Tim Dierkes | MLB Trade Rumors

Download The Trade Rumors App Today

By Tim Dierkes | January 7, 2016 at 12:10am CDT

If you enjoy this website on your smartphone or tablet, you’ve got to download our free Trade Rumors app!

Trade Rumors, available for iOS and Android, is the best way to consume our content on a mobile device. Here’s what it delivers, all for free:

All the articles from MLB Trade Rumors, Hoops Rumors, and Pro Football Rumors, in an easy-to-navigate, eye-catching format. Swipe through stories to quickly consume all the news and rumors from our three sites. Not into all three sports? No problem – any sport can be easily removed.
Customize what you see. You can create feeds for any team or player across any of our sites.
Notifications! For any team or player, you can set up push notifications to ensure you always get breaking news instantly. Notifications can also be set up at the sport level.
Commenting! You can now read and contribute comments on the app seamlessly.
Customer service! If you find a bug, we’ll fix it. If you have a feature request, we’ll consider it. The app is continually evolving and improving.
Did I mention Trade Rumors is a FREE app? What do you have to lose? Download now!
Side note: are you still using the old “Baseball Trade Rumors” app, which cost $2.99, came out in 2010, and was text-only? If so, I applaud your stubbornness and hope you got your $2.99 worth, but the new app works much better and includes all the features the old one had!

Sign Up For MLBTR’s Free Weekly Newsletter

By Tim Dierkes | January 6, 2016 at 11:30am CDT

Today’s the day to join the thousands of people reading the free MLBTR newsletter every week! We’ll deliver an exclusive article to your inbox – no strings attached! I’ll be weighing in on deals, rumors, and all the hot stove-related topics MLBTR has been known for since I launched the site a decade ago. These articles will be exclusive to MLBTR Newsletter subscribers and will not appear on the website. I may also provide occasional updates on what’s next for MLBTR. It’s completely free. This week’s newsletter focuses on how opt-out clauses will change the game.

I’ll be honored if you give us your email address and join the thousands of MLBTR readers already enjoying the Newsletter. We will never sell your email address or market anything to the mailing list, and you can unsubscribe easily. Those of you viewing this post in our app can use this link.

Projected Arbitration Spending For Each Team

By Tim Dierkes | December 16, 2015 at 2:13pm CDT

Now that the non-tender deadline has passed, we have a clearer picture of which arbitration eligible players will be on each team’s Opening Day roster. Of course, trades and multiyear extensions will change this, but here’s a snapshot of each team’s projected arbitration spending for 2016. (Players such as A.J. Ellis, Justin Smoak, Vance Worley and others that have already avoided arbitration are still included in these totals, but with their actual 2016 salaries in place of MLBTR’s projection.) For more information, check out our arbitration tracker and our individual salary projections by Matt Swartz.

Angels: $17.7MM (Fernando Salas, Hector Santiago, Garrett Richards, Kole Calhoun)
Astros: $22.9MM (Luis Valbuena, Jason Castro, Marwin Gonzalez, Dallas Keuchel, Evan Gattis, Josh Fields)
Athletics: $21.9MM (Sam Fuld, Marc Rzepczynski, Josh Reddick, Danny Valencia, Yonder Alonso, Eric Sogard, Felix Doubront, Fernando Rodriguez, Jarrod Parker)
Blue Jays: $37.8MM (Brett Cecil, Michael Saunders, Jesse Chavez, Justin Smoak, Ben Revere, Josh Donaldson, Drew Hutchison, Aaron Loup, Steve Delabar)
Braves: $1.7MM (Arodys Vizcaino, Chris Withrow)
Brewers: $7.2MM (Jean Segura, Wily Peralta, Will Smith)
Cardinals: $17.1MM (Brandon Moss, Trevor Rosenthal, Matt Adams, Seth Maness)
Cubs: $35.1MM (Clayton Richard, Chris Coghlan, Travis Wood, Pedro Strop, Jake Arrieta, Rex Brothers, Adam Warren, Hector Rondon, Justin Grimm)
Diamondbacks: $22.0MM (Daniel Hudson, Matt Reynolds, Welington Castillo, Patrick Corbin, Randall Delgado, Rubby De La Rosa, A.J. Pollock, Shelby Miller)
Dodgers: $27.7MM (A.J. Ellis, Kenley Jansen, Justin Turner, Yasmani Grandal, Luis Avilan, Joe Wieland, Scott Van Slyke, Chris Hatcher)
Giants: $7.2MM (Brandon Belt, George Kontos)
Indians: $15.1MM (Josh Tomlin, Bryan Shaw, Lonnie Chisenhall, Collin Cowgill, Zach McAllister, Cody Allen, Jeff Manship)
Mariners: $7.3MM (Charlie Furbush, Anthony Bass, Leonys Martin, Evan Scribner)
Marlins: $21.5MM (David Phelps, Dee Gordon, Adeiny Hechavarria, A.J. Ramos, Tom Koehler, Bryan Morris, Carter Capps, Jose Fernandez)
Mets: $37.7MM (Neil Walker, Ruben Tejada, Lucas Duda, Addison Reed, Carlos Torres, Jenrry Mejia, Matt Harvey, Jeurys Familia, Josh Edgin)
Nationals: $32.1MM (Drew Storen, Stephen Strasburg, Wilson Ramos, Jose Lobaton, Danny Espinosa, Tyler Moore, Anthony Rendon)
Orioles: $42.9MM (Brian Matusz, Nolan Reimold, Mark Trumbo, Chris Tillman, Miguel Gonzalez, Ryan Flaherty, Zach Britton, Vance Worley, Brad Brach, Manny Machado)
Padres: $22.7MM (Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross, Derek Norris, Drew Pomeranz, Brett Wallace)
Phillies: $13.5MM (Peter Bourjos, Jeremy Hellickson, Andres Blanco, Jeanmar Gomez, Freddy Galvis)
Pirates: $26.2MM (Francisco Cervelli, Mark Melancon, Chris Stewart, Tony Watson, Jared Hughes, Jordy Mercer, Jeff Locke)
Rangers: $15.9MM (Mitch Moreland, Tom Wilhelmsen, Chris Gimenez, Shawn Tolleson, Tanner Scheppers, Robinson Chirinos, Jake Diekman, Jurickson Profar)
Rays: $30.6MM (Logan Morrison, Jake McGee, Logan Forsythe, Desmond Jennings, Rene Rivera, Alex Cobb, Hank Conger, Drew Smyly, Brandon Guyer, Erasmo Ramirez)
Red Sox: $7.6MM (Junichi Tazawa, Joe Kelly, Robbie Ross)
Reds: $16.9MM (Aroldis Chapman, Zack Cozart, J.J. Hoover)
Rockies: $20.4MM (Adam Ottavino, Jordan Lyles, DJ LeMahieu, Charlie Blackmon, Brandon Barnes, Nolan Arenado)
Royals: $22.1MM (Drew Butera, Mike Moustakas, Tony Cruz, Tim Collins, Jarrod Dyson, Danny Duffy, Lorenzo Cain, Louis Coleman)
Tigers: $11.3MM (J.D. Martinez, Andrew Romine, Jose Iglesias, Justin Wilson)
Twins: $23.7MM (Kevin Jepsen, Trevor Plouffe, Eduardo Nunez, Tommy Milone, Casey Fien, Eduardo Escobar)
White Sox: $8.6MM (Brett Lawrie, Nate Jones, Dan Jennings, Avisail Garcia, Zach Putnam)
Yankees: $19.9MM (Ivan Nova, Michael Pineda, Dustin Ackley, Nate Eovaldi, Didi Gregorius)

Overall we’re projecting about $614MM to be spent on 184 arbitration eligible players. The projected average team spend is $20.5MM, and the range varies from the Orioles at $42.9MM to the Braves at $1.7MM.

2016 MLB Arbitration Tracker Now Available

By Tim Dierkes | December 15, 2015 at 3:06pm CDT

20 of the 183 arbitration eligible MLB players have agreed upon contracts for 2016, so there’s plenty of work left to be done. Star players such as Josh Donaldson, Jake Arrieta, Nolan Arenado, Dallas Keuchel, Manny Machado, Matt Harvey, and A.J. Pollock are among those eligible for the arbitration process for 2016. Keep track of all arbitration eligible players with MLBTR’s Arbitration Tracker! The tracker allows you to filter by signing status, team, and service time, and also contains information on Super Two players, filing numbers, and hearings. Bookmark the 2016 Arbitration Tracker today! You can also find the link under the Tools menu up top and under MLBTR Features on the sidebar.

Players will file for salary arbitration on January 12th, figures will be exchanged on January 15th, and hearings will take place during the first three weeks of February. MLBTR’s world-famous arbitration salary projections can be found here.

Sign Up For Our Free Weekly Newsletter

By Tim Dierkes | December 9, 2015 at 8:55am CDT

Thousands of people are reading the free MLBTR Newsletter each week; why not give it a try? We’ll deliver an exclusive article to your inbox – no strings attached! I’ll be weighing in on deals, rumors, and all the hot stove-related topics MLBTR has been known for since I launched the site a decade ago. These articles will be exclusive to MLBTR Newsletter subscribers and will not appear on the website. I may also provide occasional updates on what’s next for MLBTR. It’s completely free. This week’s newsletter focuses on the Cubs’ signing of Ben Zobrist and trade of Starlin Castro here at the Winter Meetings in Nashville.

Download Our Free Trade Rumors App

By Tim Dierkes | December 3, 2015 at 1:56pm CDT

The MLB Winter Meetings take place in Nashville next week, and our free Trade Rumors app for iOS and Android is the perfect way to follow your favorite teams and players and be the first to know about all the rumors and deals. Trade Rumors allows you to set up news feeds and push notifications for all our MLB news, plus any combination of your favorite teams and players. You simply can’t find any other app that matches our standards of quality and timeliness in sports news!

Trade Rumors for iOS, which now allows you to read and leave comments on articles, is averaging five stars across 187 ratings for the current version. A few recent reviews:

This app is always the first one I open in the morning. Absolutely fantastic. – Jzdad

This is my one stop shop for all hot stove news. I like the ability to track all transactions for a specific team. Thanks for a great product. – Docnieto

I can’t say enough how awesome this app is! It is very user friendly and has made following trade rumors so much more addicting! – Jharl001

Love the layout of the app. Very easy to maneuver. – Sabataman

Trade Rumors for Android is garnering a 4.5 rating in the Google Play Store, and the comment feature is currently in beta testing.

Free Hot Stove Newsletter From MLBTR

By Tim Dierkes | December 2, 2015 at 9:40am CDT

Thousands of people are reading the free MLBTR Newsletter each week; why not give it a try? We’ll deliver an exclusive article to your inbox – no strings attached! I’ll be weighing in on deals, rumors, and all the hot stove-related topics MLBTR has been known for since I launched the site a decade ago. These articles will be exclusive to MLBTR Newsletter subscribers and will not appear on the website. I may also provide occasional updates on what’s next for MLBTR. It’s completely free. This week’s newsletter features thoughts on the David Price and Jordan Zimmermann contracts.

Non-Tender Candidates

By Tim Dierkes | December 2, 2015 at 9:26am CDT

More than 200 players are arbitration eligible and unsigned for 2016. Around 50 of those can be considered non-tender candidates. Players who are not tendered contracts become free agents. The deadline for teams to decide is tonight at 11pm central time. Below is my subjective list of non-tender candidates. Please note that not all of them will actually be non-tendered — many are simply bubble players who at least merit consideration for a non-tender and could also find themselves traded. Click here for MLBTR’s projected salaries for these players, if they are tendered contracts. Also, check out our handy non-tender tracker, which will chronicle today’s action and can be filtered by team.

Position Players

Pedro Alvarez
Peter Bourjos
Drew Butera
Chris Carter
Pedro Ciriaco
Collin Cowgill
Ike Davis
Ryan Flaherty
Sam Fuld
Paul Janish
Jose Lobaton
David Lough
Will Middlebrooks
Tyler Moore
Brandon Moss
Nolan Reimold
Ben Revere
Rene Rivera
Hector Sanchez
Michael Saunders
Eric Sogard
Ruben Tejada
Josh Thole
Brett Wallace

Pitchers

Al Alburquerque
Henderson Alvarez
Steve Cishek
Louis Coleman
Ryan Cook
Aaron Crow
Steve Delabar
Felix Doubront
Josh Edgin
Neftali Feliz
Charlie Furbush
Nick Hagadone
Greg Holland
Jeff Locke
Ryan Mattheus
Jenrry Mejia
Mike Minor
Addison Reed
Marc Rzepczynski
Tanner Scheppers
Craig Stammen
Carlos Torres
Jacob Turner
Vance Worley

Free Agent Profile: Wei-Yin Chen

By Tim Dierkes | November 25, 2015 at 5:10pm CDT

After a successful four-year stint with the Orioles, Taiwanese lefty Wei-Yin Chen has reached free agency coming off the best season of his MLB career.

Strengths/Pros

Since 2014, Chen has a 3.44 ERA over 377 innings. That ranks 28th among all qualified MLB starters, 11th among southpaws, and seventh among a historically strong free agent class. While Chen is not an ace, he’s had better recent results than the casual fan might realize, and he’s been better than free agent peers Jeff Samardzija and Mike Leake.

Chen is not going to beat himself. His 1.81 BB/9 ranks tenth among qualified starters for 2014-15, and he’s walked a lower percentage of batters faced than even Zack Greinke. Chen was unhittable against lefties this year, as only Dallas Keuchel, Jake Arrieta, Greinke, and Clayton Kershaw allowed a lower weighted on-base average against them. Chen throws hard for a southpaw, as his average fastball velocity over the last two years of 91.6 miles per hour ranks seventh among qualified lefty starters.

Chen features a healthy left arm. His only MLB DL stint was for an oblique strain in 2013. In each of his other three MLB campaigns, he made at least 31 starts. Over the past four years, Chen has made more starts than guys like Chris Sale, Stephen Strasburg, Francisco Liriano, and Johnny Cueto.

Chen has youth on his side, as he turned 30 in July. He’s younger than mid-range free agent southpaws Scott Kazmir and J.A. Happ, making four years palatable and five years possible.

Weaknesses/Cons

If you’re not into ERA, Chen doesn’t look all that great. Though he had that 3.44 ERA over the last two seasons, his SIERA during that time was 3.91. Chen’s skills suggest he’s more Wade Miley/Jon Niese than Jose Quintana/Francisco Liriano. I’m not just citing an esoteric stat here. Chen’s strikeout rates have always been pedestrian, generally at or below league average. His groundball rate ranks 42nd among qualified starters over the last two years, and his attendant home run rate is the sixth-worst in baseball. To succeed, Chen needs a strong defense and a big ballpark. Even then, the expectation should be league average innings.

On that note, Chen is not going to save a team’s bullpen, as he has averaged 6.08 innings per start over the last two seasons. Among those with at least 60 starts, that ranks 28th of 46. Samardzija and Leake will regularly go deeper into games than Chen.

Chen turned down a qualifying offer from the Orioles, so signing him requires a team to forfeit its first eligible draft pick. This is a disadvantage for Chen compared to pitchers such as Cueto, Leake, Kazmir, and Kenta Maeda. Teams like the Red Sox and Diamondbacks would have to forfeit an early-teens draft pick to sign Chen, which could cause them to look elsewhere in a robust market for free agent pitching.

Personal

Chen, a native of Taiwan, dropped out of college in 2004 to play pro ball, according to Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. He reportedly received offers from Japanese and MLB teams at the time. According to Newman, Chen chose to sign with with the Chunichi Dragons because of Taiwanese scout Ta-Feng Chen. After spending a little bit of time with the Dragons as well as their farm team, Chen went down for Tommy John surgery in late 2006. Newman tells me the Dragons released him while he was rehabbing, re-signing him to an ikusei contract. He went on to star with the Dragons, winning an ERA title in 2009. At the pitcher’s request, the Dragons released Chen after the 2011 season, allowing him to reach international free agency without dealing with the posting system. Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette, who had been hired a few months earlier, signed Chen to a three-year contract worth $11.388MM guaranteed, with a club option for a fourth year. Duquette had also signed Tsuyoshi Wada out of Japan for $8.15MM. Chen was the first Taiwan-born player to sign with an MLB team out of Japan, as well as the first Taiwanese player in Orioles history. Chen’s big league debut attracted more than a million viewers in Taiwan, where the game was carried on three national TV networks.

Market

The Orioles have a lot of needs to fill, and they don’t seem likely to re-sign Chen. Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun noted recently that the O’s have never given a five-year deal to a free agent pitcher, plus Chen was “miffed” by the team’s decision to send him to the minors briefly in June due to a roster crunch. Chen’s market could include teams such as the Angels, Astros, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Cubs, D’Backs, Dodgers, Giants, Marlins, Nationals, Padres, Rangers, Red Sox, Royals, Tigers, Twins, and Yankees. According to Connolly, Chen and his family reside in Southern California in the offseason. As I mentioned, some clubs will back away because of the qualifying offer. Others may prefer not to do business with agent Scott Boras or won’t have the payroll space for Chen. There are four potential $100MM+ pitchers on the market, and then there is a second tier with Chen, Samardzija, Leake, and perhaps Maeda. I project this to be the $80MM range, and certainly there are reasons to prefer Chen to the other three. Samardzija is coming off a 4.96 ERA, Leake misses even fewer bats and had a higher ERA than Chen, and Maeda is unproven in MLB and may not even be posted. Plus, Chen is the only southpaw of his tier. If Chen drops down to four years, he could be compared to Kazmir. Kazmir is no horse himself, and he’s a year and a half older than Chen.

Expected Contract

I’ve seen some four-year projections for Chen’s contract, and while that is possible, I believe he’ll get five. Next year’s free agent market is one factor — Chen would be the second-best starting pitcher in that weak group, which might be important to forward-looking teams. There’s also the Boras factor. He got a four-year deal for a 35-year-old Derek Lowe. He routinely gets his clients contracts at the top end of their range, particularly those coming off a good year. There’s also good old-fashioned earned run average. A 3.34 ERA still sounds really good. If Boras has a team owner’s ear on Chris Davis, surely he’ll bring up Chen and sell the lefty on the basis of that ERA. ERA still seems to hold sway in the marketplace – look no further than the James Shields signing or the Alfredo Simon trade. While I see a ceiling of $90MM, I’m predicting a five-year, $80MM contract for Chen.

Try The Free MLBTR Newsletter

By Tim Dierkes | November 25, 2015 at 11:25am CDT

Thousands of people are reading the free MLBTR Newsletter each week; why not give it a try? We’ll deliver an exclusive article to your inbox – no strings attached! I’ll be weighing in on deals, rumors, and all the hot stove-related topics MLBTR has been known for since I launched the site a decade ago. These articles will be exclusive to MLBTR Newsletter subscribers and will not appear on the website. I may also provide occasional updates on what’s next for MLBTR. It’s completely free. This week’s newsletter, coming out this afternoon, explores whether Rick Porcello’s extension is relevant to free agent starters Wei-Yin Chen, Mike Leake, and Jeff Samardzija.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Headlines

Get the weekly article from Tim!

Get the weekly article from Tim!

Get the weekly article from Tim!

Get the weekly article from Tim!

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect