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Dombrowski, Klentak On Clay Buchholz Trade

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Following today’s deal that sent veteran righty Clay Buchholz from the Red Sox to the Phillies, general managers Dave Dombrowski and Matt Klentak addressed the media about the swap from their teams’ respective points of view. Here are some of the highlights:

  • For Boston, the move came now in large part because the organization wasn’t sure whether there would be a market for Buchholz (and his $13.5MM salary) if it waited until the spring, as Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald was among those to report. While holding onto the depth or seeking a greater return could’ve been pursued, Dombrowski explains that the team “had to be a little bit conservative.” With what he views as adequate depth in the potential MLB rotation and upper levels of the minors, he felt comfortable striking a deal. The organization intends to “sort through” its final back-of-the-rotation mix this spring, per Dombrowski (via Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald, on Twitter).
  • While Dombrowski said that the club likes the hitting ability of the prospect acquired — 24-year-old second baseman Josh Tobias, who recently became a switch-hitter — he did also acknowledge that the luxury tax was a consideration. By shedding Buchholz’s salary, the Sox now sit comfortably below the $195MM tax line, which would allow for a re-set of the luxury tax payout scheme (which heavily penalizes teams that repeatedly exceed the threshold). While it wasn’t a “driving force” in the decision, per Dombrowski, he noted that the organization now has some added breathing room — both now and during the season — though he stressed that he does not anticipate further modifying the major-league mix over the rest of the winter.
  • Further to that last point, the veteran executive made clear that the swap was not pursued to set up another acquisition, as Tim Britton of the Providence Journal tweets. “The move was not made to create the flexibility to pursue individuals that are perceived as the big names out there,” said Dombrowski. While some had posited that clearing payroll space might enable a move for star free agent Edwin Encarnacion, that doesn’t appear to be in the plans. In any event, signing him at his anticipated rate would likely push Boston right back over the tax line.
  • For the Phils, adding Buchholz was actually under consideration for some time. Klentak noted that his organization had engaged the Red Sox on Buchholz as far back as last year’s trade deadline, as Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports. The righty’s late-season improvements and the presence of Philadelphia pitching coach Bob McClure (who tutored Buchholz when he held the same role in Boston) were factors in the move. “We’re hoping that a lot of the adjustments that Clay made toward the end of this last season, he’ll be able to maintain those here working with Bob,” Klentak explained.

Phillies Acquire Clay Buchholz

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The Phillies have officially struck a deal to acquire righty Clay Buchholz from the Red Sox, as Jon Heyman of Fan Rag first reported (via Twitter). Second baseman Josh Tobias will be the piece going to Boston in the swap, in which Philadelphia will pick up all the remaining obligations to Buchholz, as Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer was first to report (via Twitter). Philadelphia designated just-acquired third baseman Richie Shaffer for assignment to clear roster space.

Oct 10, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Clay Buchholz (11) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Cleveland Indians during game three of the 2016 ALDS playoff baseball series at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Buchholz, 32, has seemed like a fairly likely trade candidate ever since Boston struck its deal to acquire Chris Sale. That acquisition left the team with a somewhat over-stuffed depth chart in its rotation, with the luxury tax line also representing a possible factor. The Sox had previously picked up Buchholz’s $13.5MM option for the 2017 season, making him an expensive depth piece. He is slated to hit free agency after the upcoming campaign.

[RELATED: Updated Phillies & Red Sox Depth Charts]

For the Phils, the move represents a clear continuation of the strategy put in place this winter (and reflects much the same approach as that employed a year ago). After starter Jeremy Hellickson took his qualifying offer to remain in Philadelphia, the club went on to deal for veteran infielder/outfielder Howie Kendrick and reliever Pat Neshek, each of whom had one season left on their original free-agent contracts. And the organization also added late-inning man Joaquin Benoit and infielder Andres Blanco on single-season, MLB arrangements while picking up minor-league free agents such as Daniel Nava, Sean Burnett, and Pedro Florimon. While building out the roster with solid veterans who don’t tie up the payroll beyond the 2017 campaign, Philadelphia also made a value bet on center fielder Odubel Herrera, who inked a five-year extension.

All told, the new additions add $57.7MM to the books for Philadelphia in the coming season. Given that much of the rest of the roster will earn at or near the MLB minimum, it’s hardly a massive outlay for an organization that routinely placed among the game’s biggest spenders before embarking upon a rebuilding path (and has only recently begun a lucrative new TV deal). Importantly, none of these acquisitions cost the Phillies much in the way of future value. They’ll allow the club to field a more competitive product, reduce the pressure on younger players in the system, and, potentially, cash in some of the new assets for future value — either by trade-deadline swaps or even future qualifying offers.

In Buchholz, the Phils have added an enigmatic starter who has at times been rather excellent and still comes with his share of upside. In 2015, he worked to a 3.26 ERA over 113 1/3 frames with a strong 8.5 K/9 against 1.8 BB/9, representing one of several seasons in which he looked like a quality number 2 or 3 starter. But he dealt with elbow issues in 2015 and wasn’t able to repeat in his latest campaign. Buchholz was bumped from the rotation at one point and ended 2016 with 139 1/3 frames of 4.78 ERA pitching to go with 6.0 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9. While he has often generated grounders on about half of the balls put in play against him, he dipped to 41.2% last year.

Despite the struggles, Buchholz did carry a typical 92.1 mph average on his fastball and a 9.5% swinging-strike rate that’s right at league average for a starter. He also ended the year on a good note, posting a 2.86 ERA across the last 44 innings he’ll throw in a Red Sox uniform (barring, at least a surprise reunion at some point down the line). As Tim Britton of the Providence Journal detailed at the time and Buchholz himself discussed with David Laurila of Fangraphs, there were adjustments that may help explain the turnaround and could add some confidence to the Phillies’ hopes. Buchholz wasn’t able to work in the zone as much as he had in 2015 (though that was something of an outlier year), and also couldn’t maintain the 5.9% HR/FB rate that helped drive his success in the prior season.

As MLBTR’s Steve Adams posited at the outset of the winter, pitchers such as Buchholz and then-Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia could have their options picked up before being dealt. While neither brought back major hauls in their respective trades, their respective teams were able to hold onto them as depth to enhance their flexibility entering the offseason, then pivot to a trade when it was determined that their services wouldn’t be needed.

Certainly, the Cards seem to have earned more for Garcia (who came with a $12MM salary) than the Sox got out of Buchholz’s final season. The trio of youngsters shipped from the Braves for Garcia all had placed among the Atlanta organization’s top thirty prospects (per MLB.com), while Tobias has never received that kind of recognition. The 24-year-old split last year between the Class A and High-A levels, hitting well (.304/.375/.444) for much of the year at the former and struggling (.254/.324/.357) in 146 plate appearances after his promotion.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Red Sox May Be Nearing Deal Involving Clay Buchholz

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The Red Sox may soon strike a deal to move righty Clay Buchholz, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). The potential acquiring team has not yet been identified, but Heyman adds (on Twitter) that the Phillies were looking into the veteran starter. Other organizations could conceivably have interest as well, of course; the Marlins have previously been linked, though at last check the sides were not lining up on a deal.

AL East Notes: Encarnacion, Red Sox, Yankees

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Here’s the latest from around the AL East…

  • After Edwin Encarnacion didn’t immediately accept the Blue Jays’ initial four-year, $80MM offer, Toronto quickly pivoted to sign Kendrys Morales.  With Encarnacion still unsigned as we move into late December, Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi opines that the Jays could have re-signed the slugger at around that price had they been a bit more patient.  By contrast, as Davidi notes, the Dodgers were able to re-sign Kenley Jansen, Justin Turner and Rich Hill after expressing their interest in the players but giving them time to test the market before circling back with an offer.  “Given how much common ground there was [between Encarnacion and the Jays], it’s an awful, awful way to part with a franchise icon,” Davidi writes.  The door isn’t yet totally closed on an Encarnacion return to Toronto, though with Morales and Steve Pearce both joining Justin Smoak in the first base/DH mix, it seems like the Blue Jays have already moved on.
  • The Red Sox have positioned themselves for a three-year window as World Series contenders, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald writes, with a potential for a longer-term run of contention if current top prospects develop or if the Sox decide to lock up current young stars like Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley or Xander Bogaerts to extensions.
  • As part of a reader mailbag, Mike Axisa of the River Ave Blues blog posits that Masahiro Tanaka, Dellin Betances and/or Tyler Clippard are logical deadline trade chips for the Yankees if New York is only on the fringes of the postseason race (as in 2016) or out of it altogether.  Tanaka (if he exercises his opt-out) and Clippard will both be free agents next winter, and Axisa feels the Yankees should probably be listening to offers for Betances right now, given the current high demand for elite relief pitching.  Tanaka’s opt-out looms as one of the major subplots of the Yankees’ season, and while Tanaka could arguably be shopped now if the team doesn’t feel he’ll stay beyond 2017, Axisa doesn’t think it makes sense for the Yankees to trade their best pitcher after spending big to re-sign Aroldis Chapman.  It’s not out of the question that the Yankees trade Tanaka for prospects at the deadline and then look to re-sign him, as they did with Chapman this past year.

Mariners Notes: Pomeranz, Smith, Smyly, Bautista

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Some Mariners rumblings, in two separate pieces from Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune…

  • Red Sox left-hander Drew Pomeranz is believed to be on the Mariners’ list of rotation trade targets.  This presumes, of course, that Boston is actually willing to deal Pomeranz, as Dutton notes that the Sox “sent mixed messages” about the southpaw’s availability during the Winter Meetings.  Pomeranz posted a 3.32 ERA, 9.8 K/9 and 2.86 K/BB rate over 170 2/3 innings with the Padres and Red Sox last season, though the bulk of his best work came in San Diego.  This is just my speculation, but as Jon Heyman reported that the M’s were apparently quite close to dealing Seth Smith to Boston, perhaps Pomeranz was also a part of that proposed trade.  (If that was the case, the two teams will have to go back the drawing board, as Boston has since signed Mitch Moreland to address their need for a left-handed bat.)
  • Speaking of Smith, Dutton hears from a source that the Rays have shown interest in Smith in the past.  The Mariners and Rays have been linked in trade talks this winter, with Seattle reportedly looking at Tampa’s available starting pitchers.  Dutton suggests that Drew Smyly could be the likelier fit for the M’s, as the Rays would require a lesser return for Smyly than for Chris Archer or Jake Odorizzi.  The Mariners and Rays are no strangers to each other, as Dutton notes that the two clubs have made two multi-player deals in the 15 months since Jerry Dipoto became Seattle’s general manager.
  • There has been virtually no indication that the Mariners have any interest in signing Jose Bautista, Dutton reports.  Bautista’s age, the draft pick compensation tied to his services via the qualifying offer, his injury-plagued 2016 season and subsequent drop in production have combined to create a rather unclear market for the veteran slugger.  If Smith was traded for a pitcher, Dutton opines, a veteran bat like Bautista could become more of a possibility for the Mariners.  Right now, the M’s are planning to use several inexperienced players (i.e. Ben Gamel, Dan Vogelbach, Mitch Haniger) in regular outfield or first base roles.

AL Notes: Sale, Orioles, Tigers, Mariners

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Newly acquired Red Sox ace Chris Sale’s unorthodox delivery hasn’t posed any significant problems to this point, as he has exceeded the 200-inning mark in three of his five seasons as a starter and combined for 386 frames in the other two campaigns. Asked if that delivery will lead to trouble down the road, Sale’s former pitching coach with the White Sox, Don Cooper, told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, “He knows himself really good. His delivery is solid.” Cooper added, “Chris Sale has three above-average major league pitches that he pours in and throws strikes. I don’t want to sound cocky, but I don’t think anyone saying stuff has a better idea about his delivery than me.” Cooper then lavished further praise on the 27-year-old Sale, who he thinks landed with the right club. “He’s put up Hall of Fame-credible numbers. And now he’s going to a team that is sparing no expense,” said Cooper. “Nothing stands in the way of them putting together the best team. He’s going to a team where he has a chance to put up even more wins. If he has 10 years like he’s had, he has a chance to have a Hall of Fame career.” Cooper had plenty more to say about Sale, so checking out Cafardo’s piece to read all of the pitching guru’s comments is highly recommended.

More from the American League:

  • The Orioles are interested in bringing back two of their former relievers, free agent right-handers David Hernandez and Vance Worley, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Hernandez, 31, was the Orioles’ fifth-round pick in 2005 and stayed with the organization through the 2010 campaign. He spent 2016 in Philadelphia, where he tossed 70 2/3 innings and logged a 3.84 ERA, 9.91 K/9 and 3.96 BB/9. Worley was with the Orioles last season, but they non-tendered him earlier this month in lieu of paying the 29-year-old a projected $3.3MM via arbitration in 2017. The swingman recorded a 3.53 ERA despite an ugly 1.6 K/BB ratio last season.
  • Having traded Cameron Maybin to the Angels earlier this offseason, the Tigers are looking for center field help “on every front,” general manager Al Avila told Evan Woodbery of MLive.com. “Maybe we can get that guy in a trade,” Avila said. “Maybe we can wait until January and get a guy to be a temporary fix. Maybe we can plug that hole with a sixth-year minor league free agent.” The Tigers have in-house center fielders Tyler Collins, JaCoby Jones and Anthony Gose set to compete for jobs, but they’d like for Jones to develop further at Triple-A Toledo. Gose spent most of his time last season in Toledo, where he got into a dispute with then-manager and now-Tigers hitting coach Lloyd McClendon. That rift is now “water under the bridge,” according to Tigers skipper Brad Ausmus. Gose is unlikely to reunite with McClendon in Detroit, writes Woodbery, who points out that Gose has no minor league options remaining. As a result, he might end up joining another organization via waivers if he doesn’t crack the Tigers’ roster. Collins is also devoid of options, though he’s a better bet than Gose to stick with the Tigers, suggests Woodbery.
  • After the Mariners promoted Edwin Diaz from Double-A Jackson to the majors last June, the electric 22-year-old burst on the big league scene and quickly became an elite reliever with his fastball-slider mix. The club might have another Diaz on its hands in relief prospect Thyago Vieira, who also relies on a fastball and slider, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times details. Vieira, who’s older than Diaz (24 next month), is capable of hitting 103 mph on the radar gun. “There can’t be many people in professional baseball with a better arm,” Mariners director of player development Andy McKay told Divish. “He throws enough strikes. I don’t think anyone would say there’s a ton of command, but there are plenty of strikes and the slider is hard to hit and really hard not to swing at.” Vieira spent most of 2016 at the High-A level and then pitched in the Arizona Fall League, but the Mariners nearly released him before the season. “In spring training, there was a question as to whether he was going to make a team or not based on his age and general performance history,” GM Jerry Dipoto revealed. Now, after working with minor league pitching coach Ethan Katz, Vieira is on Seattle’s 40-man roster and could debut in the majors in 2017. “I saw a big arm with a lot of potential that just needed a little more time to figure it out,” Katz stated. “There was some stuff that he was doing that needed to be fixed to help him succeed.” Vieira credits Katz for his breakout year. “I have to say thank you to the Mariners for giving me the opportunity to work with him,” Vieira said.

Red Sox Notes: Sandoval, Ziegler, Thornburg

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Videos posted to Instragram from Red Sox team facilities in Florida show that Pablo Sandoval appears to have lost a significant amount of weight, notes Jen McCaffrey of MassLive.com (who, unfortunately, does not seem to have been at the scene to report on Sandoval’s mass live). The videos show Sandoval running and lifting, and he appears to be significantly more svelte than he was prior to the 2016 season. The Red Sox are now two mostly wasted years into Sandoval’s five-year, $95MM deal after Sandoval performed poorly in 2015 and then lost most of 2016 to a shoulder injury. Getting a good 2017 campaign from him would provide them with a significant boost, particularly with less certainty at the corner infield spots and DH than they’ve had in years past. Here’s more on the Red Sox.

  • Brad Ziegler is now (or will soon be) a Marlin, but Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski’s trade for him last summer might rank as one of his best so far, WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford writes. Many of Dombrowski’s trades so far have been risky, as the Sox have given up top prospects like Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, Manuel Margot and Anderson Espinoza. While the two prospects (Jose Almonte and Luis Alejandro Basabe) with whom the Red Sox parted for Ziegler have potential, the risk was manageable. Also, the Red Sox likely wouldn’t have made the postseason had Ziegler (who posted a 1.52 ERA over 29 2/3 innings with Boston) not stabilized their bullpen, Bradford argues.
  • The Red Sox’ recent trade for Tyler Thornburg looks better than it did in the short time since it was made, due to developments in the free agent market for relief pitching, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald argues. Not only have top closers like Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen and Mark Melancon cashed in big, but even secondary relief arms like Ziegler and Junichi Tazawa have gotten significant paydays. Thornburg, who’s coming off a brilliant 2.15 ERA, 12.1 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 season in Milwaukee, gives the Red Sox a strong bullpen option who will be controllable for three more seasons. The Red Sox’ only significant miss on the bullpen front was Koji Uehara, who signed with the Cubs for a reasonable price, Mastrodonato writes.

Six Teams Set To Pay Luxury Tax

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Six major league organizations will pay a luxury tax for exceeding the $189MM salary level, as the Associated Press reports (via Sportsnet.ca). With a new collective bargaining agreement set to go into effect, we’ve never seen more teams subject to the tax.

It’s no surprise which organizations lead the way yet again, but they’ll be joined by a few more others than usual. Here’s the full list:

  • Dodgers, $31.8MM tax bill
  • Yankees, $27.4MM
  • Red Sox, $4.5MM
  • Tigers, $4MM
  • Giants, $3.4MM
  • Cubs, $2.96MM

That’s four years in a row for Los Angeles and a remarkable fourteen straight for the Bronx Bombers, the AP notes. Also of note, this is the first time the Cubs have ever exceeded the luxury tax ceiling.

While the line will move up to $195MM next year, under the new CBA, the penalties will begin to rise — especially for consecutive offenders. Dipping back under the limbo stick may prove tough for the Dodgers, whose future obligations draw down more the following year. But the Yankees could well finally be set to re-set their luxury tax status this time next year.

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/16/16

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Here are the latest minor moves from around the league:

  • The Rays added catcher Michael McKenry on a minor-league contract, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets. Heyman further adds that McKenry will receive $900K if he’s in the Majors, plus a possible $475K in incentives. He has opt-outs on March 30 and June 1. With Wilson Ramos not expected to be ready to take over behind the plate for at least the first month or two of the year, there’s a need for depth. McKenry will presumably battle with pre-existing options Luke Maile and Curt Casali for a roster spot to open the season.
  • Outfielder Brandon Barnes is headed to the Marlins on a minors pact, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets. The deal includes a Spring Training invite. Barnes, 30, figures to function as a depth piece after seeing time in the majors over parts of the last five seasons. He struggled to a .220/.250/.320 batting line in just 109 MLB plate appearances last year.
  • Lefty Jeff Beliveau is headed to the Blue Jays on a minors deal with a spring invite, per a club announcement. The 29-year-old has thrown 45 MLB frames spread over four years, with an even 4.00 ERA and 9.4 K/9 against 4.2 BB/9. Last year, he didn’t pitch above the Double-A level in the Orioles system, but provided 49 2/3 innings of 2.54 ERA pitching with a dozen K/9 to go with a sub-optimal 5.3 BB/9.
  • Righty Erik Johnson is back with the Padres on a minor-league arrangement, Heyman tweets. Johnson will continue to work back from Tommy John surgery with San Diego, which had recently non-tendered him.
  • The Orioles announced a series of minors signings. Among those not previously covered at MLBTR, the club will bring back outfielder Chris Dickerson and take a shot on Tomo Ohka. Dickerson joined Beliveau at Double-A in the Baltimore organization last year, hitting well in brief action there, but hasn’t seen the bigs since 2014. Ohka, 40, is a much more speculative addition; he’s trying to return to the majors for the first time since 2009 by turning himself into a knuckleballer.
  • Anther pitcher seeking to make it back after a long run away from the majors is lefty Andy Oliver, who’ll try things out with the Brewers, per Heyman (via Twitter). Heyman adds that can opt out of his deal on June 15 if he’s not on the big-league roster, and Oliver also receives a foreign team inquiry clause. Oliver blitzed through the Tigers system after being taken in the 2nd round of the 2009 draft. He cracked the bigs briefly in 2010-11, but has plied his trade at Triple-A ever since. Oliver moved back to the rotation for half of his appearances last year with the Orioles’ top affiliate, which may have helped as he finally quelled some of his control issues. Oliver ended 2016 with a 3.43 ERA over 86 2/3 frames and 8.7 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9 (his lowest walk rate since his debut year in full-season professional ball).
  • The Tigers added third baseman Zack Cox on a minor-league arrangement, the indy ball Wichita Wingnuts announced. Once a highly regarded prospect, Cox never earned a major league call-up during his time in the Cardinals and Marlins systems, but hit .290/.348/.452 last year in 460 plate appearances for Wichita.
  • Five players are returning to the Rangers organization on minor-league pacts, per Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter links). Utilityman Alex Burg will join right-handed hurlers Dario Beltre, Austin Bibens-Dirkx, Anthony Carter, and David Perez in returning to Texas. There’s a new farmhand coming in, too, as the Rangers added righty James Dykstra from the White Sox in a cash deal. Dykstra, 26, reached Double-A last year, throwing 102 1/3 innings of 4.93 ERA ball with 5.8 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9.
  • Two previously designated players — catcher Justin O’Conner (Rays) and lefty Williams Jerez (Red Sox) — have been outrighted by their organizations, per club announcements.

Red Sox Avoid Arbitration With Brandon Workman

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The Red Sox have avoided arbitration with Brandon Workman, per a club announcement (h/t Tim Britton of the Providence Journal, via Twitter). It’s a $635K deal, per ESPN.com’s Scott Lauber (via Twitter), coming in just over MLBTR’s $600K projection.

Workman, 28, was eligible for the first time despite the fact that he hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2014. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2015, and never quite made it back to the big leagues last season — though did throw twenty minor-league rehab frames.

While there may still be some risk in the health of Workman’s right arm, Boston isn’t staking much on its bet. Most of the already limited salary figure won’t even be guaranteed until camp is about to break next spring. Mostly, it’s a matter of occupying a 40-man spot, which the Sox are evidently willing to do to get another look at the former second-round pick.

In his 128 2/3 total major league frames, Workman owns a 5.11 ERA with 8.2 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9. But he has generally been better in the minors, including 17 starts at Triple-A, over which he owns a 3.63 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9.

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