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Reds Sign Desmond Jennings

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FEBRUARY 9: Cincinnati has announced the signing of Jennings. He would earn $1.5MM in the majors, per Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter), with another $1MM available through incentives based upon how many games he appears in, according to MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon (Twitter link).

FEBRUARY 2: The Reds are nearing a deal with veteran outfielder Desmond Jennings, according to Chris Cotillo of SB Nation (via Twitter). It’ll be a minor league pact, tweets Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Jennings, 30, has been limited by leg injuries for the past two seasons. If he can stay healthy through camp, though, he ought to battle with players such as Arismendy Alcantara and Patrick Kivlehan for a bench role.

The right-handed-hitting veteran could make for a useful reserve or platoon piece to pair with center fielder Billy Hamilton (a switch-hitter) and odds-on right field favorite Scott Schebler (who hits from the left side). Though he was overtaken in center in Tampa Bay, Jennings has plenty of experience there. And metrics have graded him as an excellent defender in the corners.

Perhaps the biggest question with Jennings is whether he can restore his lost luster at the plate. Once a steadily average-or-better offensive producer with a nice blend of pop and speed, Jennings has failed to post an OPS over .700 in any of the past three campaigns.

Royals, Cubs, Nationals Among Teams At Seth Maness Workout

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TUESDAY: The Brewers, Reds, Indians, Orioles, Astros and Twins also sent scouts to observe Maness’ workout, according to Goold.

MONDAY: Scouts from at least 16 Major League clubs were on-hand today to watch free agent right-hander Seth Maness work out, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Instagram). Per Goold, the Royals, Cubs and Nationals were all represented at Maness’ audition.

Maness’ showcase is especially intriguing due to the circumstances surrounding his injury. The 28-year-old suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament last summer and underwent surgery in August, but he elected to undergo an experimental “primary repair” surgery that, if successful, could represent a potential alternative to Tommy John surgery. Not every pitcher with a torn UCL can turn to the primary repair procedure as an alternative — the operation is dependent on the location and extent of the ligament tear — but certainly a return to health for Maness in seven and a half months would pique the interest of others with similar diagnoses around the league. (Those who are interested in the matter and missed Goold’s column on Maness last month should absolutely take the time to read through his breakdown of the operation itself and the larger-reaching potential implications of the surgery.)

The 28-year-old Maness was a fixture in the St. Louis bullpen from 2013-16, racking up 237 1/3 innings with a 3.19 ERA, 5.8 K/9, 1.7 BB/9 and a hefty 59.4 percent ground-ball rate along the way. Last season, however, he logged a 3.41 ERA with career worst K/9 and BB/9 rates of 4.6 and 2.3, respectively. Following the August operation, the Cardinals non-tendered him rather than pay him a projected $1.6MM via arbitration (projection via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz).

As an added bonus for any club that ultimately signs Maness, if he is indeed able to return and pitch at a high level, he’d remain under club control not just for the 2017 season but through the 2019 season. Maness wrapped up the 2016 campaign with three years and 154 days of Major League service time, so he’d be arbitration-eligible in each of the next two winters before hitting free agency in advance of his age-31 season.

Reds Notes: Catching, Jennings, Arroyo

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  • While Devin Mesoraco’s health is still a big question mark, Reds GM Dick Williams tells MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon that the team isn’t planning to add a veteran catcher on a minor league deal.  “I don’t see any major signing there.  We’ll just have to see how [Mesoraco] responds and whether or not we have enough guys to cover the issues.”  Behind Mesoraco, Tucker Barnhart and Rule 5 pick Stuart Turner are the top catching options on Cincinnati’s depth chart.
  • Williams also provided updates on Desmond Jennings and Bronson Arroyo, who are both reportedly on the verge of signing minor league deals with the Reds.  Jennings’ deal is “close” to being done, Williams said, while Arroyo’s deal has been worked out “will take a couple of days to get that physically signed.”

Reds Sign Zach Walters To Minor League Deal

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  • The Reds have signed infielder Zach Walters to a minor league contract, reports Baseball America’s Matt Eddy. The 27-year-old switch-hitter spent the 2014-15 seasons in the Indians organization after being traded over from the Nationals in exchange for Asdrubal Cabrera, and he was with the Dodgers last season. Walters has displayed plenty of pop, with 10 homers in 181 career MLB plate appearances, but he’s also been extremely strikeout prone in the bigs. Overall, he’s a .176/.227/.382 hitter in the Majors, though his .265/.312/.482 career line in Triple-A is more palatable. Walters logged a .770 OPS in 94 games with the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate last season and played every position on the diamond besides catcher.

Reds To Sign Bronson Arroyo

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THURSDAY: The Reds have agreed to a minor-league deal with Arroyo, per MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon (via Twitter). He has already passed his physical with the organization, though he still needs to formally sign his contract before it’ll be official.

MONDAY: It emerged recently that the Reds had taken a look at former rotation stalwart Bronson Arroyo. Though the level of the team’s interest wasn’t clear at the time, it seems now that the organization saw some promise in the veteran righty’s workout. Indeed, Cincinnati has engaged Arroyo in contract talks that appear likely to result in a deal, according to a report from Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reporting (on Twitter).

Cincinnati has made clear that it isn’t interested in handing out any more major-league deals this winter, so any arrangement with Arroyo would be of the minor-league variety. That’s unsurprising, as Arroyo is less than a month away from his fortieth birthday and over two-and-a-half years removed from his last MLB appearance.

In his most recent work in the bigs, Arroyo provided the Diamondbacks with 86 innings of 4.08 ERA pitching. He landed in Arizona on a two-year deal after an eight-year run with the Reds. Arroyo not only revived his career in Cincy, but established himself as a tireless workhorse who could be relied upon for solid innings even in his mid-thirties.

All told, Arroyo spun 1,690 1/3 frames of 4.05 ERA ball with the Reds. While the results were rarely spectacular, that 211-inning-per-year average was plenty valuable. Though he never threw harder than the upper eighties, compiling just 5.9 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9, Arroyo managed to suppress batting averages on balls in play with his crafty pitch mix.

That track record led the D-Backs to promise Arroyo $23.5MM in free agency. Unfortunately, he rather promptly broke down and hasn’t returned to the majors since. Tommy John surgery kept him out for 2015. Though he returned to join the Nationals in spring camp in 2016, his return bid was thwarted by a torn tendon in his rotator cuff. While it seemed at one point as if Arroyo might not have another comeback bid in him, it seems he’ll give it another try.

Reds Not Worried About Jose Peraza's Playing Time

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  • The Reds haven’t been able to trade Brandon Phillips or Zack Cozart and thus still have a logjam at middle infield, where they also have youngsters Jose Peraza and Dilson Herrera. The Reds say that they aren’t worried about Peraza’s playing time, however, according to MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon. Peraza’s ability to play second, shortstop and outfield will help the team keep him on the field. “Going into the season with Brandon, Cozart, [Adam] Duvall, [Billy] Hamilton — those are our guys going into the season who will take the lion’s share of the playing time at those positions,” says manager Bryan Price. “That being said, Peraza is going to play. How I get him in there has yet to be seen, but he’ll get in there. It may just have to be rotation through different spots until an everyday spot comes to light.” Herrera, who only plays second base, is trickier, and Price says the plan will be for him to play at Triple-A if he can’t play second regularly in the big leagues. GM Dick Williams says, meanwhile, that the team’s ongoing situation with Phillips (who has repeatedly used his no-trade clause to reject potential trades, including one in November to the Braves) is “hard to predict” going forward.

Reds Sign Scott Feldman

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TODAY: The structure of Feldman’s contract bonuses is broken down by Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link).  The right-hander will earn an extra $100K when and if he makes his tenth start of the season, and he’ll earn either $100K or $200K as a bonus for each start thereafter, up to 25 starts.  Feldman can also earn $100K for making 25 relief appearances, $200K for 30 and 35 relief appearances, and then $250K for 40, 45, 50 and 55 games pitched out of the bullpen.

THURSDAY: The deal is official, with Cincinnati announcing it.

WEDNESDAY: The Reds have agreed to a one-year deal with righty Scott Feldman, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). He will receive a $2.3MM guarantee and can earn another $2.2MM via incentives. With a physical already completed, it seems this agreement lacks only a club announcement to be official.

Soon to turn 34, Feldman is coming off of a somewhat curious 2016 campaign. After dealing with shoulder issues late in 2015, he was seen as a question mark heading into camp in the final year of his deal with the Astros. He ended up mostly being relegated to the bullpen, but provided Houston with 62 frames of 2.90 ERA pitching.

Though he seemed to have settled into a useful role for the Astros, Feldman ended up being a somewhat surprising trade deadline mover. He was shipped to the Blue Jays, who took on the $2.75MM or so he was still owed, in exchange for prospect Lupe Chavez. But things didn’t work out for Feldman in Toronto, as he was tagged for 14 earned runs on 23 hits over his 15 innings.

For Cincinnati, Feldman will be asked to provide a steadying presence to a rotation that just lost Dan Straily in a trade. Over 2013-15, the righty turned in 470 1/3 frames of 3.83 ERA ball, with 5.7 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9, and something approaching that kind of workmanlike production would be most welcome. If he’s not effective in a starting role, or a young arm proves worthy of an opportunity, then Feldman could also help deepen the bullpen.

Indians Claim Richie Shaffer, Designate Jesus Aguilar

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The Indians have claimed corner infielder/outfielder Richie Shaffer off waivers from the Reds, per a club announcement. Presumably, he lost his roster spot in Cincinnati to clear space for the signing of righty Scott Feldman. Cleveland designated first baseman Jesus Aguilar to free its own 40-man spot for the claim.

Shaffer has made the rounds this winter, at least on paper. He entered the offseason with the Rays before bouncing to the Mariners, moving to the Phillies and then to the Reds before landing with Cleveland.

As ever, that sort of movement reflects the fact that there’s plenty of interest in the 25-year-old, but also questions about just what kind of contributions he’ll make in the near term in the majors. He owns a .213/.310/.410 batting line in his 142 MLB plate appearances, all of which came over the last two years in Tampa Bay. But the righty hitter owns a solid .243/.338/.445 slash with thirty long balls over 778 total Triple-A plate appearances.

The 26-year-old Aguilar hasn’t hit much in scattered MLB time over the past three years, and has burned through his options in the process. But he, too, has shown more in the upper minors. In his 1,647 trips to the plate at Triple-A, the right-handed-hitting Venezuelan carries a .271/.346/.472 batting line and has swatted 68 home runs.

Pitching Notes: Diekman, Imhof, Mets, Jays, Reds/Arroyo, Marquis, Urias, Nats, Harris

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Rangers lefty Jake Diekman underwent successful surgery to remove his colon, with several more procedures to come as he battles ulcerative colitis. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News has the latest, including video diary entries from Diekman himself. It’s well worth a watch to learn more about the unfortunate affliction and Diekman’s fight. We hope to see him back on the mound as soon as possible.

There won’t be a return in the offing for Phillies lefty Matt Imhof, who lost his eye in a terrible accident involving exercise bands. As Imhof himself writes in a moving piece for ESPN.com, he’s returning to finish his degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and will retire from the sport. He says it’s not just due to the injury, though; as he writes, “the truth is I need a change of pace after 20 years of doing the same thing.” You’ll want to give a full read to the southpaw’s powerful story of coming to grips with — and not being defined by — his injury.

As we wish the best to Diekman and Imhof, here’s the latest on the market for pitching:

  • As the Mets look to bolster their bullpen, the team is still weighing a variety of free agents, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). In addition to keeping open the possibility of a reunion with lefty Jerry Blevins, the Mets are also considering righties Sergio Romo and Joe Smith.
  • The Blue Jays are also keeping in touch with Blevins, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca. Toronto’s search for a southpaw reliever has also led it to consider Craig Breslow, per the report. The team was among those to check out his new mechanics recently.
  • The Reds are exploring a reunion with former starter Bronson Arroyo, as Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). Unsurprisingly, the team is not interested in guaranteeing him a roster spot, as Arroyo is two full years removed from appearing in the majors and has dealt with significant arm issues of late. GM Dick Williams confirms that the team has watched Arroyo throw and is weighing a signing, per MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon (Twitter links). Beyond a move on Arroyo or other candidates for minor-league deals, Cincinnati is done with its free-agent signings, Williams adds.
  • Speaking of longstanding veterans weighing returns, righty Jason Marquis suggested in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (Twitter link) that he’s open to reviving his career. The 38-year-old last appeared in a nine-start stint with Cincy in 2015, but he’s set to pitch for Team Israel in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
  • While Dodgers lefty Julio Urias showed plenty in 2016 to warrant a rotation spot in the coming season, innings considerations may hold him back to start the year. As Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times tweets, skipper Dave Roberts says that the organization may keep him in extended Spring Training at the beginning of the 2017 campaign. Such an approach would not only ensure that Urias is available for good once he does make it up, but would afford more opportunities for the organization to see what it has in its variety of interesting, injury-plagued arms. Over at Fangraphs, Craig Edwards takes a look at what’s shaping up to be a fascinating staff.
  • There’s an argument to be made that the Nationals not only need to address their closer situation, but also ought to bolster their rotation depth, as Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post writes. While the team’s five-man starting unit is likely set, which perhaps limits their ability to promise opportunities to free agents, a swingman could make sense. Janes mentions Travis Wood as at least a hypothetical match, and he would indeed seem to make a sensible fit.
  • 31-year-old Cardinals reliever Mitch Harris is hoping to join former teammate Seth Maness in bouncing back from a “primary repair” procedure to his right elbow, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Harris last pitched competitively in 2015, but will be ramping up for a full spring after undergoing the surgery last summer. Because his surgeon was able to attempt that less-invasive approach, as opposed to a full UCL replacement, there’s a possibility of a much swifter return to the hill — though Harris will first need to earn his way into MLB camp after failing to receive an invite.

Bullpen Rumors: Badenhop, Lefties, Indians, Breslow, Colome, Twins

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Former big league reliever Burke Badenhop is joining the Diamondbacks in an interesting new baseball operations position, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets. In his new role, Piecoro writes, Badenhop will perform “acquisition-based pitching analysis/sports science work.” That sounds like a great way to start a new career path for the veteran hurler, though unfortunately it’ll mean sacrificing the fame and riches associated with his gig as an MLBTR contributor.

In all seriousness, MLBTR wishes Burke the very best in his new pursuit; be sure to check out his excellent work in the Player’s Perspective Series. Here’s the latest from the relief market:

  • In his latest MLB Roundup column, ESPN’s Buster Olney writes that a game of musical chairs appears poised to begin in the next couple of days as the market for left-handed relievers begins to sort itself out (ESPN Insider subscription required). Per Olney, the Indians, Mets, Blue Jays, Phillies, Giants and Marlins are the teams most aggressively seeking left-handed bullpen help. FOX’s Ken Rosenthal also tweeted this morning that the Mets are still seeking bullpen help, though Olney notes that the team doesn’t have the payroll capacity to retain Jerry Blevins at his current asking price. There are a number of free-agent southpaws remaining on the market, including Blevins, Travis Wood, Boone Logan, J.P. Howell, Charlie Furbush (recovering from August shoulder surgery), Chris Capuano, Javier Lopez and Craig Breslow. Olney notes that Wood’s deteriorating swinging-strike rate has been a cause of concern for some teams.
  • While the Indians are indeed most interested in a southpaw, the club is not limiting itself to left-handed relief options, Rosenthal notes (Twitter links). Among other possibilities, Cleveland is said to be “doing background work” on veteran righty Joe Blanton, though Rosenthal notes that it’s far from clear whether the organization will even give out any more MLB deals (which Blanton surely will require).
  • Following a workout that was reportedly attended by about half the league, Breslow is drawing some level of interest from the Indians, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Rockies, Mets, Cubs, Twins and Reds, according to WEEI’s Rob Bradford (Twitter links). The 36-year-old’s altered arm angle has piqued the interest of teams to the point where some consider him a viable fallback to Jerry Blevins and Boone Logan.
  • The Rays are still receiving trade interest in closer Alex Colome, tweets Rosenthal, but they’re not in any rush to move him. The 28-year-old Colome dominated opponents after taking over the ninth inning for the injured Brad Boxberger, tossing 56 2/3 innings of 1.91 ERA ball with 11.3 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 47.1 percent ground-ball rate. Colome, though, is controllable for another four years and won’t even be arbitration-eligible until next winter, so the asking price on him would presumably be exceptionally high. While the Rays may not feel compelled to shop Colome, the team typically is willing to listen on nearly any player. I’d imagine any offer would need to include MLB-ready lineup help in addition to some prospect capital.
  • The Twins are interested in Joe Smith, reports 1500 ESPN’s Darren Wolfson in his latest podcast (audio link, with bullpen talk beginning around 1:02:55). (Wolfson also noted interest in Greg Holland, but he’s now heading elsewhere.) Minnesota is “slow-playing” its search on the free-agent market as it attempts to wait out the market to secure a late value pickup or two, and with plenty of quality names left on the market, they’re probably not the only ones employing that approach. The Twins have previously been connected to both relievers, though that interest was first reported months ago, so it wasn’t exactly clear if they’d changed course at all. New Twins chief baseball office Derek Falvey knows Smith quite well, as the side-armer spent the 2009-13 seasons with the Indians, where Falvey was previously an assistant general manager.
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