Headlines

  • Nationals Select Eli Willits With First Pick Of 2025 Amateur Draft
  • 2025 MLB Draft, First Round Results
  • Red Sox Place Hunter Dobbins On 15-Day IL Due To ACL Tear
  • Astros Promote Brice Matthews
  • Red Sox Likely To Activate Alex Bregman Tomorrow
  • Phillies Reportedly Targeting Controllable Relievers
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025 Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Blue Jays, A.J. Cole Agree To Minor League Deal

By Steve Adams | November 25, 2019 at 1:24pm CDT

The Blue Jays have agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander A.J. Cole, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports (via Twitter).

Cole, 27, spent the 2019 campaign with the Indians, for whom he tallied 26 innings of 3.81 ERA ball with 10.4 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 1.38 HR/9 and a 30.8 percent ground-ball rate. Once regarded as one of the game’s top pitching prospects, Cole has yet to establish himself as a consistent MLB contributor but has demonstrated some intriguing traits since moving to the bullpen on a full-time basis in 2018.

Over his past 62 innings between the Indians and Yankees, Cole has worked to a 4.21 ERA with 11.3 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9. He’s still been far too homer-prone (1.89 per nine) and may always struggle a bit in that regard thanks to his extreme fly-ball tendencies (32.2 percent grounder rate), but Cole could also stand to benefit a bit if next year’s ball is a bit less charged. The 6’5″, 238-pound righty averaged 94.2 mph on his heater between his time with New York and Cleveland, and both his swinging-strike rate (15.1 percent) and opponents’ chase rate on pitches out of the strike zone (33.2 percent) were sources of intrigue as well. Beyond all that, Cole’s spin rate on his fastball skyrocketed in 2019 and wound up ranking in the 82nd percentile of MLB hitters, per Statcast.

Cole will have to earn a job in big league camp with the Jays next spring, but the thin nature of the Toronto pitching staff should give him a decent chance at doing so if he performs well in camp. He’s out of minor league options, so once the Jays select him to the MLB roster, he won’t be able to be sent back down without first being passed through waivers. Even if he did clear waivers, as a player who’s previously been outrighted (twice, in fact), Cole would be able to turn down the assignment in favor of free agency.

Share 0 Retweet 7 Send via email0

Toronto Blue Jays Transactions A.J. Cole

15 comments

Drew VerHagen To Sign With Japan’s Nippon Ham Fighters

By Steve Adams | November 25, 2019 at 1:11pm CDT

Tigers right-hander Drew VerHagen will sign a one-year deal with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News reports (Twitter links). Detroit has formally requested release waivers on VerHagen in order to facilitate the move, per a club announcement. The move drops the Tigers’ 40-man roster to a total of 39 players.

“It sounds like they are going to give me a great opportunity to start,” VerHagen tells McCosky (Twitter link). “I just felt like this is something cool and different and it will big financially, as well. I’m excited.”

VerHagen, 29, has spent his entire career in the Tigers’ organization. Originally drafted in the fourth round back in 2012, the 6’6″ righty has made a handful of starts with the Tigers since debuting in 2014 but has worked primarily out of the bullpen. VerHagen’s 5.11 ERA in 199 Major League innings doesn’t exactly stand out, but he’s notched a hearty 53.9 percent ground-ball rate at the game’s top level. Metrics like FIP (4.76), xFIP (4.50) and SIERA (4.29) all feel he’s been a fair sight better than his baseline ERA, which is perhaps unsurprising given that he’s played in front of some lackluster defenses as the Tigers have worked through their current rebuilding phase.

VerHagen’s time at the Triple-A level has gone much better. He’s appeared in parts of six seasons there, compiling a 3.97 earned run average with 7.2 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 321 2/3 innings. He wouldn’t be the first pitcher to reinvent himself in Japan before returning to MLB in his early or mid 30s, so his results in NPB will at least be worth keeping an eye on next season.

 

Share 0 Retweet 15 Send via email0

Detroit Tigers Transactions Drew VerHagen

21 comments

Rich Hill Undergoes Surgery, Won’t Be Ready For Opening Day

By Steve Adams | November 25, 2019 at 12:58pm CDT

Free-agent lefty Rich Hill won’t be ready for the start of the 2020 season after undergoing primary revision surgery, reports WEEI’s Rob Bradford. It’s unlikely that the 39-year-old would be ready to return until June, and he could be delayed into July as well.

A source familiar with the procedure tells MLBTR that the operation is similar to the Tommy John alternative that right-hander Seth Maness underwent a few years go. Primary revision (also sometimes referred to as “primary repair”) is a less-intrusive repair of a tear in a player’s ulnar collateral ligament and comes with a shorter rehab period. However, not all UCL tears make for good candidates to undergo the operation. The procedure is dependent on the general health of the tissue as well as the placement and extent of the tear. Hill, who actually pitched through the injury for some of the 2019 season, was deemed a good candidate for the lesser-known procedure.

Although he’ll turn 40 next March, Hill has voiced a desire to continue pitching as long as he can and has been vocal about his desire to return to the Dodgers. He’s also expressed some interest in pitching with the Red Sox again, as a Boston native whose family still resides in the area. Now, rather than opening the season in a rotation, Hill could instead be a midseason reinforcement. Whether he’ll sign a contract this winter and attempt to rehab with his 2020 team or wait until he’s able to demonstrate his health for clubs next summer isn’t known.

Knee issues and a forearm strain wiped out a fair bit of Hill’s 2019 season, limiting him to 58 2/3 innings in what was the final season of a three-year, $48MM contract with the Dodgers. But Hill was excellent when healthy enough to take the ball, pitching to a 2.45 ERA with a 72-to-18 K/BB ratio and a 49.6 percent ground-ball rate in that time. Hill missed time in each of the three seasons of that contract with L.A. but did log a 3.30 earned run average with nearly 11.0 K/9 in a total of 327 regular-season innings (plus another 37 innings of 2.43 ERA ball).

Since resurrecting his career with the Red Sox late in the 2015 season, Hill has pitched 466 1/3 innings with a 2.91 ERA, 10.7 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and 1.0 HR/9.

Share 0 Retweet 13 Send via email0

Newsstand Rich Hill

43 comments

Tigers Acquire Dario Agrazal

By Steve Adams | November 25, 2019 at 12:21pm CDT

The Tigers have acquired right-hander Dario Agrazal from the Pirates in exchange for cash, the team announced. (Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reported the move, via Twitter, minutes before it was formally announced.) Agrazal was designated for assignment last week when Pittsburgh set its 40-man roster in advance of next month’s Rule 5 Draft. Detroit’s 40-man roster is now full.

Agrazal, 24, logged 73 1/3 innings with the Pirates in 2019 but struggled to a 4.91 ERA with 5.0 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 1.84 HR/9 and a 39.9 percent grounder rate. He’s typically demonstrated strong control and posted better ground-ball rates in the minors. Agrazal also has a minor league option remaining, so the Tigers will be able to shuttle him between Toledo and Detroit as rotation depth next season — so long as he survives the winter on the team’s 40-man roster.

The Tigers’ rotation is perilously thin at the moment, with Matthew Boyd, Jordan Zimmermann, Spencer Turnbull and Daniel Norris representing the likeliest options. Righty Michael Fulmer will be returning from Tommy John surgery as well, but he didn’t go under the knife until the end of March in 2019, meaning there’s no guarantee he’ll be back for Opening Day.

That said, the Tigers have a number of high-end pitching prospects looming on the horizon, led by 2018 No. 1 overall draft pick Casey Mize. Detroit also has Matt Manning, Alex Faedo, Beau Burrows, Tarik Skubal and Franklin Perez working through the upper minors, and it’d be both surprising and disappointing if that collection of arms didn’t produce a couple of MLB-caliber rotation pieces. The acquisition of Agrazal lessens any need to rush that group to the big leagues, though, and provides some additional depth in the event of injuries to the starters on which the Tigers currently expect to rely.

Further additions remain possible, of course; the Tigers added Tyson Ross and Matt Moore on perfectly reasonable, low-risk one-year pacts last offseason. Although neither move panned out, the logic behind each was apparent, and a similar pickup or two this winter wouldn’t be particularly surprising.

Share 0 Retweet 6 Send via email0

Detroit Tigers Pittsburgh Pirates Transactions Dario Agrazal

44 comments

Twins Name Edgar Varela Hitting Coach

By Steve Adams | November 25, 2019 at 11:26am CDT

11:26am: The Twins announced the promotion and also revealed that they’ve hired Michael Salazar away from the Padres to serve as their new head athletic trainer. He was previously San Diego’s assistant athletic trainer. Salazar is surely familiar with Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey, having spent the 2000-18 seasons working on various training staffs with the Indians organization, where Falvey was previously an assistant GM.

9:30am: The Twins will promote minor league field coordinator Edgar Varela to hitting coach for the 2020 season, La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. Varela will replace the well-regarded James Rowson, who was hired away by the Marlins as the new bench coach and “offensive coordinator” in Miami.

Varela, 39, spent a decade coaching and managing in the Pirates’ system before joining the Twins in 2018. He’ll team with assistant hitting coach Rudy Hernandez in an effort to continue the progress made in what was a breakout campaign for many of the Twins’ young hitters. Minnesota ranked first in the Majors in home runs (307), second in total runs scored (939) and tied the Nationals for the fourth-lowest strikeout rate of any team in the game (20.9 percent).

Minnesota is still waiting to find out whether bench coach Derek Shelton will return for the 2020 season or whether he’ll land a promotion with the Pirates. Shelton is reported to be a finalist in Pittsburgh’s managerial search, and if he’s ultimately offered that job, the Twins will have yet another key role to fill on 2019 AL Manager of the Year Rocco Baldelli’s staff.

Share 0 Retweet 6 Send via email0

Minnesota Twins

8 comments

Mariners Exploring Omar Narvaez Trade Scenarios

By Steve Adams | November 25, 2019 at 6:32am CDT

The Mariners have been exploring several trade possibilities involving catcher Omar Narvaez, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports (via Twitter). The Seattle club has “shown a desire” to trade the 27-year-old (28 in February) and could complete a deal “soon,” per Passan.

At this point, there’s little doubt that Narvaez is a quality offensive player. The Venezuelan-born backstop has been an OBP machine since debuting in the Majors back in 2016, and his power has increased both in 2018 and in 2019. He’s a career .276/.361/.411 hitter in 1216 plate appearances at the MLB level, including a stout .278/.353/.480 batting line with a career-high 22 home runs in 482 plate appearances this past season. He’s walked in 11.3 percent of his MLB plate appearances against a 17.8 percent strikeout rate — both of which are better than the league average in today’s game of three true outcomes.

It’s easy to attribute the power spike to the juiced ball in 2019, but Narvaez’s new career-high in home runs is also reflective of the fact that he shattered his previous career-high in plate appearances by a measure of 160. In fact, his .182 isolated power mark (slugging minus batting average) was only 28 points higher than 2018’s .154.

What’s also clear about Narvaez, however, is that he’s struggled defensively in every season of his big league career. His 21 percent caught-stealing rate at the MLB level is well south of the 28 percent league average in that time, and Baseball Prospectus has ranked him near the bottom of the league for his abilities (or lack thereof) to block pitches. Narvaez did markedly improve in terms of limiting passed balls in 2019 (three in 815 2/3 innings after allowing 12 in 653 1/3 innings in 2018), but that was the one silver lining in his glovework.

Framing, in particular, has been a struggle for Narvaez, who ranks poorly in that regard by virtually any estimation. Baseball Prospectus, FanGraphs and Statcast all peg Narvaez near the bottom of the league in terms of framing value. Narvaez has caught 2386 1/3 innings in his career and registered -41 Defensive Runs Saved. Baseball Prospectus ranked him alongside Josh Phegley, Welington Castillo, Pedro Severino, Chance Sisco and James McCann as one of MLB’s worst defenders at the position in 2019.

Narvaez is under club control for another three seasons and will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects a $2.9MM salary for Narvaez in his first trip through that process, and he’ll be eligible twice more before reaching free agency in the 2022-23 offseason.

Though his glove is hardly appealing, it’s hard to understate just how much better than the league-average catcher Narvaez been at the plate in his big league career. Since he debuted, the league-average offensive output from catchers has checked in at .240/.310/.396. Narvaez’s .276/.361/.411 line is markedly better across the board. And while the average catcher’s production has actually declined across the past two seasons, Narvaez has improved, posting a .277/.358/.448 that trounces the average catcher.

A club that either believes itself to be capable of improving Narvaez’s glove or is simply willing to trade some defense for uncannily solid offense from the catcher position could certainly look into acquiring Narvaez — particularly if it’s an AL club that can occasionally stash him at DH. Among the teams with yet-unaddressed needs behind the plate this winter are the Astros, Angels, Rangers, Rockies, Pirates and Brewers. Several other clubs could stand to add a second catcher, with the A’s in particular having been linked to lefty-hitting catchers. Given the awful level of production from most catchers — particularly backup options — Narvaez could be argued as a logical fit for most clubs throughout the league, although his defensive red flags make it every bit as easy to craft a counterargument against acquiring him.

Moving Narvaez now could be sensible for the Mariners, given the substantial demand for catchers with both Yasmani Grandal and Travis d’Arnaud now off the market. Jason Castro and Robinson Chirinos are the top two catchers remaining in free agency, and while other catchers could surely be on the move via the trade circuit, there’s no clearly available star-caliber option as there was last winter with J.T. Realmuto. The Cubs’ Willson Contreras has seen his name pop up in rumors already, but Chicago needn’t feel pressure to trade him. And, with Seattle possessing a solid in-house option (Tom Murphy) as well as an intriguing prospect on the horizon (Cal Raleigh), it doesn’t appear that Narvaez will be a vital piece of the core once the rebuild ends — perhaps as soon as 2021.

Share 0 Retweet 15 Send via email0

Seattle Mariners Omar Narvaez

150 comments

Offseason Outlook: Philadelphia Phillies

By Steve Adams | November 22, 2019 at 2:48pm CDT

MLBTR is publishing Offseason Outlooks for all 30 teams.  Click here to read the other entries in this series.

The Phillies have a pivotal offseason ahead of them, as the club is still seeking its first playoff berth since 2011 despite a concerted effort to emerge from a multi-year rebuilding process. With manager Gabe Kapler dismissed in favor of veteran Joe Girardi, the pressure on the front office is mounting to put together a winning unit.

Guaranteed Contracts

  • Bryce Harper, OF: $300MM through 2031
  • Jean Segura, SS: $43.75MM through 2022 (including $1MM buyout of 2023 option)
  • Andrew McCutchen, OF: $40MM through 2021 (including $3MM buyout of 2022 option)
  • Aaron Nola, RHP: $39MM through 2022 (including $4.25MM buyout of 2023 option)
  • Scott Kingery, INF/OF: $20.5MM through 2023 (including $1MM buyout for 2024)
  • Jake Arrieta, RHP: $20MM through 2020
  • Odubel Herrera, OF: $19.5MM through 2021 (including $2.5MM buyout of 2022 option)
  • David Robertson, RP: $13MM through 2020 (including $2MM buyout for 2021)
  • Jay Bruce, OF: $13MM through 2020 (Mariners are paying $11.625MM)

Arbitration-Eligible Players (projections via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)

  • Cesar Hernandez – $11.8MM
  • J.T. Realmuto – $10.3MM
  • Jose Alvarez – $3.0MM
  • Maikel Franco – $6.7MM
  • Vince Velasquez – $3.9MM
  • Hector Neris – $4.7MM
  • Adam Morgan – $1.6MM
  • Zach Eflin – $3.0MM
  • Andrew Knapp – $800K
  • Non-tender candidates: Hernandez, Franco

Option Decisions

  • Jason Vargas, LHP: Phillies declined $8MM option in favor of $2MM buyout
  • Pat Neshek, RP: Phillies declined $7MM option in favor of $750K buyout
  • Jared Hughes, RP: Phillies declined $3MM option in favor of $250K buyout

Free Agents

  • Tommy Hunter, Juan Nicasio, Corey Dickerson, Drew Smyly, Logan Morrison, Dan Straily, Rob Brantly, Fernando Salas, Brad Miller, Sean Rodriguez, Nick Vincent, Jason Vargas, Pat Neshek, Jared Hughes

Over the past two winters, the Phils have added the likes of Bryce Harper, Andrew McCutchen, Jake Arrieta and David Robertson via free-agent deals while swinging high-profile trades to acquire J.T. Realmuto and Jean Segura (among others). The directive from ownership and the front office alike has been clear: bring playoff baseball back to Philadelphia. Hard as it may be to believe, the Phillies haven’t played a postseason game since 2011, when their roster featured the dominant trio of Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and the late Roy Halladay. (Roy Oswalt wasn’t exactly a shabby fourth starter, either.)

Aggressive as they’ve been, however, the Phillies simply haven’t been able to sustain a season’s worth of winning ways. The 2018 and 2019 Phillies each had clear talent, as both iterations of the team enjoyed a lengthy run in first place in the NL East. However, those two most recent versions of the Phils also faceplanted in stunning fashion late in the season and were left at or just shy of the .500 mark. Now, fourth-year GM Matt Klentak is feeling more pressure to construct a winner than ever before.

The clearest area for improvement is on the pitching staff, where Philadelphia hurlers were a nearly across-the-board disappointment — so much so that pitching coach Chris Young was jettisoned after just one year on the job. Bryan Price, who like Girardi is a seasoned dugout veteran, will step into Young’s place and work to improve upon a Phillies rotation that posted a lowly 4.64 ERA (4.91 FIP) and a bullpen that wasn’t much better (4.38 ERA, 4.84 FIP).

In the rotation, Aaron Nola is really the Phillies’ only surefire bet to be an above-average starter. The 2019 season certainly wasn’t Nola’s best, but the 26-year-old has cemented himself as a quality workhorse upon whom the club can rely. Jake Arrieta was once described similarly, but he struggled in 2019 while pitching through a bone spur in his elbow and ultimately succumbed to season-ending surgery. At 34 years of age in March, the former Cy Young winner is somewhat of a wild card in the rotation.

The 2019 Phillies opted to forgo veteran rotation additions and instead leaned heavily on Zach Eflin, Nick Pivetta and Vince Velasquez, entrusting the balance of its Opening Day rotation spots to that young trio. Of the three, only Eflin delivered useful results — and even he briefly lost his grip on a rotation spot and found himself sojourned to the bullpen. Through 163 1/3 innings, the 25-year-old notched a 4.13 ERA with 7.1 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and a 44.6 percent ground-ball rate. Eflin’s 1.54 HR/9 mark was higher than one would like (hence his 4.85 FIP), but his bottom-line results were plenty serviceable. The same can’t be said for the 26-year-old Pivetta or the 27-year-old Velasquez. Pivetta logged a brutal 5.74 ERA as a starter, while Velasquez was only a bit better (4.96 ERA in the rotation).

It can be argued that the Phillies should have a greater sense of urgency than any other team in MLB when it comes to adding to the rotation (particularly now that Jake Odorizzi accepted a qualifying offer in Minnesota, giving the rotation-needy Twins a bit more stability). Fortunately, it’s a deep class of starting pitching headlined by a pair of bona fide, franchise-altering aces in the form of Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg. But, while the Phillies have been as aggressive as anyone on the open market in recent seasons, Klentak has suddenly offered a more measured approach with regard to free agency.

“One of the things we’ve got to try to do, if we can, is to not forfeit draft picks, and that’s hard when you’re fishing in the deep end of the free-agent pond,” Klentak said in a recent appearance on the 94 WIP Midday Show. But we lost our second-round pick last year and our second and third the year before. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but that’s where Scott Kingery comes from. That’s where Spencer Howard comes from. That’s where Connor Seabold comes from. … We’ve got to try to hang onto that as much as we can.”

Perhaps Klentak was merely doing everything in his power to avoid doubling down on owner John Middleton’s “stupid money” decree a year ago this time, but those comments don’t sound like a portent for a run at Cole or Strasburg. Middleton could, of course, take matters into his own hands, but Klentak’s recent sentiment is surely of note.

If the organizational preference is indeed to add rotation help — and Klentak did plainly state a need to address the starting staff in that same interview — then the top names on the Phillies’ radar would likely be Hyun-Jin Ryu and old friend Cole Hamels, who has already expressed interest in a return to the Phils. Other notable names lacking a qualifying offer include Dallas Keuchel, Michael Pineda, Rick Porcello, Tanner Roark, Julio Teheran and Kyle Gibson. While no one from that bunch is of the same caliber as the Cole or Strasburg — Ryu may not be far off, but his durability is a perennial question mark — the Phils do have options to round out the rotation if they prefer to hang onto their draft choices.

As always, the trade market will present innumerable alternatives. Corey Kluber, Matthew Boyd, Chris Archer, Jon Gray, Robbie Ray, Marco Gonzales and (depending on the direction the Red Sox go) Eduardo Rodriguez are all, at the very least, plausible winter trade candidates. Other, less-expected names will surely surface as well.

There’s also reason to believe the Phillies will work to improve their relief corps. The club’s relief unit — like those of the rest of the NL East teams — was not a strength in 2019. Closer Hector Neris is a solid performer at the back of the unit. Pitchers such as Jose Alvarez, Seranthony Dominguez, and Ranger Suarez showed some promise. Victor Arano could be a big asset if he can return to health. But there’s obviously room for improvement. Klentak could consider any and all remaining open-market options, though he’d need to hit the trade market if he prefers to pursue a tried-and-true closer type.

Looking at the team’s lineup, there are nearly as many questions as answers. J.T. Realmuto will once again be the team’s primary catcher in 2020 — and perhaps for years to come if the two sides can come to terms on an extension, which is another key winter priority for Klentak and his staff. Bryce Harper is now entrenched in right field, and a healthy Andrew McCutchen will return from an ACL tear to man the other outfield corner. On the infield, first baseman Rhys Hoskins will look to rebound from a terrible second half, and Jean Segura is signed through 2022. Scott Kingery will be in the mix somewhere, but his ability to play third base, second base, shortstop and the outfield gives the Phils quite a bit of flexibility.

They’ll need it, particularly with the possibility of non-tendering Maikel Franco and Cesar Hernandez. The latter of the two has generally been a solid second baseman but could see his arbitration price climb north of $11MM in 2020, which is an untenable financial arrangement, especially with a free agent market loaded with veteran alternatives. The former, meanwhile, has struggled immensely and never fully delivered on his once ballyhooed prospect status. And then there’s center fielder Odubel Herrera, who was suspended 85 games under MLB’s domestic violence policy and isn’t guaranteed a place in the organization moving forward. (And even before that ban, Herrera wasn’t producing at the plate.)

The Phillies, then, could explore the market for third basemen, second basemen and/or center fielders depending on how they want to play their cards. The infield offers ample possibilities, with Anthony Rendon, Josh Donaldson and Mike Moustakas all available in free agency and a host of serviceable (but unspectacular) second basemen on the market as well. Rendon and Donaldson have qualifying offers attached to them, so if the Phillies are indeed avoiding such free agents, they’d likely look to Moustakas as the headlining free-agent option. A pursuit of Didi Gregorius may not be an immediately obvious fit, but Segura could move to either second or third base to facilitate that type of deal. (And on cue, there’s now reporting to suggest this could indeed be a consideration.)

The center field market is rather thin, with only Brett Gardner and Shogo Akiyama representing viable regulars in free agency. But the trade market offers a natural fit in Pirates center fielder Starling Marte. The Phillies could also line up with the Red Sox on a Jackie Bradley Jr. deal.

The Phillies, though, have the financial means and the urgency needed to go searching for a bigger fish. If the Red Sox truly are going to explore moving Mookie Betts, he’d look mighty fine roaming center field in Philly for the 2020 season (if not beyond). There’s been plenty of speculation about the possibility of the Cubs moving Kris Bryant this winter, and the Phils have a need at the hot corner. Francisco Lindor’s name is out there, too; clearing the way for him at short would easily be worth the trouble. The Phillies don’t have the deepest of farm systems, but there’s every reason for Klentak to push the envelope and try to bring a winner to Citizens Bank Park.

Some may question whether the Phillies can plausibly afford to spend much after last year’s free-agent bonanza, but on an annual basis, Harper’s record deal isn’t really that cumbersome. The Phillies have about $167MM on the 2020 books — if you include all of the projected arbitration salaries. Jettisoning Hernandez and Franco, for instance, would trim $18.5MM from that sum.

In terms of luxury tax considerations, the club is at a manageable $186MM (including Hernandez and Franco). At this point, it’s hard to justify drawing a hard line at that $208MM barrier. The Phillies were extremely aggressive last winter, are trying to extend Realmuto and have no designs on going back into rebuild mode at any point in the near future. Treating the luxury threshold as a salary cap would be a suddenly weak-hearted change of course to what has been an aggressive pursuit — particularly given the fact that as a first-time offender, the only real penalty they’d face would be a 20 percent overage fee on their first $20MM. That’s a $4MM slap on the wrist even if they cross the plane by as much as $20MM. And with Arrieta, Robertson and several arbitration players off the books next winter, dipping back beneath the line shouldn’t be that difficult.

The Phillies may have a tough road to contention given the strength of their division rivals, particularly those in Atlanta and D.C., but their direction remains obvious. We’re talking about a big-market, high-payroll club that hasn’t been to the playoffs in nearly a decade, has a GM entering his fifth season, and is only nine months removed from signing a player to the largest free-agent contract the sport has ever seen. The Phillies should and will aggressively add to the roster this winter.

Share 0 Retweet 8 Send via email0

2019-20 Offseason Outlook MLBTR Originals Philadelphia Phillies

53 comments

D-backs Reportedly Open To Trading Robbie Ray

By Steve Adams and Jeff Todd | November 22, 2019 at 12:53pm CDT

With one year to go before reaching free agency, left-hander Robbie Ray stands out as a fairly obvious trade candidate, and Jayson Stark of The Athletic tweets that other clubs feel that the Diamondbacks are indeed more open to trading Ray than they have been in the past. They report indicates the club would prefer controllable pitching in a theoretical return for Ray (though surely there’s no shortage of bats that’d intrigue GM Mike Hazen and his staff).

There’s plenty to like about Ray but also some cause for concern. On the one hand, he only just turned 28 years old and has clearly established himself as one of MLB’s premier strikeout artists. Ray’s 30.8 percent strikeout rate since the start of 2016 ranks fourth among all starters, trailing only Max Scherzer, Chris Sale and Justin Verlander. Over that same span, the 70.8 percent opponents’ contact rate against Ray is the fourth-lowest in the Majors, with only Scherzer, Blake Snell and Luis Castillo ahead of him. He showed his upside with a dominant 2017 season that saw him make the National League All-Star team and finish seventh in Cy Young voting after notching a 2.89 ERA with a league-leading 12.1 K/9 mark.

On the other hand, Ray’s 2019 season wasn’t exactly a high point. He tied a career high with 174 1/3 innings but also pitched to a 4.34 ERA with a 4.29 FIP and 4.02 SIERA. Control has always been an issue for Ray, and it’s only worsened over the past two seasons, during which time he’s walked 12.1 percent of the batters he’s faced. Ray’s fastball averaged 95.3 mph in 2016 and 94.2 mph from 2017-18, but his mean heater was down to 92.7 mph in 2019. He’s missed time in each of the past three seasons, although none of his injuries have been arm-related. He was sidelined by a concussion in 2017, missed six weeks due to an oblique strain in 2018 and had a brief 10-day IL stint in 2019 due to back spasms.

Ray’s strikeout abilities are the sort of thing upon which clubs dream, however, and the general lack of clearly available, high-end arms on the trade market should lead to a healthy amount of interest in the lefty in the coming weeks (or months). MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected a $10.8MM salary for Ray in his final trip through the arbitration process.

With a strong 2020 season, it’s easy to see Ray being the type of pitcher who’d command a qualifying offer next winter — particularly since he’ll pitch all of the 2021 season (his first would-be free-agent year) at 29 years of age. He might alternatively be viewed as a possible extension target. That could increase the willingness of some organizations to give up a prized pitching prospect for a rental hurler, though Hazen will need to work the lines hard to get a premium farmhand.

It is fair to question the reasoning behind a Ray trade from the Arizona perspective. The organization has had plenty of success under Hazen at enhancing the long-term outlook while remaining competitive. But pulling off a repeat of the successful Paul Goldschmidt swap is easier said than done. And while the Snakes have a variety of youthful rotation options to fill in if Ray departs, losing him would significantly downgrade the club’s prospects for success in 2020. If the organization feels it can at least feature as a primary Wild Card contender, if not even challenge the Dodgers in the NL West, perhaps it’s best served hanging onto Ray and hoping he’ll throw well enough both to spur a winning campaign and to warrant a qualifying offer at season’s end.

Share 0 Retweet 12 Send via email0

Arizona Diamondbacks Robbie Ray

71 comments

White Sox Extend Jose Abreu

By Steve Adams | November 22, 2019 at 10:34am CDT

The White Sox announced that they’ve agreed to a three-year, $50MM contract with first baseman Jose Abreu. The 32-year-old slugger had previously accepted a one-year, $17.8MM qualifying offer, effectively making this a two-year, $32.2MM extension.

Jose Abreu | Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Under the new contract, Abreu will receive a $5MM signing bonus and an $11MM salary in 2020 before being paid $16MM in 2021 and $18MM in 2022. Four million dollars of that 2022 salary will be deferred, according to the team. Abreu is represented by ISE Baseball.

In signing Abreu to this type of extension, the White Sox are effectively betting (in a fairly substantial manner) on a rebound in his age-33 season next year. That’s not to say that Abreu had a poor 2019 campaign; he batted .284/.330/.503 with 33 home runs and was a decidedly above-average hitter overall. But unlike his 2014-17 production, Abreu’s output in 2018-19 has been more good than it has been great. Park- and league-adjusted measures such as OPS+ (119) and wRC+ (117) agree that he’s been nearly 20 percent better than a league-average hitter in that span, but that’s a far cry from the premium levels at which Abreu produced from 2014-17 — particularly in his brilliant 2014 rookie campaign, when he was arguably the best hitter in baseball.

The open market simply hasn’t rewarded players of this age and skill set in recent years, and it’s unlikely that Abreu would’ve had this type of earning power next winter without returning to his previous levels of excellence with the bat. Given the fact that Abreu has never been rated as a strong defensive first baseman and isn’t likely to make considerable improvements as he progresses deeper into his mid-30s, an uptick at the plate is all the more important.

All of that said, it’s also undeniable that Abreu has emerged as the heart of the White Sox in recent years. The front office, ownership and teammates alike have lauded Abreu for his leadership and the manner in which he mentors young players as they arrive on the scene. He’s also a fixture in the community on the south side of Chicago and is generally beloved by Sox fans. All of that surely factors in when pricing out a deal and is particularly likely to resonate with owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who has been vocal about his desire to keep Abreu in a Sox uniform (as has GM Rick Hahn).

From a financial standpoint, the new structure of the deal does give the Sox a bit of extra breathing room when constructing the 2020 roster. Assuming that signing bonus still counts against the 2020 ledger, they’re now at about $93.7MM in projected salary when factoring in projected arbitration payouts. Parting with either Yolmer Sanchez or James McCann, who was displaced as the team’s starting catcher by yesterday’s Yasmani Grandal signing, would create further flexibility. Sanchez is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $6.2MM in 2020, while McCann’s projection checks in at $4.9MM.

The extent to which Reinsdorf is willing to spend on the 2020 roster isn’t definitively known by anyone outside of the White Sox’ top decision-makers, but they’re currently about $30MM shy of their record Opening Day payroll mark ($128MM in 2011) — a number that could jump to $40MM depending on the fate of Sanchez and McCann. The Sox now have about $46MM in guaranteed money on the books for the 2021 season and about $53MM on the books in 2020

That leaves them plenty of latitude for an additional long-term signing — particularly since key young players like Tim Anderson and Eloy Jimenez are already locked into long-term deals that provide cost certainty. They’ll still need to budget for pricey arbitration salaries for both Yoan Moncada and Lucas Giolito beginning in 2021, however, meaning multiple long-term additions will begin to clog up the books in a hurry. But if ownership is willing to push payroll beyond its previously established heights moving forward, it’s certainly plausible that the Sox could have more than one addition up their sleeve between now and Opening Day. The club is hopeful of adding both a right fielder and a starting pitcher to the mix, so further additions do indeed seem likely, although either could come on a shorter-term arrangement.

Share 0 Retweet 18 Send via email0

Chicago White Sox Newsstand Transactions Jose Abreu

198 comments

KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes Re-Sign Eric Jokisch

By Steve Adams | November 22, 2019 at 7:03am CDT

Former Cubs lefty Eric Jokisch has re-signed with the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization, per an announcement from the Heroes (link via Jee-ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency). He can earn up to $700K on the one-year deal.

Now 30 years of age, Jokisch only appeared in one MLB season — when he posted a 1.88 ERA in 14 1/3 innings with Chicago back in 2014 — but had a track record of solid performances in the upper minors before heading to South Korea last offseason. Jokisch’s first year with the Heroes was a strong one, as he pitched 181 1/3 innings of 3.13 ERA ball with 7.0 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9.

Since Jokisch is only re-upping on a one-year deal, he’ll be a name worth keeping an eye on over the course of the 2020 campaign. It’s become increasingly common for fringe big leaguers who find success in the KBO or in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball to use those leagues as a launching pad for a second chance in MLB. Eric Thames, Miles Mikolas, Chris Martin and Merrill Kelly have all done so in recent years, and righty Josh Lindblom is looking to add his own name to that list this winter.

Share 0 Retweet 6 Send via email0

Korea Baseball Organization Transactions Eric Jokisch

17 comments
« Previous Page
Load More Posts
    Top Stories

    Nationals Select Eli Willits With First Pick Of 2025 Amateur Draft

    2025 MLB Draft, First Round Results

    Red Sox Place Hunter Dobbins On 15-Day IL Due To ACL Tear

    Astros Promote Brice Matthews

    Red Sox Likely To Activate Alex Bregman Tomorrow

    Phillies Reportedly Targeting Controllable Relievers

    Yankees Prioritizing Pitching, Also Searching For Infield Help

    Orioles Trade Bryan Baker To Rays

    Yankees Release DJ LeMahieu

    Trevor Williams To Undergo UCL Surgery

    Nationals Fire PBO Mike Rizzo, Manager Dave Martinez

    Brewers Activate Brandon Woodruff

    Clarke Schmidt Expected To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Bobby Jenks Passes Away

    Braves Release Alex Verdugo

    Top 40 Trade Candidates For The 2025 Deadline

    Rays Reinstate Ha-Seong Kim

    Yankees Have Shown Interest In Ryan McMahon

    Royals Interested In Bryan Reynolds

    Rangers Option Josh Jung

    Recent

    Royals Place Michael Lorenzen On Injured List

    Yankees Claim Rico Garcia

    Blue Jays, Joe Mantiply Agree To Minor League Deal

    Submit Your Questions For This Week’s Episode Of The MLBTR Podcast

    D-backs Have Listened To Offers On Outfield Depth

    Vinny Nittoli To Opt Out Of Brewers Deal

    The Opener: Home Run Derby, Draft Day 2, Rodriguez

    Nationals Select Eli Willits With First Pick Of 2025 Amateur Draft

    2025 MLB Draft, First Round Results

    Padres Interested In Korey Lee

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Sandy Alcantara Rumors
    • Luis Robert Rumors
    • Alex Bregman Rumors

     

    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version