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Mariners Acquire Miley, Aro In Exchange For Smith, Elias

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An exceptionally busy offseason for Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto continued on Monday, as the Mariners acquired left-hander Wade Miley and right-handed reliever Jonathan Aro from the Red Sox in exchange for lefty Roenis Elias and right-handed reliever Carson Smith. Both teams have formally announced the trade.

Wade Miley

Miley, 29, has a long history with Dipoto, who not only was a consultant with the Red Sox after electing to leave his job with the Angels this summer but also served as the Diamondbacks’ scouting director when Miley was drafted back in 2008. Miley is controlled for at least two more seasons for a total of $15.25MM, and his contract also contains a $12MM club option for the 2018 season. He’ll give the Mariners a reasonably priced arm to slot into the rotation behind Felix Hernandez alongside Taijuan Walker and James Paxton.

Miley’s first season with Boston got off to a slow start, but the lefty rebounded from a ghastly 8.62 April ERA to 4.10 ERA with a 137-to-58 K/BB ratio across his final 178 innings of the 2015 season. Miley has been a healthy and consistent innings eater dating back to his sophomore season in 2012, averaging 198 innings of 3.92 ERA ball per year despite spending three years with the hitter-friendly Chase Field as his home park and a fourth season in the American League East. One can imagine that the move to the spacious Safeco Field will benefit Miley considerably.

Aro, 25, posted outstanding numbers between Double-A and Triple-A in 2015 and ultimately made his big league debut. He logged a 3.04 ERA with 8.8 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9 in 74 minor league innings. He yielded eight runs in 10 1/3 Major League innings and averaged 92.5 mph on his fastball while posting an eight-to-four K/BB ratio. MLB.com ranked Aro 26th among Boston farmhands, noting that his fastball features some sink and can touch 95 mph. He has a slider and changeup as well, with the former grading as at least average. Their scouting report feels he can pitch successfully in multiple-inning relief stints and calls Aro “durable.”

Seattle’s decision to part with Smith comes as somewhat of a surprise. The 26-year-old delivered 70 brilliant innings of relief, pitching to a 2.31 ERA with 11.8 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and an exceptional 64.8 percent ground-ball rate. Smith ranked sixth among qualified relievers in ground-ball rate and struck out a greater number of batters than nearly any pitcher on the top 30 in that regard. He’s controllable for another five seasons and will give president of baseball operation Dave Dombrowski and the Red Sox another elite relief arm to pair with the likes of Craig Kimbrel and Koji Uehara in the late innings.

Carson Smith

The Red Sox will also pick up a left-hander with significant big league experience in the form of Elias. The 27-year-old has spent the past two seasons mostly at the big league level, logging a 3.97 ERA with 7.7 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 44.9 percent ground-ball rate. Elias has yielded an unspectacular .255/.333/.411 batting line to right-handed hitters but dominated lefties, holding same-handed batters to a .218/.304/.332 clip. His control against lefties could stand to improve a bit, but he’s a generally useful weapon against them and could conceivably be tougher if shifted to a bullpen role, where he could throw harder in shorter stints.

A bullpen slot could be his best shot at cracking the roster next spring, as an immediate spot in the Boston rotation doesn’t seem too likely. The Red Sox currently have David Price, Clay Buchholz, Eduardo Rodriguez, Rick Porcello and Joe Kelly, to say nothing of highly regarded left-handers Henry Owens and Brian Johnson more or less ready for big league action.

Of course, Elias could simply be rotation depth for the Red Sox in the event that they trade another arm or two, or he could be flipped to another club himself. Earlier this offseason, the Marlins were said to have some interest in him when discussing potential Marcell Ozuna deals (though they were looking for considerably more than Elias alone in exchange for Ozuna). Elias is controllable through the 2020 season and won’t be arbitration eligible until at least the 2017-18 offseason.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX reported earlier this afternoon that the two sides were making progress on a deal that would send Miley to Seattle. Ken Davidoff of the New York Post reported the trade was in place (Twitter link). Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweeted that Aro, Elias and Smith were involved.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mariners Making Progress On Wade Miley Trade

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1:12pm: The Mariners and Red Sox are making progress on a trade that would send Miley to Seattle, Rosenthal now tweets.

11:41am: The Mariners and Red Sox are in trade talks centering around one of Boston’s starters, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). It’s not clear precisely which player is being targeted, according to Rosenthal, but it’s believed to be either Clay Buchholz or Wade Miley, he adds.

Dipoto is familiar with both pitchers to varying degrees after his recent stint as a senior adviser in the Red Sox front office. However, his ties with Miley date back to his days with the Diamondbacks; Dipoto was Arizona’s interim GM in 2010 and was the club’s director of scouting when Miley was drafted in 2008, so it stands to reason that he sees a good deal of things to like in Miley’s arm.

The Mariners are known to be eyeing rotation upgrades — Dipoto has said as much — but recently lost out on their top target, right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma, who agreed to a three-year deal worth a reported $45MM in guaranteed money. Dipoto has been far and away the most active GM on the trade market this winter, so it’s hardly a surprise to see him further linked to upgrading his roster in that fashion.

Miley, 29, is guaranteed a total of $15.25MM over the next two seasons and has a $12MM club option for the 2018 season on his contract, making him a highly affordable option. Buchholz, too, is reasonably affordable, as he’s owed $13MM for the 2016 campaign. He’s controllable through 2017 via a club option.

Latest On Trade Interest In Boston’s Starting Pitchers

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Names such as Joe Kelly, Wade Miley and Clay Buchholz have all been mentioned in a wide variety of trade rumors thus far today, so we’ll start keeping track of non-major updates in one spot. Thus far, the Mariners are known to be discussing either Miley or Buchholz (and, as I noted in that post, Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto has a long history with Miley). The Rangers, on the other hand, are said to have quite a bit of interest in Kelly. Boston, of course, signed David Price to a record-setting $217MM contract last week, giving them more starters than rotation spots. The remaining pitchers on their roster figure to be oft-mentioned as trade candidates at this week’s Winter Meetings.

Here’s the latest…

  • The Red Sox aren’t motivated to trade Kelly at this time, a Major League source tells WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. Kelly is more affordable than either Buchholz or Miley in the near-term, and his finish to the season was exceptionally strong, so it shouldn’t come as a total shock that the team isn’t necessarily looking to deal him. There still seems to be quite a bit of interest in Kelly, however, so it’s certainly possible that a club alters Boston’s course of thinking in the coming three to four days.
  • The Rangers have indeed talked to the Red Sox about a deal involving Kelly, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, but their focus is said to be elsewhere at this time. MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan adds (also via Twitter) that in addition to Kelly, the Rangers have spoken to Boston about Miley.
  • The Marlins have checked in with the Red Sox about both Miley and Kelly, according to MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro (Twitter link). Miami is known to be seeking starting pitching upgrades, and the Marlins had quite a bit of interest in Miley last year at this time before he wound up being traded to the Red Sox.
  • Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports that the Royals are interested in some of the Red Sox’ starters but don’t have interest in Rick Porcello (Twitter link).

Rangers Interested In Joe Kelly, Drew Smyly

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The Rangers have spoken to the Red Sox about right-hander Joe Kelly, reports MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan (via Twitter), who adds that Rays lefty Drew Smyly is another potential target for the Rangers. Meanwhile, the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo tweets that the Rangers are “very interested” in Kelly. Rob Bradford of WEEI spoke with Kelly himself, who acknowledged the possibility that he could be moved due to Boston’s rotation surplus.

Kelly, 27, struggled tremendously in his first 14 starts with Boston, logging a 5.67 ERA that prompted a demotion to the minors. Upon returning, Kelly pitched to a much-improved 3.77 ERA with a 50-to-18 K/BB ratio in 11 starts, including an impressive 2.35 mark across his final eight outings of the season. Kelly also averaged 95.4 mph on his fastball, ranking him among the game’s hardest-throwing starters, and can be controlled for three more seasons via the arbitration process. If Texas, or any other club, believes that his end-of-season production is sustainable, he’s certainly an appealing trade chip. And, of course, many have long believed that Kelly could thrive in a bullpen role, which would be a nice fallback option for any team should he not pan out in the rotation.

The 26-year-old Smyly stands out as another reasonable rotation target for the Rangers. Like Kelly, he’s controllable through the 2018 season, though he’s coming off a season that was significantly shortened by a small labral tear in his left shoulder. Smyly threw just 66 1/3 innings for the Rays in 2015, although they were high in quality, as has come to be the expectation. Smyly logged a 3.11 ERA with 10.4 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9 to go along with a 36.8 percent ground-ball rate. While the Rays have already moved one starter this winter in Nate Karns, reports have indicated over the past month that they’re open to moving another arm.

Central Notes: Indians, Reds, Chapman, Cubs, Tigers, Pelfrey, Cards, Pirates

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Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti tells MLB Network Radio (audio link) that he’s chasing offensive upgrades, with interest in hitters from both sides of the plate. “I think it’s probably safe to say … that if you’re a corner bat or an outfielder, that we are investigating those options,” said Antonetti, who added that Cleveland is “definitely looking to improve our position player club.” The executive made clear in his comments that the team is open to adding multiple bats.

Here’s more from the central divisions:

  • The Reds “have made everyone available,” Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets, including third baseman Todd Frazier. President of baseball operations Walt Jocketty indicated that would probably be the case back in November, as C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported at the time. “I don’t know if we’re in a position to say there’s any untouchables,” said Jocketty. With the Winter Meetings opening tomorrow, it seems that Cincinnati will be one of the major sellers to watch.
  • While the Reds have fielded the most active recent interest from the Dodgers and the Astros in star southpaw Aroldis Chapman, per another Heyman tweet, Cincinnati and Houston have been “having [a] hard time matching up.” All indications are that the ’Stros have been casting a wide net in their search for a top-notch reliever, possibly indicating a focus on achieving value, and it’s certainly possible to imagine that the team will be hesitant to cough up a major prospect haul after cashing in some significant assets at the trade deadline. Cincinnati will no doubt be looking to add near-MLB talent to plug onto a roster that has dealt with injury and performance issues in recent years, though MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon reports that the team has some encouraging news on the progress of shortstop Zack Cozart and catcher Devin Mesoraco.
  • The Cubs have been chatting with the Rays about “some match ups,” tweets Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com, who notes that lefty reliever Jake McGee is “intriguing.” We have heard recently that Chicago could be looking to add a major arm via trade.
  • Tigers GM Al Avila says his focus this week in Nashville will be on bolstering the pen, Jason Beck of MLB.com tweets. Detroit might still look to make changes on the position player side of the equation, but that probably will not occur this week.
  • The Tigers have already addressed their rotation, of course, after announcing the signing of Mike Pelfrey to go with the previously-inked Jordan Zimmermann. As Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports, Avila called the move a “scout signing” in that the team believes the big righty has shown the ability to produce solid results moving forward. “He’s a guy we were very comfortable with,” Avila explained “He’s a guy that’s a good bet for us that he can bounce back and build off last year. Our intent was to get a guy that can get us 30 starts, give us some innings, a veteran guy that has good clubhouse makeup.”
  • Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt Jr. says that his club will “stretch again if we see the right opportunity” after putting in a big offer for lefty David Price, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. All told, Goold writes, the organization appears primed to have a major impact on the market even after missing on Price.
  • Another team that chased Price, the Cubs, sought to woo him with a seven-year, $161MM offer, per Levine (via Twitter). That is believed to be the third-highest offer, behind the Cards and the ultimately successful Red Sox. Of course, Chicago ultimately went on to add John Lackey for two years and $32MM, a signing that drew strong praise from at least one rival GM, per Heyman (via Twitter).
  • Meanwhile, the Pirates have a host of needs that remain open at this time, as Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. Team president Frank Coonelly tells Sawchik that the organization anticipates a rise in payroll, and has “flexibility to add by free agency and/or trades.” He also made an interesting observation on the club’s range of possible actions, saying the 2016 ballclub “may include players who are available to us in part because we have made other moves.” That could be a reference to high-priced veterans Mark Melancon and Neil Walker, both of whom have emerged as trade candidates. It seems that Pittsburgh could be a major mover at the GM Meetings, one of the many topics that Zach Links and I covered in this week’s Winter Meetings preview on the MLBTR Podcast.

Saltalamacchia Had Interest From “6-7 Clubs”

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Earlier tonight, the Tigers announced the signing of catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to a one-year deal for the MLB minimum. Before he put pen to paper with Detroit, however, Salty’s camp was in talks with “six or seven clubs,” according to a baseball source who spoke with MLBTR.  The backstop drew varying levels of interest from the White Sox, Royals, Rays, Orioles (prior to Matt Wieters accepting his QO), Phillies, Angels, and the incumbent D’Backs.

The Tigers have landed themselves a veteran who can be a reliable presence behind starter James McCann.  Saltalamacchia also could get some opportunities as DH and first base as he moves back to the American League.  The former first round pick looked strong in his 70 game run for the D’Backs in 2015 and he’ll attempt to build off of that with Detroit in the New Year.

Pitching Notes: Lowe, Red Sox, Marlins, O’s, O’Day, Mets, Miller

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Free agent righty Mark Lowe is “in active talks with multiple teams” and could be nearing a decision, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports on Twitter. The Mariners have some interest in a reunion, tweets MLB.com’s Greg Johns, though as he notes it’ll take much more than the minor league pact that brought Lowe to Seattle last winter.

Here’s the latest pitching chatter around the league:

  • The Red Sox are receiving interest in starters Wade Miley and Joe Kelly as well as Clay Buchholz, Crasnick reports on Twitter. Boston is prepared to “listen to trade pitches” on their arms. Jon Heyman hears the same and notes that the club is interested in adding relievers. (Twitter link.)
  • Miley is among the pitchers that could be pursued by the Marlins, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro reports on Twitter. In free agency, Miami’s targets include Ian Kennedy — as we heard earlier today — as well as Yusmeiro Petit, who’d presumably be a swingman option.
  • The Orioles will likely add another pen arm even if they wrap up a deal with Darren O’Day, Crasnick tweets. One possibility is southpaw Tony Sipp, per the report, who figures to draw rather wide interest.
  • Speaking of O’Day, the key point of separation between the Orioles and Nationals has been Baltimore’s willingness to guarantee a fourth year, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports on Twitter. The Nats were offering a better AAV, but only over three years.
  • The Mets are “keeping an eye” on the top of the still-available relief market, per assistant GM John Ricco (via ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin, on Twitter).
  • Some in the Braves organization believe that the team ought to hold onto Shelby Miller, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports. Atlanta is asking both for a young, “impact bat” as well as a “Major League-ready starting pitcher” in trade talks, per the report.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Alvarez, Red Sox, Rays, Orioles

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Yankees GM Brian Cashman is downplaying the team’s interest in free agents, writes George A. King III of the New York Post. The Yankees are shopping veterans Ivan Nova, Brett Gardner, and Andrew Miller, but talks have subsided for the moment. According to Cashman, “I think it’s more likely that we keep them than move them. I say that recognizing that if someone wants to ring a bell that I’ve put out there, that could happen.”

Here’s more from the AL East:

  • The Yankees don’t have a spot for recently non-tendered slugger Pedro Alvarez, writes King. Before considering the roster, Alvarez sounds like a decent fit. As a youth, Alvarez attended school in the Bronx and played for the Bayside Bombers – an elite travel team based in the area. Yankee Stadium is also extremely friendly to left-handed power. However, the Yankees are swamped with designated hitters. Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran, and prospect Greg Bird all overlap to some degree.
  • New York could try to upgrade in the middle infield next week, writes Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. Rob Refsnyder and Dustin Ackley are expected to platoon at second base, but Cashman will continue to monitor the market for more reliable alternatives. Feinsand offers Howie Kendrick, Brandon Phillips, and Martin Prado as three players to watch. Kendrick is a free agent while Phillips and Prado would have to be acquired via trade.
  • Owner John Henry says the Red Sox could add another starter, writes John Tomase of WEEI.com. Boston inked David Price to a record breaking contract earlier in the week. Per Henry, “I do think there is trade potential. We have a lot of pitching and we have a lot of talent. We’re not going to trade away our core young players, but we might be able to get a core young pitcher.” Henry did mention that the asking price for high quality pitchers is probably out of their range.
  • The Rays also aren’t a fit for designated hitters Alvarez or Chris Carter, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Tampa would have to make a trade to open playing time for them. The club is likely looking to trade pitching for young hitters like Jorge Soler or Javier Baez.
  • The large contracts signed by Price and Zack Greinke could take the Orioles out of the market for Chris Davis, opines Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun. Schmuck figures the floor for Davis is probably around $150MM – more than double the biggest free agent deal ever inked by the Orioles. The market for hitters has been much slower to establish itself, so there is still a change we’ll be surprised. For now, I agree Davis may wind up outside of Baltimore’s price range.
  • The Orioles aren’t usually flashy participants at the Winter Meetings, but they do have a few needs to fill, write Eduardo A. Encina and Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Davis, the rotation, and the outfield are obvious concerns. The bullpen could be a challenge to buoy if Darren O’Day signs elsewhere. The Nationals and Orioles are considered front runners for his services. Baltimore likes to make Rule 5 picks under Dan Duquette. The club already has to roster Dylan Bundy who is out of options – possibly preventing them from keeping a pick.

Red Sox Notes: Price, Donaldson, Ramirez

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The Red Sox identified David Price as their top free agent target early on, and they began courting him in November as principal owner John Henry and a variety of top Sox execs all traveled to Nashville, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald writes. Price, in turn, peppered the Sox with questions about their commitment to winning, even asking about this year’s first-round draft pick Andrew Benintendi. GM Mike Hazen walked through the Sox’ entire 40-man roster. Ultimately, Price was swayed. “The youth that we have, the team we can put out there on Opening Day right now, I think that’s very special,” he said today. Negotiations continued after Thanksgiving, and the Red Sox’ willingness to give Price an opt-out helped lead to the signing. Here are more quick notes from out of Boston, where Price was introduced this afternoon.

  • The Sox’ future payroll projections helped convince them to make a bold move and sign Price, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe writes. The team has significant contracts coming off the books in all of the next four seasons, and with the team beginning to rely on a young core that includes Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts, Blake Swihart, Eduardo Rodriguez and others, allowing them to pay Price far into the future without worrying too much about his salary derailing them.
  • Price’s former teammate Josh Donaldson thinks Price will have a huge impact on the Sox, Scott Lauber of the Herald writes.  “He’s the kind of pitcher that affects the team for three or four days because he’s going to save your bullpen. He’s going to go up there and eat up innings for you the entire time,” says Donaldson. “And in the clubhouse, he’s a great player but an even better person.”
  • Before signing Price, the Red Sox looked deeply into the trade market to try to find an ace, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal tweets. Ultimately, though, many trade talks ended quickly, as the Sox blanched at teams’ opening asking prices.
  • The Red Sox were able to add Price and Craig Kimbrel this offseason, but they aren’t going to be able to get rid of Hanley Ramirez, Lauber writes. Ramirez has $66MM left on his contract and doesn’t have a defensive position, and the recent non-tenders of Pedro Alvarez and Chris Carter — both of them younger and much less costly than Ramirez — show that there won’t be much of a market for an expensive and flawed hitter like Ramirez this winter. Ramirez, for his part, doesn’t think there’s anything fundamentally wrong, even after a season in which he didn’t hit especially well and was a disaster defensively. “The thing is, in April, nobody said anything. I had 10 homers,” he says. “I know how it is. It’s the media. When you’re struggling, things are going to come out. I just got to hit and that’s it, and everything’s going to be fine.”

Red Sox Designate Garin Cecchini

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The Red Sox have announced that they’ve designated corner infielder and outfielder Garin Cecchini for assignment. The move clears space on their roster for David Price.

Following a 2013 season in which he hit .322/.433/.471 between Class A+ Salem and Double-A Portland, Cecchini was regarded as a top prospect — prior to the 2014 season, Baseball America rated him the 74th best prospect in the game. Since then, though, the 24-year-old’s stock has slipped, as he struggled to establish himself at Triple-A Pawtucket. This season, he batted .213/.286/.296 there (while playing mostly left field, although he also appeared in 42 games at the infield corners) and went 0-for-4 in two games in the big leagues. He is, however, still young enough that other clubs could find him to be an attractive option as a waiver claim.

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