Rangers Designate Scott Barnes, Ben Rowen For Assignment
The Rangers have designated left-hander Scott Barnes and right-hander Ben Rowen for assignment in order to clear room on the 40-man roster for Kyuji Fujikawa and Colby Lewis, tweets team executive VP of communications John Blake.
Barnes, claimed off waivers from the Orioles just over a week ago, appears headed for his fourth organization in less than a month’s time. The Orioles acquired him after he was designated for assignment by the Indians, only to lose him on waivers to Texas. The 27-year-old didn’t pitch in the Majors last season but he did in 2012-13, combining to compile a 5.20 ERA in 27 2/3 innings of work. Barnes spent the past season at Triple-A, where he averaged 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings against 4.2 walks per nine with a 3.69 ERA. He held opposing lefties to a rather minuscule .191/.296/.255 batting line this year.
The 26-year-old Rowen made his big league debut this year and allowed four runs on 10 hits and four walks (three intentional) with seven strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings. Rowen has an exceptional minor league track record with a 1.72 career ERA, including a 2.39 mark with 6.9 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 79 frames at the Triple-A level. All 262 of his minor league innings have come out of the bullpen.
Rangers To Sign Kyle Blanks
12:25pm: Blanks will earn $1MM if he makes the big league roster, with an additional $600K of incentives based on plate appearances, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).
11:46am: The Rangers are set to sign first baseman/outfielder Kyle Blanks, reports Chris Cotillo of SB Nation (Twitter links). Blanks, a client of Sosnick/Cobbe Sports, will receive a split contract, meaning his deal calls for separate Major League and Minor League salaries, dependent on whether or not he makes the team.
Blanks, 28, was acquired by the Athletics from the Padres early in the 2014 season. He performed quite well in a limited sample of 56 plate appearances before a torn calf muscle cost him the remainder of the season. With the A’s, Blanks hit .333/.446/.489 with a pair of home runs.
Blanks looked to be a breakout candidate in 2009 as a 22-year-old. The towering slugger ranked 50th among prospects prior to that season, per Baseball America, and proceeded to hit .250/.355/.514 with 10 homers in 172 plate appearances that season. Blanks looked like a potential building block for San Diego at that point, but in four subsequent seasons, he batted just .223/.300/.375 in 624 PA.
A career .244/.342/.409 hitter against left-handed pitching, Blanks will present the Rangers with at worst a candidate to platoon at DH, first base and an outfield corner. The Rangers currently project to have Mitch Moreland handle most of the time at DH next season, and Moreland’s struggles against left-handed pitching have been well-documented.
Rangers Sign Kyuji Fujikawa
The Rangers have officially agreed to a deal with free agent reliever Kyuji Fujikawa, as T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com first reported on Twitter. Fujikawa, a client of the Wasserman Media Group, gets a one year deal that includes a club option, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets.
The contract has a $1MM base salary plus incentives, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link). The club option is for $2MM and comes with a $100K buyout, bringing the total guarantee to $1.1MM, Heyman adds (via Twitter). That option could rise to as much as $3.5MM if Fujikawa meets certain games-finished thresholds.
Fujikawa, a 34-year-old righty, came to the United States by way of the Cubs. He has thrown only 25 innings over the past two seasons, with two stints sandwiched around a Tommy John procedure and rehab. Though he carries only a 5.04 ERA at the big league level, Fujikawa has shown he can miss major league bats. He has averaged 11.2 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9.
Chicago declined a $5.5MM option over Fujikawa at the start of the offseason. Fujikawa was an ace reliever in Japan, where he accumulated a 1.77 ERA over 12 seasons while posting 11.9 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9.
AL Notes: Rios, Mariners, Rangers, Murphy, Twins
Here’s the latest from the American League:
- With Melky Cabrera off the board, Alex Rios remains on the Mariners‘ radar, tweets Bob Dutton of The News Tribune. Cabrera agreed to a three-year contract with the White Sox yesterday, which should pay him roughly $14-$14.5MM per season.
- MLB.com’s Greg Johns entertains other scenarios (both external and internal) in which the Mariners can fill their vacancy in right field.
- The Rangers have $10-12MM in financial flexibility remaining; but, because of the health questions surrounding their core players, they could sit on that cash until midseason when they will have had time to gauge what kind of team they really have, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
- Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes wonders if Indians outfielder David Murphy is more of a platoon player at this stage of his career and believes a reader’s proposed trade of Murphy to the Mets for Ohio native Jon Niese would favor the Indians.
- The White Sox have filled many holes with their high-profile acquisitions this offseason, but right field, second base, third base, and catcher remain areas of concern, opines Jim Margalus of South Side Sox.
- The Twins have invested heavily in the free agent market this offseason and last because payroll was shed and there’s optimism over the performance of Minnesota’s young core, writes 1500ESPN.com’s Phil Mackey.
AL Notes: Melky, Jays, Red Sox, Masterson
With the Winter Meetings in the books, be sure to check out this interesting piece from Joe Lemire for Medium.com regarding the change wrought on the process by changes in communication technology. Texting has replaced in-person dealmaking and reporting, writes Lemire, which in some ways undermines the purpose of teams gathering in one place. Of course, as we found out this week, the annual meet-up is still capable of supporting a hotbed of transactional movement.
Here’s the latest from the American League:
- The Mariners have made free agent outfielder Melky Cabrera a three-year offer, Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com reports (Spanish language link). Cabrera is looking for at least one more guaranteed year, says Rojas. This news reflects a recent report from Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune, who suggested that the sides were at something of a standoff along those lines.
- The Blue Jays are looking at the free agent market for a second baseman but are not interested in guaranteeing more than three years, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports on Twitter. “You won’t see any four or five-year deals,” said GM Alex Anthopoulos.
- Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald (Twitter link) rejects the idea that the Red Sox made a mistake by not landing Jon Lester. That assessment, says Silverman, will depend upon whether the team finds a suitable alternative.
- Justin Masterson says that the Rangers were one of several claims to make him an offer before he signed with the Red Sox, the Herald’s Scott Lauber reports on Twitter. That offer was for $6MM in guaranteed money, WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford tweets.
Rangers Acquire Ross Detwiler
After a season in which their pitching staff (and position players) were ravaged by injuries, the Rangers have added an arm to solidify their staff, announcing the acquisition Ross Detwiler from the Nationals. In exchange, Washington will receive righty Abel De Los Santos and infielder Chris Bostick.
Detwiler, a former first-round pick, enters his age-29 season after a somewhat disappointing 2014 campaign. Working from the pen, Detwiler threw 63 innings of 4.00 ERA ball with 5.6 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9.
Previously, Detwiler had established himself as a fairly solid starter: he carried a 3.46 ERA over 301 2/3 frames from 2011-13, most of it working from the rotation. But the Nats shifted him to the pen given the team’s stacked rotation and the possibility that his stuff would play up in that role. Realistically, he did not have much of a place on this year’s Nationals roster with several lefties and starting depth pieces in place.
The southpaw comes with just one year of control — at a projected $3.3MM price tag — but will provide Texas with a rotation option or possible swingman piece. MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan writes that the Rangers will give Detwiler the opportunity to start, though he could ultimately end up in a setup role if that does not pan out. While it is perhaps optimistic to say he has significant upside at this stage of his career, Detwiler could still deliver plenty of value for the Rangers. In particular, his solid 46.5 percent career ground-ball rate should be an asset with Elvis Andrus and Adrian Beltre in the infield.
The 21-year-old De Los Santos split the 2014 season between Class-A and Class-A Advanced, posting an outstanding 1.92 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 56 1/3 innings of relief. In his review of the Rangers’ prospects, Fangraphs’ Kiley McDaniel mentioned De Los Santos as a potential power arm in the bullpen.
Bostick, also 21, was acquired by the Rangers in last year’s Craig Gentry trade. He spent the season with Class-A Advanced Myrtle Beach and batted a respectable .251/.332/.412 with 11 homers and 24 steals (though he was caught 11 times as well). Bostick ranked 18th among A’s prospects at the time he was dealt to the Rangers, but his numbers in the Florida State League represented a decline from his work in the Midwest League a year prior.
This swap largely kicks off the offseason for both clubs. They have previously been linked in several trade scenarios, but nothing has been consummated. In fact, per MLBTR’s Transaction Tracker, the last time Texas and Washington matched up on a deal, the Nats acquired Tanner Roark — the man who in large part kept Detwiler from a rotation spot last year.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports first reported that the Rangers would acquire Detwiler (on Twitter). USA Today’s Scott Boeck reported that Bostick and De Los Santos were headed to the Nats (Twitter link).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor Moves: Villarreal, Noonan, Rangers
Here are today’s minor transactions, with the newest moves at the top of the post…
- The Twins have signed right-hander Brayan Villarreal to a split contract, ESPN’s Enrique Rojas reports (via Twitter). The deal contains an invitation to Minnesota’s Spring Training camp and Villarreal will earn $522K if he stays on the Twins’ Major League roster. Villarreal last pitched in the majors in 2013 and spent last season with the Red Sox Triple-A affiliate.
- The Yankees signed infielder Nick Noonan to a minor league deal, the New York Post’s Joel Sherman reports (Twitter link). Noonan, taken 32nd overall by the Giants in the 2007 draft, has a .262/.316/.368 slash line over 3322 career PA in the minors, all in San Francisco’s farm system. He appeared in 62 games with the Giants in 2013.
- The Rangers signed outfielder Antoan Richardson and right-handers Anthony Bass and Ross Wolf to minor league deals with Spring Training invitations, the team announced (hat tip to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram).
- The Marlins are likely to sign free agent infielder Scott Sizemore, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets. Sizemore signed a minor league deal with the Yankees last winter and played in six games for the club before being released and re-signed over the summer. Due in part to a pair of major knee injuries, Sizemore has only appeared in eight Major League games over the last three seasons.
- The Brewers have released outfielder Jeremy Hermida so he can pursue an opportunity to play in Japan, the team announced. Hermida just signed a new minor league contract with Milwaukee in November. The former 11th overall pick (in the 2002 draft) and top prospect last played in the majors in 2012 as a member of the Padres.
AL Notes: Blue Jays, Yankees, Rangers, Santos
Now that Andrew Miller, David Robertson, Luke Gregerson and Pat Neshek are off the market, the Blue Jays are likely to try to upgrade their bullpen through trades, Shi Davidi of SportsNet.ca writes. GM Alex Anthopoulos doesn’t want to trade any of his top pitching prospects, and he might not have as much of a budget to work with as is commonly believed, but he might part with a lower-level prospect to acquire the right reliever. The team could also use C/DH Dioner Navarro as a trade chip. Also, Davidi writes that the Jays have interest in Japanese second baseman Takashi Toritani, who might be available on a short-term deal. Here are more notes from the American League.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman says he’s taking a “patient” approach in the Winter Meetings, Chad Jennings of the Journal News reports. The Yankees continue to look for both starters and relievers. Cashman adds that he asked about both Dee Gordon and Jimmy Rollins before their teams agreed (or reportedly agreed, in Rollins’ case) to trade them Wednesday, and says that the Yankees are unlikely to select a player in Thursday’s Rule 5 Draft.
- The Rangers have had talks with free-agent reliever Sergio Santos but are not close to signing him, FOX Sports’ Jon Morosi tweets. Santos had a miserable 2014 season with the Blue Jays, allowing 22 runs in 20 innings and getting outrighted twice, but he had success in the big leagues as recently as 2013.
Rangers Notes: Shields, Reliever, Wood, Rule 5
James Shields and his representatives met with the Rangers during the Winter Meetings, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reports. Jon Daniels confirmed the meeting with reporters (including T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com) but said that it was largely a case of due diligence and because Shields lived in San Diego. “We wanted to be prepared if anything changes drastically. We enjoyed it, we like the guy a lot. In other circumstances we would like to have him. It was a function of him living out here so we took advantage of it,” Daniels said. “We’re not going to be in the top level of free agents. It would take something substantial to change to get involved with those free agents.”
Here’s some more from the Rangers camp…
- The Rangers are close to an agreement with a free agent reliever, Daniels told reporters (including Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News). The pitcher is a “veteran, right-handed, one-inning reliever” who didn’t pitch for Texas last season, and Daniels hopes to have the signing completed by next week.
- Starting pitching is still the Rangers’ top priority, Daniels said, and while they likely won’t make a splash for someone like Shields, the club is keeping its payroll options open for future moves. “One of the reasons we haven’t acted on other stuff is that we want to make sure we have resources to act on pitching. We’ve elected to not spend dollars elsewhere,” Daniels said.
- In addition to their previously-reported interest in Wade Miley, Jeff Wilson reports that the Rangers have also considered a trade for Cubs lefty Travis Wood.
- The Rangers are getting a lot of interest in their No. 3 overall pick in tomorrow’s Rule 5 Draft, Wilson tweets. If Texas does decide to trade the pick, it will be for a player and not for money, Wilson said.
Free Agent Rumors: Furcal, Grilli, Young, Mets
Free agent infielder Rafael Furcal could be a fit for the Royals on a minor league deal thanks to his connection with GM Dayton Moore, according to Tim Dierkes of MLBTR (via Twitter). Here are some of the latest free agency rumors out of San Diego..
- Jason Grilli has multiple offers from teams in major markets but the Tigers are not one of them, his agent tells Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter).
- The Rangers have interest in Eric Young Jr., but they may have already been outbid, according to Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson says he is considering bidding in the posting of Jung-ho Kang, but he’s unresolved as to whether he will, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
- The Orioles could be a landing spot for former Rangers pitcher Alexi Ogando, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com (via Twitter).
- After signing Jon Lester, the Cubs are now pursuing outfielder Jonny Gomes in an apparent effort to get the band back together, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter).
- Catcher David Ross tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (via Twitter) that he’s not close on a deal with any club even though he has interest from the Red Sox, Cubs, Braves, D’Backs, and Padres.