Mark Polishuk | MLB Trade Rumors

Mariners Talking To Padres About Righty Relievers

By Mark Polishuk | March 27, 2016 at 10:11pm CDT

The Mariners have talked to the Padres about acquiring a right-handed reliever, with Nick Vincent, Kevin Quackenbush and Jon Edwards all being mentioned in discussions, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports. The M’s are looking to add some depth to a pen that has been thinned out by injuries to Charlie Furbush, Evan Scribner and Ryan Cook, while the Padres have a bit of a surplus in their own relief corps.

As A.J. Cassavell of MLB.com notes, Fernando Rodney, Carlos Villanueva and Brandon Maurer are locked into spots in San Diego’s bullpen, leaving Vincent, Quackenbush and Edwards and others vying for the three open spots. Drew Pomeranz is a key figure in this race since he’ll make the roster as either a starter or a reliever, so the number of available bullpen spots could shrink if Pomeranz doesn’t make the rotation.

Padres manager Andy Green noted early in camp that Vincent and Quackenbush were favorites to win jobs, which makes sense given how impressive both righties have been during their time in San Diego. Vincent has a 2.63 ERA, 9.6 K/9 and 4.13 K/BB rate over 150 2/3 relief innings since 2012, while Quackenbush has a 3.28 ERA, 9.1 K/9 and 3.00 K/BB rate over 112 1/2 career innings.

Edwards has the least MLB experience of the three though he has the longest pro career, having been picked by the Cardinals as an outfielder in the 14th round of the 2006 draft. He converted to pitching in 2011 and has consistently missed bats and struggled with his control at both the minor and Major League levels. Edwards has a 4.32 ERA, 11.2 K/9 and 7.6 BB/9 over 25 big league innings.

Vincent is the only one of the trio who is out of options and his numbers did dip a bit last season (lower K/9, higher walk rate, 3.90 SIERA and 4.26 xFIP that belied his 2.53 ERA), so it’s possible San Diego could be exploring its options even though on paper, Vincent is the most established of the three. Quackenbush has been mentioned as a possible closer of the future for the Padres, especially when Craig Kimbrel was dealt, though Rodney’s acquisition would seem to imply that “the Duck” will remain in a setup role for now.

As Dutton notes, the Mariners are planning to use a seven-man bullpen, though there’s a lot of uncertainty about who those seven pitchers will be in the wake of the injuries. Steve Cishek, Joaquin Benoit, Joel Peralta and Tony Zych all have a grasp on right-handed roles with Mike Montgomery and Vidal Nuno serving as the two southpaws. If a new righty reliever is added, the M’s would send Donn Roach, Mayckol Guaipe and Blake Parker to Triple-A.

NL Central Notes: Brewers, Shark, Luebke, Cards

By Mark Polishuk and Zachary Links | March 27, 2016 at 7:04pm CDT

It was on this day in 2002 that the Cubs traded swingman Julian Tavarez and three prospects to the Marlins for Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca. While Clement and Alfonseca were useful players for Chicago, this is definitely a “what if?” deal for the Cubs and their fans since Dontrelle Willis was one of the prospects sent to the Fish. The deal immediately led to some pain for the Cubs when Willis’ Marlins beat Chicago in the 2003 NLCS (featuring the infamous Steve Bartman incident) en route to a World Series title.

Here’s some news from around the NL Central…

The Brewers announced several roster moves today, including the news that Will Middlebrooks, Eric Young Jr., Josmil Pinto, Shane Peterson, Manny Pina and Jake Elmore were told they won’t be making the Major League roster (Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has the rundown of all the transactions). All six players will remain in the Brewers’ camp. Five of the six were new arrivals this winter — Pina was part of the Francisco Rodriguez trade with the Tigers, Pinto was a waiver claim from the Padres, and Middlebrooks, Young and Elmore were all minor league signings.
Jeff Samardzija told ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers that he met with Theo Epstein this winter to explore a possible return to the Cubs, though not much came from the talks. “From where we were at, it takes a lot more to get a deal done. I think Theo had an idea of what they wanted and what they were looking for this year,” Samardzija said. The new Giants rotation member also discusses his previous stint with the Cubs and how the club’s rebuilding process has seemed to pay off.
The Pirates reinvested in their bullpen this winter, Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes, a strategy that makes an increasing amonut of financial and statistical sense, particularly for mid-market payroll clubs like the Bucs.
Now that Eric O’Flaherty has been traded to Atlanta, it looks like Cory Luebke is going to make the Pirates’ Opening Day roster, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets. The 31-year-old has reportedly clocking in at 94mph with his fastball and 87mph with his curve this spring. Luebke has an opt-out on Tuesday but it sounds like the Bucs won’t give opposing teams a chance to snatch him up.
Cardinals GM John Mozeliak says that the team’s decision on Rule 5 right-hander Matt Bowman “could come down to the final hour,” as Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com writes. The Cardinals selected Bowman off of the Mets’ roster in December, making him their first Rule 5 selection in four years. Roughly two weeks ago, ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin reported that Bowman was “more likely than not” to make the cut in St. Louis.
Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo will be taking a medical leave of absence to recover from offseason knee surgery, the club told reporters today (including Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). Manager Mike Matheny said the Cards are preparing as if Oquendo will miss the entire season, and several members of the St. Louis coaching staff have shuffled positions.
The Reds have some decisions to make before Opening Day, as C. Trent Rosecrans and Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer project the club’s 25-man roster.

AL East Notes: Loney, Yankees, Levine, Smith

By Mark Polishuk | March 27, 2016 at 5:22pm CDT

Here’s the latest from around the AL East…

Hearing his name mentioned in trade speculation is nothing new for James Loney, as the veteran first baseman tells Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune. “I think I’ve dealt with this pretty much every year in my career, at some point, trade rumors. It gets kind of old. I’m not putting too much stock in it, because nothing’s happened yet,” Loney said. It’s no secret that the Rays have been shopping Loney and his $8MM salary for much of the offseason, though no takers have been found.
Loney’s presence is one of the many playing-time complications facing the Rays as they prepare to set their Opening Day roster, as Mooney and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times explore in separate pieces. Dealing Loney wouldn’t just save some payroll, but it would also free up a much-needed roster spot for either one of the Rays’ several available position players or perhaps another reliever. If a trade can’t be found, Topkin speculates that Tampa could hang onto Loney for a few weeks into the season until a fifth starter is needed, or the team could just see Loney’s salary as a sunk cost and release him.
The Yankees optioned Rob Refsnyder to Triple-A camp, with manager Joe Girardi telling reporters (including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch) that the club wants Refsnyder to get more experience playing third base before using him as a utility infielder at the big league level. Ronald Torreyes and Pete Kozma are battling for the backup infield job now, though Giradi didn’t rule out the possibility that the Yankees would look at adding an infielder when other teams make their spring cuts.
While the Yankees will continue to support income redistribution in the next collective bargaining agreement, president Randy Levine tells FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal that the Yankees certainly want to see some changes made to the current system. “What is very burdensome to us — and is unfair — is the amount of money we have to pay in revenue sharing compared, for example, to teams in our market that pay 10 times less than us,” Levine said, referring to the Mets. The revenue-sharing contributions are determined by a formula based around net local revenue. Levine said the Yankees made around $90MM in revenue-sharing payments in 2015. According to Forbes magazine, the Yankees still led all MLB teams in revenue ($516MM) last year, even accounting those revenue-sharing payments.
There has been some speculation that Carson Smith’s potential as an injury risk could’ve been a reason the Mariners dealt the reliever to the Red Sox this winter, Fangraphs’ David Laurila writes. Smith is on the DL with a strain of his flexor mass muscle and it isn’t known when he’ll return, though the injury isn’t thought to be too serious. The red flags for Smith are his unusual delivery and his heavy use of the slider — only four pitchers (minimum 60 innings) threw a higher percentage of sliders than Smith did in 2015. “I’ve heard that my whole life, but throwing from a lower arm slot is something that’s come natural for me,” Smith told Laurila. “I’ve found ways to manage it, whether it’s the weight room, the trainer’s room, or on the field.” MLBTR contributor Bradley Woodrum recently cited Smith as a slightly above-average risk for Tommy John surgery as a part of his larger study to predict which pitchers will require TJ procedure in the future.
In other AL East news from earlier today, David Murphy opted out of his minor league contract with the Red Sox and is already drawing interest from the Orioles and other clubs….the Orioles have discussed releasing Hyun Soo Kim from his two-year contract.

David Murphy Opts Out Of Red Sox Contract

By Mark Polishuk | March 27, 2016 at 3:35pm CDT

Outfielder David Murphy has opted out of his minor league deal with the Red Sox, according to several media members (including Tim Britton of the Providence Journal). The club now has 48 hours to either release the veteran or add him to the 25-man roster.

The move doesn’t come as a surprise, as there has already been speculation about other teams (namely the Orioles) that would be interested in Murphy if he was hit the open market. The 34-year-old hit .283/.318/.421 with 10 homers over 391 PA with the Angels and Indians last season, and he has a career .795 OPS against right-handed pitching, making Murphy a solid candidate for any club looking for left-handed bench depth or a platoon role. Murphy has hinted that he would consider retiring rather than take a minor league job at this stage of his career, though this could be a moot point if there is a solid market for his services.

If Boston puts Murphy on its Opening Day roster, he’ll receive a $2MM base salary for 2016 as per the teams of his minors contract with the team. It’s not out of the question that Murphy remains with the Sox, though the team has a number of outfield options to weigh. Even if Rusney Castillo is sent down to Triple-A, the Red Sox could use Brock Holt or Travis Shaw as the left-handed hitting side of a platoon with Chris Young in left field, rather than retain Murphy.

Minor MLB Transactions: 3/25/16

By Mark Polishuk | March 25, 2016 at 7:12pm CDT

Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball, with the newest moves at the top of the post…

Reds minor leaguer Jose Veras has received a 72-game PED suspension, as Cincinnati assistant director of media relations Jamie Ramsey tweets. Veras, 22, has not yet moved past the Dominican summer league in his professional career. He shouldn’t be confused with the long-time MLB veteran and former closer by the same name — who is still a free agent looking for his next opportunity after failing to crack the majors last year for the first time since he reached the bigs in 2006.
Right-hander Deolis Guerra became a free agent rather than accept an outright assignment from the Angels, though manager Mike Scioscia told reporters (including MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez) that Guerra was staying with the club on a new minor league contract. The Halos selected Guerra off the Pirates roster in the Rule 5 draft last winter, and since Guerra had already been outrighted off Pittsburgh’s roster when he was with the organization, he didn’t have to be returned to the Bucs after his initial removal from Anaheim’s roster. Guerra, who turns 27 next month, made his Major League debut last season, posting a 6.48 ERA over 16 2/3 innings for Pittsburgh. He boasted some impressive peripherals (17 strikeouts against three walks) but also allowed five homers in his short stint in the bigs.
Outfielder Felix Perez has requested a release from his minor league deal with the Orioles, possibly to pursue an opportunity with a Japanese team, Rich Dubroff of CSNmidatlantic reports (Twitter links). Perez hit .281/.329/.404 over 2114 plate appearances in the Reds’ system from 2010-14 and he spent 2015 playing for Monterrey’s Mexican League team.

Offseason In Review: Boston Red Sox

By Mark Polishuk | March 25, 2016 at 5:23pm CDT

This is the latest entry in MLBTR’s Offseason In Review series. The full index of Offseason In Review posts can be found here.

Two major pitching additions have the Red Sox hoping for a return to contention in David Ortiz’s final season.

Major League Signings

David Price, SP: Seven years, $217MM
Chris Young, OF: Two years, $13MM
Sandy Leon, C: One year, $534K ($273K if he remains in the minors)
Total spend: $230.273MM guaranteed

Trades And Claims

Acquired RP Craig Kimbrel from Padres for OF Manuel Margot, SS Javier Guerra, IF Carlos Asuaje, and LHP Logan Allen
Acquired RP Carson Smith and SP/RP Roenis Elias from Mariners for SP Wade Miley and RP Jonathan Aro
Acquired cash considerations from Brewers for 3B/OF Garin Cecchini

Notable Minor League Signings

David Murphy ($2MM if he makes the MLB roster), Sean O’Sullivan, Carlos Marmol, Brennan Boesch ($1MM if he makes the MLB roster), Anthony Varvaro, Dan Butler

Extensions

None

Notable Losses

Rich Hill, Craig Breslow, Alexi Ogando, Ryan Cook, Jean Machi

Needs Addressed

Basically from the moment Jon Lester was traded to Oakland in a 2014 deadline deal, Boston fans and media have been clamoring for the Red Sox to acquire a new ace. That box can be officially checked now that the Sox have landed one of the game’s best pitchers in David Price. There was little doubt headed into the winter that the Sox would pursue a front-of-the-rotation arm, with the real question being whether the team would trade for an ace or sign one. The latter option wasn’t a given considering how the organization had a well-publicized hesitation to signing pitchers to big contracts through their 30s.

Needless to say, that hesitation is no more since the Red Sox signed Price to the largest contract ever given to a pitcher. Price’s track record of durability undoubtedly factored into Boston’s willingness to make a deal, and it’s possible the team could avoid paying Price into his late 30s altogether if he exercises the opt-out clause in his deal after the 2018 season. An opt-out would turn the contract into “only” a three-year/$90MM commitment over Price’s age 30-32 seasons.

Price will headline a rotation that includes Clay Buchholz (whose $13MM club option for 2016 was unsurprisingly exercised by the team), Rick Porcello, Eduardo Rodriguez and Joe Kelly. Rodriguez will likely miss the first few weeks of the season recovering from a dislocated kneecap, so new acquisition Roenis Elias or knuckleballer Steven Wright will compete to be Rodriguez’s fill-in or even push Kelly for the fifth spot.

The Sox had something of a rotation surplus even before Price signed, so the team was comfortable letting late-season surprise Rich Hill leave in free agency. After Price joined the club, Boston made room by dealing Wade Miley to Seattle in exchange for Elias and righty reliever Carson Smith.

While the rotation took the brunt of the criticism last year, Boston’s bullpen was actually the worse (by far) of the two pitching units and perhaps even more in need of an overhaul. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and GM Mike Hazen addressed this need in a major way early in the offseason by acquiring Craig Kimbrel from the Padres for a very significant prospect package.

It’s a sign of just how dominant Kimbrel has been over his career that 2015 was easily his worst overall season, despite posting a 2.58 ERA, 13.2 K/9 and 3.95 K/BB ratio. In adding arguably baseball’s best closer, the Red Sox now have a more stable answer in the ninth inning than Koji Uehara, who suffered a fractured wrist last season and turns 41 in April. This being said, Uehara did nothing performance-wise to merit the demotion, so he projects as a very dangerous setup man.

Kimbrel and Smith (if healthy, as we’ll address later) stand as huge upgrades to a relief corps that includes Uehara, Junichi Tazawa and lefties Robbie Ross and Tommy Layne, with Elias likely to figure in as additional southpaw depth. The wild card is Carlos Marmol, signed to a minor league deal so the Sox can see if they can solve Marmol’s long-standing control issues and revive his career.

Veteran Chris Young was signed to provide some outfield depth in left and center, and Young also provides a lefty-mashing bat that could make him a natural platoon partner with the left-handed hitting Jackie Bradley. Boston also landed more veteran depth in the form of David Murphy, who could be a bargain on a minor league contract provided that he doesn’t opt out at the end of Spring Training.

Questions Remaining

The biggest issue facing the Red Sox as they head into the 2016 season is that they’re still not sure exactly what they have in four projected regulars — Bradley, Rusney Castillo, Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez. It’s still an open question as to whether Bradley or Castillo can consistently hit Major League pitching, though the Sox have enough invested in both players (Bradley as a prospect and Castillo because he’s owed $56.5MM through 2020) that they’ll continue to get chances. Boston has enough confidence in Bradley, in particular, that they held onto him despite quite a bit of trade interest. Young, Murphy and Brock Holt are on hand as platoon partners or even replacements should Bradley and/or Castillo struggle, though if either player can provide even average production at the plate, their outstanding defense will generate a lot of value.

As for Sandoval and Ramirez, the Sox have to hope that the two high-priced veterans rebound after hugely disappointing debut seasons in Boston. It’s no shock that Ramirez was shopped this offseason, and it’s equally unsurprising that the Red Sox were unable to find a trade partner given Ramirez’s tough 2015 campaign. Had Ramirez been dealt, the Sox were rumored to have been interested in signing Chris Davis, who would’ve provided a more solid answer at first base than Boston’s current plan of having Ramirez learn his second new position in as many years. Moving to first should be an easier transition for Ramirez than moving to left field, though beyond just defense, the Sox have to hope his bat awakens after he posted only a .717 OPS in 430 plate appearances.

Sandoval has been hampered by a sore back this spring and is facing a threat to his playing time in Travis Shaw. The sophomore Shaw is enjoying a huge Spring Training and his ability to play both third and first will probably make him Boston’s top option if Sandoval or Ramirez struggle again (or if Sandoval’s back causes him to miss time). Would the Red Sox actually bench either veteran to start Shaw or Holt? Despite what Dombrowski has said about contracts not dictating playing time, you’d have to think the Sox would give Sandoval and Ramirez an extended opportunity to get back on track.

The Sox have quite a bit of homegrown position player depth to fall back on, though some cracks in the armor will quickly become apparent if (as in 2015) multiple regulars are injured or struggling. It puts even more pressure on the members of the Red Sox lineup who did play well last year (i.e. Ortiz, Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Dustin Pedroia) to keep producing and carrying the club.

While the Red Sox had minor league depth to spare, they still gave up quite a bit to land Kimbrel from San Diego. In addition to absorbing the $25MM remaining on Kimbrel’s contract, the Sox also parted ways with two consensus top-60 prospects (Manuel Margot and Javier Guerra) and two more well-regarded youngsters (Carlos Asuaje and Logan Allen). That’s a hefty price tag for any reliever, even an elite closer. This is just my speculation, but I wonder if the Sox would’ve been better served by adding Margot or Guerra to a Hanley Ramirez trade package to try and entice a suitor to take Ramirez off Boston’s hands.

Price on the mound every fifth day is a big help, though given how many question marks remain on the pitching staff, adding another proven hurler would’ve done a lot of solidify the rotation. The Red Sox now have to hope that Porcello and Kelly pitch as they did late in the season as opposed to their rough early outings, Rodriguez continues to develop into a quality starter once he returns from the DL, and Buchholz can stay healthy.

Catcher is also an interesting position for the 2016 Red Sox, as former top prospect Blake Swihart will start after a solid rookie season. Swihart got the call perhaps a bit earlier than expected last season when Christian Vazquez (himself a highly-touted prospect) underwent Tommy John surgery. If Vazquez is able to return in good health and good form, the Sox could use him or veteran Ryan Hanigan as a trade chip at the July trade deadline. Vazquez could also simply be kept at Triple-A to get him fully re-acclimated to regular playing time, and Boston could revisit the catching question next winter when the team holds a $3.75MM option on Hanigan for 2017.

Deal Of Note

Smith will begin his Red Sox career on the disabled list due to a strained flexor mass in his right forearm, and while there isn’t yet a timetable for his return, the Sox don’t believe Smith’s injury is a long-term problem. Since any forearm injury raises the specter of Tommy John surgery, Smith and the Red Sox can perhaps already feel fortunate about what seems to be a lesser injury.

Losing Smith for an extended period of time, of course, would greatly impact Boston’s bullpen and its net return on one of the winter’s more intriguing under-the-radar trades. In his rookie year, Smith quietly delivered one of the best seasons of any reliever in 2015. The 26-year-old posted a 2.31 ERA that was more than backed up by ERA predictors (2.12 FIP, 2.36 xFIP, 2.04 SIERA), as well as a 64.8% ground ball rate, 11.8 K/9 and 4.18 K/BB rate over 70 innings of work.

For comparison’s sake, Smith topped Kimbrel in ERA, FIP, xFIP, SIERA, ground ball rate, homer rate, walk rate, innings and games pitched last season, while Uehara only came ahead of Smith in ERA, homer rate and walk rate. Looking at other notable relievers who switched teams this winter, Smith also bested Ken Giles in most of those statistical categories. While Smith is a year older than Giles and has one fewer season of MLB domination, the Sox gave Seattle much less for Smith than the prospect haul the Astros needed to acquire Giles from the Phillies.

An eighth-round pick for the Mariners in 2011, Smith has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen, racking up big strikeout totals in the minors and showing a career-long propensity for keeping the ball in the ballpark. Smith has allowed just eight homers in 253 1/3 professional innings (including two last season), a talent that will come in handy at Fenway Park.

While Miley’s ability to eat innings is no small feat, he was an expendable piece in Boston and his 2016 role could perhaps more or less be filled by Elias, a lefty swingman who dominates left-handed hitters. Jonathan Aro is a promising young relief arm, though Smith has already delivered in a big way on the Major League stage.

It may well be that Smith regresses a bit after the league gets more looks at him, though if he’s healthy and even close to his 2015 form, the Kimbrel/Uehara/Smith combination could be as dominant a late-inning trio as any in baseball. Kimbrel is under contract through 2017 with a club option for 2018, so it’s possible the Red Sox could even see Smith as an eventual long-term replacement at closer. Smith (and Elias) are controlled through the 2020 season and aren’t even eligible for arbitration until 2018.

Overview

The Price and Kimbrel acquisitions were two of the offseason’s biggest moves, though in terms of sheer volume of transactions, it was a relatively quiet winter by Red Sox (or Dombrowski) standards. The Sox offseason had the feeling of a team adding some finishing touches to a contender rather than looking to overhaul a last-place unit. The Sox clearly seem to think they’re closer in form to the everything’s-clicking team that went 34-26 down the stretch in 2015 rather than the struggling unit that began the year with a 44-58 record. If another piece is needed during the season and the Sox are in contention, Dombrowski is no stranger to making a big deadline trade for additional upgrades.

There’s certainly enough talent on Boston’s roster to make a quick turnaround very feasible…though the same thing could’ve been said last offseason when the Sox were coming off another last place finish. An ace in the rotation and an ace in the bullpen can only do so much if multiple key members of the roster continue to underachieve.

How would you grade the Red Sox offseason? (Mobile app users, click here to access the poll)

How Would You Grade The Red Sox Offseason?

B 53.42% (1,477 votes)

A 30.05% (831 votes)

C 12.55% (347 votes)

F 2.50% (69 votes)

D 1.48% (41 votes)

Total Votes: 2,765

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

AL West Notes: Lee, Peralta, Ruggiano, Rangers

By Mark Polishuk | March 25, 2016 at 3:43pm CDT

Some news from the AL West…

Dae-Ho Lee can opt out of his minor league deal with the Mariners on Sunday and become a free agent if he isn’t on the 40-man roster, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune writes. It seems as if Lee is on track to indeed make the M’s as the right-handed side of a first base platoon with Adam Lind, and Lee will earn a $1MM base salary if he makes the MLB roster (plus another $3MM in possible bonuses). If Lee beats out Jesus Montero for the job, Dutton figures the M’s will try to deal the out-of-options Montero before exposing him to the waiver wire.
Also from Dutton’s piece, the Mariners face the Tuesday deadline for Article XX(B) free agents to let Joel Peralta know if he’s made the roster, though Dutton figures Peralta is a pretty safe bet. Peralta signed a minor league deal with Seattle last month that will pay the 11-year veteran $1.25MM in guaranteed salary if he makes the M’s roster. While Peralta hasn’t had a great spring, his case has been helped by some injuries to other Mariners relievers.
Rangers outfielder Justin Ruggiano could become a trade target for clubs looking for outfield help, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal opines (Twitter link). Ruggiano signed a one-year, $1.65MM Major League deal with Texas in December to provide depth in left given Josh Hamilton’s injured status, though with Ian Diamond now signed as the regular left field, Ruggiano has become a bit of a surplus. Ruggiano turns 34 in April and owns an impressive .272/.336/.520 career slash line after left-handed pitching.
The Rangers could use a modified four-man rotation as a way of sidestepping a roster crunch in April, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News opines. The club’s fifth starter candidates operate as swingmen to cover both those spot starts and the role as eighth man in the bullpen. This could also allow Texas to keep out-of-options Sam Freeman rather than exposing him to waivers.
“A baseball team can’t ever be carried by one individual player. Yet Mike Trout comes the closest,” Fangraphs’ Jeff Sullivan writes in a piece about his site’s outfield projections. Trout’s projected 8.8 fWAR for 2016 almost single-handedly gives the Angels the best projected outfield in baseball (with right fielder Kole Calhoun contributing 2.8 fWAR and the Daniel Nava/Craig Gentry platoon in left at 0.7 fWAR). Sullivan feels Trout alone is keeping the Halos competitive, as without him, “the Angels are a group we’d think ought to be rebuilding….the Angels’ situation is miserable. They’d be a bad team with a bad farm system. That’s the worst situation to be in.”
In other AL West news from earlier today, the Astros released veteran southpaw Neal Cotts…the Angels shut down C.J. Wilson’s throwing program, and thus the lefty will be sidelined until at least May.

C.J. Wilson To Miss At Least First Month Of Regular Season

By Mark Polishuk | March 25, 2016 at 2:41pm CDT

Left-hander C.J. Wilson’s shoulder soreness has led the Angels to shut down his throwing program for at least 8-10 days, manager Mike Scioscia told reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register). There was already speculation that Wilson would miss some significant time to begin the season, and this latest setback means that he won’t be able to return until May at the earliest.

An MRI last month revealed that Wilson was suffering from tendinitis rather than a more serious injury, though that’s probably little comfort to Wilson now as he’s missed all of Spring Training. The southpaw was already recovering from another injury, an August surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow that cut short his 2015 season.

Wilson is owed $20MM in 2016, the last season of the five-year, $77.5MM free agent deal he signed with the Halos following the 2011 campaign. That salary, the elbow surgery, an eight-team no-trade clause and Wilson’s age (35) all limited his trade value this past winter, as the Angels were known to be shopping the veteran in an attempt to get some payroll relief. A few teams showed interest but only as a buy-low candidate. Now that Wilson will miss at least a month, it creates less time for him to re-establish his health and effectiveness before either the July trade deadline or for free agency in the offseason.

Over his four years in Anaheim, Wilson has averaged 181 innings per season with a 3.87 ERA, 7.7 K/9 and 2.03 K/BB rate. His absence further thins out an Angels rotation that also has Jered Weaver battling neck stiffness. The rotation projects as Garrett Richards, Andrew Heaney, Weaver, Hector Santiago and Matt Shoemaker, with Nick Tropeano and (when he returns from Tommy John rehab) Tyler Skaggs also on hand.

Orioles Among Teams Talking To Padres About James Shields

By Mark Polishuk | March 25, 2016 at 2:04pm CDT

2:04pm: The Padres are getting calls from other teams but aren’t in active trade talks about Shields or any other big-name veterans at this time, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

1:45pm: The Orioles are one of “a few teams” who have talked to the Padres about veteran righty James Shields, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter links). The Red Sox have also been in contact with San Diego about starting pitching, so Heyman feels Shields’ name likely came up between the two sides. No trade is thought to be close at the present time, however.

At least $65MM remains owed to Shields on his current contract — $21MM in each of the next three seasons, and a $2MM buyout of a $16MM club option for 2019. According to Heyman, the Padres are willing to cover some of Shields’ contract, though the exact number depends on how much they get back in a trade.

Shields can also opt out of the contract after this season, which adds another wrinkle to trade negotiations as a suitor may not want to give up too much for just one season of Shields’ services. Shields will be 35 on Opening Day 2017 so he may not want to test the open market again if he doesn’t think he can top the $44MM already guaranteed to him, though another solid season could make him a hot commodity in a 2016-17 free agent market that’s very thin on quality pitching.

Shields is coming off something of an unusual season that saw him post a 3.91 ERA with a career-best 9.61 K/9, yet he also had career highs in walk rate (3.6 BB/9) and homer rate (17.6%). That last stat is particularly odd given that he pitched his home games at Petco Park — it could be a total fluke, or perhaps a portent of trouble if Shields ends up moving to a more hitter-friendly ballpark like Camden Yards or Fenway Park. Still, Shields was as durable as ever, topping the 200-inning plateau for the ninth straight season, even if his 202 1/3 IP was his lowest mark of those nine years.

This isn’t the first time that the O’s have been linked to Shields this offseason, and the veteran would add some stability to a questionable Baltimore rotation. Kevin Gausman may hit the DL with shoulder soreness, while Miguel Gonzalez has had a rough spring and could lose his starting spot to Tyler Wilson. Yovani Gallardo, Ubaldo Jimenez and Chris Tillman project as Baltimore’s other starters. The Orioles don’t have a deep minor league system to trade from and they’re notoriously finicky about acquiring pitchers due to injury concerns, though Shields’ track record of durability should at least somewhat mitigate the latter issue.

Beyond David Price, the Sox also have some rotation question marks. Clay Buchholz has a well-documented injury history and Eduardo Rodriguez will spend the first month of the season on the DL (with knuckleballer Steven Wright the favorite to step in). Rick Porcello and Joe Kelly are both looking to rebound after difficult 2015 seasons. Boston has enough farm system depth to offer a blue chip prospect to San Diego in order to get the Friars to cover a larger chunk of Shields’ deal, though the Sox also have the payroll space to absorb more of the contract in exchange for a lesser prospect in a semi-salary dump.

Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner both drew a lot of trade buzz this winter, so it’s fair to assume that the Red Sox at least checked in with the Padres about both younger arms. Ross would be the bigger prize, a top-of-the-rotation type who’s controllable through the 2017 season. Cashner has shown flashes of ace ability in the past, though he will be a free agent after this season.

Phillies Sign Pete Mackanin To New Extension

By Mark Polishuk | March 25, 2016 at 12:32pm CDT

The Phillies have announced that manager Pete Mackanin has been signed to a new contract that will cover the 2016 and 2017 seasons. The deal also includes a club option for 2018.

This fresh contract overwrites the extension Mackanin received just last September when the Phils removed his interim tag and made him their official manager for the 2016 season. That older deal gave Mackanin a guarantee for 2016 and a club option for 2017, whereas this new contract adds an extra year of security for the 64-year-old.

Mackanin stepped in as the Phillies’ interim manager when Ryne Sandberg resigned in June, and the team went 37-51 under his leadership. More importantly than wins and losses for the rebuilding Phillies, Mackanin impressed upper management with his handling of the young talent. In a statement when Mackanin was originally extended in September, Phillies president Andy MacPhail said “Since assuming the interim manager position in June, Pete has developed an excellent rapport with our players and has also connected well with the media and our fans. Equally as important is his eagerness to take on the challenge of rebuilding the team and further developing our players.”

Prior to taking over managerial duties, Mackanin served as the Phillies’ third base coach and bench coach in two stints with the club since 2009. This is Mackanin’s first non-interim managerial job in the bigs after a long career of coaching and managing at both the Major League and minor league levels.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Headlines

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect