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Royals Acquire Tony Cruz, Designate Francisco Pena

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The Royals have acquired catcher Tony Cruz from the Cardinals in exchange for young infielder Jose Martinez, Kansas City announced. The club designated fellow backstop Francisco Pena for assignment to clear roster space, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan tweets.

Cruz lost his backup job with St. Louis after the team inked free agent Brayan Pena. He is projected by MLBTR to earn $1MM in his second season of arbitration eligibility. That’s just $100K shy of the projection for incumbent Kansas City backup receiver Drew Butera, who could now be displaced by the new addition.

The 29-year-old Cruz owns a meager .220/.262/.310 slash line in 633 plate appearances over the last five years. That’s poor, even for a catcher, though it does rate above Butera’s own lifetime production. Obviously, though, Kansas City isn’t looking for much out of a reserve catcher. Just like Yadier Molina in St. Louis, Royals backstop Salvador Perez handles the vast majority of the duty.

Free Agent Notes: Davis, Heyward, Zobrist, Asdrubal, Young, Cotts

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Slugger Chris Davis is not the “top priority” for Cardinals GM John Mozeliak, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports on Twitter. A source tells Crasnick that St. Louis’s reported interest in the free agent is “overblown.” Of course, it remains tricky to find a perfect fit for the slugger, whose market still seems to be developing. From an analytical perspective, though, he appears to be a fairly solid match with the Cards. Indeed, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes picked the former Oriole to land there.

Here’s the latest from the rest of the free agent market:

  • Top free agent outfielder Jason Heyward looks more like a “secondary option” for the Cubs, Buster Olney of ESPN.com tweets. In other words, Chicago is pursuing other opportunities, but could pivot to chase Heyward if those other possibilities don’t come to fruition.
  • The Mets’ interest in Ben Zobrist is real, but that doesn’t mean the team will promise him four years to get a deal done, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports. New York’s pursuit of Zobrist is part of a flexible offseason plan, writes Rubin, in which various types of additions could be considered at the second base position — and elsewhere — as the market dictates.
  • Three teams are “in the mix” for free agent middle infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets. He’s expected to ink a deal “within the next week or so,” per Cotillo, which would seem to suggest that the veteran could find his next team by the time the Winter Meetings are wrapped up.
  • The Royals have had “encouraging talks” with free agent righty Chris Young about a return, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan reports. Both the 36-year-old and the team have expressed interest in a continued relationship, though it remains to be seen whether other clubs will make a push for his services — and, if so, whether Kansas City will be willing and able to meet or beat the market.
  • Similarly, the Twins have real interest in bringing back lefty reliever Neal Cotts, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports. Minnesota added Cotts in an August waiver trade. Fellow free agent southpaw Brian Duensing, meanwhile, tells Berardino that he hasn’t heard anything yet from the only professional organization he’s ever played for.

Royals Avoid Arbitration With Tim Collins

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The Royals have agreed to contract terms with lefty Tim Collins to avoid arbitration, the club announced. Collins will earn $1.475MM for the 2016 season, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports on Twitter.

That’s exactly what he made last year and what MLBTR predicted for the coming campaign. The reason: Collins, 26, missed all of 2015 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March.

Truth be told, it’s now been some time since Collins has been at his best. He also dealt with forearm and elbow issues in 2014, throwing only 21 big league frames while watching his strikeout rate plummet to a personal low of 6.4 batters per nine. (Collins did get about twice as much work in Triple-A that season, putting up much better numbers there.)

Obviously, though, the Royals believe in his arm. While he’s small in stature, Collins still delivers his average fastball in the 92 to 93 mph range. And between 2012 and 2013, he logged 123 innings of 3.44 ERA ball with 10.6 K/9 against 4.5 BB/9. Most importantly, perhaps, Collins has actually been slightly better against right-handed batters.

With age still on his side, there’s still plenty of potential value there for the defending World Series champs, who haven’t shied from taking injury risks on relievers in recent years. It’s not entirely clear when Collins will be ready for full action, but Kansas City will probably be looking for other southpaw pen additions regardless of when that’s expected. The club’s only two southpaws to top twenty innings out of the pen last year — Franklin Morales and Brandon Finnegan — have been lost to free agency (at least for the time being) and trade, respectively.

AL Central Notes: Fuenmayor, Victorino, Zimmermann, Park

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Royals first base prospect Balbino Fuenmayor — one of the more intriguing candidates to be selected in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft — is progressing very well in his recovery from a torn ACL this past summer, as recently noted by his agents at True Gravity Sports. Fuenmayor underwent surgery to repair the ligament on Aug. 3 but is running multiple times per week at present and is on track to begin baseball activities in early January. Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper recently listed Fuenmayor as one of the most plausible Rule 5 targets. The slugger, who was out of affiliated baseball at the age of 23 after receiving a huge bonus from the Blue Jays as a 16-year-old, reestablished himself on the independent circuit and returned to minor league ball in dominant fashion this past season, hitting .358/.384/.589 with 17 homers in 89 games before suffering his injury.

A few more items pertaining to the AL Central…

  • The Indians are currently showing the most interest in outfielder Shane Victorino, sources tell Rob Bradford of WEEI.com (Twitter link). Cleveland was known to be on the hunt for outfielders even before Michael Brantley underwent shoulder surgery that will sideline him into next season, but that injury likely increased the team’s urgency to add some outfield help. Cleveland, as Bradford points out, had interest in Victorino before he signed in Boston and even offered him a four-year contract. Victorino, though, took three years to head to the Red Sox instead.
  • The trades to acquire Francisco Rodriguez and Cameron Maybin earlier this month allowed the Tigers to sign Jordan Zimmermann, writes MLive.com’s James Schmehl. Filling a pair of holes without making lavish financial commitments allowed the Tigers to spend a more considerable sum than most had anticipated on a free-agent starter. Zimmermann said at today’s press conference that he was the second or third choice for a number of teams to whom he and agent Mark Pieper of Relativity Sports spoke, but the Tigers had him atop their list and wanted to sign quickly, which appealed to him (via Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post, on Twitter).
  • Byung-ho Park arrived in Minneapolis today, reports Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and his agent, Alan Nero of Octagon, is expected to arrive in the next day or so to finalize a contract with the Twins. Park said he’s spoken to countrymen Shin-Soo Choo and Hyun-jin Ryu as well as close friend Jung Ho Kang about the transition to Major League Baseball, with each encouraging him that he will adapt to the new league well. Park told Miller, via interpreter, that his goal is to remain in Major League Baseball for the rest of his career. Miller notes that Park does speak some English and is working on learning more as he prepares for the next phase of his career.

Phillies Claim Michael Mariot From Royals

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The Phillies announced that they have claimed right-hander Michael Mariot off waivers from the Royals. Mariot was designated for assignment 10 days ago when the Royals set their 40-man roster in advance of the Rule 5 Draft.

The 27-year-old Mariot logged just three innings with the Royals in 2015 but filled in for 25 innings in 2014 with less-than-stellar results. He has a 6.11 ERA with a 22-to-14 K/BB ratio in 28 total big league innings but has a considerably better minor league track record.

Mariot spent this past season at the Triple-A level, where he worked to an outstanding 2.32 ERA with 10.5 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9 in 62 innings of relief work. He hasn’t always enjoyed such success in Triple-A, but he’s shown an increased ability to miss bats at that level when compared to his results at lower levels. Mariot has averaged 9.9 K/9 in 150 2/3 innings of Triple-A relief after averaging six to seven strikeouts per nine innings when spending time in the rotation in the lower levels of the minors. He’s averaged 91.7 mph on his fastball in his brief big league time (92.6 mph in his very limited 2015 work) and also features a slider and changeup.

Mariot will join fellow Phillies waiver claims Dan Otero and A.J. Achter in competing for a bullpen job in Spring Training. The Phillies now have 38 players on their 40-man roster, so they could add one more player in the next 10 days and still have room to make the top selection in the Rule 5 Draft.

Latest On Ben Zobrist

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Ben Zobrist is the Mets’ “No. 1 target” this offseason, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links).  The Nationals, Braves, and Giants are also among the leading teams for Zobrist.  The Royals, meanwhile, are not expected to offer the same type of money that those other clubs are.

Rosenthal adds that the veteran’s market is likely to become more defined over the next few days.  Zobrist is seeking a four-year deal and a club’s willingness to go from three to four years will “likely be [the] deciding factor” for the veteran, per Rosenthal.  Recently, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported that there are as many as 20 teams with interest in the versatile switch-hitter and he listed the Cardinals as one of the most interested teams.

Zobrist is highly valued thanks to his incredible versatility coupled with his strong OBP.  However, with his 35th birthday coming up in May, teams are understandably hesitant about giving him a four-year deal.  On the plus side, however, Zobrist will not require the forfeiture of a draft pick since the midseason deal that sent him to KC made him ineligible for a qualifying offer.  Earlier this offseason, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicted that Zobrist would net a three-year, $51MM deal.

AL East Notes: Price, Blue Jays, Masterson

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The stars are aligning for the Red Sox to sign top free agent David Price, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe writes. Price, he says, “is the guy they want,” with the club seemingly prepared to top $200MM to get a deal done. We’ve heard previously that rival executives expect Boston to top the market for Price. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski will be under pressure not only to get a deal done, says Abraham, but to do so before the organization begins hawking tickets on December 12th (just after the conclusion of the Winter Meetings).

Here’s more from the AL East:

  • The Blue Jays’ signing of J.A. Happ not only takes them out of the market for Price — as unlikely as that match was — but represents a departure for the club, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca writes. It had been nearly a decade since Toronto gave multiple years to a free agent starter, but under new club president Mark Shapiro the team has already committed both to Happ and Marco Estrada this winter. As Davidi notes, the two contracts are hardly monumental risks in the broader league-wide spending context.
  • While average annual values of over $10MM are now unsurprising even for back-of-the-rotation free agent arms, Davidi goes on to explain that those commitments still have a significant impact on the payroll. He estimates that the club is already looking at around $135MM in Opening Day payroll — assuming it tenders contracts to the team’s ten arbitration-eligible players. Toronto would likely not have much added space to work with, then, unless some trimming is performed.
  • Meanwhile, Shapiro and the Blue Jays have apparently begun interviewing candidates for the team’s full-time GM position. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports on Twitter that Royals assistant GM Rene Francisco has interviewed for the position, which is being filled by Tony LaCava on an interim basis.
  • Recent Red Sox righty Justin Masterson is expected to be at full strength this spring after his shoulder cleanup procedure, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports on Twitter. The 30-year-old has struggled badly over the last two years, but he’s had enough success previously that plenty of clubs will be glad to give him a chance at a resurrection.

Minor MLB Transactions: 11/26/15

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Here are the latest minor league signings from around baseball, all reported by Baseball America’s Matt Eddy unless otherwise credited…

  • The Rockies signed right-hander Brian Schlitter, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets.  The 6’5″ righty saw significant action out of the Cubs bullpen in 2014 but threw only 7 1/3 innings last season while posting a 7.36 ERA.  Schlitter has posted some strong minor league numbers over his career and (of particular interest to Colorado) he has a 60.7% grounder rate over the last two years in Chicago.
  • The Cubs signed righty Drew Rucinski.  Rucinski has a 6.28 ERA over 14 1/3 career IP with the Angels, and was both designated for assignment and then outrighted by the Halos last September.  He has a career 3.88 ERA, 2.98 K/BB rate and 8.1 K/9 over 326 2/3 career minor league frames.
  • The Indians announced that catcher Adam Moore has been re-signed.  Moore has appeared in each of the last seven Major League seasons, though aside from a 60-game stint with the Mariners in 2010, he’s never appeared in more than nine games in any one campaign.  This included 2015, when he played one game for Cleveland.  The veteran catcher has posted a strong .291/.356/.465 career slash line over 2946 minor league PA.
  • The Athletics re-signed catcher Carson Blair.  Blair made his MLB debut in 2015, receiving 35 PA over 11 games with the A’s.  The catcher posted some solid numbers over eight minor league seasons but struggled in his first taste of Triple-A action this season.  Oakland outrighted Blair off its 40-man roster earlier this month.
  • The Dodgers re-signed right-hander Matt West.  Los Angeles originally purchased West from the Blue Jays in May.  He appeared in two games for the Dodgers and spent most of 2015 in the minors, posting a cumulative 3.54 ERA over 53 1/3 innings but was hit hard in a stint at Triple-A Oklahoma City.  West was a second-round pick for the Rangers in the 2007 draft.
  • The Pirates signed righty reliever Curtis Partch.  The 28-year-old owns a 95mph fastball but that heater has only recently translated to big strikeout totals on the minor league level, and he has a 4.74 ERA over 820 IP in the minors.  Partch posted a 4.75 ERA, 24 walks and 22 strikeouts over 30 1/3 relief innings with the Reds in 2013-14.
  • The Padres signed right-handers Johnny Hellweg and Daniel McCutchen.  Once a notable prospect in Milwaukee’s system, Hellweg underwent Tommy John surgery in 2014 and struggled in 61 minor league innings last year after returning from injury rehab.  McCutchen has appeared in one Major League game since 2012 and bounced around with a few teams before catching on with San Diego’s Triple-A affiliate last year.
  • The Cardinals signed right-hander Deck McGuire, best known for being picked 11th overall by the Blue Jays in the 2010 draft.  McGuire has a 4.57 ERA, 7.4 K/9 and 2.26 K/BB over 713 1/3 career minor league IP.
  • The Royals re-signed veteran righty Roman Colon and catcher J.C. Boscan.  Colon recorded 187 1/3 MLB innings from 2004-12 but hasn’t pitched in an affiliated minor league since 2013.  Boscan will be returning for his 20th season of pro ball after spending last season with Triple-A Omaha.  He’s received a few Major League cups of coffee over his long career, appearing in 17 games with the Braves and Cubs from 2010-13.
  • The Braves signed corner infielder Brandon Snyder.  Snyder, picked 13th overall by the Orioles in the 2005 draft, appeared in 83 career MLB games with Baltimore, Texas and Boston from 2010-13.  The 29-year-old spent much of last season at the Orioles’ Double-A affiliate.

Royals Release Wandy Rodriguez

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The Royals released left-hander Wandy Rodriguez earlier this week, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports.  Rodriguez signed a minor league deal with Kansas City in August and made five relief appearances for Triple-A Omaha but was never called up to the big league roster.

Rodriguez, who turns 37 in January, posted a 4.90 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 2.00 K/BB rate over 86 1/3 innings with Texas last season before being released in early August.  The veteran had a 3.20 ERA in his first 11 starts with the Rangers and was even building some trade deadline buzz before getting hit hard over his next six outings.

Once a stalwart of the Astros rotation, Rodriguez posted a 4.04 ERA over eight seasons and 1306 2/3 innings in Houston before being dealt to the Pirates in July 2012.  Given his track record, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Rodriguez signed to a minor league deal by a team looking for veteran rotation depth prior to Spring Training.

Heyman’s Latest: Madson, Iwakuma, Alvarez, Zobrist, O’s, Perez, Freese

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Let’s take a look in at the latest reporting from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, who touched upon several notable stories today (all via his Inside Baseball column, except as otherwise noted):

  • The Dodgers have had contact with free agent righty Ryan Madson, Heyman says. The veteran, who enjoyed a remarkable turnaround last year, could be one of several options as Los Angeles looks to beef up its pen.
  • The Mariners have long said that re-signing Hisashi Iwakuma is a priority, and GM Jerry Dipoto reaffirmed that stance only days ago. Heyman writes that the club is “willing to go to around $24 million or so over two years” for the accomplished veteran. It’s not entirely clear whether there’s any willingness to go beyond that amount, but it seems a bit light for a pitcher of Iwakuma’s ability. (MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicts a three-year, $45MM deal for the righty.)
  • Pirates first baseman Pedro Alvarez would welcome a trade, writes Heyman. It’s been known for awhile that Alvarez is on the block due to his rising arbitration salary, poor glove and struggles with left-handed pitching. The Pirates almost certainly don’t want to pay Alvarez his projected $8.1MM salary next season and could very well non-tender him next week if they can’t find a taker. Heyman notes that the Orioles make some sense, and I’d add the Athletics as a speculative fit also. He’s probably best off with an AL club where he can DH, but it’s also fun to think of the power numbers Alvarez could log at Coors Field.
  • The Cardinals are among the most interested teams in Ben Zobrist and have reached out to his representatives at Octagon, reports Heyman. Zobrist was linked to the Cardinals last week, and Heyman notes that there are as many as 20 teams believed to have interest in the versatile switch-hitter. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that the Cardinals are indeed in the mix, but it remains to be seen whether they can sell Zobrist on a super-utility role (an “uber-role,” as Goold terms it). Zobrist’s preference is reportedly to play second base.
  • While the Orioles are prioritizing an effort to bring back Chris Davis, the club has legitimate interest in outfielder Alex Gordon. Meanwhile, Heyman says that he’d be surprised if the club pursues Gerardo Parra as a corner outfield option, since “they weren’t all that impressed by him” over the last several months.
  • The Royals may be “willing to at least talk” with the reps of backstop Salvador Perez about “reworking” his early-career extension. That contract has become almost comically team-friendly since it was signed — a reflection of both the significant risk taken on by the team at the time and the extent to which Perez has rewarded that trust. It’s not entirely clear what kind of scenario could be pursued, but all indications are that Kansas City would be bargaining from a position of strength.
  • There’s at least “a bit” of contact between the Angels and free agent third baseman David Freese, says Heyman. A reunion continues to appear possible, though the club will likely look to see how some other market possibilities play out before committing to the veteran.
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