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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.

Free Agent Notes: Kazmir, Murphy, Span, Royals

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Now that the Cardinals have signed right-hander Mike Leake to a five-year deal, they’re out of the mix on lefty Scott Kazmir, tweets CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman. The Nationals, Orioles and Royals are among the clubs still looking at Kazmir, according to Heyman. A report from Monday indicated that the Athletics and Astros were also among the finalists for Kazmir, who reportedly has received three-year offers that come with annual rates in the $12-13MM range. However, Kazmir’s hope is said to be a four-year contract. Earlier tonight, Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun wrote that he didn’t foresee the O’s going four years on Kazmir (or any other free-agent starter, for that matter).

A few more notes on what is still a very deep class of free agents…

  • Daniel Murphy hasn’t been aggressive in seeking new opportunities for much of the offseason, reports Mike Puma of the New York Post, as he maintained hope that he would return to the Mets right up until their acquisition of Neil Walker from the Pirates. The Mets, according to Puma, were clear in telling Murphy that they intended to go in another direction this offseason, but Murphy sought more than the one- to two-year offers with which the Mets were comfortable and seems to have been hoping that an increased offer from the Mets would materialize.
  • Agent Scott Boras has been seeking a three-year deal for client Denard Span, industry sources tell Puma in a second column. The Mets had genuine interest in Span, according to Puma, but they weren’t keen on committing to a center field partner for Juan Lagares beyond the 2016 season. Beyond that, the Mets didn’t want to wait for Span’s January showcase before moving to add a left-handed bat, as doing so would’ve meant risking their alternative options signing elsewhere in the interim.
  • Royals GM Dayton Moore wouldn’t comment to MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan when asked about negotiations with Alex Gordon — specifically, Jim Bowden’s previous report at ESPN that the Royals are offering $12-13MM per year on a four-year deal — or extension talks with catcher Salvador Perez. Moore did, however, openly voice his desire to add a corner outfielder and another starting pitcher. “We feel we have quality depth in the outfield, but we have a desire for an experienced corner outfielder. And we would like another quality starting pitcher,” said Moore. Per Flanagan, the Royals hope to have seven or eight players that are viable rotation options on the roster to open the season. At present, Kansas City has Yordano Ventura, Edinson Volquez, Danny Duffy, Chris Young and Kris Medlen as options, plus lefty Jason Vargas recovering from Tommy John surgery.

AL East Notes: Boggs, Yankees, Orioles, Anthopoulos, Jays

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The Red Sox announced yesterday that they will retire the No. 26 in honor of Wade Boggs on May 26 of the upcoming season. Boggs, now 57, spent the majority of his career donning a Red Sox uniform. The 2005 Hall of Fame inductee debuted as a rookie with the Sox back in 1982 and played there through 1992, hitting .338/.428/.462 and winning five batting titles (in a span of six years) in his 11 seasons with the club. He’ll join the likes of Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, Jim Rice, Johnny Pesky, Pedro Martinez, Bobby Doerr and Joe Cronin as part of Red Sox lore.

Here are some more notes from the AL East…

  • The Yankees are seeking an inexpensive rotation option, writes George A. King III of the New York Post. Per King, the club hopes to land a young starter via trade or add a rotation option on a minor league deal with an invite to Major League Spring Training. The Yankees, he adds, aren’t involved in the free-agent market at any position at this point. King notes that the Yankees continue to insist that Luis Severino, Aaron Judge, Greg Bird and Jorge Mateo aren’t available in trade, but adding a controllable arm to their rotation mix without parting with said prospects will be a difficult task. As such, it seems to me that adding some veteran arms on minor league deals is a likelier route. A pair of speculative names that would seem to me to be fits: Chad Billingsley and Wandy Rodriguez.
  • 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. While they’ve been connected to Yovani Gallardo and Scott Kazmir, both are seeking four-year pacts. Encina notes that Ubaldo Jimenez is the only free-agent starter the O’s have ever signed to a four-year deal. (Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Orioles are still in the mix for both Gallardo and Kazmir, among other pitchers). Encina also notes that there’s nothing imminent on the Chris Davis front, and the Orioles remain unwilling to up their offer from the reported seven-year deal worth $150MM.
  • Former Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos tells the Canadian Press that he expects to be working again next month. While Anthopoulos said there are media opportunities that have presented themselves, he will most likely take a job with a Major League team in some capacity. “I understand that I may not be a general manager again and I’m OK with that,” said Anthopoulos. “Now again, that’s what my perspective is today. And obviously deciding not to sign an extension, I had to be prepared for that. I just think that all of the decisions I’ve made in my life, I never chased the money. You try to do what ultimately you feel is going to satisfy you and fulfil you. As simple as it sounds — and maybe this is naive — but normally success will follow.”
  • MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm breaks down the Blue Jays’ 11 out-of-options players, noting that many will be competing for jobs in Spring Training. Ezequiel Carrera, Brett Cecil, Jesse Chavez, Steve Delabar, R.A. Dickey, Josh Donaldson, Chad Jenkins, A.J. Jimenez, Josh Thole and Junior Lake are all out of options, Chisholm notes. While many of those names needn’t be the least bit concerned with their lack of options, that factor is much more impactful for the likes of Carrera, Jimenez and Lake. Both Carrera and Lake are at least fifth on the club’s outfield depth chart. Chisholm feels that it’s “only a matter of time” before Jimenez, once one of Toronto’s top prospects and a potential long-term piece behind the plate, is placed on waivers.

Orioles, Four Other Teams Interested In Mat Latos

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The Pirates, Royals, Orioles, Brewers, and Rays have checked in on free agent starter Mat Latos, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (on Twitter).  Latos, he adds, is probably looking at one-year deal to re-establish his value.

One MLB official opined to Crasnick that Latos is “right up [Orioles GM] Dan Duquette’s alley,” (link).  One also has to imagine that Latos makes a lot of sense for the Pirates, who have built a reputation as a team that can help pitchers restore their value.  There have been questions about Latos’ makeup, Crasnick notes, but he also still has some upside at the age of 28.

All five of these teams are likely weighing Latos as a less costly commitment than many of the other top available starters at this juncture of the offseason.  Veteran Scott Kazmir figures to net a nice payday on a multi-year deal and the Royals, who are said to have interest, could pivot to a guy like Latos if Kazmir does not fit in their budget.  The other top hurlers left – Yovani Gallardo, Ian Kennedy, and Wei-Yin Chen – would all require draft pick compensation from teams.  Back in November, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicted that Latos might get a one-year, $12MM deal and he pegged the Pirates as his landing spot.

A few years ago, Latos seemed in line for a monster free agent deal upon hitting the market at age 28. However, injuries and other struggles have drastically changed things. In 2015, he battled minor injuries but showed promise in his 16 starts with the Marlins this year before joining the Dodgers via trade. Latos struggled in six outings for the Dodgers and earned his release, hooking on with the Angels in late September to make a few relief appearances.  In his 2015 stint with the Marlins, Latos pitched to a 4.48 ERA with 8.0 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 over 88 1/3 innings.  His ERA wasn’t stellar, but advanced ERA estimators viewed him more as a mid-3.00 ERA contributor.

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