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Starting Pitching Notes: Miller, Leake, Dodgers

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Braves president of baseball operations John Hart says that the club is “absolutely not in the mode” of shopping pitcher Shelby Miller, according to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter).  For his part, O’Brien (on Twitter) has a feeling that the Braves have not given up on getting infielder Javier Baez or outfielder Jorge Soler from the Cubs in exchange for Miller.  On top of that, a few teams have also reached out with interest in Braves hurler Julio Teheran, as Mark Bowman of MLB.com writes.

Here’s more out of Nashville:

  • The D’Backs, Dodgers, and Red Sox are staying in touch with the Braves regarding Miller, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets.
  • A person familiar with Mike Leake’s talks thinks he could land a five-year deal for $75-80MM, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com tweets.  To some, that would appear to mark a spike in his market value, though MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicted that Leake could net a five-year, $80MM deal way back in early November.
  • Agent Rob Martin told MLBTR (Twitter link) that pitcher Brandon Beachy is “100% healthy” as he seeks his next deal in free agency.  Beachy will be prioritizing the best pitching opportunities without any real preference for geographic location.   Beachy was designated for assignment by the Dodgers in July before accepting an outright assignment in August.  From 2010-13 with Atlanta, he posted a 3.23 ERA, 9.2 K.9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 267 2/3 innings. Durability has been an issue since reaching the Major Leagues, however, as he’s topped 100 innings just once in his career and made 10 starts in a season just twice.
  • Chris Young turned down the opportunity to sign a three-year deal elsewhere to return to the Royals on a two-year pact, according to Andy McCullough of The Kansas City Star (on Twitter).
  • There are five teams in on Justin Masterson, including the Pirates, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
  • As many as a dozen teams are already showing interest in Henderson Alvarez, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets.
  • The Tigers and Cardinals both tried to land Jeff Samardzija, according to Heyman (on Twitter).  The Tigers, predictably, were out on Shark once they inked Jordan Zimmermann.

NL Central Notes: Cards, Heyward, Lucroy

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Here’s a look at the NL Central:

  • Cardinals GM John Mozeliak says that his club continues to pursue Jason Heyward, as Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com tweets.  He also expects to see movement in the free agent outfield market this week.  The rival Cubs have been mentioned as a potential landing spot for Heyward as well.
  • When asked if he felt that it was a necessity for the Cardinals to add a starting pitcher, Mozeliak said, “No.  I don’t,” according to Langosch (on Twitter).
  • The Cardinals might not address pitching until they know how the Heyward market shakes out, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. He adds that St. Louis is fond of free agent hurler Mike Leake, but only at a certain price.  Earlier this offseason, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicted that Leake would score a five-year, $80MM deal.
  • The Brewers have been listening on catcher Jonathan Lucroy, according to Rosenthal (on Twitter).  Lucroy’s team-friendly contract calls for a $4MM salary in 2016 and a $5.5MM club option in ’17, enhancing his value.
  • Brewers GM David Stearns indicated that a trade of Lucroy is less than likely, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Journal-Sentinel (on Twitter).
  • Stearns is looking for short-term help in center field (via Haudricourt), adding that he is certain that he will find one before next season for the Brewers.
  • Pirates GM Neal Huntington said his first base search is “still wide open,” per Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Post-Gazette (on Twitter).  That means that the Bucs could look for an everyday player or just a backup/platoon guy to pair with Mike Morse.
  • The Pirates will meet with Scott Kazmir’s representation here in Nashville, a source tells Travis Sawchick of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter).

Avila: Tigers Out On Yoenis Cespedes, Alex Gordon

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4:12pm: GM Al Avila said that the Tigers are “out” on both Gordon and Cespedes, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (Twitter link).

9:16am: The Tigers are “looking at” Yoenis Cespedes and Alex Gordon as outfield options, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link). The Royals, however, believe the biggest threat to steal Gordon away from them presently comes from the nearby Cardinals, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (also via Twitter).

Seeing either outfielder end up in Detroit would be somewhat of a surprise considering the fact that GM Al Avila has previously indicated that he’s probably done pursuing outfield help after acquiring Cameron Maybin from the Braves. Adding Gordon or Cespedes would push Maybin into shared center-field duties with Anthony Gose and perhaps make outfield prospects Tyler Collins and Steven Moya expendable, as the team also has J.D. Martinez locked in as a long-term option in right field.

For the Cardinals, Gordon makes some sense as a replacement for Jason Heyward. Gordon is, in many ways, somewhat of an older version of Heyward — a premium outfield defender that can hit for a respectable average and get on base but lacks the prototypical power that many expect from a corner outfielder. Gordon is entering his age-32 season, while Heyward is entering just his age-26 season, though, so one has to wonder how Gordon’s glove will hold up over the life of a long-term deal. Nevertheless, the Cardinals have missed out on both David Price and Jeff Samardzija thus far this offseason and stand to potentially lose Heyward in addition to already having lost John Lackey (who signed with the Cubs) and Lance Lynn (who underwent Tommy John surgery). St. Louis has been linked to top free agents ranging from Price to Samardzija to Chris Davis, so Gordon is another impact player to add to the list and gives a bit more reason to believe that the Cardinals will be more aggressive spenders than we’re typically used to seeing this offseason.

The Angels have also recently been tied to Cespedes, and while the Mets recently contacted his representatives, assistant GM John Ricco said yesterday that it remains “unlikely” that Cespedes will return to Queens.

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.

Latest On Mike Leake

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Here are the latest tidbits on free agent starter Mike Leake (who has also recently been connected to the Giants, as well as to the Cardinals and Diamondbacks, who are discussed below).

  • The Cardinals, who have lost Lance Lynn to Tommy John surgery and John Lackey to the Cubs, are seriously considering Leake, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman writes. In addition to David Price and Jeff Samardzija, the Cardinals also “tried hard” to sign Lackey. It appears, then, that they’ll have ample room in their budget to sign Leake if they make him a priority.
  • The Diamondbacks, however, could have the edge on signing Leake if they can make a strong offer, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets. Leake lives near Phoenix and would like to stay there if possible. There is reportedly mutual interest between Leake and the Diamondbacks.

Central Notes: Young, Cardinals, Price, Reds

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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).

Reactions To Jeff Samardzija Signing

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Here’s a roundup of the news and reactions related to the Giants’ signing of Jeff Samardzija…

  • The Giants ownership group “was ecstatic” with GM Bobby Evans’ preparation, writes Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News. After the club missed out on Zack Greinke, they were ready to quickly pull the trigger on Samardzija. While he’s a big step down from Greinke, Samardzija comes with plenty of upside. He’ll also allow the club to pursue either another starting pitcher or a serious outfield upgrade like Yoenis Cespedes or Justin Upton.
  • Samardzija selected the Giants over the Cardinals and Dodgers, tweets Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. As has often been reported, the Cardinals are looking for depth to replace Lance Lynn who will miss 2016 after Tommy John surgery. The Dodgers are exploring the market for virtually any quality pitcher.
  • The Cubs backed off Samardzija due to the five-year term, tweets Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com. His former club met the $18MM annual value paid by the Giants, but were uncomfortable with such a lengthy deal. In my opinion, the John Lackey signing sufficiently meets the club’s current needs. If Chicago decides to upgrade for a playoff run, they can cash in one of their many prospects.
  • Meanwhile, the Yankees were never involved in the bidding, tweets Joel Sherman of the NY Post. New York is focused on the trade market for pitchers with zero to three years of service time. This news indicates a continuation of the Yankees’ youth movement.
  • Samardzija projects to be comparable to Jordan Zimmermann, writes Dave Cameron of FanGraphs. Given that Zimmermann signed for an average of $4MM more per season, the Giants received solid value relative to the market. Samardzija is a challenging pitcher to project, leading to a wide range of conceivable outcomes.
  • In talking about the deal, Evans praised Samardzija’s durability, writes Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Evans believes mechanical adjustments could lead to a rebound 2016 season. He also suggests that working with Buster Posey this season will help Samardzija’s numbers. While he doesn’t specifically mention it, AT&T Park is the most pitcher friendly stadium in the majors. Undoubtedly, Samardzija will also benefit from his new home field.
  • Ben Zobrist, who the club can now afford after not inking Greinke, is scheduled to visit Giants officials soon, reports John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. Evans commented on the flexibility offered by saying, “smaller deals give you potential for larger moves, and larger moves could limit the number of choices you may have and cause a ripple effect with the need to stay with smaller deals.“

Heyman’s Latest: Cueto, Giants, Rangers, Alvarez, Puig

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Johnny Cueto tops the list as the key player to watch at the Winter Meetings, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman writes in his latest Inside Baseball piece.  Several big-market clubs have already checked in on Cueto and the Dodgers may hold particular interest since they considered trading for Cueto at the deadline last summer but held off out of a desire to keep their top prospects.  Heyman’s piece was written before the news of Zack Greinke’s deal with the Diamondbacks broke, so it stands to reason that the Dodgers’ interest could be even greater with Greinke off the board.  The Cardinals, Heyman reports, haven’t checked in on Cueto, as the righty “had a rough relationship with Cardinal Nation while starring in Cincinnati.”

Here are some of the hot stove highlights of Heyman’s lengthy news roundup…

  • The Giants may pursue not one but two pitchers now that they’ve missed out on Greinke.  San Francisco is “believed to have big money to spend” and they’ve been connected to such names as Mike Leake and Jeff Samardzija.
  • The Rangers are receiving a lot of interest in many of their top relievers, including closer Shawn Tolleson, Jake Diekman, Sam Dyson and the newly-acquired Tom Wilhelmsen.
  • The Rangers’ shopping list includes a right-handed bat for lineup balance and a starting pitcher likely to fill out the back of the rotation.  Texas is also looking for a young catcher.  Earlier this week, the Rangers were said to be working on a deal to add a catcher but no trade materialized.
  • Pedro Alvarez has received calls from five teams, including the Indians, since being non-tendered by the Pirates earlier this week.
  • Another non-tendered Alvarez, former Marlins righty Henderson Alvarez, is also drawing a lot of interest on the open market, with 10 teams checking in.  Though 2015 was a lost year for Alvarez due to injuries and he may miss some time in 2016 in the wake of shoulder surgery, it’s no surprise that Alvarez is a hot commodity given his track record.
  • The Marlins’ desire to trade Marcell Ozuna is well-known, though Heyman notes that one obstacle is Miami’s lack of a ready-made replacement in center field.  In a tweet from this morning, Heyman wonders if Dexter Fowler could be pursued since Fowler was formerly tutored by new Miami hitting coach Barry Bonds.  There hasn’t yet been any sign that the Marlins are interested in Fowler, however.
  • Speaking of Marlins trades, closer A.J. Ramos and third baseman Martin Prado have both drawn interest but Heyman figures the team isn’t too likely to part with either player.
  • A few teams called the Dodgers to ask about Yasiel Puig’s availability but the Dodgers aren’t keen on selling low on the outfielder.  The team intends to “try to reach him” and inspire Puig to return to his old form.  The Dodgers are more likely to trade Carl Crawford or Andre Ethier if they do decide to move an outfielder, though dealing either could be hard given the crowded outfield market (not to mention both players’ salaries).
  • Daniel Murphy was connected to the Dodgers this offseason but he “doesn’t appear to be at the forefront” of the team’s plans at the moment.
  • The Mets seem to be more serious about adding a platoon partner for Juan Lagares in center field rather than sign an everyday center fielder like Fowler or Denard Span.
  • Brett Gardner’s name has surfaced in trade rumors this winter but “there isn’t currently any traction for a trade” between the Yankees and any other teams.
  • The Yankees are another team monitoring the free agent pitching market and New York “may be laying in the weeds” to make its move on Samardzija or Wei-Yin Chen.
  • Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar would be a fit with the Cubs but there is “nothing to that one at the moment.”  It’s hard to see Toronto dealing the defensively-spectacular Pillar given how their next best center field option (Dalton Pompey) is still unproven at the Major League level and struggled badly when given the everyday job last April.

Cardinals Interested In Jeff Samardzija

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The Cardinals have interest in free agent starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman also mentioned the Cardinals’ interest in Samardzija earlier today. The Cards finished second in the bidding for new Red Sox ace David Price, and it appears they see Samardzija as a possible alternative.

Multiple reports have indicated that Samardzija has already received offers of $90MM or more, so it doesn’t appear likely he’ll be cheap despite a 4.96 ERA season with the White Sox. Samardzija is, however, just 30 and still in possession of mid-90s velocity, and he had a great 2014 season with the Cubs and Athletics. He has also pitched at least 210 innings in each of the last three seasons. The Cubs have recently shown interest in a reunion with Samardzija, although that interest has likely diminished, at least to a degree, now that they’ve signed 2015 Cardinal John Lackey.

The Cardinals rotation had a 2.99 ERA in 2015, easily the best in baseball, and they figure to add a full season of Adam Wainwright next season. After Lackey’s departure, Lance Lynn’s Tommy John surgery, and the 50-game suspension of prospect Alex Reyes, however, they’re still a bit thin on starting pitching.

Cardinals Non-Tender Steve Cishek

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The Cardinals announced that they have non-tendered right-hander Steve Cishek as well as catcher Cody Stanley. The latter of the two, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes (Twitter link), is in the midst of serving a suspension.

Cishek’s non-tender wasn’t necessarily unexpected, considering his lofty $7.1MM arbitration projection (per MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz). Nevertheless, his entry into the free-agent market is notable, as teams will now have the opportunity to negotiate with a player that was once considered to be a star-caliber closer.

The 29-year-old Cishek saved 88 games for the Marlins from 2012-14 and logged a stellar 2.65 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 over his first 257 2/3 innings as a Major League reliever (2010-14). However, he struggled in the early stages of the 2015 season, even earning a demotion to the minors along the way. Cishek performed well at Triple-A and yielded just one earned run across 12 2/3 innings in his return to the Majors before being traded to St. Louis for right-hander Kyle Barraclough.

With the Cardinals, Cishek posted a strong 2.31 ERA, but that number didn’t tell the full story of his work in St. Louis, as he posted a somewhat troublesome 20-to-13 K/BB ratio in 23 1/3 innings with his new club. His velocity was also down in 2015, as his 90.8 mph average heater was the lowest of his career and a good bit south of the ~92.5 mph he averaged when at his best.

Although he’s coming off the worst season of his career, Cishek still seems like a candidate to land a big league deal when considering his entire body of work at the Major League level: a 2.82 ERA, 9.6 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and a 50.1 percent ground-ball rate.

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