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Stark’s Latest: Cueto, Leake Miller, Indians, Rays

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Here are the latest starting pitcher rumors in advance of the winter meetings, courtesy of ESPN’s Jayson Stark.

  • Johnny Cueto is the top pitcher on the free agent market, but his earning potential remains unclear. Some insiders are surprised he turned down the six-year, $120MM offer previously extended by the Diamondbacks. As Stark points out, Cueto is sixth among active starters with a 3.30 ERA so he would seemingly justify a serious investment. However, concerns about his health and late-season struggles have executives worried. Per one source, “If you told me that, within 24 hours [of arriving at the meetings], all of the big free-agent starters would be signed except Cueto, I’d believe it.“
  • Former Reds starter Mike Leake, 28, is in demand largely because he’s one of the youngest pitchers on the market. He has a history of durability, but that comes with league average production on the mound. However, Leake is also well-above average as a hitter, boosting his value to NL clubs. Stark expects a “stampede” in Leake’s direction during the Winter Meetings. One source believes Leake will be overpaid by an exuberant market.
  • The Braves would jump on a Shelby Miller trade if they received the right controllable position player. To date, Atlanta has focused on particularly high value targets like Joc Pederson, A.J. Pollock, and Jorge Soler. As you might guess, few if any teams are eager to trade established, high quality young hitters for pitching. The Braves have shown no sign of backing down on their asking price.
  • We’ve heard a lot about the Indians pitching depth – namely Corey Kluber, Danny Salazar, Carlos Carrasco, and Trevor Bauer. Stark and his sources think the club will stand pat this winter. “You’re just shifting around your problems,” said one contact in regard to a hypothetical pitcher-for-hitter swap. The team’s strength is built around their rotation. They may be best served by simply maximizing that advantage.
  • With the exception of Chris Archer, the Rays are shopping all of their starting pitchers. That’s par for the course for the Rays who historically have been open to trading anybody to improve the long term outlook of the franchise. Stark specifically mentions Jake Odorizzi and Matt Moore as available, but we can probably presume that Erasmo Ramirez is being floated too.
  • Stark offers plenty of more notes in his column including the latest on the Yankees, Padres, and the remaining buyers for pitching.

Rangers Notes: Frazier, Moreland, Napoli

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Here’s the latest out of Arlington…

  • GM Jon Daniels cited a right-handed hitter who can play left field and first base as an “important” need for the team, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.  Such a player could both platoon with Mitch Moreland and fill in for Josh Hamilton in left, or possibly act as cover should Hamilton again miss significant time with injuries.  Ryan Rua or Patrick Kivlehan are internal options who lack experience in such a role, while the free agent market offers some possibilities at both positions (Steve Pearce, Sean Rodriguez) or one or the other.  The best-case scenario for Texas, of course, would be that Hamilton stays healthy, and with that still a possibility, the Rangers aren’t likely to invest in a major left field upgrade like Justin Upton.
  • Also from Wilson’s piece, he interestingly notes that the Rangers checked in with the Reds on Todd Frazier, though “nothing came out of [the] conversation.”  Frazier, who played some left in the minors, would’ve been used as that first base/left field bat rather than his usual third base spot, which is obviously spoken for by Adrian Beltre.  Presumably Frazier would’ve gotten more regular playing time than a regular platooner, and with Beltre a free agent after 2016, Frazier could’ve then been an option to replace him at the hot corner.
  • The Rangers like Mike Napoli but the first base/DH situation is already pretty filled by Moreland and Prince Fielder, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes.  “Mike probably fits us best if there is another move where we get presented with something on the trade front that opens some playing time up,” Daniels said.  Moreland is clearly much more likely to be dealt than Fielder, and Grant opines that the Pirates could be a good fit due to Moreland’s long relationship with Bucs manager Clint Hurdle and their need at first base with Pedro Alvarez gone.
  • In another piece from Grant, he talks to Daniels about how the Rangers will go about acquiring starters in what has become a particularly expensive market for pitching.  As Daniels notes, the Rangers “were kind of anticipating this kind of market” which is why they instead got a long-term ace in Cole Hamels last summer.  That deal cost them a hefty sum in prospects but it could end up costing Texas less than what other teams have paid to sign or acquire top-of-the-rotation arms this winter.  Daniels doesn’t anticipate making another major deal of minor leaguers to add another pitcher.  Grant suggests a few lower-cost options, like re-signing Colby Lewis or signing non-tendered free agents like Henderson Alvarez or Mike Minor who could be buy-low candidates.

Agency Notes: Matsuda, Dickerson, Sanchez, Barnhart

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Japanese infielder Nobuhiro Matsuda has hired the Legacy Agency’s Peter Greenberg to represent him\ this winter, via Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker (on Twitter). The 32-year-old is a career .277/.325/.477 hitter in Japan and is capable of handling second base and third base, from a defensive standpoint. Matsuda has drawn some interest from the Padres already.

A few other agency updates of recent note…

  • Rockies outfielder Corey Dickerson is now represented by Excel Sports, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reported earlier this week (via Twitter). The 26-year-old Dickerson has battled injuries over the past year but offers a promising bat to add to a typically potent Rockies offense, having batted .299/.345/.534 in 265 big league games. Though he’s just shy of Super Two status by a month or so, Dickerson will be arbitration eligible next offseason. Excel has previously negotiated extensions for young outfielders Dexter Fowler, Jason Heyward and Alex Gordon, although only Gordon’s bought out free agent years among that trio. Of course, Dickerson may not want to talk long-term deal until he builds his stock back up with a healthy season.
  • Yankees prospect Gary Sanchez is now a client of the newly formed Magnus Sports, joining Reds closer Aroldis Chapman, reports MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes (on Twitter). Sanchez gives the new joint venture with Praver/Shapiro a high-profile catching prospect to add to its ranks. Sanchez could break through to the Majors in the near future on the heels of a strong showing in Triple-A and the Arizona Fall League this year, though he’s blocked, to an extent, in New York by the presence of Brian McCann.
  • Jonah Keri of ESPN tweeted today that agent Steve Rath has also been added to the Ballengee Group, and Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart has followed him to the new agency. While he’s a couple of years from arbitration eligibility, Barnhart looks to be the team’s backup catcher to Devin Mesoraco for the foreseeable future.

These changes will be reflected in MLBTR’s Agency Database, which contains information on more than 2,000 Major League and Minor League players. If you see any omissions, please let us know via email: mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.

2015-16 National League Non-Tenders

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Major League clubs have until 11pm CT tonight to tender contracts to players for the 2016 season. Remember that you can track all of the action using MLBTR’s Non-Tender tracker, and we offer a full list of non-tender candidates (in the estimation of MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes). Also important for reference is the set of arbitration salary projections from MLBTR and contributor Matt Swartz.

We’ll run down the list of National League non-tenders here, and update it as reports come in.

  • Pre-arb outfielder Eury Perez was non-tendered last night by the Braves, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports on Twitter. The 25-year-old could, in theory, have served as Michael Bourn’s backup in center, but it appears that Atlanta will look for an alternative.
  • The Rockies won’t tender contracts to left-handers Yohan Flande or Jason Gurka for the 2016 season, per a club announcement. The team also announced that outfielder Rosell Herrera will be non-tendered. Flande, 29, is the most experienced arm of the bunch, having soaked up 127 1/3 innings for Colorado over the past two seasons, albeit with a 4.95 ERA.
  • The Dodgers announced that they’ve non-tendered righties Juan Nicasio and Lisalverto Bonilla. Nicasio is a mild surprise considering the fact that he logged a 3.86 ERA with a robust 10.0 K/9 rate and a 2.83 FIP in 2015. However, he also averaged 4.9 walks per nine innings and had what was almost certainly unsustainable luck in terms of home runs, yielding just one big fly in 58 1/3 innings. The hard-throwing righty should garner some interest on the free-agent market.
  • The Marlins announced that they’ve non-tendered Aaron Crow, who missed the 2015 season due to Tommy John surgery. The team also formally announced its previously reported decision to non-tender Henderson Alvarez (more on that controversial decision here).
  • The Nationals will not tender right-hander Craig Stammen a contract for the 2016 season, per a club announcement. He missed nearly the entire season due to a pair of torn tendons in his right forearm that required surgery.

Earlier Updates

  • The Cubs announced that right-hander Ryan Cook has been non-tendered. An offseason waiver claim, Cook never suited up for Chicago. The former All-Star setup man yielded an astounding 18 earned runs in just 8 2/3 innings this season between Oakland and Boston.
  • The Giants have also non-tendered backup catcher Hector Sanchez, per a club announcement, which additionally confirmed Petit’s non-tender.
  • The Giants will non-tender right-hander Yusmeiro Petit, MLBTR’s Steve Adams reports (Twitter link). The right-hander has recorded a solid 3.66 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 across 245 2/3 innings for the Giants over the past four seasons while spending time in both the rotation and the bullpen. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweeted that Petit was offered to at least one other club in a trade, but clearly nothing materialized, as he’ll now hit the open market in search of new club.
  • The Brewers announced that they’ve non-tendered utilityman Elian Herrera. The 30-year-old was not yet arbitration eligible, but Milwaukee clearly preferred to keep the rosters spot open. Herrera hit .242/.290/.395 last season in a career-high 277 PAs, and GM David Stearns has interest in retaining him on a new minor league deal, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
  • The Reds will not tender contracts to righty Ryan Mattheus, outfielder Ryan LaMarre, or righty Pedro Villarreal, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports on Twitter and the club has since announced. Of those players, only Mattheus was eligible for arbitration. The 32-year-old, who threw 55 innings and posted a 4.09 ERA last year, projected for a $1.3MM salary. LaMarre, 27, just cracked the MLB roster last year but spent most of the year at Triple-A. Villareal, also 27, notched a solid 3.42 ERA in his fifty frames in 2015, but his strikeout rates fell and ERA estimators did not smile upon the quality of his contribution.

Latest On Astros’ Search For Late-Inning Reliever

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We’ve heard plenty of chatter over the last few months about the Astros’ interest in adding at the back of their pen. It appears from the latest notes that the club is still casting a wide net:

  • Houston recently discussed power righty Ken Giles with the Phillies, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports on Twitter. Philadelphia “brought up” young starters Lance McCullers Jr. and Vince Velasquez in the talks, per the report. That obviously indicates what kind of return Philadelphia seeks. From my perspective, it would be somewhat surprising to see the ’Stros part with controllable, MLB-level arms such as those, given that they not only have the possibility of being long-term rotation pieces but might be expected to be dominant relievers themselves if shifted to such a role.
  • The Astros have also “been engaged” with the Rays on their high-leverage arms, Brad Boxberger and Jake McGee, Crasnick tweets. It appears that GM Jeff Luhnow is looking for ways to add controllable pieces at the back of the pen, Crasnick suggests.
  • Having a preference for long-term control, though, doesn’t appear to mean that the club isn’t seriously interested in otherworldly Reds closer Aroldis Chapman, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets that he sits “on top of the list” for Houston. Interestingly, Crasnick notes on Twitter that Astros owner Jim Crane is reputedly a “big fan” of the Cuban sensation.

Minor MLB Transactions: 11/30/15

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Here are today’s minor moves from around the league…

  • Infielder Grant Green has signed a minor league deal with the Giants, reports Baseball America’s Matt Eddy (on Twitter). Green, 28, is a former first-round pick of the Athletics that hasn’t panned out as hoped. Traded to the Angels back in 2013, Green has amassed a .249/.283/.335 batting line in 300 Major League plate appearances, spending most of his time at second base. He’ll give the Giants some depth at second and in left field.
  • Eddy also tweets that the Reds have signed former big leaguer Brandon Allen to a minor league deal. The powerful first baseman hasn’t seen the Majors since 2012 and is a career .203/.290/.375 hitters in 389 PAs in the Majors. He’s crushed Triple-A pitching to the tune of a .276/.372/.502 batting line, however, making him a useful bat to stash at the team’s top minor league level.
  • The Indians announced that outfielder Michael Choice has cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Columbus. The former top 100 prospect will be in Major League camp as a non-roster invitee come Spring Training. Choice, 26, was designated for assignment when the Indians claimed Kirby Yates off waivers from the Rays. He’s a career .188/.253/.320 hitter in 300 big league plate appearances but has a more palatable line of .271/.356/.426 in Triple-A.
  • The Red Sox have outrighted infielder Josh Rutledge to Triple-A Pawtucket, the team announced today. Rutledge, 26, was acquired from the Angels in exchange for Shane Victorino this past summer. He batted .284/.333/.338 in 85 PAs for the BoSox and is a career .261/.310/.398 hitter in the Majors, though some of that success is attributable to spending the early portion of his career playing his home games at Coors Field.

Marc Anthony Launches Agency, Will Represent Aroldis Chapman

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Singer/actor Marc Anthony announced in a press release today that his entertainment company, Magnus Media, has launched a sports division and has signed Reds closer Aroldis Chapman as a new client. Anthony’s group announced the launch as a joint venture with veteran agents Barry Praver and Scott Shapiro, who will team with Magnus Media CEO Michel Vega to oversee the operations of the newly formed Magnus Sports.

Praver/Shapiro has a long history of representing Hispanic players, which is one element which attracted Anthony to partnering with the duo. “Baseball, like music, is an ingrained cultural passion for many Latinos throughout the world and there’s no shortage of amazing stars of Hispanic origin,” said Anthony in the press release. “Despite that, until now there hasn’t been an enterprise specifically designed to meet their needs. With MAGNUS Sports, we are changing the existing dynamics and building a new kind of Management Company that understands the culture and knows how to build big media. Beyond the cultural connection, social media is also bringing fans closer to their heroes than ever before. That means that athletes, like other entertainers, need management that can help them with both, managing their career and building their brand.”

Pairing with Praver/Shapiro will bring a lengthy list of Major League clients onto the newly formed Magnus Sports’ client roster. Praver and Shapiro represent players such as Jorge Soler, Adeiny Hechavarria, Raisel Iglesias, Eduardo Escobar, Tommy Milone, Juan Uribe and Alejandro De Aza, to name a few. Their joint venture with Anthony and Magnus Media has been updated within the MLBTR Agency Database.

The addition of Chapman to that already sizable list is well-timed, as the 27-year-old (28 in February) will be a free agent next offseason. Assuming another characteristically dominant season, Chapman seems well-positioned to secure what will be a record-breaking contract for a relief pitcher on next year’s market. Five-year pacts for relief pitchers are more or less unheard of — B.J. Ryan’s five-year, $47MM pact was notoriously ill-fated — but heading into his age-29 season in 2017, Chapman will have a case for such a deal at a premium annual rate that should allow him to surpass Jonathan Papelbon’s four-year, $50MM contract.

NL Notes: Reyes, Pirates, D’Backs, Davis

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Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes has been charged with abuse of a family or household member, the Associated Press reports (via SI.com). The 32-year-old has entered a plea of not guilty to the charges, which stem from his recent arrest in Hawaii for alleged violent acts against his wife during an argument. As explained in the linked post, the commissioner’s office will be watched closely as it applies the newly agreed-upon domestic abuse protocol for the first time to a highly-paid, high-profile player.

As we wait for further information in that disappointing and concerning situation, let’s take a look at some other links relating to National League clubs:

  • The Pirates are “definitely listening” on all players entering their final year of contract control, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports on Twitter. Closer Mark Melancon, second baseman Neil Walker, and first baseman Pedro Alvarez are all prime candidates to be dealt, says Stark. It certainly will be fascinating to see how the team proceeds with those notable players, including what they seek (and potentially obtain) in return as well as what other moves the ultimate decisions set up.
  • The Diamondbacks are said to be looking into a variety of options to add starting pitching, including cashing in some young position player talent via trade. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic breaks down the considerations facing GM Dave Stewart and co. Piecoro gathers the thoughts of numerous talent evaluators in the interesting piece, focusing his analysis on the timing of the team’s assets. Arizona is still testing several possibilities, he reports, but it sounds rather likely that some kind of hitting-for-pitching deal will come together at some point this winter.
  • Bernie Miklasz of 101Sports.com takes a look at the Cardinals’ decision-making process regarding free agent first baseman/outfielder Chris Davis. There’s a fit on paper, writes the veteran journalist, but he says it would rate as a surprise if St. Louis emerges as a serious bidder — especially if the ask goes past five years (as it almost assuredly does).
  • If those links don’t have enough interesting reading to get you through turkey day, check out these two recent pieces on Fangraphs: Brewers GM David Stearns spoke with David Laurila about a variety of interesting and relevant topics. And Jeff Sullivan assesses the trade value of all-world Reds closer Aroldis Chapman.

International Notes: Thames, Lee, Cuba

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Korean stars Jae-gyun Hwang and Byung-ho Park may soon be joining countryman Jung-ho Kang in making the KBO to MLB transition. (Hwang will be posted next Monday, while Park is in a negotiating window with the Twins.) But perhaps the most interesting trans-Pacific baseball story is playing out on the Korean peninsula. Former big league outfielder Eric Thames was recently named the 2015 KBO MVP. Thames, who just turned 29, showed some pop and promise in North America, but never quite seized an opportunity and moved to Korea after he failed to receive a big league call-up in his age-26 campaign. All he’s done since is devastate his new league, putting up consecutive seasons with an OPS of over 1.100.  Thames is under contract with the NC Dinos for one more campaign, but figures to draw strong interest from Japan’s NPB as well as major league organizations if he can post anything approaching his 2015 numbers, which were ridiculous even for the hitter-friendly KBO: .381/.497/.790 with 47 home runs and 40 stolen bases in 595 plate appearances.

If you’re interested in taking a peek at Thames’ exploits, check out this Naver Sports highlight video. Here are some other notes on the international market:

  • Free agent first baseman Dae-ho Lee — a South Korean who has been playing in Japan — will visit the United States in early December to meet with MLB clubs, according to another report from Yoo. The 33-year-old power hitter is drawing interest from “multiple” teams, his Korean agency (Montis) tells Yoo. He’s already shown he ability to excel in both the KBO and NPB and last year was his best in Japan, as he slashed .282/.368/.524 with 31 home runs.
  • While the Asian markets have grabbed much of the recent attention, Cuba remains a hotbed for international activity. Baseball America’s Ben Badler has the latest on a variety of intriguing players from the neighboring island. The Reds appear to be in the lead to sign slick defender Alfredo Rodriguez, says Badler, while the Cubs and Dodgers are expected to lead the charge on other bonus-pool-bound players that become eligible to sign out of Cuba.
  • Badler also has some updates on a group of other touted players. Outfielder Guillermo Heredia and righty Vladimir Gutierrez are training in Florida and holding private workouts, while pitchers Norge Ruiz and Cionel Perez are set to hold showcases in the coming weeks.

Dodgers Have Checked In On Aroldis Chapman

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Though the rotation is a more obvious area of need in Los Angeles, the Dodgers have nonetheless checked in on Aroldis Chapman, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. L.A. has recently been connected to Darren O’Day as well, and Heyman writes that they’re “very determined” to upgrade their bullpen however they can.

The Dodgers already possess one of baseball’s best closers in the form of Kenley Jansen It’s understandable that they’d be perhaps interested in acquiring help at the back end of the ’pen because Jansen is a free agent next season, but so, too, is Chapman, thus making it a bit more of a questionable fit than a closer with more team control (e.g. Ken Giles, who is also rumored to be available).

Jansen and Chapman would, however, represent perhaps the most dominant late-inning duo in all of Major League Baseball, albeit at a highly premium cost. Chapman projects to earn $12.9MM this winter in his final offseason of arbitration eligibility, while Jansen is projected at a slightly more affordable (but still expensive, relative to his peers) salary of $11.4MM. The Dodgers typically operate with less regard for finances than any other club, however, so the notion of spending nearly $25MM on two relievers in a single season isn’t as outlandish for them as it would be another team.

Heyman does note that the Dodgers’ level of interest in Chapman isn’t yet known, though Chapman isn’t the type of player a team would kick the tires on in hopes of landing him at a bargain rate; president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, GM Farhan Zaidi and the rest of the staff know full well that Chapman will be moved for a relatively steep price. The Reds reportedly are seeking controllable, MLB-ready talent in exchange for Chapman, and Cincinnati president of baseball operations Walt Jocketty recently expressed hope that the Reds will get a trade worked out prior to the Winter Meetings, which begin in two weeks.

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