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Latest On White Sox Outfield Search

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The White Sox are actively pursuing outfield upgrades, with Alex Gordon and Yoenis Cespedes “among [the] possibilities” for the team, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Chicago has been linked to outfield upgrades ever since adding Todd Frazier in a three-team trade with the Reds and Dodgers, and Rosenthal himself reported that the South Siders were interested in Gordon just last week.

Either Gordon or Cespedes would provide a major upgrade for the Sox, who currently project to have an outfield of Melky Cabrera, Adam Eaton and Avisail Garcia (left to right). While Eaton is among the game’s more underrated players and quietly enjoyed an excellent 2015 after a slow start, the club’s corner options are less exciting. Cabrera is only one season removed from a strong performance in Toronto and recovered from a slow start of his own to bat .288/.330/.449 with 11 homers from June 1 through season’s end. Considering that finish and the remaining $29MM on his contract over the next two seasons, Cabrera seems likely to stay put.

Garcia, on the other hand, has been a more disappointing case. He’ll earn a projected $2.3MM next season (per MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz) but is coming off a season in which he batted just .257/.309/.365 with sub-par defense in right field and poor baserunning metrics. The White Sox looked at Garcia as a potential star when they acquired him from the Tigers in 2013’s three-team Jake Peavy/Jose Iglesias trade, but he’s yet to realize his potential, having delivered below-average offense with the Sox in addition to his poor glovework. Both Baseball-Reference and Fangrapgs peg his collective body of work at sub-replacement level over his time in Chicago.

The 32-year-old Gordon would considerably improve Chicago’s outfield defense even if he were to shift to right field, as he rates eighth in Defensive Runs Saved and fifth in Ultimate Zone Rating among Major Leaguers at any position over the past three seasons. (Alternatively, Cabrera could move to right field in the event of a Gordon signing.) Gordon’s bat has been about 16 percent better than the league average over the past four seasons, as he’s produced at a .275/.354/.436 clip despite a decidedly pitcher-friendly home environment, so he’d add value on both sides of the ball. He’ll probably command a five-year committment when all is said and done, and he’d require the Sox to part with their top unprotected draft pick — the No. 27 selection the team received as compensation for the loss of Jeff Samardzija in free agency.

Cespedes, unlike Gordon, wouldn’t cost the Sox a draft pick, and he’s also two years younger. Those elements, however, lead to a higher expected asking price for the slugger, who is coming off the best season of his four-year Major League career. Cespedes, slashed a combined .291/.328/.542 with 36 homers between the Tigers and Mets, would be a more impactful offensive upgrade for the Sox, pairing with countryman Jose Abreu in the middle of the order. His glovework hasn’t generated as much fanfare as Gordon’s, but he’s an above-average defender in the corner outfield and could handle center on a short-term basis in the event that Eaton misses some time due to minor injuries.

Garcia is still just 24 years of age, so he could potentially improve and lessen the need for a player such as Gordon or Cespedes. But, the Sox are very much in win-now mode as they seek to maximize the prime years of Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and Abreu as well as the limited two-year window for which they control Frazier before he can become a free agent.

Nobuhiro Matsuda Likely To Stay In Japan

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DEC. 23: Matsuda’s offer from the Hawks is a four-year deal worth $20-25MM in total, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). That’s a sizable offer that he seems unlikely to top in Major League Baseball based on the limited reports we’ve seen connecting him to big league clubs thus far. Crasnick tweeted earlier that Matsuda will hold a press conference in Japan within a few hours to address his plans for the 2016 season.

DEC. 22: Japanese third baseman Nobuhiro Matsuda was expected to crossover into MLB this winter and perhaps even net a multi-year contract.  Apparently, however, he’s now leaning towards staying in Japan, as Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.  The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks have offered the third baseman a five-year deal and he seems more likely to accept that than an MLB contract.

Matsuda had multiple MLB offers, according to Heyman, and the Padres were known to be a club with serious interest.  Earlier this month, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune said that the Padres could have been mulling a multi-year offer for the Japanese standout.  The White Sox were also identified by Heyman as a club with interest, but that was before the team’s acquisition of Todd Frazier.

Matsuda, 32, is a career .277/.325/.477 hitter in Japan and is said to be capable of handling second base and third base from a defensive standpoint.  As a free agent, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks did not have the ability to attach a release fee to Matsuda.  Given his age, it seems unlikely that we’ll ever see Matsuda in the majors if he in fact inks a five-year deal without an MLB out.

White Sox Claim Jerry Sands

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The White Sox have claimed outfielder Jerry Sands off waivers from the Indians, Chicago announced.

The 28-year-old failed to seize an opportunity with Cleveland last year, slashing just .236/.286/.390 in 133 plate appearances on the year. But he has dominated upper-minors pitching and showed legitimate pop with a .268/.357/.492 slash over parts of five seasons at the Triple-A level.

White Sox Have Interest In Alex Gordon

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The White Sox are showing interest in free agent Alex Gordon, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).  Gordon has appeal for the White Sox since he’s already familiar with the AL Central, offers left-handed hitting, and solid defense.

However, it’s unclear whether the White Sox could pay Gordon enough to pry him away from the Royals (link).  To free up room on the payroll, the White Sox could conceivably move Melky Cabrera, Adam LaRoche, or Avisail Garcia, with their preference being to move LaRoche.  However, with Pedro Alvarez and Chris Carter available on the open market, Chicago might not find a strong market for those players.

In November, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes projected a five-year, $105MM deal for Gordon.  Given the money that Gordon could command coupled with the draft pick compensation attached to him, it’s not surprising to see that he’s still without a deal as we head into Christmas.

Gordon missed nearly two months with a strained groin this season but enjoyed a characteristically strong overall campaign both at the plate and in the field. The lifetime Royal hit .271/.377.432 with 13 home runs and was seven runs above average in left field despite the layoff, according to both Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating.

AL Central Notes: Frazier, Salazar, Allen, White Sox, Twins

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The Reds spent “at least a month” trying to pry Danny Salazar from the Indians for Todd Frazier with no luck, and were also unsuccessful with their next demand of Cody Allen and prospects for Frazier, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports in his chronicle of the negotiations between the two Ohio clubs.  Cleveland wanted to keep Salazar and Allen in order to contend in 2016 so the Indians were more open to talking about Jose Ramirez and second-tier prospects (Justus Sheffield, Michael Clevinger, Bobby Bradley) with the Reds.  Cincinnati, however, wanted two of those prospects plus one of Clint Frazier or Bradley Zimmer, and the Tribe was unwilling to give up either of its top two minor leaguers.  The Indians attempted to construct a three-way deal to land Frazier from Cincinnati but the Reds instead ended up swinging a three-team trade of their own with the White Sox and Dodgers that sent the third baseman to Chicago.

Here’s more from around the AL Central…

  • Also from Pluto’s piece, he hears the acquisitions of Rajai Davis and Mike Napoli may be the Indians’ last notable moves of the winter.  The club may still make a minor transaction or two but their heavy lifting could be over.
  • The White Sox are monitoring the free agent outfield market and giving up a draft pick to sign a qualifying offer free agent “won’t necessarily be a deal-breaker,” ESPN’s Buster Olney writes (subscription required).  Chicago’s first-rounder is protected by virtue of being a top-10 pick, so if they were to sign someone like Justin Upton or Dexter Fowler, the Sox would only sacrifice the extra compensation round pick they recently obtained when Jeff Samardzija left to sign with San Francisco.  As Olney notes, the White Sox are intent on being contenders while cornerstone pieces like Chris Sale and Jose Abreu are on such reasonable contracts.
  • The Twins are looking for a veteran backup outfielder, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger writes.  This player would essentially replace Shane Robinson on Minnesota’s roster, serving as an experienced bench piece behind the Twins’ young outfield corps.
  • It’s been a relatively quiet offseason for the World Series champions thus far, though Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star feels the Royals front office has earned the benefit of the doubt given its recent success.  Expecting the Royals to suddenly splurge above their usual payroll limits was unrealistic, Mellinger notes, as the club needs “efficient spending” to remain competitive in both the short- and long-term.  It’s worth noting that the Royals signed Joakim Soria and Chris Young to multi-year contracts and they’ve been at least connected to several major free agents and trade targets (such as Alex Gordon, Yovani Gallardo, Scott Kazmir, Gerardo Parra, Carlos Gonzalez and Frazier), so K.C. could simply be waiting to strike with another notable move.

Reactions To And Effects Of The Todd Frazier Trade

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It’s been a busy week at MLBTR, and we’re just now catching up on some reactions to one of the week’s major moves: the three-team deal in which the White Sox received star third baseman Todd Frazier from the Reds. The Reds, of course, got infielders Jose Peraza and Brandon Dixon and outfielder Scott Schebler from the Dodgers, while the Dodgers received righty Frankie Montas, infielder Micah Johnson and outfielder Trayce Thompson from Chicago.

  • The Reds got surprisingly little in return for Frazier, ESPN’s Keith Law writes (Insider-only). Peraza, the key to the Reds’ end of the trade, is a potentially terrific defender at second base and a very fast baserunner, but he’s coming off an underwhelming season and doesn’t have much in the way of power or patience. Schebler, meanwhile, merely looks like a potential fourth outfielder, and Dixon might not even be a significant prospect. The White Sox did very well in the deal, Law writes, and the Dodgers got good value, although it’s unclear why they didn’t just acquire Frazier themselves, since they had what the Reds evidently wanted.
  • MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo, meanwhile, wonders why the Reds didn’t just cut the three-team deal off at the pass and trade directly with the White Sox, who gave up three young players who appear to be better than the ones the Reds ultimately got.
  • After adding Frazier and Brett Lawrie, the White Sox could continue to make moves, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes. They could deal outfielder Avisail Garcia or first baseman Adam LaRoche if they can find a trade partner, and dealing one of those two players could conceivably allow them to sign Yoenis Cespedes or Justin Upton. (I’d counter that Garcia, who projects to make just $2.3MM next season, shouldn’t be a significant obstacle to signing Cespedes or Upton if that’s really what the White Sox want to do, and that it should be difficult for the team to clear much of LaRoche’s salary in a trade.) The Dodgers, meanwhile, could now use their collection of prospects to trade for Jose Fernandez, or failing that, someone like Danny Salazar, Carlos Carrasco, Sonny Gray or Tyson Ross.
  • The White Sox expressed interest in Frazier at the beginning of the offseason, Reds GM Dick Williams tells MLB Network Radio (link to audio). The Reds and White Sox did have discussions about a two-team trade, but the Reds preferred the package of players the Dodgers brought to the table. Williams adds that one factor in the deal was the strength of their competition in the NL Central, which meant that their best chance of success was to gather prospects and build a team that could be successful “a couple of years” from now. Williams also notably says that teams have continued to discuss with him the possibility of trading for Aroldis Chapman despite the domestic violence accusations against Chapman.

Details On Jonathan Papelbon’s Current No-Trade List

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DECEMBER 18: That list was apparently the one in effect for 2015, as Crasnick now provides a list that, he says, will be in effect for the year to come. It is the same as the prior iteration except for four changes.

On this new list, the Braves, Reds, Royals, and Mariners have moved into the group of teams to which Papelbon can reject a trade. Meanwhile, the Giants, Phillies, Tigers, and Yankees are now among the clubs to which Papelbon may freely be dealt, without his authorization.

DECEMBER 15: Nationals reliever Jonathan Papelbon has the right to name 17 clubs to which he cannot be traded without his consent, and ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports on this year’s list.

Papelbon can block deals to the following clubs: the Athletics, Blue Jays, Brewers, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Giants, Indians, Marlins, Orioles, Phillies, Pirates, Rangers, Rockies, Tigers, Twins, White Sox and Yankees. The league’s remaining teams can acquire the controversial veteran without his approval.

No-trade lists tend to reflect both personal preferences and strategic considerations. It’s hard to know the precise motivations here, but it’s worth remembering that Papelbon has previously made good use of his no-trade rights in exerting leverage. In approving the trade that sent him to D.C. last year, Papelbon received assurances he’d be used as the closer and picked up a guarantee of his 2016 option (though that would have vested anyway and he took a discount to facilitate the move).

While an exceedingly public spat with star Bryce Harper has led to wide speculation that Papelbon will be dealt, Nats GM Mike Rizzo has maintained that the team won’t simply cut him loose for whatever it can get. Papelbon is neither cheap ($11MM) nor young (35), but he’s continued to produce quality results and represents a fair value from a pure baseball perspective.

White Sox Extend Nate Jones

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11:05am: The team has announced the deal and its precise terms. Jones does indeed get $8MM over three years, with salaries of $900K, $1.9MM, and $3.95MM. Then, there are two club options ($4.65MM & $5.15MM) with a $1.25MM buyout that applies to either, followed by a mutual option at $6MM.

Those values would change, though, if Jones needs another UCL replacement before the end of the 2018 season, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links). If that occurs, the mutual option would turn into a club option and the three club options would be for a total of just $8.5MM.

10:46am: The White Sox have agreed to an extension with righty Nate Jones, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports on Twitter. The deal will promise Jones $8MM over the next three years and includes multiple option years beyond its guaranteed term.

Jones was entering his second-to-last season of arbitration eligibility, with MLBTR projecting him to earn $900K. Soon to turn 30, Jones missed almost all of 2014 with Tommy John surgery, but made it back for 19 appearances last year. In his 19 frames of work in 2015, he racked up 27 strikeouts against just a dozen hits and six walks, allowing seven earned runs.

Those numbers weren’t as important as the fact that Jones showed he could still bring the high-90s fastball and big slider that made him an exciting pen arm for Chicago. Jones compiled 149 2/3 innings of 3.31 ERA pitching over 2012-13, with his strikeout and walk numbers improving as he went, and seemed prime to emerge as a dominant late-inning arm before he went under the knife.

It’s easy to see how the sides were able to come together on this agreement. Jones will sacrifice the possibility of a big free agent contract in two years’ time, but will be covered in the event that he deals with future elbow issues and will lock in some real money despite a lowered earning capacity due to his ill-timed, pre-arb TJ procedure.

For the club, promising the final year of arbitration and one season of free agent earnings will deliver some upside. Given the price of pen arms on the open market, it’s a relatively meager guarantee. And the opportunity to continue going year-to-year on salaries of around $5MM could be a real bargain if Jones continues to produce.

AL Central Notes: Frazier, Indians, Tigers

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After adding Todd Frazier, Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago wonders if the White Sox will grab another big bat off of the free agent market. Justin Upton and Yoenis Cespedes are potential targets for Chicago, but Alex Gordon makes the most sense for the White Sox, in Levine’s estimation. The club has payroll limitations to deal with, but Levine has some ideas for how it can squeeze in a $20MM/year outfielder with some creative accounting.

Here’s more out of the AL Central:

  • In their talks with the Indians regarding Frazier, the Reds did not waver from their requests for Bradley Zimmer, Clint Frazier, and multiple other pieces from the Tribe’s farm system, according to Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com (on Twitter).  As a result, some people in baseball circles are surprised about the Reds’ haul in the trade relative to their asking prices elsewhere (link).  In Wednesday’s three-way trade involving the White Sox, the Reds acquired infielders Jose Peraza and Brandon Dixon plus outfielder Scott Schebler from the Dodgers.
  • Tigers GM Al Avila told 105.1 FM in Detroit that the team’s payroll situation would be “pretty ugly” with another big signing, according to Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter).  Avila ruled out a run at top-of-the-market outfielders like Yoenis Cespedes at last week’s Winter Meetings, but Fenech recently noted that owner Mike Ilitch made no such claim.  In theory, Cespedes’ reps at Roc Nation Sports could try and pitch directly to Ilitch, as Scott Boras reportedly did with Prince Fielder four years ago.
  • Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago (on Twitter) doesn’t see the White Sox winding up with a high-profile free agent.  The White Sox won’t rule anything out, he says, but they would prefer to make a trade or sign a lower-level free agent who does not require draft pick compensation to his former team.

Dodgers Notes: Friedman, Frazier, Turner

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Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda has traveled to Los Angeles to start meeting with teams, according to Bill Plunkett of the OC Register (on Twitter).  The Dodgers, he adds, are expected to be among the clubs that place a bid in order to negotiate with the right-hander.

If the Dodgers are serious about making a run at the Hiroshima Carp star, they might find that the market for him isn’t as competitive as it might have been a few weeks ago.  We learned last week that the Red Sox will not submit a bid to negotiate with Maeda thanks to the mammoth deal given to David Price.  At the Winter Meetings, Giants GM Bobby Evans told MLBTR that his club had internal conversations about Maeda, but they’re almost certainly out on him after adding Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto.

Here’s more out of L.A.:

  • Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters, including Shaikin (Twitter link) that he didn’t land Todd Frazier himself because he wanted Justin Turner to remain at third base.  Acquiring Frazier and putting him elsewhere on the diamond would have been “messy,” in Friedman’s estimation.  Frazier, of course, went to the White Sox in Wednesday’s three-way deal involving the Reds and Dodgers.
  • Friedman says that the Dodgers like the newly-acquired Frankie Montas as a starting pitcher and, if not, they see him as an “impact bullpen arm,” Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times tweets.  Many scouts see Montas as a power reliever.     Friedman says that his scouts believe that Montas has one of the best fastball/slider combos in the minors, Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times tweets.
  • Friedman said he knows some teams are interested in the players he acquired today, but he cautioned that one trade is not necessarily precursor to another, Shaikin tweets.  Still, when asked if he’s now more comfortable with the idea of parting with elite pitching prospects, Friedman answered in the affirmative (link).
  • In an interview on KLAC, Friedman did acknowledge that the trade improves the team’s “trade capital to match up with other teams,” according to Bill Plunkett of the OC Register (on Twitter).
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