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AL East Notes: Red Sox, Swihart, Rays, Wieters

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Though it’ll be a week or more before either Drew Pomeranz or Steven Wright is able to throw off a mound (as Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald writes), Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski stated that he feels the Sox are deeper in rotation options than the vast majority of clubs (Twitter link via Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal). Mastrodonato’s colleague, Evan Drellich, recently took a look at the team’s lack of established options beyond the top six of Chris Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello, Eduardo Rodriguez, Pomeranz and Wright, though, noting that each of Henry Owens, Roenis Elias and Brian Johnson comes with question marks. (The Sox also have Kyle Kendrick in camp on a non-roster invite.)

There’s a bit of a disconnect in the messaging being put forth by manager John Farrell and Dombrowski, as Farrell stated yesterday that Wright’s rehab has “certainly” taken longer than the team anticipated (via Mastrodonato’s column), while Dombrowski said today (Twitter link via the Globe’s Alex Speier) that the rehab of Wright and Pomeranz has progressed “as expected.” Speier adds in a second tweet that Dombrowski said there’s no room for additions on the MLB roster, but if the team adds any additional non-roster players, they’d likely be pitchers.

More on the Sox and the rest of the division…

  • Also from Mastrodonato’s column, Farrell acknowledged that Blake Swihart’s remaining minor league option could work against him in Spring Training. Both Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez are out of options, and the Red Sox won’t want to expose either to waivers at the end of camp, which seemingly signals a trip to Triple-A Pawtucket to open the season for Swihart. Certainly, injuries could change the plan for the Sox, but it’s tough to see all three fitting on the roster. “We’ve got three guys that are fully healthy, that’s No. 1, particularly with what Blake went through last year and the surgery in the offseason,” Farrell told Mastrodonato. “But with Sandy, Christian and Blake, yeah we feel really good about the core group that’s there. We’ll see how things unfold.”
  • Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes that after the Rays passed on Franklin Gutierrez and Byung Ho Park, they’ll likely to see which right-handed bats emerge as potential additions over the course of Spring Training (unless Matt Wieters “falls to them,” he notes). Tampa Bay was tied to a number of right-handed bats, with Mike Napoli, Chris Carter and Mark Reynolds all linked to the Rays at one point (in addition to Gutierrez and Park). The Rays could add either a first baseman or second baseman to serve as a platoon partner for Logan Morrison and/or Brad Miller. Also of note, regarding the Rays, Topkin adds that past interest in right-handed reliever Tommy Hunter could suggest that he’d be a fit as a late pickup.
  • As the Orioles began to report to Spring Training in Sarasota, Fla., GM Dan Duquette was asked by the Baltimore media once again today if there’s any chance of a reunion with Matt Wieters now that his market has seemingly been stagnant for so long. Via MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko, Duquette replied that Orioles “made a choice” when they signed Welington Castillo to a two-year, $13MM deal (with a player option/opt-out clause after year one) back in December. Duquette did note that he’s still on the hunt for further pitching depth, even after acquiring young right-hander Gabriel Ynoa from the Mets last Friday.

Orioles Sign Chris Johnson To Minor League Deal

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The Orioles announced this morning that they’ve signed veteran corner infielder Chris Johnson to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training. The former Astros/Braves/Marlins is represented by Excel Sports Management.

Johnson, 32, spent the 2016 season with the Marlins after signing to be a platoon partner for left-handed-hitting first baseman Justin Bour. While that seemed like a solid on-paper fit, given the lifetime .314/.350/.436 batting line against lefties which Johnson carried into last season, he experienced some uncharacteristic struggles against southpaws. In 109 plate appearances versus lefties, Johnson hit just .212/.284/.333. His production against right-handers was very similar in 155 PAs, and he wound up posting a career-worst .222/.281/.329 batting line on the season as a whole.

The Braves inked Johnson to a three-year, $23.5MM contract extension on the heels of a BABIP-fueled 2013 breakout — a season that saw Johnson bat .321/.358/.457 (with a .394 average on balls in play). His bat took a significant step back in 2014, however, and he was traded to the Indians in a 2015 exchange of bad contracts. (Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher went to Atlanta in the deal.) Johnson will still earn $9MM this season — the final guaranteed year of that contract — which the Indians are on the hook for. If he makes it to the Orioles’ Major League roster, they’d only owe him the pro-rated portion of the league minimum, which would be subtracted from Cleveland’s obligation to Johnson. As it stands, though, he seems likely to be ticketed for Triple-A Norfolk.

Quick Hits: Rays, Phillips, Reds, Tillman

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The Rays’ front office triad of Matt Silverman, Erik Neander and Chaim Bloom is profiled by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, who outlines how this unique three-man management structure operates.  While Silverman has the lead role as the president of baseball operations, he notes that between himself and his two senior VPs, “there are three of us that can make decisions for the department.  If one person is responsible for the final stamp on decisions, it can slow things down. Knowing three of us, if not more, are empowered to make decisions and keep our operations running smoothly and effectively, that’s a real advantage.”  Major decisions are made as a group, though day-to-day tasks seem more or less shared between the trio.  Trade talks with other organizations are split evenly “based on each’s strongest relationships” — multiple trades between the Rays and Mariners in recent years, for instance, have stemmed from the good connection between Neander and Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto.

Here’s more from around the baseball world…

  • There weren’t many whispers about Brandon Phillips on the rumor mill this offseason, and according to C. Trent Rosencrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter), “the Braves were the only team that had any interest in Phillips whatsoever.”  Given this limited market and the added complication of Phillips’ no-trade protection, it perhaps isn’t surprising that the Reds didn’t get much of a return in finally dealing Phillips to Atlanta.
  • The biggest benefit for the Reds is that Jose Peraza and Dilson Herrera now have a clearer path towards regular playing time.  Reds GM Dick Williams told Rosencrans (Twitter link) and other reporters that the two young infielders and veteran shortstop Zack Cozart will rotate the middle infield jobs during Spring Training.  Cozart has himself been the subject of trade speculation, though those rumors have dried up since the Mariners (his most ardent suitor) addressed their shortstop need by acquiring Jean Segura from the Diamondbacks.
  • Extension talks between Chris Tillman and the Orioles have been “nothing serious” thus far, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko reports.  The two sides began preliminary talks back in December, though as of mid-January, Tillman said he hadn’t heard any details on negotiations from his agents.  Kubatko wouldn’t be surprised if more substantial talks take place during Spring Training, as Tillman can become a free agent after the 2017 season.

AL Notes: Rays, Astros, Orioles, Red Sox

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Although Brad Miller said he’s “on the same page” with the Rays about potentially shifting from first base to second, he hasn’t necessarily embraced the move, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The 30-home run man from 2016 last played second two seasons ago as a member of the Mariners, and he has generally fared poorly as a middle infielder (minus-27 Defensive Runs Saved, minus-12.3 Ultimate Zone Rating as primarily a shortstop in 3,300-plus innings). Should Miller scuffle in his return to the keystone this year, the Rays would likely scrap the experiment and divide his playing time among first, designated hitter and short, per Topkin, who points to Tim Beckham, Nick Franklin and Daniel Robertson as their other in-house second base possibilities.

More from the American League:

  • The Astros have been in pursuit of a front-line starter via trade all offseason, though nothing has materialized and general manager Jeff Luhnow doesn’t expect anything to come together this spring, he told MLB Network Radio on Sunday. However, Luhnow mentioned that having two extra draft picks resulting from ex-Cardinals scouting director Chris Correa’s hacking of the Astros and five top 100 prospects could help him swing a deal at some point (Twitter links).
  • The idea of converting Dariel Alvarez from an outfielder to a pitcher is intriguing to some members of the Orioles organization, and manager Buck Showalter wouldn’t be against it, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. As it stands, the 28-year-old Alvarez could be in danger of losing his 40-man roster spot, per Kubatko. Alvarez slashed a modest .288/.324/.384 with four home runs in 560 Triple-A plate appearances last season, and trying him on the mound would perhaps enable the Orioles to take advantage of his “plus-plus” arm, Kubatko notes.
  • Third baseman Pablo Sandoval, left-hander Drew Pomeranz, right-hander Joe Kelly, first baseman Sam Travis and catcher Christian Vazquez are among the Red Sox who will need strong spring performances this year, opines Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald. If the beleaguered Sandoval is unable to show enough defensively to win the third base job, the lefty-swinger could have trouble finding playing time in Boston, which is likely to deploy Hanley Ramirez as its designated hitter against righties. Vazquez, meanwhile, has no minor league options remaining and will battle with Sandy Leon (also out of options) and Blake Swihart for a roster spot. The Red Sox might attempt to trade Vazquez if he doesn’t crack their roster, or they could send Swihart to the minors, observes Mastrodonato.

Orioles Acquire Gabriel Ynoa From Mets, Designate Francisco Pena

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The Orioles have acquired right-hander Gabriel Ynoa from the Mets in exchange for cash and designated catcher Francisco Pena for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, per a team announcement. The move opens a spot on the Mets’ 40-man roster, which the team still needed to do in order to make the re-signing of Fernando Salas official.

The 23-year-old Ynoa made his MLB debut with the Mets this past season, tossing 18 1/3 innings with a 6.38 ERA. His 17-to-7 K/BB ratio, 49.2 percent ground-ball rate and average fastball velocity of 93.5 mph were all more encouraging numbers than the unsightly ERA in that small sample. In 154 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level this past season, Ynoa posted a 3.97 ERA with 4.5 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and a 48.8 percent grounder rate.

Ynoa ranked among the Mets’ top 20 prospects each year from 2012-15, with BA’s most recent report calling him a “control artist” and a potential fourth starter if he can make improvements to his secondary offerings. Also noted, though, was that while Ynoa has a knack for throwing strikes, he doesn’t hit his spot within the zone often enough, so honing his command could also be an area of focus moving forward.

“Our scouts feel he can develop into a Major League starting pitcher by developing a consistent breaking pitch,” said Orioles GM Dan Duquette of the newly acquired Ynoa. “We look forward to his contributions to the Orioles this season and beyond.”

Ynoa will give the Orioles some much-needed rotation depth beyond the quintet of Chris Tillman, Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy, Wade Miley and Ubaldo Jimenez. He has a minor league option remaining, which was likely a key factor for the Orioles, as there doesn’t look to be an immediate spot in the rotation for Ynoa, barring a spring injury to one of the previously listed rotation members. The 154 innings that Ynoa threw at Triple-A last season represent his only experience at that level, so it seems likely that he’ll head to Norfolk to open the season for further development. Should things pan out for Ynoa, he’ll be under club control through the 2022 season in Baltimore.

Pena, 27, appeared in 14 games and hit .200/.238/.275 across 43 plate appearances for the Orioles last season. He was expected to compete with Caleb Joseph for the backup catcher role this spring and may still do so if he clears waivers. The defensive-minded backstop was out of minor league options, which undoubtedly played a role in the Orioles’ decision to designate him. In parts of four Triple-A seasons (1188 plate appearances), Pena has displayed good power but struggled to get on base, as evidenced by his .248/.294/.453 batting line. He’s thrown out 32 percent base base thieves in his minor league career and routinely draws considerably above-average framing grades from Baseball Prospectus.

Royals, Cubs, Nationals Among Teams At Seth Maness Workout

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TUESDAY: The Brewers, Reds, Indians, Orioles, Astros and Twins also sent scouts to observe Maness’ workout, according to Goold.

MONDAY: Scouts from at least 16 Major League clubs were on-hand today to watch free agent right-hander Seth Maness work out, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Instagram). Per Goold, the Royals, Cubs and Nationals were all represented at Maness’ audition.

Maness’ showcase is especially intriguing due to the circumstances surrounding his injury. The 28-year-old suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament last summer and underwent surgery in August, but he elected to undergo an experimental “primary repair” surgery that, if successful, could represent a potential alternative to Tommy John surgery. Not every pitcher with a torn UCL can turn to the primary repair procedure as an alternative — the operation is dependent on the location and extent of the ligament tear — but certainly a return to health for Maness in seven and a half months would pique the interest of others with similar diagnoses around the league. (Those who are interested in the matter and missed Goold’s column on Maness last month should absolutely take the time to read through his breakdown of the operation itself and the larger-reaching potential implications of the surgery.)

The 28-year-old Maness was a fixture in the St. Louis bullpen from 2013-16, racking up 237 1/3 innings with a 3.19 ERA, 5.8 K/9, 1.7 BB/9 and a hefty 59.4 percent ground-ball rate along the way. Last season, however, he logged a 3.41 ERA with career worst K/9 and BB/9 rates of 4.6 and 2.3, respectively. Following the August operation, the Cardinals non-tendered him rather than pay him a projected $1.6MM via arbitration (projection via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz).

As an added bonus for any club that ultimately signs Maness, if he is indeed able to return and pitch at a high level, he’d remain under club control not just for the 2017 season but through the 2019 season. Maness wrapped up the 2016 campaign with three years and 154 days of Major League service time, so he’d be arbitration-eligible in each of the next two winters before hitting free agency in advance of his age-31 season.

AL Notes: Twins, Park, Orioles, Logan

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Correcting a previous report, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Twins will not release designated hitter/first baseman Byung Ho Park if they’re unable to trade him. Park has been in limbo since Minnesota designated him for assignment last Friday and looks poised to head to camp as a non-roster invitee. The Twins owe the 30-year-old $9.25MM through the 2019 season.

Now here’s the latest out of Baltimore, courtesy of Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com:

  • Orioles general manager Dan Duquette informed Kubatko he’s “looking for some more depth” to add to the team’s bullpen, and he’s not going to discriminate based on handedness. Baltimore was eyeing lefty Boone Logan before he agreed to a deal with the Indians last week, Duquette confirmed, but it seems he was well out of the club’s price range. The Orioles would prefer signing someone to a minor league deal, per Kubatko, who notes that one reason they haven’t re-upped free agent right-hander Tommy Hunter is because he’s seeking a major league pact.
  • Free agent outfielder Nolan Reimold has spent nearly his entire career with the Orioles since they selected him in the second round of the 2005 draft, but they haven’t shown any interest in re-signing him, according to Kubatko. The right-handed-hitting Reimold, 33, has fared respectably at the plate in his career (.246/.323/.422 in 1,556 trips), though he registered a disappointing .222/.300/.365 line in 227 PAs last season to perhaps conclude his O’s tenure. Behind lefty-swinging corner outfielders Seth Smith and Hyun Soo Kim, the Reimold-less Orioles have a righty-hitting reserve in Joey Rickard, who handled southpaws over a small sample size as a rookie in 2016 (.313/.367/.494 in 90 PAs).
  • The Orioles’ signing of infielder Robert Andino to a minor league deal Monday may have closed the book on free agent Paul Janish’s time with the organization, Duquette told Kubatko. “We’ve been looking for a veteran shortstop and I’m not sure Paul Janish is going to come back to the O’s,” said Duquette. “So we had been talking to Janish and some others and then Andino reached out to us through Adam Jones. And he let Buck (Showalter) know that he was looking for a job and wanted to come back. So, we followed up with his agent.” The defensively adept Janish, who elected free agency after the Orioles outrighted him in October, totaled a combined 71 plate appearances with the team from 2015-16.

Minor MLB Transactions: 2/6/17

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Here are the day’s minor moves from around the game…

  • The Blue Jays announced the signing of infielder Jonathan Diaz to a minor league deal earlier this week.  Diaz was originally drafted by the Jays in 2006 and this is his third separate stint in the organization.  Diaz has a .406 OPS over 65 career plate appearances in the majors, all with the Red Sox and Blue Jays during the 2013-15 seasons.  The 31-year-old spent 2016 playing for the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate.
  • The Reds have signed infielder Zach Walters to a minor league contract, reports Baseball America’s Matt Eddy. The 27-year-old switch-hitter spent the 2014-15 seasons in the Indians organization after being traded over from the Nationals in exchange for Asdrubal Cabrera, and he was with the Dodgers last season. Walters has displayed plenty of pop, with 10 homers in 181 career MLB plate appearances, but he’s also been extremely strikeout prone in the bigs. Overall, he’s a .176/.227/.382 hitter in the Majors, though his .265/.312/.482 career line in Triple-A is more palatable. Walters logged a .770 OPS in 94 games with the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate last season and played every position on the diamond besides catcher.
  • The Brewers announced today that right-hander Rob Scahill has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A. The 29-year-old had previously been designated for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for infielder Ehire Adrianza, who was claimed off waivers before promptly being designated for assignment himself (in favor of first baseman and fellow waiver claim Jesus Aguilar). Scahill pitched well for the Brewers late in the 2016 season, tossing 18 1/3 innings with a 2.45 ERA and a 14-to-3 K/BB ratio. Scahill’s ground-ball rate has soared in each of the past two seasons, sitting around 62 percent in that time. He’s yet to find consistent success in the Majors, though he does possess a very solid 3.03 ERA in his past 65 1/3 innings in the big leagues.
  • The Orioles announced that they’ve re-signed infielder Robert Andino to a minor league contract. Baltimore also confirmed its previously reported minors contract with Johnny Giavotella. The 32-year-old Andino will return to Baltimore for his second stint after previously spending the 2009-12 seasons with the Orioles. In 2016, Andino returned to the Majors following a two-year absence from the bigs and picked up seven singles in 24 plate appearances with the Marlins. He spent most of the season in Triple-A New Orleans, hitting .267/.319/.427. Capable of playing shortstop, second base and third base, Andino will likely provide the O’s with some infield depth in the upper minors. While Andino does receive an invite to Major League Spring Training (per Rich Dubroff of PressboxOnline, on Twitter), Ryan Flaherty is in line to be the team’s primary utility option.

Orioles, Kevin Gausman Avoid Arbitration

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The Orioles and right-hander Kevin Gausman have struck a deal to avoid arbitration, according to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link). Gausman will earn a $3.45MM salary in 2017 – up from a $3.35MM midpoint – and could rake in $50K in incentives if he makes 30 starts and another $50K if he records 33.

MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had projected a $3.9MM arbitration award for Gausman, whose hearing was set to take place this upcoming Tuesday. The 26-year-old is coming off his best season since his 2012 debut, having amassed 30 starts and registered a 3.61 ERA, 8.72 K/9, 2.35 BB/9 and 44.1 percent ground-ball rate across 179 2/3 innings. Gausman also induced infield fly balls at a 14.3 percent rate, which ranked fourth in the majors among qualified starters.

The Orioles had planned to employ a file-and-trial approach with all their arbitration-eligible players, including Gausman, though they scrapped it in his case. The club will also control Gausman via the arbitration process over the next three offseasons. The last unsigned player the Orioles have as the spring draws closer is reliever Brad Brach, whose hearing is scheduled for Feb. 16, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (Twitter link). Check out MLBTR’s arbitration tracker to keep up with this year’s cases.

AL East Notes: Sanchez, Stroman, Blue Jays, Swihart, Wieters

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Here’s the latest from around the AL East…

  • It could make sense for the Blue Jays to pursue extensions with Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman this spring, Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi opines.  Locking up young pitching is obviously a logical tactic, and if nothing else, the Jays could gain some cost certainty on both starters through their arbitration years.  Sanchez will be arb-eligible for the first time next winter, while Stroman is going through the arbitration process for the first of four trips (as a Super Two player) this offseason, to the point of going to a hearing to determine his 2017 salary.  On the other hand, since both players have so many years of control ahead of them, the Jays could wait at least one more season to see what they really have in either starter before discussing a long-term agreement.
  • Dalton Pompey will need a big Spring Training to break into the Blue Jays’ planned Melvin Upton Jr./Ezequiel Carrera platoon in left field, MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm writes.  The Jays want Pompey to play every day, so if he does make the big league roster, it won’t be in a bench role.  A good spring performance, however, will put Pompey in line for a promotion should one or both or Upton or Carrera get off to a slow start.  Elsewhere in the mailbag piece, Chisholm notes that it may be hard for any prospects to find a spot on Toronto’s Opening Day roster, and highly-touted Cuban signing Lourdes Gurriel Jr. isn’t likely to be a viable roster candidate until 2018.
  • Blake Swihart’s eventual role with the Red Sox could be serving a multi-positional threat who can catch 90 games while also contributing at first, third, DH and the outfield, Peter Gammons writes in his latest piece at GammonsDaily.com.  Boston moved Swihart to left field last season due to defensive issues behind the plate, though Swihart is intent on carving out a niche for himself as a catcher.  Since Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez both have their own question marks, Swihart could still emerge as a catching option for the Sox in 2017.  As Gammons and Sox bullpen coach Dana LeVangie both mention, Swihart doesn’t have all that much actual catching experience in his career, and got precious little time as a catcher last year due to the position switch and the ankle injury that shortened his season.
  • Re-signing Matt Wieters “would be sentimental, but not practical” for the Orioles, MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli opines.  There have been whispers that Baltimore could bring back Wieters as a part-time DH and in a timeshare behind the plate with Welington Castillo, since Wieters could be had at a lowered price given his long stay in free agency.  Signing veterans at a relative bargain price is a Dan Duquette specialty, Ghiroli notes, though the O’s aren’t actively pursuing Wieters.  It could also be hard for Baltimore to offer Wieters enough playing time, given Castillo’s presence and the likelihood that Mark Trumbo will get more DH at-bats this season.
  • For more out of Baltimore, check out this set of Orioles Notes from earlier today on MLBTR.
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