Eduardo Rodriguez’s Arbitration Hearing Set For Wednesday
The Red Sox and left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez have an arbitration hearing set for this coming Wednesday, the pitcher himself revealed upon arriving to the team’s spring complex in Ft. Myers, Fla. (link via Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com). He’s filed for an $8.975MM salary, while the team countered at a proposed $8.3MM mark (as can be seen in MLBTR’s 2020 Arbitration Tracker).
Thus far in 2020, teams have toppled players by a 3-0 margin. The Braves bested Shane Greene early last week, and that was followed by arb victories for the Twins (over Jose Berrios) and for the Dodgers (over Joc Pederson). Rodriguez and his reps at Octagon will surely hope to halt that team-side momentum — assuming the two parties get to the hearing room. The Red Sox did negotiate a two-year, $10MM deal with Andrew Benintendi late last week, which will avoid arbitration for him both in 2020 and in 2021. A two-year arrangement with Rodriguez would buy out his final two seasons of club control, so that’d perhaps be a palatable alternative if the two sides can yet agree on a price point.
Like Benintendi, Rodriguez has established himself as a key piece for the Red Sox. The soon-to-be 27-year-old Rodriguez may have even been Boston’s best starter in 2019, when he pitched to a 3.81 ERA/3.86 FIP with 9.43 K/9, 3.32 BB/9 and a 48.5 percent groundball rate across 203 1/3 innings. It was a breakthrough year for Rodriguez, who hadn’t amassed more than 137 1/3 frames in any season since the ex-Orioles farmhand made his MLB debut with the Red Sox in 2015.
Now that fellow southpaw David Price is no longer a member of Boston’s rotation, Rodriguez is all the more important to the team’s starting staff. However, that doesn’t mean he’ll come out on top in his arbitration hearing or earn a multiyear extension.
Rays Finalizing Deal With Aaron Loup
5:07pm: There is a deal in place, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets.
10:15am: The Rays are finishing up a minor league contract with veteran left-handed reliever Aaron Loup, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. If and when the deal is completed, the Beverly Hills Sports Council client would head to Major League camp as a non-roster invitee.
Loup, 32, spent the 2019 season in the Padres organization but has spent the vast majority of his eight-year big league career with the Blue Jays. An elbow strain limited him to just 3 1/3 innings with San Diego last season, but Loup holds a lifetime 3.45 ERA with averages of 8.4 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and 0.69 HR/9 to go along with a 54.3 percent ground-ball rate.
Loup has fared considerably better against left-handed opponents in his career, but unlike many traditional lefty specialists, he hasn’t been completely obliterated by hitters holding the platoon advantage. Lefties have managed only a .234/.303/.321 slash against him through 584 plate appearances in the Majors, while righty hitters have put together a .269/.338/.424 slash. It’s certainly more production than one would hope to allow, but Loup isn’t a liability who can only be trusted in left-on-left spots, either.
Tampa Bay isn’t exactly hurting for left-handed depth at the moment, but Loup further deepens what’s already any areas of strength. Ryan Yarbrough is likely to open the 2020 season in the Rays’ rotation, while Jose Alvarado and Colin Poche could be in the Opening Day ‘pen. Elsewhere on the 40-man roster are Jalen Beeks, Anthony Banda and top prospect Brendan McKay, although that trio could begin the year as starters in the Triple-A and serve as rotation depth. Loup will join a list of non-roster lefties that also includes former big leaguers Sean Gilmartin and Ryan Sherriff.
Mariners Outright Matt Festa
The Mariners announced that right-hander Matt Festa went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Nashville. He’s been invited to Major League Spring Training as a non-roster player.
The 26-year-old Festa made his MLB debut with the Mariners in 2018 and has pitched a total of 30 2/3 innings of relief since that time. To this point in his relatively young career, Festa has managed a 4.70 ERA with a 25-to-14 K/BB ratio and a 36.5 percent ground-ball rate in the Majors.
Festa, a seventh-round pick back in 2016, has averaged about 93 mph on his four-seamer — rather pedestrian among relievers in today’s game — but the righty’s success in both Double-A and Triple-A could earn him another look with the Mariners in the future. The Seattle bullpen is short on proven assets and could feature a Rule 5 pick (Yohan Ramirez) as well as several out-of-options hurlers to begin the season (Matt Magill, Sam Tuivailala, Dan Altavilla and offseason pickup Carl Edwards Jr.). That could be a recipe for a fair bit of in-season turnover, so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to Festa back in Seattle at some point this summer, particularly if he’s able to continue his strong upper-minors production.
Padres, Gordon Beckham Agree To Minor League Deal
The Padres and veteran infielder Gordon Beckham are in agreement on a minor league contract, per Chris McCosky of the Detroit News (Twitter link). He’ll be in big league camp with the Friars this spring. Beckham is represented by CAA.
The 33-year-old Beckham spent last season in the Tigers organization, appearing in 83 games and logging 240 trips to the plate — both his highest totals since the 2016 season. The former No. 8 overall pick (White Sox, 2008) managed just a .215/.271/.372 slash, though he chipped in six homers, 13 doubles and a pair of triples. Beckham appeared at all four infield spots with Detroit in 2019.
Although he’s never produced much in the Majors (career .237/.300/.367), Beckham does carry a lifetime .293/.364/.436 slash in Triple-A. He’s a reasonably versatile piece that the Padres can move all around the infield in Triple-A El Paso if he doesn’t make the big league roster out of camp.
Elias: Orioles Still In Talks With Free Agent Pitchers
Pitchers and catcher report to Orioles camp in Sarasota, Fla. tomorrow, but the club might not yet be done with its offseason shopping. General manager Mike Elias said over the weekend at a Birdland Caravan event that he’s still open to adding a pitcher — suggesting that the rotation, in particular, is an area of need (video link via MLB.com):
We may be adding more players, either prior to the beginning of camp or shortly thereafter. There’s going to be a lot of bodies — a lot of competition. Some guys will have the inside edge over others, just because of what they’ve done recently or done in their career, but past a healthy [John] Means and a healthy [Alex] Cobb, nothing’s really set in stone. … We definitely know we have some uncertainty, and we need some depth. … We’re talking Major League contracts and Minor League contracts with pitchers out there on the market right now. Whether a Major League contract comes together, I can’t tell right now, but we’re certainly open to offering those and have offered those.
The bulk of the remaining free agents on the market appear to be likelier candidates for non-guaranteed deals, although a few remaining veterans could sign big league pacts. Righty Taijuan Walker reportedly has a Major League offer in hand from the Mariners, for instance. A similar upside play on Aaron Sanchez or Danny Salazar would be more appealing were either to be promised a 40-man roster spot. Veterans like Jason Vargas and old friend Andrew Cashner both had some success in 2019 before poor finishes to the season. As a former Astros assistant GM, Elias also knows righty Collin McHugh quite well.
It’s always possible that other opportunities will present themselves later in camp as well. Many veteran free agents on minor league deals with other clubs will trigger opt-out provisions after being informed that they won’t make the Opening Day roster in their current organizations. That could give the O’s some new options later in camp. As for signing a current free agent, Elias implied that if it happens, it’ll be sooner rather than later, alluding to the struggles of some veterans who signed after sitting out a notable chunk of camp:
It just seems like recent history, those pitchers that had not had the benefit of a ‘normal’ Spring Training, they get off to a slow start. It just seems to be the case. That doesn’t mean the bell rings on Tuesday, and we’re done, but it’s something that we’ll be increasingly mindful of as the spring gets deeper.
The 2017-18 offseason, in particular, provided several cautionary tales. The Twins’ signing of Lance Lynn (March 12), the Cardinals’ signing of Greg Holland (March 31) and the Orioles’ own signing of Cobb (March 20) all produced results well below those pitchers’ previous standards.
At the moment, the Orioles’ rotation seems likely to consist of Means, Cobb, Asher Wojciechowski and non-roster invitee Wade LeBlanc. The O’s also inked former Twins prospect Kohl Stewart to a big league deal, although he has minor league options remaining and isn’t assured to break camp with the club. Rule 5 pick Brandon Bailey will be in the competition, as will some incumbent arms like David Hess and prospects Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer. LeBlanc, former Giants lefty Ty Blach and former Astros righty Brady Rodgers are among the other non-roster options set to report to camp.
Mariners Have “Standing Offer” To Taijuan Walker
The Mariners have a “standing offer” of a one-year deal to free-agent right-hander Taijuan Walker, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports. Divish adds that the 27-year-old Walker has offers from a “handful” of clubs and is mulling which presents him with the best opportunity.
There’s a clear opening in the Seattle rotation behind Marco Gonzales, Yusei Kikuchi, Justus Sheffield and offseason signee Kendall Graveman, and Walker has plenty of familiarity with the Seattle organization. The Mariners selected him with the No. 43 pick of the 2010 draft, and Walker threw the first 357 innings of his big league career as a member of the Mariners before being sent to Arizona (alongside Ketel Marte) in a trade that sent both Mitch Haniger and Jean Segura to Seattle. Walker started 25 games for the Mariners in 2016 — the team’s first season under manager Scott Servais.
The Twins have also been linked to Walker, although they’ve since added righty Kenta Maeda in a trade with the Dodgers, and it’s not clear if that swap has curbed their interest. Notably, however, Minnesota does have an open spot on its 40-man roster (barring the inclusion of a second 40-man player from the Dodgers in that yet-unofficial trade). Walker also threw in front of nearly two dozen scouts recently; paired with Divish’s note on the righty sifting through a “handful” of offers, it’s clear that the Mariners still have some competition for his services regardless of where things stand with the Twins’ reported interest.
Walker has pitched just 14 innings in the past two seasons due to Tommy John surgery and a strained shoulder capsule, but he did make it back to a big league mound in the final game of the 2019 season, when he touched 94mph with his heater and tallied a strikeout in his lone (scoreless) inning of work. In his last full season, Walker tossed 157 1/3 innings with a 3.49 ERA, 8.4 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 48.9 percent ground-ball rate.
Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto has been open about his expectation of further additions to the team’s rotation mix. Since making those comments, he’s signed Wei-Yin Chen to a minor league deal and claimed left-hander Nick Margevicius off waivers from the Padres. Either could factor into a camp competition for the fifth spot in the rotation (along with Justin Dunn and perhaps Erik Swanson), but Dipoto has yet to acquire someone who’s a clear plug-in option for that fifth rotation spot. Walker would fit that bill as well as (if not better than) any remaining unsigned starting pitcher.
Indians Sign Cameron Rupp To Minor League Deal
The Indians have agreed to a minor league deal with former Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp, per a team announcement. The former Phillies backstop will be in Major League camp when Spring Training opens.
Rupp, 31, hasn’t been in the big leagues since the 2017 season. He’s bounced between the Triple-A affiliates for the Twins, Rangers, Mariners, Tigers and A’s over the past couple of seasons, hitting for some power but struggling to get on base or hit for average. That general description is well in line with the skill set that Rupp displayed with the Phillies from 2013-17, when he appeared in 296 games and hit .234/.298/.407 with 39 homers in 1127 plate appearances.
The Indians don’t have an immediate need for a backup option, as Sandy Leon was brought in to support starter Roberto Perez, who enjoyed a breakout 2019 season at the plate. The Cleveland organization is a bit thin on catching depth in the upper minors, though, so Rupp will give them an experienced option to pair with fellow offseason signee Beau Taylor in Triple-A Columbus if he shows well in Spring Training.
Tyler Glasnow On Track For Spring Training After November Wrist Surgery
Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow underwent right wrist surgery in November but is on track to be ready for the beginning of Spring Training, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Glasnow underwent a median nerve compression but is already throwing without issue (and had a bullpen session today, per Topkin).
It’s good news for the Rays that the 26-year-old appears to be on track for a regular Spring Training, though the fact that he went through the procedure at all is still of note. Glasnow missed more than three months of the 2019 season due to a forearm strain, and a fairly recent surgery on his pitching wrist will give the Rays extra reason to be cautious with the burgeoning star in 2020.
The 2019 season looks very much like the type of breakout many believed possible for Glasnow dating back to his days as a top prospect in the Pirates’ system. While the aforementioned forearm issue shelved him from May 26 through Sept. 8 and limited him to 60 2/3 regular-season innings, Glasnow was nothing short of elite in that time. He pitched to an immaculate 1.78 ERA with similarly excellent marks from fielding-independent pitching metrics (2.26 FIP, 2.94 xFIP, 3.18 SIERA). The towering right-hander induced grounders at better than a 50 percent clip, struck out nearly a third of the hitters he faced and maintained a tidy 6.1 percent walk rate.
A healthy Glasnow should be a major piece in what looks like an outstanding Rays rotation in 2020. He’ll join Charlie Morton, Blake Snell, Ryan Yarbrough and Yonny Chirinos as rotation options for manager Kevin Cash as the Rays take aim at a return trip to the postseason.
Blue Jays To Sign Jake Petricka
The Blue Jays have agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Jake Petricka, per Robert Murray (Twitter links). The Platinum Sports client will be in Major League camp on a non-roster invitation to Spring Training. He’d earn $950K if he cracks the MLB roster, Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi adds. TSN’s Scott Mitchell tweets that he can make another $400K by way of performance bonuses.
Petricka, 31, split the 2019 season between the Brewers and Rangers organizations, allowing three runs in eight innings at the MLB level and tossing another 45 2/3 frames of 3.74 ERA ball in a very hitter-friendly Triple-A environment. He’s a familiar face for Jays fans, having spent the bulk of the 2018 season in Toronto’s bullpen. That year, the former White Sox setup man logged another 45 2/3 innings with a 4.53 ERA, 8.1 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 1.18 HR/9 and a 51.8 percent ground-ball rate.
The veteran Petricka has pitched in parts of seven big league seasons and accumulated more than five years of MLB service time. He’s managed a 3.96 ERA in 231 1/3 total frames and has generally been a ground-ball machine (career 59.4 percent) thanks to a heavy sinker that has averaged 94.8 mph in his career.
Toronto has gone to great lengths to deepen its pitching staff in 2020, but there’s still some competition shaping up for the final few bullpen spots. Waiver claim Anthony Bass and offseason signees Shun Yamaguchi and Rafael Dolis could all be in the mix for high-leverage innings to bridge the gap between a rebuilt rotation and closer Ken Giles, but the other bullpen slots aren’t as clear cut. Whichever of Ryan Borucki or Trent Thornton misses out on the fifth starter’s spot could be in the mix alongside Sam Gaviglio, Thomas Pannone, Jordan Romano and the out-of-options Wilmer Font. At present, Petricka and Ryan Dull are the only veteran relievers who’ll be in camp as non-roster invitees.
AL East Notes: Yankees’ Rotation, Cobb, Blue Jays
James Paxton‘s back surgery leaves a hole in the Yankees‘ rotation, and while the team obviously won’t make any decisions on how to address the vacancy just yet, manager Aaron Boone spoke highly of left-hander Jordan Montgomery when discussing the team’s starting pitching depth (link via George A. King III and Dan Martin of the New York Post). “I think he has proven himself at this level,” Boone said of Montgomery, who posted a 3.88 ERA in 155 1/3 innings back in 2017 before undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018. “For him to get back last year was big, just for his frame of mind. The fact he was able to make it back and get some work done, get into some games, I think was big for him and his mindset moving forward.” All signs point to a spring competition to round out the rotation behind Gerrit Cole, Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka and J.A. Happ. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Yankees bring in a veteran on a minor league deal, although between Montgomery, Luis Cessa and Jonathan Loaisiga, the Yankees do have three options who’ve at least made some big league starts.
More from the AL East…
- Orioles righty Alex Cobb is hoping for a healthier 2020 season and has already been throwing off a mound at Orioles minicamp, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. The 32-year-old Cobb, who signed a surprising four-year, $57MM deal late in the 2017-18 offseason, has been limited to 164 2/3 innings in Baltimore and hasn’t pitched effectively at all when healthy. A back injury cost him nearly all of the 2019 season — Cobb pitched in just three games last year — and he’s still owed $29MM under that four-year pact. A healthy Cobb would be a boon for a perilously thin rotation mix in Baltimore. Beyond him, the Orioles will lean on lefty John Means, journeyman Asher Wojociechowski and perhaps non-roster invitee Wade Leblanc. Baltimore’s only rotation additions this winter have been Leblanc, Rule 5 pick Brandon Bailey and former Twins prospect Kohl Stewart.
- The Blue Jays announced yesterday that director of player development Gil Kim will join the Major League coaching staff for the upcoming season. He’ll retain that title as he continues to work with the Jays’ up-and-coming wave of talent in the Major League clubhouse. “We identified an opportunity on the Major League coaching staff that would maximize Gil’s expertise in player development as an obvious asset,” general manager Ross Atkins explained in a release announcing the unorthodox move. “…As the season progresses, Gil’s role as a coach will continue to develop. His previous work to streamline our player development programs, philosophies and systems gives us tremendous confidence that incorporating his leadership and skillset into our Major League coaching staff will be an exciting addition.”