even at that relatively low salary level, so agreeing to a slightly lower rate helps increase the likelihood that he’ll get a major league opportunity in 2016.
Reynolds, 31, pitched 13 2/3 major league innings last season for the D’backs, allowing seven earned runs and striking out 18 batters against seven walks. He had missed all of the 2014 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in the midst of a promising 2013 campaign.
Braves Sign David Carpenter, Nine Others To Minors Deals
The Braves have announced the signings of ten players to minor league contracts, each of which includes an invitation to major league camp. Righty David Carpenter is perhaps the most notable, but the list includes several other recognizable names.
Joining Carpenter in Atlanta’s camp this spring will be fellow righties Chris Volstad and Madison Younginer. Also reporting early for camp will be four catchers: former big leaguer Ryan Lavarnway, along with Willians Astudillo, Matt Kennelly, and Braeden Schlehuber. Veteran infielders Reid Brignac and Chase d’Arnaud, as well as outfielder Matt Tuiasosopo, are also joining the Braves.
Carpenter, 30, had an up-and-down 2015 after being sent from Atlanta to the Yankees in a deal that netted Manny Banuelos. He struggled in New York, generated good results in a short stint with the Nationals, and then ended the season with shoulder issues. Carpenter will look to recover the form he showed over is two years with the Braves, when he worked to a 2.63 ERA over 126 2/3 innings, with an impressive 10.0 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9.
There’s plenty of big league experience in the remainder of that group, too. Volstad threw well at Triple-A last year for the Pirates and could compete for a job in the rotation or the pen. Lavarnway spent time in the majors with Atlanta last season and might well end up the backup catcher if Christian Bethancourt isn’t deemed worthy of a roster spot. And Brignac and d’Arnaud might battle for a utility role.
Scout.com’s Bill Shanks first reported Carpenter’s signing. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweeted the Volstad signing.