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Quick Hits: Strauss, Tigers, Castellanos, Martinez

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Joe Strauss, who covered the Braves, Orioles and Cardinals over three decades as a reporter and columnist for several news outlets, passed away today at age 54 due to complications from a battle with leukemia.  Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal and MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko are just a few of the many peers who paid tribute to Strauss with chronicles of his outstanding career and remembrances of their friend and colleague.  Countless news items from Strauss appeared on this website’s pages over the years, and all of us on the MLB Trade Rumors staff send our condolences to Strauss’ friends and family.

Here are some notes from around the game as we head into a new week…

  • The Tigers have been getting calls about Nick Castellanos, Tony Paul of the Detroit News reports.  Castellanos was a 2010 first-rounder and a former top prospect, though he’s underwhelmed both offensively and defensively in two full Major League seasons, posting negative fWAR totals in both 2014 and 2015.  These struggles notwithstanding, it’s probably unlikely that Detroit would move Castellanos since he’s only 23 and under team control through the 2019 season.
  • Also from Paul, he guesses that once J.D. Martinez and the Tigers get talking about an extension, the negotiations will be in the neighborhood of a four-year, $60MM deal.  This contract could be backloaded, which would allow the team to pursue more upgrades now and pay Martinez his biggest salaries later once other large contracts have come off the books.  Martinez is entering his age-28 season now and has two remaining years of arbitration eligibility before hitting free agency, so under Paul’s projected extension, Martinez would reach the open market as a 32-year-old having given up two free agent years.  The $60MM number may be a little conservative, in my view, given how first-rate hitting is at a premium.
  • While the Tigers aren’t shy about spending, Paul doesn’t think the team will stray too far (if at all) over the luxury tax limit, so landing a top outfield name like Yoenis Cespedes or Alex Gordon is probably unrealistic.  Detroit could move another big contract like Ian Kinsler to make payroll space, though Paul points out that the team would just be creating a new hole at second base to solve a hole in left field.  The Tigers could instead save any payroll room for a trade deadline addition.
  • At the Winter Meetings, Orioles manager Buck Showalter told MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko that the club was willing to surrender its first round draft pick (14th overall) to sign the right qualifying offer free agent but it wouldn’t be without great consideration.  “It would have to be something that really fits. But we would if we had to,” Showalter said.  “But one of our big days is going to be…in June, we got seven picks in the first 100 in the draft. I don’t know if we’ve ever had that. This is big for us. We can solidify our already strong system.”  An interesting wrinkle to Showalter’s statement is that the O’s are actually guaranteed to have only five picks within the first 91 selections.  They would only receive those two other picks if QO free agents Wei-Yin Chen and Chris Davis both signed elsewhere.  Since Showalter’s statement was made during the Meetings, it would’ve come roughly around the time that Baltimore pulled its $150MM offer to Davis off the table, so the manager’s words could be interpreted as a hint that the O’s could be prepared to move on from the first baseman (though the two sides have since continued to talk).

Quick Hits: Ruth, Davis, Nationals, Yankees

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It was on this day in 1919 that probably the single most influential trade in baseball history was settled, as Red Sox owner Harry Frazee agreed to sell Babe Ruth to the Yankees for a price of $100K (plus a $350K loan from Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert that included Fenway Park’s mortgage put up as collateral).  The trade was officially announced a week later once Ruth had agreed to a new contract.  The rest, as they say, was history.  Ruth’s presence began the Yankees’ historic dominance and “cursed” the Red Sox to a World Series drought that lasted until 2004.

Here’s more from around baseball…

  • The latest subscription-only column from ESPN’s Buster Olney lists the top roster holes left on contending teams, with the Dodgers’ rotation leading the way followed by the Orioles’ need for a power hitter.  Since the O’s pulled their $150MM offer to Chris Davis, some within the organization are asking if that offer should be put back onto the table if Davis revisits talks, given that no other teams are seemingly jumping in to pay Davis $150MM or more.
  • Also from Olney’s column, he wonders if signing Daniel Murphy could make the Nationals more likely to sign another qualifying offer free agent.  The Nats surrendered their first-rounder to sign Murphy, so they’d only be giving up a second-rounder for another QO player.  I’d add that the Nats’ decision could be made even easier by the fact that they at least one and probably two bonus sandwich round picks from their own QO free agents (Jordan Zimmermann and Ian Desmond).  Olney suggests that Dexter Fowler could be the best fit for Washington among the remaining qualifying offer free agents, with Wei-Yin Chen and Ian Kennedy also possibilities as Scott Boras clients.
  • The Phillies serve as a cautionary tale to the Yankees, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes, as a team that fell apart due to a thin farm system and little production from veterans on big contracts.  With New York already committing millions to aging veterans, the club is trying to manage the tricky task of getting younger while still remaining a contender, even if that means eschewing adding another big contract in free agency this winter.

AL Notes: Rays, Orioles, Twins

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On December 16th, the Orioles agreed to sign Korean outfielder Hyun-soo Kim to a two-year, $7MM deal.  However, the pact wasn’t officially announced until one week later on December 23rd.  The culprit? – the Orioles’ notoriously thorough physical.  Luckily for both sides, however, Kim was never in any real danger of not passing the exam.

Here’s a look at the American League, including some discussion on what the O’s might do next:

  • In a recent mailbag, a reader asked Bill Chastain of MLB.com if Rene Rivera will still be in the Rays’ plans for the 2016 season.  Rivera had a disappointing first season at the plate in Tampa Bay after coming over via trade, but the Rays are hopeful that he can turn that around while maintaining his solid defense.  The Rays could keep Rivera, Curt Casali, and Hank Conger in ’16, or they might opt to trade one of the three to clear out the surplus.  Keeping all three wouldn’t be a crazy notion as Casali and Conger can provide offense where Rivera cannot.
  • Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com wonders where the Orioles’ next left-handed hitter will come from.  Chris Davis, of course, would satisfy that need, but Baltimore has made it clear that it will not wait around for him.  Other alternatives could include signing a left-handed DH like Pedro Alvarez or really opening up the checkbook to ink Alex Gordon.  Meanwhile, the O’s are also expected to take a peek at the available second-tier starters.
  • The Twins were on a mission to keep Mason Melotakis’ recovery under wraps in an effort to keep him away from interested teams in the Rule 5 draft, as Phil Miller writes for Baseball America (sub. req’d).  Ultimately, however, the Twins put him on the 40-man roster rather than risk losing him.

Int’l Notes: Navarro, Kim, Orioles

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The Padres and other clubs had their eye on Japanese standout Nobuhiro Matsuda, but earlier this week the veteran third baseman decided to stay put.  Even though Matsuda had the opportunity to ink a major league deal, he couldn’t turn down a massive four-year deal worth $20-25MM from the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks.  There was talk that the 32-year-old might have been able to net a multi-year guarantee from an MLB club, but it’s hard to imagine that any team would have given him a deal of that size.

Matsuda is staying overseas, but we have some news on other international talent that will be coming stateside.  Here’s the latest:

  • Contract talks have broken off between second baseman Yamaico Navarro and Korea’s Samsung Lions, a league source tells Yonhap News.  “It’s highly unlikely we will retain Navarro,” the official said. “Unless there’s a dramatic turn of events, we will go our separate ways.”  Navarro hit 31 homers, stole 25 bases, and posted a slash line of .308/.417/.552 in 2014.  This past season, Navarro belted 48 home runs  (good for second in the KBO), notched 22 steals, and posted a .287/.393/.596 line.   It’s not immediately clear if Navarro will set his sights on an MLB return, but if he does, one has to imagine that he will garner some interest.  For what it’s worth, the Lions have concerns about the 28-year-old’s work ethic, according to the report.
  • New Orioles outfielder Hyun-soo Kim thanked Pirates infielder Jung-ho Kang for blazing a trail for him to come stateside.  “I am proud of having signed a major league deal as a Korean player,” Kim said, according to Yonhap News. “I will try not to ruin the groundwork that Jung-ho has laid. I feel some pressure in that regard.”  Kim has put up a big .318/.406/.488 slash in the offensively robust KBO, and last year had his best-ever showing.  Not only did he slash .326/.438/.541, but Kim also banged a career-best 28 home runs.  And, unlike some other KBO players who have moved over to MLB, Kim has displayed tremendous plate discipline.  Last year, he struck out only 63 times while drawing 101 walks.
  • On Friday morning, we learned that Cuban sensation Lazaro Armenteros will be holding a showcase for MLB clubs on January 8th.

Quick Hits: Cespedes, Iwakuma, Payrolls, Gordon, Orioles

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We at MLB Trade Rumors tip our caps to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun, who announced today that he is leaving the newspaper after a decade of fine work covering the Orioles.  Connolly’s name is a familiar one to MLBTR readers, as he has been a long-time source for Orioles information — just last week, in fact, Connolly broke the news that the O’s had agreed to sign Hyun-soo Kim.  We wish Dan all the best in his post-Sun endeavors and selfishly hope he keeps writing about baseball in some capacity in the future.

Onto some stocking-stuffer news items as we head into the birthday of Hall-of-Famers Rickey Henderson, Nellie Fox and Pud Galvin, a.k.a. Christmas Day…

  • Yoenis Cespedes’ market has been somewhat slow to develop, though “the Tigers appear to be sitting back waiting for” the free agent outfielder, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets.  Cespedes’ asking price may also be dropping as the offseason rolls along.  Detroit, Cespedes’ former team, has been linked to the slugger on the rumor mill but Tigers GM Al Avila said during the Winter Meetings that his team was out on both Cespedes and Alex Gordon.  That stance could change, of course, if Cespedes could be had at a lower price, though that feeling undoubtedly applies to more teams than just the Tigers.  The Angels, Orioles, Royals and Giants have also been rumored to have some level of interest in Cespedes this offseason.  Tim Dierkes predicted Cespedes for a six-year, $140MM contract while ranking him sixth on MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents list.
  • The Mariners’ somewhat unique re-signing of Hisashi Iwakuma and his first contact with the M’s is chronicled by Fangraphs’ Tony Blengino, who was working as a special assistant to the GM in Seattle when Iwakuma was first signed by the club.  Injury concerns have plagued Iwakuma throughout his career — in Japan, possibly scuttling an agreement to join the A’s in 2011, during his stint as a Mariner and a red-flag physical that caused the Dodgers to back away from a three-year agreement.  Blengino also provides some interesting background into how teams approach physicals, as “there’s a fine line between being ’hurt’ and ’injured,’ and an MRI can find damage in just about any shoulder or elbow….It all comes down to the injury risk, in conjunction with the anticipated player production and dollar investment.”
  • A club’s payroll figures consists of far more than just the salaries of the 25-man roster, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times illustrates using the Mariners as an example.
  • Alex Gordon checks the boxes of everything the Royals would want in a franchise player, yet as Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star writes, the financial realities of a mid-market franchise make it unrealistic or even unwise for the Royals to splurge and re-sign the outfielder.  As was reported yesterday, there may be “no chance” of a reunion between the two sides if the Royals’ best offer is only four years and between $48MM-$52MM, a dollar figure Gordon may end up doubling on the open market.
  • Hyun-soo Kim had a “follow up” to his first physical with the Orioles that caused a delay in the club’s official announcement of their contract with the Korean outfielder, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko reports.  Despite the delay, “Kim never was in real danger of failing his physical,” so it appears the O’s were just being cautious.
  • In a separate item from Kubatko, he provides “non-update updates” on several bits of Orioles offseason business, noting that there haven’t been any new developments in the team’s talks with free agents like Chris Davis, Wei-Yin Chen, Yovani Gallardo or Scott Kazmir.

Orioles Notes: Davis, Berry, Worley

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Earlier this week we learned that the Orioles are among the clubs that have checked in on free agent pitcher Mat Latos.  Latos, 28, is likely seeking a one-year deal to re-establish his value, unlike hurlers like Scott Kazmir, Yovani Gallardo, Ian Kennedy, and Wei-Yin Chen who would all probably require a multi-year commitment.  That could be right up the O’s alley as Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun doesn’t believe that the Orioles will go beyond three years in their efforts to land a free-agent starting pitcher.

Here’s more out of Baltimore:

  • Hot Stove season typically slows down during the holidays, and that could be a good thing for the Orioles and Chris Davis, Encina writes.  There hasn’t been much progress between the two sides heading into Christmas, but it’s pretty obvious that there’s strong mutual interest in a reunion.  Perhaps in 2016, when we’re a little bit closer to spring training, the two sides will find a way to meet in the middle.
  • More from Encina, who notes that the Orioles did not want to lose left-hander Tim Berry.  On Wednesday, the Marlins claimed the southpaw, despite a forgettable 2015 season.  Baltimore did not want to jettison Berry from the organization – it only wanted to create space on the 40-man roster for other moves.  Berry was one of the Orioles’ top left-handed pitching prospects only two years ago and Miami apparently did not lose sight of that.
  • New Orioles right-hander Vance Worley is looking for a new beginning in Baltimore, as Encina writes.  “I heard they have a really good clubhouse and a really good atmosphere and that’s the chemistry you need for winning, so I’m looking forward to coming over and being a part of it. … Just looking for a fresh start and looking forward to coming over and helping this team out,” said the pitcher.  Worley went on to say that he hopes to return to the starting rotation in 2016.

Marlins Claim Tim Berry

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The Marlins have claimed lefty Tim Berry off waivers from the Orioles, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets.

As Cotillo notes, Berry used to rate as a top-ten organizational prospect in Baltimore. But the O’s had him repeat Double-A despite good run prevention numbers in 2014, and the 24-year-old did not respond well. Miami will look to get Berry headed back in the right direction after a forgettable 2015 campaign in which he posted a 7.32 ERA over 82 1/3 innings, with 6.2 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9.

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/23/15

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We’ll track the day’s minor moves here:

  • Today’s Dodgers minor league additions include outfielders Alex Hassan and Rico Noel, the previously reported Lisalverto Bonilla, and righty Daniel Corcino, Eddy tweets. Hassan is an OBP specialist who bounced around quite a bit last year and has spent most of his time at the Triple-A level over the past several seasons. Noel, soon to turn 27, has big-time speed on the bases and cracked the Yankees’ roster late last year as a pinch runner. And the 25-year-old Corcino has at times looked like a reasonably promising young pitcher, but missed most of last year after Los Angeles claimed him off waivers from the Reds.
  • The Yankees have agreed to sign veteran righty Vinnie Pestano and catcher Sebastian Valle, Eddy adds on Twitter. Pestano, 30, has had some strong MLB campaigns in the past. But he only notched 11 2/3 big league frames last year with the Angels, though he’s posted impressive strikeout tallies at every level. Valle, a 25-year-old backstop from Mexico, spent most of his career in the Phillies organization before moving to the Pirates last year. He’s yet to reach the majors.
  • Joining the Mets on a minors deal is first baseman/outfielder Marc Krauss, per another Eddy tweet, along with pitchers Buddy Carlyle and Duane Below. Krauss has racked up 435 major league turns at the plate over the last three years, slashing .188/.255/.324. Carlyle, who just turned 38, has posted strong numbers in the upper minors and majors over the last several years.
  • The Padres have added pitchers Jose Dominguez and Carlos Pimentel on minor league deals, Eddy tweets. As Eddy notes, Dominguez has a live right arm while Pimentel was named the PCL’s pitcher of the year last season with the Cubs.

Earlier Updates

  • The Braves have added first baseman Nate Freiman on a minor league deal, Matt Eddy of Baseball America tweets. Recently released by the A’s, Freiman put up a meager .220/.279/.321 batting line last year at Triple-A but has shown more in recent years.
  • Heading to the Orioles on a minor league deal is outfielder Xavier Avery, Eddy also tweets. Avery, who’ll soon turn 26, spent time with three organizations last year at the Triple-A level and has yet to return to the majors since a 2012 debut in Baltimore.
  • Catcher Jhonatan Solano has signed a minor league deal with the Nationals that includes a major league camp invite, the club announced. Solano, 30, spent last year with the Marlins — his first season outside of the Washington organization. He’s never done much damage with the bat, but is a well-regarded receiver.
  • The Tigers also added several other players on MiLB pacts. In addition to making the Valdespin addition official, Detroit announced the signings of righties Logan Kensing, Melvin Mercedes, and Dustin Molleken as well as infielder Alberto Gonzalez and outfielder Nate Schierholtz. Mercedes and Molleken have spent the vast majority of their time in the minors, but the others all have ample big league experience. The 33-year-old Kensing allowed ten earned runs in 15 1/3 frames with the Mariners last year. Gonzalez, a seven-year MLB veteran, spent last year in the upper minors with the Detroit organization. And the 31-year-old Schierholtz failed to reach the majors last year after a string of eight seasons, playing instead for Japan’s Hiroshima Carp.
  • The Tigers have reached a minor league deal with infielder/outfielder Jordany Valdespin, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports on Twitter. Valdespin, who turns 28 today, does not receive an invitation to major league camp, per MLB.com’s Jason Beck (also via Twitter). The Dominican utilityman has seen MLB action in each of the last four seasons, but made it into only two games with the Marlins last year. He slashed .291/.378/.371 over 457 plate appearances at the Triple-A level in 2015.

Cubs Claim Edgar Olmos

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The Cubs have claimed lefty Edgar Olmos from the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets. Baltimore exposed Olmos to waivers to clear roster space for the signing of Hyun Soo Kim, and Chicago grabbed him back after originally losing him just weeks ago to the O’s by the same procedure.

Olmos is a 25-year-old southpaw who’s changed hands quite a bit in the last few seasons. He obviously has an intriguing arm, and has shown a mid-90s fastball in his brief time in the majors. At Triple-A in 2015, Olmos worked to a 3.55 ERA with 9.3 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 at Triple-A last year.

Angels Claim Rey Navarro

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The Angels have claimed infielder Rey Navarro off waivers from the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com hears (via Twitter).

Recently designated, the 26-year-old reached the bigs last year briefly in Baltimore. He put up only a .261/.310/.372 batting line over 394 Triple-A plate appearances, but is highly regarded with the leather up the middle.

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