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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.

Added To The 40-Man Roster: Friday

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Tonight at 8:00pm ET is the deadline for teams to add players to their 40-man roster and thereby protect them from this year’s Rule 5 Draft. In other words: there will be a significant amount of 40-man roster moves made over the course of the next 13 or so hours. Six clubs already made moves to protect prospects from the Rule 5 yesterday, and each of the remaining 24 clubs should make moves today as well.

In brief: players drafted/signed at 18 years of age or younger must be added to the 40-man roster within five years of signing or be exposed to the Rule 5 Draft. Players drafted/signed at 19 or older must be added within four years. Those interested in all of the specifics can refer to articles from MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo and J.J. Cooper of Baseball America. Perhaps of greater interest is that Mayo lists all of the prospects from MLB.com’s Top 100 list and from their organizational Top 30 lists that much be protected in advance of tonight’s deadline, while Cooper provides brief write-ups on each player that has been protected (and will continue to do so as additions are made).

Here are today’s additions to the 40-man roster. You can check out Baseball America’s coverage to learn more about the individual players listed below …

Earlier Updates

Offseason Outlook: Kansas City Royals

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Fans of Kansas City baseball were treated to a World Series title for the first time in 30 years in 2015, but there’s little time for GM Dayton Moore and his staff to rest, as the club will have a number of holes to fill this winter as it seeks a return to the promised land in 2016.

Guaranteed Contracts

  • Yordano Ventura, SP: $21.25MM through 2019 (includes buyout of 2020 option)
  • Omar Infante, 2B: $17.75MM through 2017 (includes buyout of 2018 option)
  • Jason Vargas, SP: $16.5MM through 2017
  • Edinson Volquez, SP: $12.5MM through 2016 (includes buyout of 2017 option)
  • Wade Davis, RP: $10.5MM through 2016 (includes buyout of 2017 option)
  • Kendrys Morales, DH: $9MM through 2016 (plus 2017 mutual option)
  • Eric Hosmer, 1B: $8.25MM through 2016 (arbitration eligible following 2016 season)
  • Alcides Escobar, SS: $5.75MM through 2016 (includes buyout of 2017 option)
  • Luke Hochevar, RP: $5.5MM through 2016 (plus 2017 mutual option)
  • Kris Medlen, SP/RP: 5.5MM through 2016 (plus 2017 mutual option)
  • Kelvin Herrera, RP: $2.55MM through 2016 (arbitration eligible following 2016 season)
  • Salvador Perez, C: $2MM through 2016 (plus three club options)

Arbitration Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projections via MLB Trade Rumors)

Contract Options

  • Alex Gordon, $14MM player option: Gordon declined
  • Wade Davis, $8MM club option: Exercised
  • Alcides Escobar, $5.25MM club option: Exercised
  • Alex Rios, $12.5MM mutual option: Royals declined ($1.5MM buyout)
  • Jeremy Guthrie, $10MM mutual option: Royals declined ($3.2MM buyout)

Free Agents

While Royals fans celebrate the highest pinnacle in baseball, they’re left perhaps with a bittersweet taste in their mouths knowing that Game 5 of the World Series could have been the last in franchise icon Alex Gordon’s career with the team. Gordon is a free agent after declining a player option and a qualifying offer and will test the open market this winter in search of a significant deal. While some might hope to see Gordon take a discount to remain in Kansas City, his initial contract extension with the Royals proved quite favorable for the team, and he may now look to max out his market. Early indications are that the Royals are hoping to retain Gordon on a three- or four-year deal, but I expect clubs to be willing to offer five years, or at the very least, four years at an extremely premium annual value (think Hanley Ramirez money).

The Royals have never given out a contract worth more than $55MM, but if they’re to retain any of their top three free agents, that’s probably going to have to change. Zobrist is the possible exception, but he’s already been linked to roughly a dozen teams and is said to be seeking a four-year pact. If Zobrist does receive four years, it’ll be for more than $55MM in total. Cueto seems bound for a $100MM+ contract somewhere despite some late struggles — his dominant World Series effort probably quelled concerns to some degree, though there are still some red flags — and that type of contract is difficult to envision from the Royals.

Kansas City, then, could face the notion of needing to find a new left fielder, a possible right field upgrade, a second base upgrade, at least one (possibly two) starting pitcher(s) and multiple arms to fill out the bullpen. The front office is riding high on the team’s 2015 success, but Moore and his staff know there’s no shortage of work to be done, and the resources to accomplish that work might be tighter than many realize.

They Royals are already sitting at a projected $90.3MM in payroll, assuming they tender only Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain, Danny Duffy and Jarrod Dyson from their class of arb-eligible players. There are undoubtedly some additional World Series funds in Dayton Moore’s war chest, but when factoring in league-minimum players, the Royals are around $95.4MM — or only about $17MM shy of last year’s club-record $112.8MM Opening Day payroll. It should be noted that the Royals do have insurance on the contract of Jason Vargas, who had Tommy John surgery this past summer. The Kansas City Star’s Andy McCullough reported at the time that the team will get about $6MM of his $8.5MM salary back if he does not pitch next season, creating the potential for a bit more financial breathing room. Nonetheless, a return for either Zobrist or Gordon could bring them within striking distance of last year’s mark while only addressing one of the aforementioned needs.

The Royals are set behind the plate, where Salvador Perez, as most know, has one of the most team-friendly contracts in recent memory. He’s guaranteed $2MM next season and has three club options on his deal which range from $3.75MM (2017) to $6MM (2019). There’s been talk of extending Perez to make him a Royal for life, but from a pure baseball perspective, I’m not sure I see a reason to do so — at least not at this time. Perez is already under control cheaply through his age-29 season. As it stands, he’ll hit the open market entering his age-30 season and coming off an eight-year Royals career in which he’s been more heavily used than any catcher in the game. Perez caught 137 games in 2013, 146 (!) in 2014 and 139 in 2015 (not including postseason games). If that usage pattern continues, there’s no telling how his body will age, especially considering the fact that his 6’3″, 240-pound frame is rather large for a catcher in the first place. An extension that begins in 2020 seems overly risky from the team’s vantage point.

Turning to the infield, Eric Hosmer is a lock at first base, and there’s no doubt as to who will be manning shortstop (Alcides Escobar) or third base (Moustakas). The one possible area of upgrade, as previously mentioned, is at second base. Omar Infante is earning $7.75MM next season and has a sizable amount of money remaining on his contract, but he’s batted a dreadful .238/.268/.329 in two years with the Royals. That type of production won’t cut it for a contending club, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Royals shopped Infante around to see about lining up on an exchange of bad contracts. One speculative trade scenario would be to swap Infante for Milwaukee’s Matt Garza. While he’s owed more money, Garza could rebound in Kansas City’s large park and with their tremendous defense, making him a more palatable allocation of finances. (And, from the Brewers’ vantage point, Infante could fill in around a thin infield and would save them some money.)

If Infante is still in Kansas City next season, it could be in a bench role with either Christian Colon or an external addition slotting into the everyday role. That could mean a reunion with Zobrist on a three-year deal in the $16-18MM-per-year range — Zobrist has spoken highly of his time in Kansas City and resides in the relatively nearby Nashville, Tenn. — or a run at one of several free-agent second basemen. Howie Kendrick strikes me as a Royals-esque target, given his perennially high contact rate and his track record of solid defense (even if metrics like UZR and DRS felt he slowed down in 2015). Kendrick probably requires at least a three-year deal as well, however, if not four years, though I can envision a lesser annual rate than that of Zobrist in his case. Nevertheless, it’d make for a risky investment by the Royals. Chase Utley would be a more affordable alternative, though he’s far from a sure thing himself.

In the outfield, Cain will reprise his role as one of the game’s most valuable all-around players in center field. Last winter’s Alex Rios signing never paid full dividends, as he suffered a broken hand early in the season and was never terribly productive. The Royals could go with a platoon of Dyson and Paulo Orlando in right field, but the club balked at pursuing a platoon scenario with Dyson upon Nori Aoki’s departure following the 2014 season, so perhaps they’ll look for another full-time solution to keep Dyson in a reserve role.

Korean outfielder Ah-seop Son makes plenty of contact and has been favorably compared to Aoki. We’ll learn the outcome of Son’s posting next week, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Kansas City take a look. Aoki himself is again a free agent, though he dealt with concussion issues late in the season. Gerardo Parra is another affordable corner option that fits the Royals’ profile, and a pursuit of either Austin Jackson or Denard Span has some logic behind it, if the allure of playing for the reigning World Champs makes either free agent more amenable to shifting out of center field.

The rotation is a clear area of need for Kansas City, as Cueto, Chris Young and Jeremy Guthrie are all free agents (though Guthrie lost his rotation spot this season anyhow). Additionally, the team will probably be without Jason Vargas until at least August or September, as the veteran lefty underwent Tommy John surgery in late July.

That leaves Yordano Ventura, Edinson Volquez, Danny Duffy and Kris Medlen as rotation options, and there’s plenty of uncertainty within that group. Ventura was demoted to Triple-A but recalled before making an appearance down there due to Vargas’ injury. While he was much improved after that possible wake-up call, he’s yet to demonstrate prolonged consistency in the Majors. Duffy logged a 4.35 ERA, 4.65 FIP and 4.80 xFIP as a starter last season before shining in a relief role. He’ll probably return to the rotation, but he’s never topped 155 innings in a season and hasn’t held up for a full year in the rotation. Medlen tossed a combined 88 2/3 innings in returning from his second Tommy John surgery, making an increase of 100 or so innings a lot to ask.

Bringing back Young, whose extreme fly-ball skill set meshes quite well with Kauffman Stadium and the Royals’ emphasis on outfield defense, could be a nice low-cost way to add some of the needed innings for Kansas City. Other low-cost options could include Colby Lewis and Mike Pelfrey.

Of course, the Royals don’t necessarily need to limit themselves to the bargain bin. While a run at David Price or a Zack Greinke reunion doesn’t seem realistic, Kansas City could play in the middle tier of rotation arms if owner David Glass is comfortable escalating the payroll beyond 2015’s Opening Day mark. Scott Kazmir, Yovani Gallardo and Ian Kennedy are among the names whose annual values shouldn’t break the bank, and Kansas City could continue to employ its usage of mutual options to offset some of the early costs on a contract. Medlen, Morales, Hochevar and Volquez could each depart following the 2016 season, so backloading some contracts is an avenue that the Royals will consider. Kennedy, Pelfrey and perhaps Wei-Yin Chen, in particular, are plausible targets given Scott Boras’ seemingly strong relationship with ownership and the front office. (Hosmer, Moustakas, Rios, Hochevar, Colon, Holland and both Franklin and Kendrys Morales are repped by Boras.)

Trades, too, will be an avenue worth exploring. Options are vast, though in addition to the aforementioned Garza/Infante bad-contract swap, Oakland’s Jesse Chavez is reported to be available and would serve as an affordable name with whom the Royals are familiar. (Chavez pitched in Kansas City back in 2010-11 before breaking out with the A’s.) The names of Shelby Miller and Julio Teheran have both circulated in the rumor mill as well, though the cost of acquisition on either player would be high.

Whatever route the front office chooses, external rotation options are needed, as many of the arms from Kansas City’s once-vaunted farm system have graduated to the Majors (Duffy, Ventura) or been traded. John Lamb and Brandon Finnegan, for instance, went to Cincinnati in the Cueto deal, while Jake Odorizzi went to Tampa in the James Shields/Wil Myers trade. (Although, in retrospect, perhaps we should begin referring to that as the Wade Davis/Jake Odorizzi trade.)

As dominant as Kansas City’s bullpen has been in recent years, it’s going to be an area of need this winter. Brilliant closer Greg Holland pitched the better part of a year with a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament before succumbing to Tommy John surgery. Kansas City will non-tender Holland but hopes to work out a backloaded two-year deal to keep him in the organization. Regardless of the result of those efforts, Holland isn’t pitching in 2016.

That moves Davis into the closer’s role, which he’s more than equipped to handle. Kelvin Herrera can serve as his primary setup man, and the team will hope for Hochevar to look more like his dominant 2013 self than his 2015 self. That’s not to say he had a poor year — Hochevar, in fact, was quite solid in his first year back from Tommy John — but the blow of losing Holland would be softened were Hochevar to again deliver a sub-2.00 ERA.

The Royals are losing reclamation projects Ryan Madson and Franklin Morales to free agency and will need to replace both, in addition to Holland. Tim Collins will be back from his own Tommy John at some point, but a left-handed reliever should be acquired in some capacity. Tony Sipp is said to be a target of the Royals. As far as right-handed options to replace Madson and Holland, the Royals are believed to be interested in a reunion with Joakim Soria, but his price tag will be quite high. Shawn Kelley, Mark Lowe and Korean right-hander Seung-hwan Oh could all be more affordable options, to name a few.

While that, of course, is a rather lengthy to-do list for Moore and his staff, many of the pieces for a contending club are already in place. Cain, Hosmer, Moustakas, Perez and Escobar is a nice group of position players to build around, and a bullpen anchored by Davis and Herrera will be formidable. The rotation looks suspect at the moment, but there will be additions made, and Kansas City’s elite defense and huge park should benefit whatever collection of arms comprises next year’s rotation, much as it has the past two seasons.

Market Notes: Soria, Utley, Desmond, Jones

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Free agent reliever Joakim Soria has long been rumored to be drawing interest from several of his former employers, and at least two of them are still in the hunt, per a tweet from Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press. The current “front-runners” to land the righty, it seems, include the Royals and Rangers — but not the Tigers, who just dealt for Francisco Rodriguez. Interestingly, the other top pursuer is largely a newcomer to the chatter on Soria: the Giants rate as one of the three most likely landing spots, according to the report.

Here are a few more free agent notes:

  • Five or six clubs have expressed interest in signing Chase Utley as a “mostly everyday infielder,” agent Joel Wolfe tells Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News (Twitter link). The Dodgers are one of those teams, per the report (and as suggested previously). Utley would probably be best served as a platoon option at this point, though he’d presumably see plenty of action if he gets most of the time against right-handed pitching.
  • The representatives of shortstop Ian Desmond are highlighting his defensive versatility to prospective clubs, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets. That’s a bit surprising to hear, given that much of Desmond’s value is tied to his ability to play short, where he rates as a solid defender despite being prone to committing errors. DiComo notes that Desmond has played outfield previously, which is true — but only barely. Desmond has appeared in the outfield in exactly four games as a professional: twice with the Nats, once in Triple-A, and once in the Dominican Winter League. Indeed, he’s only ever played eight other games at any position other than short, with all of those coming in the way of minor league appearances at second. None of that is to say that Desmond can’t play elsewhere on the diamond. After all, he is an excellent athlete. And perhaps the idea of eventually moving to the grass would make the back end of his deal somewhat more palatable.
  • Veteran outfielder Andruw Jones is looking for a chance with a big league club and will retire if he doesn’t find one, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reports on Twitter. The 17-year MLB veteran, now 38 years old, last appeared in the majors in 2012. But he was rather productive for the NPB’s Rakuten club between 2013 and 2014, slashing .232/.392/.441 in 1185 total plate appearances. It is worth noting, though, that Jones did not end up playing last year after reportedly seeking another shot at the bigs.

Cafardo’s Latest: Royals, Parra, Bradley, Hanley

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The Royals feel that Ben Zobrist might re-sign with the team but Alex Gordon “is likely gone,” the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo writes in his weekly notes column.  With a possible hole to fill in left field, Cafardo reports that the Royals are considering free agent outfielder Gerardo Parra.  Kansas City is more concerned with defense than offense in replacing Gordon, so Parra’s hitting (which has never been his strong suit, apart from a BABIP-fueled outburst in the first half of 2015) may not be a major issue for the Royals.  Here’s some more from Cafardo…

  • The Royals, Cubs and Mariners were all reported to have interest in Jackie Bradley last week, and Cafardo adds the Mets and “perhaps the Nationals” to the list of teams checking in on the Red Sox outfielder.  Despite all this trade buzz, Bradley may remain in Boston since baseball ops president Dave Dombrowski has long had interest in Bradley himself, even exploring acquiring him from the Sox when Dombrowski was the Tigers’ general manager.  Dombrowski has already implied that the Sox may be through with big trades for young talent in the wake of shipping four prospects to San Diego for Craig Kimbrel, which would mean that Bradley could indeed be staying put at Fenway Park.
  • An NL general manager doesn’t think the Red Sox can get through the 2016 season without parting ways with at least one of Hanley Ramirez or Pablo Sandoval.  Dealing either for value looks to be near impossible since both players have large contracts and are coming off rough seasons, but “sometimes you have to cut your losses.  A big-market team like Boston can do that,” the GM said.  “They have to decide whether having those two players in their clubhouse, in what is otherwise a young, accountable clubhouse, is worth it. You don’t want players tearing down what you’re trying to build. So whatever method was used to acquire those players didn’t work. So now you have to have your own chemistry lesson and determine if you can live with those guys. I would think they’d try to move one or both.”
  • Tigers GM Al Avila is upgrading the club’s analytics department from one full-time employee to three, as well as interns and some outside consultants.
  • The Braves talked to Chris Iannetta’s agents before re-signing A.J. Pierzynski to fill their need at catcher.  Iannetta has been linked to the Mariners in recent days, though there have been conflicting reports as to exactly how close he is to joining the M’s.

AL Notes: Yankees, Red Sox, Boyer, Son

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The Yankees and Red Sox top the list of teams who could be aggressive this offseason, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. The Yankees might not be heavily involved with the free agent market, but they could pursue any number of trades, particularly now that their deal for Aaron Hicks, which made it possible for them to deal Brett Gardner. The Sox, meanwhile, have already traded for Craig Kimbrel and could top that move with an even bigger one for a top starting pitcher. Here are more quick notes from the AL.

  • The Royals and other teams have already shown interest in free agent righty reliever Blaine Boyer, but Boyer remains interested in returning to the Twins, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press writes. “I think I showed this year, and really my whole career, that I can step in for the eighth inning or the seventh inning,” Boyer says. “I can also go long. I pride myself on being a multi-role bullpen piece. I think they know that, and I conveyed that to [Twins manager Paul Molitor].” Boyer was a valuable part of the Twins’ bullpen last year, posting a 2.49 ERA and 2.6 BB/9 over 65 innings, albeit with a very low 4.6 K/9.
  • The Orioles did not win the rights to negotiate with Nexen Heroes slugger Byung-ho Park, but another KBO player, Ah-seop Son, might be a better fit for them, Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun writes. The Orioles can use an outfielder who can hit leadoff, and Son fits the bill — he has a .398 on-base percentage in nine seasons with the Lotte Giants, and he’s been favorably compared to Nori Aoki, in whom the Orioles have previously had at least some interest. Son will be posted tomorrow.

2015 Qualifying Offer Decisions

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The deadline or players to accept or reject their one-year, $15.8MM qualifying offers was today at 5pm ET. We already know that Colby Rasmus will become the first player to ever accept a qualifying offer, and Marco Estrada reached a two-year deal with the Blue Jays. Brett Anderson also accepted his qualifying offer from the Dodgers.

Here are the updates on the rest of the 20 players that received qualifying offers one week ago today…

  • Ian Desmond will reject the Nationals’ offer, James Wagner of the Washington Post reports on Twitter. He’ll be joined on the open market by Jordan Zimmermann, who did the same, per a tweet from MLB.com’s Bill Ladson.
  • While Brett Anderson will be returning on a one-year deal, Howie Kendrick and Zack Greinke have rejected their qualifying offers from the Dodgers, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter links),
  • It’s an obvious one, but Alex Gordon will hit the open market rather than taking a one-year deal from the Royals, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports on Twitter. Likewise, Justin Upton and Ian Kennedy of the Padres will participate in the open market his fall (per Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune, on Twitter) and Dexter Fowler has turned down his offer from the Cubs, as Paul Sullivan of 670thescore.com tweets.
  • The Cardinals will stand to pick up draft choices if Jason Heyward and John Lackey sign elsewhere, as they too have rejected the offer, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).
  • Daniel Murphy and Jeff Samardzija have declined their offers, per reports from Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter) and Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com (also via Twitter).
  • Gallardo has declined his QO, Stevenson now tweets.
  • As expected, Hisashi Iwakuma has turned down the qualifying offer issued to him by the Mariners, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets.

Earlier Updates

  • Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star Telegram hears differently on Gallardo, reporting that he’s still deciding whether or not to accept (links to Twitter). Gallardo’s camp has spoken to multiple other clubs about a deal, but the righty is still mulling a return to his hometown team.
  • Yovani Gallardo will decline the Rangers’ qualifying offer in search of a multi-year contract, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Gallardo never seemed likely to accept the deal, though there may have been a bit of temptation given the fact that Gallardo is a Fort Worth native. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets that he spoke to Gallardo’s agent, Bobby Witt, and was told that he’s yet to officially inform the Rangers one way or the other (Twitter link).

Those who are unfamiliar with the process can refer to MLBTR’s explanation of the qualifying offer system for full details.

Bullpen Notes: Tigers, Mariners, Astros/Rays, Sipp, Soria

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The Tigers are known to be casting a wide net in their search for relievers, and ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweets that their targets include Ryan Madson, Shawn Kelley and Tommy Hunter in addition to previously reported links to Darren O’Day and Joakim Soria. As Crasnick further notes, Hunter was a teammate of GM Al Avila’s son (and former Detroit backstop) Alex Avila in college, giving Hunter a bit of an in with the organization. The Tigers would like to add a pair of bullpen arms, and Avila said yesterday that he’s not concerned with pitcher handedness but instead just focused on general upgrades (via the Detroit Free Press’ Anthony Fenech, on Twitter).

A few more notes on the developing free-agent and trade markets for bullpen upgrades…

  • The Mariners already made a substantial boost to their bullpen today by adding Joaquin Benoit in a trade with the Padres, but GM Jerry Dipoto isn’t content with the group just yet. Via Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune (Twitter link), Dipoto says the Mariners aren’t done bolstering their bullpen. For the time being, Dipoto isn’t committing to a role for Benoit (as noted by Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, also on Twitter), perhaps indicating that the Mariners are open to adding relief arms of a higher caliber (though that’s just my own speculation).
  • Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports that the Astros and Rays had some discussions about Jake McGee and Brad Boxberger at the GM Meetings. Both excellent Rays relievers were said to be drawing wide interest, so it’s not a surprise to see Houston — a team that has been oft-connected to bullpen help dating back to July — checking in with Tampa Bay. Drellich also hears that Tony Sipp’s market is picking up, and the southpaw has interest not only from the Astros but from other teams within the AL West.
  • The Royals, too, have some interest in Sipp, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Though Kansas City has a dominant bullpen, it could be in the need of some left-handed help. Franklin Morales, who was quietly excellent in 2015, is a free agent, and Danny Duffy could rejoin the rotation next season. Tim Collins will be back from Tommy John surgery, but the team can’t bank on a full return to form for the undersized southpaw. KC will also be without right-handers Greg Holland (TJ surgery) and Madson (free agent) in 2016, and Sipp has a track record of retiring both right-handers and left-handers alike.
  • SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo adds a team to the expanding market for Joakim Soria, tweeting that the Angels also have some interest in the right-hander. Given the other needs around the roster for the Halos, who have a deep supply of bullpen arms as it is, Soria would seem to be more of a luxury than an answer to a direct need.
  • Of course, Aroldis Chapman is the top name on the trade market for relief help right now, and he’s already had his name surface in rumors today. Peter Gammons reported earlier this morning that he spoke to four people who expect Chapman to be moved by the end of the weekend, and reports since that time have pegged the Red Sox as an interested party. We’re monitoring all of the latest Chapman rumors in a separate post.

Heyman’s Latest: Offseason Spending, CarGo, Pirates, Kennedy, Gallardo

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In his latest notes column, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports begins by classifying the Angels, Giants, Tigers, Red Sox, Cubs, Cardinals and Dodgers as the expected “big spenders” of the offseason, breaking down some targets that each club could pursue. Heyman goes on to call the Orioles, Blue Jays, Yankees, D-Backs, Mets, Royals and Padres as “medium spenders,” noting that each has needs and could make one significant addition or a series of mid-range moves in order to address multiple areas around the roster. As he did with the big-spending clubs, Heyman examines a few plausible scenarios for each, noting that the Royals are still in the three- or four-year range on Alex Gordon, thereby casting some doubt on a potential reunion.

A few highlights from his column…

  • While Andrelton Simmons’ name has been a hot topic over the past 15 hours or so, there’s a “good chance” that the Braves will make Julio Teheran available at some point this winter. Teheran’s value isn’t as high as that of Simmons at the moment, I wouldn’t think, due to a down year for Teheran in 2015. Moving him would be selling low, which makes it more difficult to envision a deal, from my vantage point.
  • The White Sox were one of “many teams” to which agent Brodie Van Wagenen made a presentation regarding Yoenis Cespedes, though the greater needs for the ChiSox come at catcher, third base, second base and shortstop.
  • The Rockies have again made Carlos Gonzalez available in trades, as many expected would be the case following the summer trade of Troy Tulowitzki. CarGo dominated the National League from June through season’s end after struggling with injuries in 2014 and early 2015 and undoubtedly restored an exceptional amount of trade value. Heyman speculatively listed the Orioles as a potential match when discussing Baltimore in his intro section.
  • Pittsburgh has fielded offers on all seven of its players that are a year removed from free agency. That includes Pedro Alvarez, Neil Walker, Mark Melancon, Mike Morse, Chris Stewart and Francisco Cervelli. However, the Pirates are also said to be considering an attempt at locking Cervelli up on a multi-year deal.
  • Ian Kennedy is planning to decline the Padres’ qualifying offer, per Heyman. Both Tim Dierkes and I have noted that there’s little sense in Kennedy accepting the offer. The right-hander is fourth in innings pitched in the NL over the past five seasons and has averaged 8.5 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9 in that time while posting a 3.89 ERA, 3.87 FIP and 3.78 xFIP. Homer struggles in 2015 aside, Kennedy finished strong and should get paid somewhere. It’s hard to envision a Scott Boras client being the first to accept a qualifying offer, and if all else fails, Kennedy can go the Ervin Santana route and sign a one-year deal near the value of the QO late in the offseason.
  • Similarly, Yovani Gallardo plans to turn down the Rangers’ QO. Heyman hears he’s expected to sign elsewhere despite being a Fort Worth area native. The Rangers will again attempt to re-sign Colby Lewis, he adds.

Mariners, Royals, Cubs Have Interest In Jackie Bradley

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11:30am: The Mariners, too, have interest in acquiring Bradley, reports Jon Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Bradley would certainly align GM Jerry Dipoto’s preference to add athleticism and defense to his outfield as well as his preference for trades over free agency.

8:30am: There’s a “growing sentiment” that Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski could break up his starting outfield trio of Jackie Bradley, Mookie Betts and Rusney Castillo, writes WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. The likeliest piece of that group to be moved is seemingly Bradley, according to Bradford, who has already generated trade interest from both the Cubs and Royals.

While Bradley enjoyed a nice overall season with the Red Sox this past year, one general manager opined that the Sox would be selling high if they were to move him at this time. The 25-year-old Bradley (26 next April) posted a nice .249/.335/.489 bating line in 2015 and justified the considerable defensive hype that comes with his name, saving eight to 10 runs (based on his respective Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating marks) while logging a combined 608 innings across all three outfield spots.

Despite the strong cumulative numbers at the plate, however, Bradley didn’t hit much outside of a torrid month of August. A .451 BABIP that month helped propel Bradley to a .354/.429/.734 batting line — the power he showed does indicate that there was more to the surge than pure luck on balls put into play — but he didn’t post an OPS mark greater than .739 (just barely higher than his August slugging, alone) in any other month of the season.

Bradley is unequivocally a dynamic defender, which makes it understandable that the Royals, who value glovework perhaps more than any other team in baseball, would have some interest in him. The Cubs’ interest isn’t a surprise, either, considering that president Theo Epstein was with the Red Sox when Bradley was drafted 40th overall in 2011. The question for Kansas City and Chicago — or any interested club — is whether Bradley’s 2015 batting line can be reproduced in a more consistent manner over the life of a full season. If so, that could make him one of the game’s most valuable all-around outfielders. If the end result of a full season of Bradley is closer to his lifetime .213/.290/.349 batting line, however, he looks more the part of an elite defensive fourth outfielder. That’s still a valuable piece to a Major League roster but, of course, would come with considerably less value than a premium defender whose bat was 15 to 20 percent above the league average (when adjusting for park).

The Red Sox would figure to have a lofty asking price on Bradley, whom they control through the 2020 season. Bradley’s service time (one year, 150 days) means he’ll be a Super Two player and qualify for arbitration four times instead of the standard three, assuming he is not demoted to the minor leagues again, but if he’s able to turn in comparable results to his 2015 production, a club certainly wouldn’t be bothered by that fact.

It’s worth noting in all of this that while a rival GM might’ve opined to Bradford that moving Bradley would be selling high, there’s no indication that the Red Sox are thinking in that manner at this time. Dombrowski recently labeled Bradley “one of the best defensive outfielders [he’s] ever seen.”

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