AL East Notes: A-Rod, Red Sox, Chen
The filing deadline for Alex Rodriguez‘s potential grievance against the Yankees has been put on hold by agreement between MLB and the player’s union, the Associated Press reports (via the New York Times). Presumably, the deal was struck to avoid a major sideshow and to allow the sides more time to work out an agreement regarding the disputed milestone marketing bonuses contemplated in A-Rod’s contract. One of those bonuses was triggered recently when Rodriguez tied Willie Mays on the all-time home run list with his 660th long ball. The team has offered to settle the issue by making a charitable payment (of less than the $6MM provided in the deal) in Rodriguez’s name, per the report.
- The Red Sox bet on bats, says WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford, and they haven’t come through to the extent necessary to overcome the team’s other deficiencies. Bradford argues that is is due not only to the talent on the current roster, but the club’s need for “a flat-out bigger dose of player-driven accountability.” In an appearance on WEEI radio today (via Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald, on Twitter), manager John Farrell said that effort is not a problem, at least currently, though he acknowledged that “there have been times where we’ve had incidents with [effort] that had to be addressed.”
- Looking forward, Dave Cameron of Fangraphs argues that the Red Sox may need to figure out a way to move forward with only one of David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez on next year’s roster. That could be a tall order (and a potentially painful one) given Ortiz’s rather iconic standing and apparent intention to play next year, combined with HanRam’s big contract and current lack of productivity on defense.
- Orioles lefty Wei-Yin Chen was recently optioned despite his excellent results this year, with the team citing fatigue, as Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun explains. Of course, moving Chen down for ten days also allows the club to skip his upcoming start against the lefty-mashing Blue Jays while freeing a roster spot that the club used to add Chris Parmelee (and prevent him from exercising his opt-out clause). Chen’s agent, Scott Boras, called it a “grossly irregular” move that disrupted the starter’s routine. Ultimately, Baltimore had the right to utilize one of Chen’s options, of course, and service time does not appear to be an issue. But it is a rather interesting and unusual move to demote an established starter, even for an organization that has taken full advantage of the chance to shuttle players between the minors and active roster in recent years.
Brandon Workman Undergoes Tommy John Surgery
Red Sox righty Brandon Workman has undergone Tommy John surgery, the club announced (via Tim Britton of the Providence Journal, on Twitter). Workman had yet to see action this year after suffering an elbow strain late in the spring.
Workman, 26, looked to be a useful arm for the club after spending significant time at the big league level over the last two seasons. He threw 128 2/3 innings between 2013-14, splitting his time between the rotation and pen duty. All said Workman owns a 5.11 ERA with 8.2 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 in the big leagues.
Needless to say, Workman will be out all of this year and most (if not all) of next. As WEEI.com’s Ryan Hannable explained earlier in the year, Workman was added to the major league DL, meaning that he will accrue big league service for this year and whatever portion of 2016 he spends rehabbing. With 1.018 years of service entering the season, he could end up qualifying for arbitration after 2016 even if he does not throw a pitch for the Red Sox next year.
Minor Moves: Matt Buschmann, Luis Jimenez
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- Righty Matt Buschmann has triggered the opt-out clause in his deal with the Rays, Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports on Twitter. While the club has two days to determine whether to add him to the big league roster, Olney indicates that Buschmann may be moving on. He says that the Red Sox are the likeliest team to end up adding him, though the Dodgers may also have interest. Buschmann, 31, has never appeared in the majors, but has thrown over 500 innings at both the Double-A and Triple-A levels. This year, he has worked to a 3.89 ERA in 78 2/3 frames at Durham with 7.2 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9.
- Korea’s LG Twins have purchased the rights to infielder Luis Jimenez from the Red Sox, the team announced (via Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, on Twitter). The 27-year-old third baseman saw brief time this year with the Sox and the Brewers. Over 168 total big league plate appearances in his career, Jimenez has slashed .217/.253/.268. He has scuffled this year in limited action at Triple-A, but has strong lifetime numbers at that level: .288/.319/.475 with 43 home runs over nearly 1,300 turns at bat over four seasons.
Red Sox Designate Jeff Bianchi For Assignment
The Red Sox have designated infielder Jeff Bianchi for assignment, reports Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal (Twitter link). The move allows the team to recall lefty Robbie Ross Jr. from Triple-A Pawtucket, he notes.
Bianchi’s second stint in Boston this year has ended like his first. After hitting DFA limbo, being outrighted, and electing free agency last month, Bianchi re-signed with Boston on a major league deal that took him straight to the active roster.
Despite all the transactional action, Bianchi has seen just two plate appearances in three games for the Red Sox this season. Indeed, the 28-year-old has not played much at all this year, due mostly to the multiple moves that have taken place. Over 61 turns at bat for Triple-A Pawtucket, he owns a .302/.373/.340 slash.
AL East Notes: Sox, Cueto, Parmelee, Reimold
It was only a couple of weeks ago that the AL East boasted only one team with a winning record. Now, the Yankees, Rays and Blue Jays are over the .500 mark and the Orioles are right on the line with an even 31-31 record. The only team yet to turn things around are the Red Sox, who have lost six in a row to drop to 27-37 on the season (tied with the Marlins for the fourth-worst record in baseball). Here’s some news from around the division…
- Though the Red Sox have continued to struggle, manager John Farrell and GM Ben Cherington “remain safe for now,” Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports. Earlier this month, owner John Henry said both men were in no danger of being fired.
- The Red Sox, Yankees and Tigers each had a scout at Johnny Cueto‘s last start, FOX Sports’ Jon Paul Morosi reports (Twitter links). As Morosi notes, it’s hard to see Boston buying at the trade deadline given their current record, and Cueto isn’t a fit on a non-contender since he’s only under contract through 2015.
- Chris Parmelee is thought to have a June 15 opt-out date in his minor league deal with the Orioles, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (via Twitter). Parmelee, owner of a .709 OPS over 901 PA with the Twins from 2011-14, took a .319/.388/.454 slash line over 260 Triple-A plate appearances into today’s action. If the Orioles don’t promote Parmelee and he opts for free agency, Rosenthal lists the Rays as a team that could be interested the first baseman/outfielder’s services.
- Nolan Reimold‘s agent and some family members thought a “fresh start” might be best for the outfielder rather than rejoining the Orioles last offseason, but he tells MASNsports.com’s Steve Melewski that he wanted to return to Baltimore. Reimold signed a minor league deal with the O’s and returned to the bigs last Tuesday, already delivering two homers and a 1.232 OPS over his first 16 plate appearances.
Red Sox Outright Peguero; Japanese Team Interested
The Red Sox have outrighted outfielder Carlos Peguero to Triple-A Pawtucket, according to the MLB.com transactions page. However, he has yet to report and Chris Cotillo of SB Nation (on Twitter) hears rumblings that there may be a Japanese team interested in acquiring his rights.
Peguero, 28, was designated for assignment on June 4th in order to make room for the newly-added Alejandro De Aza. Peguero himself was a new addition for the Red Sox as Boston acquired him in late May from the Rangers. The Red Sox likely brought in Peguero to give them an additional left-handed bat in the outfield, but De Aza filled that need when he came aboard.
In total, Peguero saw only six big league plate appearances with Boston. He’s always had plenty of pop — as his 30 Triple-A home runs last year attest — but Peguero strikes out quite a bit while walking only at the league average. Now it remains to be seen whether Peguero will bring his big bat to the minors or to NPB.
As the MLBTR DFA Tracker shows, there are now eight players in DFA limbo: Rickie Weeks, J.C. Ramirez, Darwin Barney, Trevor Cahill, Erik Kratz, Bobby Wilson, Tim Stauffer, and Matt Dominguez.
Draft Signings: Koch, Allen, Moore, Rainey
The 2015 MLB Draft is in the books, and over the coming weeks we’ll see plenty of picks agree to terms with their new clubs. With so many players selected in the draft, there’s no way to cover all of them, but we’ll run down some of the more notable picks — either due to the size of their signing bonus, the round they were selected or a significantly over-slot/under-slot deal — as they’re reported. Here are today’s notable mid-round signings (with all slot values coming courtesy of Baseball America)…
- Righty Brandon Koch has signed with the Rays, the club announced. Financial terms remain unreported. The Dallas Baptist product was taken with the club’s fourth round pick (118th overall), which carries a $479,200 slot value. Baseball America was most bullish on Koch, rating him the 94th available prospect, crediting the collegiate closer with an outstanding slider.
- Red Sox eighth-rounder Logan Allen says that he is in verbal agreement with the club on an above-slot deal between $725K and $750K, Andrew Pearson of the Citizen-Times reports. The 231st pick came with just a $175,100 bonus allocation. Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs had the IMG Academy southpaw, who was a South Carolina commit, rated as the 100th-best draft-eligible player coming in.
- The Mariners have signed Competitive Balance Round B pick (No. 72 overall) Andrew Moore to an $800K bonus that is $52K under slot, reports SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (via Twitter). Baseball America ranked the Oregon State right-hander 125th among draft prospects, while MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo ranked him 137th, and Fangraphs’ Kiley McDaniel ranked him 130th. BA notes that Moore has an 87-91mph fastball with the potential for a pair of average secondary offerings (curve and change) in addition to plus command. MLB.com notes that he could be quick to the big leagues and has fourth or fifth starter upside.
- Cotillo tweeted last night that the Reds had agreed to terms with right-hander Tanner Rainey, and Callis tweeted today that Rainey received $432,950, or half the value of his No. 71 overall slot. Though he received half his slot, Rainey is still an expensive senior sign with a chance to start, Callis notes. ESPN’s Keith Law ranked Rainey 58th, while BA had him at 93, McDaniel had him at 118 and MLB.com had him at 122. ESPN referred to Rainey as a pure reliever who works in the mid-90s with an above-average slider to complement the heater. He’s a two-way player who has an intriguing bat but received more interest as a pitcher.
AL Notes: Hanley, Zobrist, Tanaka
Here’s the latest from the American League:
- Red Sox outfielder Hanley Ramirez expressed little inclination to return to the infield, as WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford reports. He emphasized that he believes on the grass limits the wear and tear on his body, saying “I consider myself an outfielder.” Some have suggested that Ramirez could spend time at first, now or in the future, as the team looks to spark a lagging offense and find time for a large group of outfielders. But it sounds as if that is rather unlikely at this stage.
- Though he’s back from knee surgery, Athletics utilityman Ben Zobrist has yet to look himself, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. The 34-year-old still appears to be a step slow, per Slusser, and has not yet turned things around at the plate. Oakland is well back in the standings and could conceivably move quickly if it sees a sterling opportunity to sell — as ESPN.com’s Buster Olney discussed today in an Insider piece — but one wonders whether that strategy would work for Zobrist, who may need to show more to maximize his value.
- The Yankees‘ risky call to keep Masahiro Tanaka away from the surgeon’s knife has paid dividends so far, writes John Harper of the New York Daily News. Tanaka has been outstanding since returning from the DL, and is running out a mid-90s heater after exhibiting a velocity dip earlier in the season. It remains to be seen whether he can stave off Tommy John surgery permanently, but it’s hard to argue with the decision to wait when he owns a 2.48 ERA with 9.7 K/9 against just 1.7 BB/9 over his first six starts of the year.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Mike Napoli
Outside of Chris Davis of the Orioles, Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli will likely be the most highly sought-after player at the position on next year’s free agent market. But a slow start at the plate has him looking to regain value the rest of the way.
Napoli has hit just .213/.315/.404 in his first 216 plate appearances, well off the .818 OPS mark he carried through his first two seasons in Boston. On the positive side, he has contributed nine home runs and continues to put up typical K:BB numbers (24.5% strikeout rate versus 13.0% walk rate).
Looking behind the slash numbers, there is some cause for concern. Though Napoli carries a .246 BABIP that falls well below his lifetime .308 mark, Fangraphs also credits him with declining hard contact rates and a career-worst 21.5% rate of soft contact. And his line-drive percentage is down to 13.3%, a significant drop from his typical numbers.
While it may be too soon to put much stock in defensive metrics, Napoli has profiled more as a sturdy first baseman than the above-average performer he rated as over the last two seasons. UZR pegs the issue as a decline in his range.
Rob Bradford of WEEI.com examines Napoli’s situation and market standing in an interesting piece today. Napoli himself says he still hopes to stay in Boston, and believes he is in a good place in spite of his dip in productivity. “I swear, until you just said this to me, I hadn’t even thought about it for a while,” he said. “I just feel like everything is going to take care of itself. I feel like I have a lot of good years left. This is the best I’ve felt in a long time health-wise. My sleeping has gotten better. We’ll see. I feel like I could play a long time now.”
Bradford explores the impact of a widening strike zone on Napoli, both in terms of results and his market. Napoli paces the league in the number of pitches seen per plate appearance over the past three years — just shy of 4.5 per — but Bradford says that teams may no longer place quite the premium on that skill that they have in the past.
Napoli himself acknowledged the issue, saying: “if the strike zone is getting bigger that hurts my style of play.” He tells Bradford that he has noticed an impact. “It gets the point where it’s hard for me to think I can take a close pitch,” he said. “Instead I’m swinging at stuff.”
Indeed, the numbers do bear that out to some extent. As Sons of Sam Horn examines in detail, Napoli has seemingly been impacted by a larger zone. And that may be creating broader problems: while his chase rate is flat, and he has a career-high contact rate on pitches in the zone, Napoli’s contact rate on pitches outside the zone has fallen by about ten percentage points from his levels over the past several seasons.
Broader market trends do show some good news for the slugger, however. While he’ll be entering his age-34 season when he hits free agency this fall, only the younger (and, likely, much more costly) Davis presents much of a challenge in terms of first base talent. And there will be plenty of clubs that prefer Napoli’s veteran presence, presumably shorter commitment, and more stable offensive profile to that of Davis.
Napoli looks like a solid bet to remain a viable first baseman, meaning that he won’t be restricted to American League clubs. It’s far too early to play the match-up game, but teams like the Orioles, Rays, Marlins, Brewers, Cardinals, Twins, Padres, Angels, and Mariners all seem like plausible suitors. And a return to the Red Sox cannot be ruled out entirely, particularly given that Hanley Ramirez has rather emphatically rejected the concept of playing first base.
It goes without saying that Napoli’s performance the rest of the way will play an enormous role in determining his standing after the season. As things stand, he seems a borderline qualifying offer candidate, though of course the same up-tick in performance that would make a QO desirable would also increase his appeal. All said, in spite of his rough start, Napoli’s market value probably has not taken much of a hit at this point — particularly given his track record and the fact that Davis has yet to regain his 2013 form — though he has work ahead of him to show that he can still deliver well-above-average offensive production.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AL East Notes: Odorizzi, Navarro, Bradley, O’s
Rays right-hander Jake Odorizzi will visit a doctor on Monday to determine the severity of the oblique injury that forced an early departure from Friday’s start. Though the extent of the injury is yet to be determined, manager Kevin Cash told reporters (including the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin) that it’s “fair to say” that Odorizzi will miss some time. Needless to say, the last thing the Rays need is another starter on the DL given how their staff has already been ravaged by injuries this season. Odorizzi was enjoying an excellent season, owning a 2.47 ERA, 7.4 K/9 and 4.2 K/BB rate through 76 2/3 innings as he and Chris Archer have been carrying the beleaguered Tampa rotation. Here’s some more from around the AL East…
- Dioner Navarro has returned from the DL and has resumed being one of the Blue Jays‘ primary trade chips, Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star writes. Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos candidly discussed Navarro’s trade candidacy in a recent chat with reporters, saying that catcher was “an area of depth” for Toronto. “He could be an everyday guy for somebody. We like him on the team. He’s valuable,” Anthopoulos said. “We’re glad he’s on this team, but if there’s that opportunity we improve the club and it gets him an everyday playing spot, we would do that and I’ve said that to him as well. He understands that.” In short, Anthopoulos’ stance on Navarro hasn’t changed from what he was saying about the catcher’s trade status during the offseason. He noted that he had spoken to Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart about Navarro within the last few weeks.
- In addition to the Blue Jays‘ known need for relief help, Anthopoulos noted that the Blue Jays were also looking for outfield depth. Dalton Pompey‘s demotion has led to backup Kevin Pillar playing almost every day, and injuries to Michael Saunders and Jose Bautista led to variety of infielders (including Chris Colabello and Danny Valencia) filling the corner outfield slots with mediocre defensive results. Griffin figures that Navarro may be dangled as trade bait for an outfielder since the Jays’ remaining payroll space may be targeted for bullpen upgrades.
- The Red Sox aren’t looking to trade Jackie Bradley, Fangraphs’ David Laurila reports, nor is Bradley “in the proverbial doghouse” with team management. The Sox, however, have been using other outfield options and have no plans to promote Bradley from Triple-A despite his strong play, leading Laurila to wonder if his source was correct.
- Since the Orioles‘ roster may be depleted by free agent departures this winter, MASNsports.com’s Steve Melewski wonders if the team could draft college players to provide immediate help for 2016. This theory is countered, however, by an interview with MLB.com’s Jim Callis, who feels that it’s generally safer to just take the best player available, regardless of whether he’s a high schooler or a college kid.
- MLBTR’s Zach Links covered a couple of Yankees and Red Sox items in an East Notes post earlier today.