Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Royals Rumors

Pen Notes: O’Day, Cishek, Thornton, Cotts, Miller, Astros, Rockies, A’s, Tigers

By | at

Orioles executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette said today that his club is hoping to tie up an agreement with top free agent reliever Darren O’Day in short order, as Rich Dubroff of CSNmidatlantic.com tweets. “We’re continuing to work on that Darren O’Day project,” said Duquette. “We’re going to try to bring that to a head here in the next couple of days.”

Here’s more on an active market for relievers:

  • About a dozen teams have “checked in” on free agent righty Steve Cishek, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets. Non-tendered southpaw Cesar Ramos is also drawing wide interest he notes. But the Twins haven’t looked into either of those options. The club is set to meet with the representatives of Fernando Rodney and has some interest in lefty Tony Sipp as well.
  • 39-year-old lefty Matt Thornton has drawn interest from six clubs, including the Twins, according to Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter links). Thornton still brings a big fastball, and agent Adam Hubble says his client still hopes to pitch for another three or four seasons despite his advanced age.
  • As has previously been reported, and Twins GM Terry Ryan confirmed today, Minnesota has interest in a reunion with lefty Neal Cotts, Berardino tweets. “We still have interest,” said Ryan.
  • The Astros “have remained interested” in Yankees closer Andrew Miller, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports on Twitter. It remains far from clear, of course, whether any team will be willing to offer enough to get New York to part with the outstanding lefty, though Houston certainly has the young starting pitching coveted by the Yanks.
  • As has seemed apparent all along, the Astros are continuing to cast a wide net after apparently missing on Aroldis Chapman. Per Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter), Houston is “looking” not only at Miller but also Mark Melancon of the Pirates. And Drew Storen of the Nationals might feature as a “fallback option,” he adds.
  • While the prognosis seems promising, it’s worth noting also that Astros set-up man Pat Neshek just underwent foot surgery, as Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports. Neshek was forced to pitch through the injury last year
  • While internal options like Scott Oberg and Jairo Diaz will be considered, the Rockies also intend to check the market for a closer, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports on Twitter. Colorado recently non-tendered John Axford, who held down the 9th after Adam Ottavino was lost to Tommy John surgery.
  • The Athletics took a shot at signing righty Mark Lowe before he landed in Detroit, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. Oakland has already done quite a bit of work in the bullpen, but it seems that the club could still be eyeing further additions.
  • The Tigers are now moving down the line to address the team’s need for a left-handed reliever, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports. After already making several pitching additions, Detroit could consider free agents such as Antonio Bastardo, Tony Sipp, and Craig Breslow, says Fenech, though it remains unclear whether the club has specific interest in any of those particular players.
  • While the Mets were involved in talks for Chapman over the summer, assistant GM John Ricco said today that the team hasn’t pursued him over the winter, as Tim Rohan of the New York Times reports on Twitter.
  • Former Royals minor league lefty Buddy Baumann appears to be quite a hot commodity among minor league free agents, per Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Despite never having thrown an MLB inning, Baumann has already drawn five big league offers this winter. The 27-year-old worked to a 3.04 ERA in 77 frames at Triple-A last year, spending most of his time in the pen, with 9.8 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9.

Royals Re-Sign Chris Young

By | at

5:06pm: Kansas City has announced the signing. Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com tweets the annual breakdown of the contract, which promises Young $4.25MM in 2016, $5.75MM for the following year, and a $1.5MM buyout on a $8MM mutual option for 2018.

9:10am: Young will earn about $11.75MM over the life of the two-year deal, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star hears that it’s slightly less: an $11.5MM total over two years (Twitter link).

DEC. 7, 8:15am: Young does indeed have a deal with the Royals, pending a physical, reports MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan (via Twitter), who adds that Young is in Kansas City at the moment, presumably to take said physical examination.

DEC. 6: The Royals are close to re-signing pitcher Chris Young to a two-year deal, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. The deal is likely to be worth around $10MM to $11MM, and it’s likely to be completed by the close of the Winter Meetings. ESPN’s Buster Olney recently reported that it was just “a matter of timing” before Young and the Royals came to terms.

Chris Young

It appears that, as expected, Young’s new deal will be considerably more lucrative than the $675K contract to which he agreed before last season. In the last two seasons, Young has very effective, posting ERAs well below four and pitching a total of almost 300 innings split between the bullpen and the rotation in Seattle and Kansas City.

Young is now 36, and there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical of his prospects for future success — he’s an extreme fly ball pitcher with mediocre peripherals and very little in the way of velocity. Those reasons existed before each of the last two seasons too, however, and Young succeeded despite them. Fangraphs’ Dave Cameron broke down Young’s success in a fascinating column earlier this year, noting that Young has demonstrated an ability to repeat a BABIP that is drastically better than the league average due to his extreme fly-ball tendencies and uncanny ability to induce weak contact.

If the Royals believe in his ability to continue to be useful and versatile, a salary of about $5MM per season does not seem like an unreasonable price to pay. And considering the fact that Kansas City plays in one of the American League’s most expansive ball parks and typically prioritizes outfield defense — Lorenzo Cain is among the game’s best, though they’ll have a significant defensive hole to fill if Alex Gordon leaves — Young’s skill set seems perfectly tailored to succeed with the Royals. It remains to be seen just how many innings Young can handle in a season — the 165 he threw for Seattle in 2014 were his most since 2007, and he’s never even reached 180 — but for the reported price, Young doesn’t need to log 200+ innings in order to more than justify his salary.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Trade Interest In Boston’s Starting Pitchers

By | at

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).

Quick Hits: Cueto, Ozuna, Gordon, Lee, Sale

By | at

Bryce Dixon, Johnny Cueto’s agent, tells ESPNdeportes.com’s Enrique Rojas that it was an easy call for his client to reject the six-year, $120MM contract recently offered to him by the Diamondbacks.  “It was a low offer for the market,” Dixon said. “We didn’t have to think hard to reject that offer.  Arizona wanted to do something fast, but we didn’t want to take something below market value for a No. 1 starter, and with the recent events, I think that time gave us the reason.”  Indeed, Cueto now stands as the top arm on the market after the last week’s flurry of free agent pitching signings, and Dixon has enough leverage that he and Cueto don’t need to rush the decision.  “I don’t have a specific timetable….We have some offers and we will have several meetings in Nashville, but right now I could not tell if Cueto will have a team after the conclusion of the meetings. We have plenty of time until the beginning of the season,” Dixon said.

Here’s more from around baseball, as the Winter Meetings news avalanche has already begun…

  • During a conference call with media (including MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro) on Thursday, Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill denied that the team was shopping either Jose Fernandez or Marcell Ozuna.  Many reports have suggested that the Fish are unlikely and not really willing to deal Fernandez in absence of a stunning offer, though Ozuna has been one of the more openly talked-about trade candidates of the offseason.  “Contrary to some of the myriad of rumors out there, we are not actively shopping [Ozuna],” Hill said.  “Clubs are coming after him because he’s a talented player….When someone calls, we listen to see if it is something that makes sense, both in the short-term and the long-term.”  While Hill could be engaging in some gamesmanship here, it’s also possible he’s being truthful, and that interest in Ozuna has been so heavy that the Marlins actually haven’t needed to make any calls about him themselves.
  • The Royals haven’t abandoned the idea of re-signing Alex Gordon since they’re waiting on the outfield market to become more defined, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets.
  • First baseman Dae-ho Lee is on his way to the Winter Meetings, the Korean slugger told media (including Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News) before departing from Incheon to Nashville.  Lee’s agent has informed him that “four to five teams are showing interest” in his services, and if possible, he’d like to sign with “a championship-caliber team” that can offer him regular playing time.  Lee has put up big power numbers over career in KBO and NPB, though he is coming to North American at a rather advanced age (33) for a first-time player.  In opting out of his contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, Lee walked away from 600 million yen (or roughly $4.9MM) for the 2016 season, Yoo notes on Twitter.
  • Yoo’s piece also notes that Lee is represented by both the Seoul-based Montis Sports Management Group and the MVP Sports Group.
  • Chris Sale’s contract is often cited as one of the most team-friendly in the sport, and though it’s been even more dwarfed by this winter’s giant pitcher contracts, the White Sox ace tells MLB.com’s Scott Merkin that he has no regrets about his early-career extension.  “I knew exactly what I was getting into at the time I was getting into it, and I could not have asked for anything more,” Sale said, also noting that he thinks “to just keep playing the game as a kid and not have to worry about the business side, I think it has done me a lot of good.”  Sale’s extension guaranteed him $32.5MM from 2013-17, and Chicago has club options on the left-hander for 2018 and 2019 that could add another $26MM to the deal.

Saltalamacchia Had Interest From “6-7 Clubs”

By | at

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.

Royals, Athletics Talking With Scott Kazmir

By | at

6:32pm: The Athletics are also in the hunt for the free agent southpaw, he tells Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. There are numerous other teams still in the mix, though, she adds.

Oakland knows Kazmir as well as any team, of course. He spent all of 2014 and most of 2015 with the club after signing there as a free agent, and delivered plenty of value on his contract.

3:35pm: The Royals are in pursuit of free agent lefty Scott Kazmir, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets. The Dodgers are also interested, as Olney notes (and as FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal also noted earlier this weekend). The Royals appear close to re-signing another starter, Chris Young, but it doesn’t appear that will keep them from searching for more pitching help.

Kazmir would, of course, immediately upgrade a Royals rotation that finished 12th in the AL with a 4.34 ERA last year. Kazmir’s 3.10 ERA, 7.6 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 2015 would have placed him among the Royals’ best starters. Kazmir struggled down the stretch after being traded from Oakland to Houston, and he didn’t fare well the third time through the order (when batters hit .280/.335/.452 against him), so he also seems likely to benefit from the Royals’ strong bullpen. The 31-year-old Kazmir’s previous two-year deal with the A’s paid him $22MM, although he seems well positioned for a significantly larger deal this time around.

Central Notes: Young, Cardinals, Price, Reds

By | at

The perception in the industry is that it’s “only a matter of timing” before veteran starting pitcher Chris Young re-signs with the Royals, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets. Previous reports had indicated the two sides had been in talks, although, after pitching 123 1/3 innings with a 3.06 ERA for $675K last year, Young was looking for a deal better aligned with the quality of his performance. On a runs-allowed basis, the 36-year-old has been very useful the last two seasons despite an 87-MPH fastball and underwhelming peripherals. Here are more quick notes from the Central divisions.

  • The Cardinals ultimately did not win the bidding for David Price, but their willingness to shell out big bucks to sign him was telling, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. “We felt like we stretched in the Price situation, and we’ll stretch again if we see the right opportunity in someone who has the characteristics that he had. Those are tough to replicate,” says Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. With Price off the board, the Cardinals are now focused on re-signing star outfielder Jason Heyward. They would also still like to add starting pitching.
  • The departures of several key reserves have been “addition by subtraction” for the Cardinals, Jeff Gordon of the Post-Dispatch writes. Pete Kozma (.152/.236/.152), Peter Bourjos (.200/.290/.333) and Tony Cruz (.204/.235/.310) have all departed, and the Cardinals almost can’t help but do better with their roster spots, Gordon suggests. Aledmys Diaz, Brandon Moss and Brayan Pena will all play key roles on next year’s bench.
  • Heading into the Winter Meetings, Reds president of baseball operations Walt Jocketty says there’s little going on with trade talks for players other than Aroldis Chapman, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon writes. “We really haven’t had a lot of discussion, with the exception of one player, maybe,” Jocketty says. “Other than that, it’s been pretty quiet. I don’t know what’s going to happen when we get to Nashville. It’s been pretty slow since Thanksgiving.” Todd Frazier and Jay Bruce have recently come up in rumors. Both say they would like to remain with Reds (although, of course, Frazier does not have protection from being traded and Bruce has only a limited no-trade clause).

Starting Pitching Notes: Leake, Iwakuma, Maeda, Chen, Marlins

By | at

The red-hot free agent pitching market will only help the Indians in trade talks, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes.  With so many top starters commanding giant salaries, the Tribe’s collection of young arms becomes more attractive both to teams who are hesitant to overspend on pitching, or to teams who missed out on their free agent targets.  President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti could be making a career-defining move, Pluto believes, if he chooses to deal one of Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar or Trevor Bauer for a big bat since such a trade could put the Tribe over the top as contenders.

Here’s more from the ever-shifting pitching rumor mill…

  • The Giants are still interested in Mike Leake, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets, even after signing Jeff Samardzija.  Leake’s market is “now more defined” with so many other top pitchers off the board.  The Giants may not be willing to give Leake a Samardzija-esque deal, however, as reported by Andrew Baggarly of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter).  This could take them out of the running for Leake given how several other teams also have interest.
  • Also from Olney, the Royals are in the mix for starting pitching.  Chris Young has been the only starter directly tied to Kansas City in reports, though there has been speculation that the World Series champs could aim higher in their search for rotation help.
  • The Dodgers and Giants both fell short in their search for Zack Greinke, but MLB Network’s Peter Gammons wonders if the two arch-rivals could compete again for Hisashi Iwakuma.  Both teams have already shown interest in the Japanese righty, and while the Mariners also have a long-stated interest in re-signing Iwakuma, I would guess the presence of these two big-market teams could drive Iwakuma’s price out of Seattle’s comfort zone.
  • There has been speculation in the Japanese media that Kenta Maeda would prefer to pitch for the Dodgers, according to NPBTracker’s Patrick Newman (Twitter link).  The Dodgers have a long history with Japanese talent and they have a need in the rotation, so a connection makes sense.  L.A. will get a chance to negotiate with Maeda if they’re one of the teams who posts a $20MM bid for his services.
  • Wei-Yin Chen has become a “hot topic” for the Cubs, 670TheScore.com’s Bruce Levine tweets.  Chen is another free agent whose market should benefit from other pitchers disappearing off the market.  Chicago, for instance, had interest in Price, Zimmermann and Samardzija before all of those pitchers signed elsewhere, though the Cubs already made one rotation-bolstering move in signing John Lackey.
  • The Marlins are exploring a wide range of pitching options as they head to the Winter Meetings, president of baseball operations Michael Hill tells MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro writes.  Frisaro suggests that James Shields or Wade Miley could be trade targets since Miami has been interested in both pitchers in the past, though the Marlins are trying to hang onto their core position players in deals (presumably trade candidate Marcell Ozuna isn’t necessarily part of this equation).
  • The Marlins are open to the possibility of signing Cliff Lee, Frisaro reports.  Presumably Miami would be one of several clubs interested in seeing if the former Cy Young Award winner has anything left in his comeback attempt.
  • The Astros could look to deal 26-year-old lefty Brett Oberholtzer, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter).  Oberholtzer has a 3.94 ERA, 2.86 K/BB rate and 5.9 K/9 over 253 2/3 career innings, all with Houston since 2013.  He’s one of many young arms the Astros have on hand beyond the five-man rotation, and the southpaw could be expendable if Houston is satisfied with its other depth options.  Heyman speculates that the Orioles, Phillies, Rangers and Reds could all be fits as trade partners.
  • The Twins aren’t one of the reported 10 teams interested in Henderson Alvarez, 1500ESPN.com’s Darren Wolfson tweets.

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/4/15

By | at

It’s been a huge day for news, with Zack Greinke and John Lackey agreeing to terms with new teams and the Red Sox officially announcing their signing of David Price. Here are some smaller moves that might have fallen through the cracks.

  • The Dodgers have announced that they’ve outrighted righty Brooks Brown, clearing a spot on their 40-man roster. They claimed the 30-year-old from the Rockies in October after he pitched parts of two seasons in the Colorado bullpen, posting a 3.97 ERA, 6.3 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 59 innings.
  • The Dodgers are also expected to sign outfielder Donavan Tate, Baseball America’s John Manuel tweets. Tate, now 25, has struggled to establish himself since the Padres drafted him with the third overall pick in 2009. In 2015, he hit .211/.290/.334 for Class A+ Lake Elsinore.
  • The Yankees have signed infielder Pete Kozma to a minor league deal, Anthony McCarron of New York Daily News writes. Kozma was the Cardinals’ starting shortstop in 2013, but he failed to establish himself at the position and now has a career .222/.288/.293 line in parts of five big-league seasons. He has just three extra-base hits, all doubles, in his last two seasons, spanning 137 plate appearances. He is, however, solid in the field.
  • The Twins have announced that they’ve signed lefty Aaron Thompson, catcher Juan Centeno and outfielder Joe Benson to minor league deals. Thompson pitched in 41 games for the Twins last season, posting a 5.01 ERA, 4.7 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 out of the bullpen. Centeno, a longtime Mets farmhand, served as a depth catcher in the Brewers system in 2015, batting .295/.312/.364 while backing up Nevin Ashley at Triple-A Colorado Springs. The 27-year-old Benson, a Twins second-round pick in 2006, hit .248/.351/.361 last season while playing in the Mets and Braves systems.
  • The Royals have signed shortstop Orlando Calixte to a minor league deal, tweets MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan. The Royals non-tendered Calixte earlier this week after the 23-year-old batted .229/.287/.339 for Triple-A Omaha.
  • The Royals have also signed outfielder Cody Decker to a minor league deal, Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan tweets. The 28-year-old Decker hit .252/.335/.488 for Triple-A El Paso in the Padres’ system in 2015.
  • Righty Paul Clemens has signed a minor league deal with the Marlins that includes a Spring Training invite, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman tweets. Clemens struggled in parts of two seasons pitching for the Astros in 2013 and 2014, then carried those struggles over to the minors in the Phillies and Royals systems 2015. He should provide the Marlins with minor league depth.

Free Agent Notes: Navarro, Madson, Leake, Soria, Flowers

By | at

Switch-hitting catcher Dioner Navarro is a “name to keep an eye on” in connection to the White Sox, says Yahoo’s Jeff Passan (links to Twitter). The sense among competitors for Navarro’s services is that something could come together quickly between Navarro and the ChiSox now that Tyler Flowers has been non-tendered, according to Passan, who calls Navarro the “top” offensive catcher on the market. I’d posit that Wilin Rosario certainly gives Navarro a run for his money in that regard, though Navarro probably comes with the better defensive reputation of the two. Regardless, a match between the Sox and Navarro certainly seems plausible.

A few more notes on some various free agents for those who are joining me in the realm of insomnia…

  • MLB.com’s Jane Lee reports that the Athletics are interested in right-hander Ryan Madson, with one source telling her that the A’s are a “legitimate suitor” for Madson’s services. Oakland is “square in the mix” for Madson, says Lee’s source. She notes that the former Phillies closer, who enjoyed a brilliant bounceback campaign in Kansas City this past season, is looking for a multi-year deal. While Oakland has already picked up reliever Liam Hendriks from Toronto, Lee writes that the team isn’t shying away from the concept of adding another relief arm. She adds that GM David Forst has stated that payroll won’t be a deterrent in the team’s pursuit of an additional setup arm.
  • The Giants still haven’t engaged in talks with right-hander Mike Leake, tweets Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. While San Francisco is widely believed to be interested in retaining the right-hander it acquired in late July, Schulman says the belief is that the team’s pursuit of ace Zack Greinke needs to be resolved before a serious effort to re-sign Leake is made. Greinke is reportedly deciding between the Giants and his former club (and San Francisco division rival), the Dodgers.
  • The Blue Jays and Royals are among the clubs monitoring the market for right-hander Joakim Soria, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link). The Tigers are out of the mix for Soria after acquiring Francisco Rodriguez, he adds. Both Toronto and K.C. are known to be interested in relief help, though a recent report from Crasnick indicated that the Blue Jays aren’t inclined to pay top dollar for any bullpen arms right now, and Soria is reportedly seeking a $27MM total over a three-year span, which seems to make the two an unlikely match.
  • CSN Chicago’s Dan Hayes tweets that the White Sox’ decision to non-tender Flowers might have been a blessing in disguise for the catcher. One scout texted Hayes shortly after the news of Flowers’ non-tender broke, telling Hayes that Flowers “should thank” the White Sox for cutting him loose, because his belief is that Flowers will get more than his projected $3.5MM arbitration salary in this market. That seems potentially steep to me, considering the fact that Alex Avila and Geovany Soto have both signed for under $3MM, but Flowers did post standout framing numbers last year and does have some pop, so clubs are sure to be interested. If nothing else, he could probably surpass that number by way of incentives in a one-year deal with a new club.
Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top