White Sox, Hector Sanchez Agree To Minor League Deal
The White Sox and former Giants catcher Hector Sanchez have agreed to a minor league contract with an invite to Major League Spring Training, Sanchez’s agent, Felix Olivo, announced on Twitter.
The 26-year-old Sanchez has spent his entire career with the Giants, totaling 637 plate appearances across parts of five seasons while serving as a backup to Buster Posey. Sanchez hit .267/.299/.370 from 2011-13 over a span of 401 PAs, but that production slipped to .192/.230/.301 in 236 PAs from 2014-15. The deteriorated offense, as well as the emergence of Andrew Susac, made Sanchez a non-tender candidate in San Francisco this winter, and the Giants did indeed elect to let him become a free agent.
Sanchez has caught 26 percent of the runners that have attempted to steal on him in his career and has drawn roughly average reviews from pitch-framing metrics over the course of his big league tenure. The White Sox project to use Alex Avila and Dioner Navarro as their primary catchers in 2016, but Sanchez will make a quality depth piece that could be stashed in Triple-A, where he’s a .255/.313/.367 hitter.
Minor MLB Transactions 12-12-15
Here are the day’s minor transactions:
- The Tigers signed 17 minor leaguers, reports Anthony Fenech and James Jahnke of the Detroit Free Press. Among the most notable names are left-handed pitcher Drake Britton and right-handed pitchers Rafael Dolis, Lendy Castillo, and Preston Guilmet. The club also inked infielder Tommy Field. Britton, a former top Red Sox prospect, has pitched well in limited major league action. However, he scuffled with the Cubs Triple-A affiliate last season, posting a 5.08 ERA in 83 innings. Guilmet has strong minor league peripherals, but he’s struggled through 23 major league innings with a 8.22 ERA (4.28 xFIP).
- The Tigers also inked right-handed pitcher Jake Brigham. However, his situation is unique in that he’s also pursuing a contract with NPB’s Rakuten Eagles. Brigham, soon-to-turn-28, has posted decent numbers as a minor league swingman. The Braves gave him a brief major league audition last season in which he threw 16 innings with a 8.64 ERA.
- The Braves have signed former Reds starter David Holmberg, reports Baseball America’s Matt Eddy. Holmberg, 24, has thrown 62 major league innings over 12 starts and two relief appearances. He has a 6.24 ERA with 4.79 K/9 and 5.08 BB/9. Atlanta also acquired reliever Ethan Martin. The former Phillies swingman flashed decent stuff with command problems in the majors, leading to a 5.93 ERA, 10.43 K/9, and 5.93 BB/9 in 44 innings.
- The Orioles have signed lefty Jeff Beliveau. The southpaw missed most of 2015 with a labrum injury. He’s experienced success as a situational reliever, including a 2.63 ERA with 10.50 K/9 and 2.63 BB/9 in 2014 (24 innings, 30 appearances).
- The Marlins have added righty Dustin McGowan. The once successful 33-year-old pitched poorly for the Phillies while struggling with control in 2015. He was only marginally better at Triple-A. If McGowan recovers his form, he could be a valuable reliever. He has a career 4.68 ERA with 7.35 K/9 and 3.90 BB/9 in 505 innings.
- The Mets have inked former Brewers closer Jim Henderson. Injuries caused the 33-year-old to lose his ninth inning role in 2014, and he’s failed to reestablish himself since then. Last season in 29 innings for Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate, Henderson posted a 4.55 ERA with 7.58 K/9 and 5.16 BB/9.
- The Padres have signed Philip Humber to a minor league deal. Humber pitched the 2015 for the KBO’s KIA Tigers in 2015. He posted a 6.75 ERA in the offensively charged league. Humber is perhaps best remembered for his unlikely perfect game for the White Sox in April of 2012. He was also part of the haul that brought Johan Santana to the Mets.
Minor MLB Transactions: 12-11-15
The 2015 Winter Meetings are officially in the books. As the baseball world winds back down, here are some of the recent minor transactions from around the game…
- The Rangers announced a pair of minor moves yesterday: the re-signing of outfielder James Jones to a minor league deal and the trade of left-hander Will Lamb to the White Sox in exchange for right-hander Myles Jaye. Texas somewhat surprisingly non-tendered Jones earlier this month not long after acquiring him as part of the Leonys Martin trade, but he’ll return to the Rangers, who freed up a 40-man roster spot with the sequence. Jones, a fleet-footed 27-year-old center fielder, saw quite a bit of action with the 2014 Mariners but just 31 plate appearances in 2015. He’s a career .238/.268/.296 hitter in 359 plate appearances, though he boasts an impressive 28 steals (in 30 tries) in that small sample of PAs. Jones is a .278/.358/.390 hitter in an even 500 Triple-A plate appearances.
- As for the trade, the Rangers pick up a soon-to-be 24-year-old in Jaye, who started 26 games for Chicago’s Double-A affiliate in 2015 and posted a 3.29 ERA with a 104-to-47 K/BB ratio in 147 2/3 innings. He rated as Chicago’s No. 23 prospect following the 2013 season, per Baseball America, but fell shy of their Top 30 last winter. In exchange, they’ll part with a 24-year-old lefty, Lamb, that pitched to a 4.42 ERA with 8.1 K/9 against 4.1 BB/9 in 57 innings of relief work between Double-A and Triple-A last season. Lamb held lefties to a .210/.319/.247 batting line in the minors last year.
- MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez tweets that the Angels have inked outfielder Nick Buss to a minor league deal. The 28-year-old Buss batted .296/.352/.408 in 322 plate appearances with the D-backs’ Triple-A affiliate in 2015. Buss received a brief big league look with the A’s in 2013 but hasn’t returned to the Majors since.
- Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reported a slew of minor moves on Twitter yesterday, including the White Sox‘ signings of left-hander/former top prospect Matt Purke and shortstop Andy Parrino; the Padres‘ signings of veteran right-hander Phil Humber and lefty reliever Ryan Buchter; and the re-signings of Rosell Herrera and Frank Garces by the Rockies, and Padres, respectively.
Central Notes: White Sox, Frazier, Cubs, Indians, Pearce
Even after adding Brett Lawrie, Alex Avila and Dioner Navarro, GM Rick Hahn wants to continue to upgrade the White Sox‘ offense, Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com writes. “We’re pleased with the improvements we’ve made thus far, but in our minds we hope to continue and don’t feel we’re done,” says Hahn. The White Sox finished last in the AL in runs scored last season, with 622. One potential trade target who could provide a big boost to the White Sox is Todd Frazier of the Reds, about whom CSN Chuck Garfien reports the White Sox have had talks (on Twitter). Right now, however, there doesn’t seem to be much traction between the two sides, with the White Sox believing the Reds are asking for too much. A Frazier acquisition doesn’t necessarily seem likely, but if it were to occur, Lawrie would likely move to second base, one of several positions where the White Sox struggled last year. The Reds are reportedly shopping Frazier aggressively. Here are more quick notes from the Central divisions.
- The Cubs and Indians discussed a trade that would have sent either Carlos Carrasco or Danny Salazar to Chicago, FOX Sports’ Jon Morosi tweets. In return, the Indians would have received a package including outfielder Jorge Soler. Talks between the two sides appear to have stalled, however, so it does not seem a deal is imminent.
- The Indians have had interest in Steve Pearce, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer. Pearce is coming off a .218/.289/.422 season in Baltimore, but he was terrific in 2014 and is capable of playing first base or either corner outfield spot, plus second base in a pinch. That sort of flexibility would surely be valuable to Cleveland, although he’d likely mostly play outfield there. Pearce’s market has mostly been quiet this winter (although he’s been connected to the Rangers). As MLBTR’s Jeff Todd noted in September, it’s difficult to tell how teams will value Pearce, given his unusual skill set and the strange manner in which his career has unfolded.
White Sox Acquire Brett Lawrie
The White Sox and Athletics have officially struck a trade sending infielder Brett Lawrie to Chicago, the teams announced. Young lefty Zack Erwin and righty J.B. Wendelken make up the return to the A’s.
It hurts, no doubt, for Oakland to part with Lawrie after he was one of the key pieces of the deal that sent Josh Donaldson to the Blue Jays last year. But that seemed a near certainty after the A’s elected to bring back Jed Lowrie in yet another swap.
Soon to turn 26, Lawrie struggled to reach base consistently last year and still has not returned to the ceiling he showed earlier in his career. He slashed .260/.299/.407 with 16 homers and five steals over 602 plate appearances.
Of course, Lawrie has always been regarded as a high quality defender. But while he used to draw defensive metrics that supported that opinion, he’s seen his DRS and UZR numbers erode over the years. While a variety of injuries could be the cause for that falloff, it remains a major factor in valuing him as a player.
The Sox will get a player who can slot in either at third or second, both positions of obvious need in the organization. In spite of Lawrie’s age, he’ll only come with two years of control. But he is cheap, as MLBTR projects him to earn just $3.9MM in arbitration for the coming season.
It remains to be seen whether the South Siders will deploy Lawrie at the hot corner or up the middle, but that represents part of his appeal. Chicago can now retain some flexibility in assessing its other options, knowing that it can utilize him at either or both. Internal options include Mike Olt at third, Micah Johnson at second, and Tyler Saladino potentially at both. Of course, the team could still pursue a shortstop (if not yet another infielder) over the coming months.
In return for Lawrie, the A’s get a pair of pitching prospects, neither of whom factored among the top thirty prospects in Chicago’s system in MLB.com’s most recent ranking.
Erwin, 21, was just taken out of Clemson in the fourth round of the 2015 draft and signed for the slot bonus of $508K. He showed enough to earn a Class A placement to end the year, and had good results in his first forty or so professional innings. Entering the draft, Baseball America rated Erwin the 117th-best draft prospect, calling him a good athlete with the potential to harness three above-average offerings.
Meanwhile, Wendelken has reached Triple-A at the age of 22. He worked to a 3.81 ERA in 59 frames last year, most of them at Double-A, and put up a strong 10.5 K/9 vs. 2.4 BB/9 over that span. Wendelken came to Chicago in 2013 along with Avisail Garcia, Frankie Montas, and Cleuluis Rondon in the three-team Jake Peavy trade.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported (Twitter links) that the deal was nearing finalization and the return to Oakland (via Twitter). Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com tweeteds that the agreement is done.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
White Sox, A’s “Hit Snag” In Brett Lawrie Trade Talks
5:23pm: The ChiSox and A’s have “hit a snag” in trade talks surrounding Lawrie, reports Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area. While a deal could eventually be worked out, the team wasn’t able to agree on the prospect package that would return to Oakland.
WEDNESDAY, 10:18am: It seems that the White Sox aren’t yet ready to strike an agreement, Slusser tweets, but she adds that the sides are still working.
1:26am: The trade appears to be near to completion, and the Athletics seem likely to receive two minor leaguers, although the two teams have not yet agreed on which ones, Slusser writes.
TUESDAY: The White Sox and Athletics are having serious trade discussions focusing on infielder Brett Lawrie, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Slusser recently reported that Lawrie was likely to be traded following Oakland’s acquisition of Jed Lowrie from Houston, and the White Sox have needs at both second base and third base — each positions at which Lawrie has experience.
Lawrie, 26 in January, batted .260/.299/.407 with 16 homers and five steals in a career-high 602 plate appearances/149 games for the A’s last season after coming over from the Blue Jays in the Josh Donaldson blockbuster. He’d most likely give the White Sox a much-needed everyday option at third base, where the upper levels of the minor leagues are thin after former top prospect Matt Davidson endured a dismal campaign for the second consecutive season (.203/.293/.375).
Chicago would be dealing for two years of Lawrie, who projects to make $3.9MM next year (via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz) in his second trip through the arbitration process as a Super Two player. From a defensive standpoint, Lawrie graded out excellently at third base early in his career but has seen metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating sour on his skills over the past three seasons. Then again, he’s also dealt with myriad injuries, missing significant time with a pair of oblique injuries, two broken fingers and an ankle sprain, among other, more minor maladies.
If completed, this would mark the second straight season in which A’s president Billy Beane and White Sox GM Rick Hahn have brokered a notable trade at the Winter Meetings, as the Jeff Samardzija trade that sent Marcus Semien and three others to Oakland was completed one year ago at this time.
Infield Notes: Zobrist, Davis, Lind, Moreland, Walker, Angels, Flowers, Reynolds, Matsuda
The Mets are “pretty optimistic” of landing free agent infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. New York expects a decision today or tomorrow, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (Twitter links). While the team has yet to formally offer a fourth year, says Sherman, it would work out a fourth year if Zobrist indicates he’d like to join the club.
Here are some more updates on the market for infielders:
- The Orioles are meeting today with agent Scott Boras regarding free agent first baseman Chris Davis, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports on Twitter. As Kubatko notes, Boras also represents Pedro Alvarez, who could theoretically also represent an option for Baltimore — at least if the team misses on Davis.
- Brewers first baseman Adam Lind appears to have a broad potential market, with Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweeting that at least 12 clubs have “checked in” on him.
- One such team is the Orioles, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter), who says that Baltimore has inquired on both Lind and Mitch Moreland of the Rangers. But the O’s don’t appear to “match up” with Milwaukee on Lind, Haudricourt adds via Twitter.
- There’s no realistic possibility of an extension between Neil Walker and the Pirates, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. GM Neal Huntington says that he feels the team has sufficient internal options — and acquisition possibilities — to “back-fill if Walker is dealt.
- The Pirates‘ talks with the Rangers on Moreland have “cooled” but are still alive, Biertempfel further reports.
- Though there’s continuing interest, the Angels don’t appear likely to land Howie Kendrick in free agency, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports. The veteran second baseman is probably going to be too expensive given the team’s other needs, per Fletcher.
- The Angels could look to the Diamondbacks‘ stockpile of young infielders to fill one of the club’s potential openings, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times suggests. Los Angeles could offer starting pitching in return.
- Free agent backstop Tyler Flowers is reportedly deciding between the Yankees, Braves, and Rays, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (Twitter links). He’d potentially serve as Brian McCann‘s backup in New York, says Hoch. That could, in theory at least, make fellow backstops Gary Sanchez and Austin Romine available to utilize in a trade. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reported on the Braves interest this morning via Twitter, saying that the club is considering Flowers in an effort to avoid over-exposing free agent addition A.J. Pierzynski. If Flowers goes to Atlanta, it would immediately raise yet more questions about the future of young receiver Christian Bethancourt.
- Free agent slugger Mark Reynolds is drawing interest from the Rockies, Cardinals, Giants, and Pirates, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
- Among the teams with interest in Japanese third baseman Nobuhiro Matsuda are the White Sox and Padres, Heyman adds on Twitter.
Starting Pitching Links: Kuroda, Leake, Tribe, Lee, ChiSox
Hiroki Kuroda will pitch another season for NPB’s Hiroshima Toyo Carp, according to a report from the Sanspo news outlet (hat tip to NPBTracker’s Patrick Newman for the translation). Kuroda spent the first 11 years of his pro career with the Carp and, last winter, decided to cap off his career by leaving Major League Baseball to return to his old club. The 40-year-old seemingly picked up right where he left off, posting a 2.55 ERA, 3.66 K/BB rate and 5.6 K/9 over 169 2/3 innings for the Carp in 2015. Here are some more starting pitching items from around baseball…
- The Cardinals and Diamondbacks are both still interested in Mike Leake, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link). Reports from yesterday indicated that both clubs were somewhat wary of Leake’s asking price.
- The Indians aren’t actively shopping any of their top starting pitchers and they’d prefer to obtain hitting help without subtracting from the rotation, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti told reporters (including MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian). The Tribe is receiving plenty of offers and Antonetti is open to considering anything that would help the roster. That being said, Antonetti also noted that “our rotation’s been a strength of the team. So, we would be very judicious in considering trading away any one of those guys. It’s certainly not our intent. It’s not our motivation. We’re not looking to do it.”
- Cliff Lee is looking for a one-year Major League contract and his main goal is to sign with a winning team, according to Heyman (via Twitter). Lee’s upside is strong enough that Heyman predicts Lee “probably gets more than you’d think” in his next salary, despite his missing all of 2015.
- The White Sox don’t seem likely to trade any of their top starters, CSN Chicago’s Dan Hayes tweets. If the Sox do deal an arm, it will probably be a minor leaguer or a reliever.
White Sox Shopping Adam LaRoche
The White Sox are shopping first baseman/DH Adam LaRoche, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports (Twitter link). Chicago is hoping to move some or all of the $13MM owed to the 36-year-old LaRoche in 2016 in order to free up payroll space to pursue a big bat.
The Sox thought they were getting such a hitter when they signed LaRoche to a two-year, $25MM contract last offseason. Unfortunately, the veteran proceeded to post the worst full season of his 12-year career, managing only a .207/.293/.340 slash line and 12 homers over 484 plate appearances. Despite moving to hitter-friendly U.S. Cellular Field, LaRoche’s isolated power (ISO) dropped to a career-low .133, well below his lifetime .202 mark.
While LaRoche was still putting up good numbers as recently as 2014, it’s not uncommon for sluggers to experience sudden declines as they get deeper into their 30’s. It’s possible a team could be interested in LaRoche given his track record of success, yet it seems unlikely the White Sox will find a taker willing to absorb the entire $13MM salary hit. Chicago’s efforts are further complicated by the presence of several younger 1B/DH types (i.e. Chris Carter, Pedro Alvarez, John Jaso) on the market who’d come at a much lower price.
The Sox have just over $100MM in committed salaries and projected arbitration salaries on the books for 16 players in 2016. Assuming payroll stays roughly around last year’s $118.6MM figure, the Southsiders figure to make some cuts somewhere if they’re going to address their many needs all around the diamond. Moving LaRoche would allow the White Sox to move the defensively-challenged Melky Cabrera to DH, which could free up a regular outfield spot for Trayce Thompson or another addition in left.
Latest On Brett Lawrie
9:00pm: While Los Angeles might have reached out previously regarding Lawrie, the team doesn’t seem to have active interest, Slusser tweets.
6:24pm: The Angels are also looking into a deal for Lawrie and have had talks with the A’s, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.
1:40am: The Indians, Tigers and White Sox all have interest in A’s infielder Brett Lawrie, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Trade rumors have swirled around Lawrie and Danny Valencia ever since the A’s acquired Jed Lowrie, with Slusser noting at the time that Lawrie was the more likely of the two to be dealt.
Lawrie, who turns 26 in January, hit .260/.299/.407 with 16 homers over 602 plate appearances in his first season in Oakland and also posted defensive metrics far below his usual standards, adding up to an 0.6 fWAR season. On the plus side, Lawrie is still young, controllable through the 2017 season (MLBTR projects him for a $3.9MM salary in his second time through the arbitration process), able to play second or third, and he’s not too far removed from his status as one of the game’s top prospects.
With this in mind, Lawrie could provide an upgrade to the three AL Central teams, all of which have needs in the infield. Giovanny Urshela provides a great glove but no bat for the Tribe at third base, plus Cleveland could also use more right-handed hitting pop in its lineup. Detroit has a former top prospect of its own at third in Nick Castellanos, though he’s posted sub-replacement fWAR totals in each of his two full MLB seasons and the Tigers may want more production as they look to contend. Lawrie could fit at either second or third for the White Sox as Chicago as needs at both positions.
As Slusser notes, the Yankees are also thought to be a potential trade partner if they look to improve themselves at second base. The keystone has been a problem spot for New York since Robinson Cano left, and the Yankees currently have unproven rookie Rob Refsnyder and Dustin Ackley (who’s played only 10 games at second in the last two seasons) as their top options at the position in 2016.