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Tigers Re-Sign Bobby Parnell

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The Tigers have announced the re-signing of reliever Bobby Parnell to a minor league deal, as Lynn Henning of the Detroit News was first to report on Twitter. Third baseman Casey McGehee — who, like Parnell, was released on Monday — is reportedly also likely to re-join the organization.

By releasing and re-signing Parnell, 31, the Tigers avoided the need to pay him a $100K retention bonus. Though the results on the field this spring weren’t pretty, Parnell was said to be ramping up his velocity as camp progressed.

The former closer made it back from Tommy John surgery last year, only to strike out 13 and walk 17 in his 24 innings. Of course, he has shown plenty more previously. Over the 2010 to 2013 time span, he ran up a 2.79 ERA with 8.5 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9.

Rangers Acquire Bryan Holaday From Tigers

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The Rangers announced that they have acquired catcher Bryan Holaday from the Tigers in exchange for right-hander Myles Jaye and catcher Bobby Wilson.  In a related move, the Rangers have designated left-handed pitcher Sam Freeman for assignment.

The Rangers have been on the lookout for a catcher this offseason and it appears that the asking prices for their more ambitious targets were too high.  Texas was connected to Brewers backstop Jonathan Lucroy as well as Padres catcher Derek Norris.  A little over a week ago, however, Rangers GM Jon Daniels said that he was prepared to go into the season with the catchers he already had in camp.

“At this point I anticipate both our catchers are in camp,” Daniels said. “We are open if there is a true improvement to the team, but we’re not going to change for change’s sake.”

Now, Daniels has found what he perceives to be a better understudy for Robinson Chirinos.  The Rangers will presumably use Holaday  as their No. 2 catcher instead of Chris Gimenez, Michael McKenry, or 2010 sixth-round pick Brett Nicholas, who was said to be having a strong spring.  Holaday is not as big of a name as Lucroy, but he came at a much lower cost than the Brewers catcher would have and is also more affordable (Lucroy will earn $4MM in 2016).

Holaday was out-of-options and didn’t have a spot in Detroit with James McCann and Jarrod Saltalamacchia ahead of him.  The 28-year-old TCU product has appeared in the majors in each of the last four seasons for the Tigers.  Over a combined 282 plate appearances, he owns a .251/.283/.340 slash line.   In parts of three Triple-A seasons, he has slashed .245/.305/.339.

Wilson, 32, spent time with the Rays and Rangers in 2015 and didn’t do much with his bat in 147 plate appearances (.189 /.255/.250).  Of course, Wilson isn’t known much for his offense and instead has built his reputation as an excellent defensive catcher.

Jaye is a 24-year-old right-handed starter.  A former 17th round pick of the Blue Jays in 2010, Jaye pitched to a 3.29 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 26 Double-A outings last year.

Freeman is out-of-options and the Rangers did not have a spot for him on their 40-man roster.  The 28-year-old seems likely to get picked up by a team in need of relief help.  For his career, Freeman owns a 3.23 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 across four big league seasons.

Tigers Release Bobby Parnell, Casey McGehee

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The Tigers have released right-hander Bobby Parnell and infielder Casey McGehee, the club announced.  Both players were in Detroit’s camp on minor league contracts.  As Article XX(B) players, Parnell and McGehee would’ve each been owed $100K bonuses if the Tigers wanted to keep them in the minors rather than put them on the Opening Day roster.

Parnell missed virtually all of 2014 and a good chunk of 2015 recovering from Tommy John surgery, as he pitched just 24 innings out of the Mets bullpen last season.  The former closer was looking for a new opportunity in Detroit, and while he hadn’t pitched well this spring, it’s a bit surprising to see the Tigers cut ties with Parnell given all the question marks (both performance-wise and injury-wise) in their bullpen.  It could be that Detroit tries to re-sign Parnell to a new minor league deal once the Article XX(B) deadline passes.

Prior to his Tommy John surgery, Parnell put up strong numbers with New York, posting a 2.79 ERA, 8.5 K/9 and 3.01 K/BB rate over 213 innings from 2010-13, including a stint as the Mets’ closer in 2013.

McGehee signed with Detroit last month looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2015 season that saw him hit .198/.264/.274 with two homers over 258 plate appearances with the Giants and Marlins.  The 33-year-old has a career .259/.319/.389 slash line over 2990 PA since 2008, and he also spent the 2013 season in Japan with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Mets Seeking Backup Catcher

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MARCH 27th: The Mets are leaning towards having Plawecki open the season as the backup catcher on the big league roster, Rubin writes.  However, they have told scouts to keep their eyes peeled for an available backup catcher.  Rubin adds that the Mets are not all that interested in out-of-options Tigers catcher Bryan Holaday.

MARCH 13th: The Mets are telling teams that they are looking to land a backup catcher, a source tells Adam Rubin of ESPN.com. As it stands, the Mets have Kevin Plawecki slotted in as the backup for starter Travis d’Arnaud.

If Plawecki were to remain on the big league roster, he wouldn’t see a whole lot of playing time with d’Arnaud serving as the team’s primary backstop.  Team officials are mulling the idea of putting the 25-year-old in Triple-A to get some at-bats and, if they go that route, they feel it is necessary to go out-of-house to get a new understudy for d’Arnaud.  The source tells Rubin that the team is not happy with its other internal catching options, including Johnny Monell.

Over the weekend, Mets manager Terry Collins was asked where Plawecki could open the season and he indicated that things are fluid:

“We haven’t had that discussion as to where he’s going to fit the best, or what we think is the best for everyone involved. That has not taken place. What we’ve got to do is take what we think are the best 25 and get out of the gate and go from there. If the conversation goes to, ’Hey, look, we need to have this guy ready to be an everyday guy,’ he may have to go play [in Las Vegas]. If we think we’re better off being able to get him two to three games a week at times [backing up d’Arnaud], then he’s got a good chance of making the club.”

Plawecki, a first-round pick in the 2012 draft, saw 258 plate appearances for the Mets last season and slashed just .219/.280/.296 with three homers.  In parts of two seasons at Triple-A, the catcher hit .262/.318/.392.

Tigers Among Teams Looking At Kyle Lohse

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11:11am: In addition to the Tigers, Heyman reports (via Twitter) that the Orioles, Rangers and Reds also attended Lohse’s recent showcase.  The O’s and Rangers would presumably also be looking at Lohse as experienced depth, though Baltimore’s rotation is unsettled enough that Lohse could have an opportunity at regular innings.  Cincinnati, meanwhile, is going with a very inexperienced group of starting candidates so Lohse could be a fit as a veteran innings eater.

9:33am: The Tigers “are emphasizing depth” in the starting rotation and have some interest in veteran righty Kyle Lohse, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).  Lohse is a client of Scott Boras, who has a well-documented connection with Tigers owner Mike Ilitch.

The Marlins were the only other club connected to the 37-year-old this winter, and the quiet rumor mill probably isn’t a surprise given Lohse’s age and his rough 2015 season.  He posted a 5.85 ERA and 6.4 K/9 over 152 1/3 innings with the Brewers, a performance that cost him his rotation job.  The largest issue seemed to be a 15.3% homer rate that was well above Lohse’s 10% career average, though a .314 BABIP and 68.7% strand rate also added to Lohse’s misfortune. While his ERA indicators (5.12 FIP, 4.48 xFIP, 4.43 SIERA) weren’t particularly impressive, they show that Lohse’s 5.85 ERA was at least a bit misleading.

Lohse is probably available on a minor league deal at this point, and he could provide some veteran depth for a rotation that has had a couple of injury question marks.  Anibal Sanchez recently pitched his first outing of camp on Monday after battling triceps inflammation this spring, and Daniel Norris recently left a start due to tightness in his lower back.  Justin Verlander, Jordan Zimmermann, Sanchez and Mike Pelfrey are penciled in as Detroit’s top four starters, with Shane Greene, Matt Boyd and Buck Farmer all battling Norris for the fifth starter’s job (and potentially a spot outing for Sanchez if he isn’t able to make his first start of the regular season).

Avila Settling In As Tigers GM

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  • New Tigers GM Al Avila wants to focus on creating consistency throughout the organization, the Associated Press writes. Avila garnered the Tigers headlines this offseason with the team’s signings of Justin Upton and Jordan Zimmermann, but he’s also focusing on longer-term issues relating to player development. “When you move a player from, let’s say, A-ball to Double-A, there should be consistency in everything — hitting approach, the way we run the bases, our fundamentals, our defensive strategy,” Avila says. “We’ll just create a Tigers’ manual, everybody will have it, and the players will be taught it.”

Tigers Considered Cespedes Before Signing Upton

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Before signing Justin Upton, the Tigers were also in on free agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, as Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.  Detroit was open to a reunion with the slugger, but they liked Upton “slightly more.”  The Tigers offered Cespedes a four-year deal, but had the Upton agreement not come together, they could have potentially gone to five years, Heyman says.

Why did they prefer Upton to Cespedes? Well, in part (link), the Tigers loved Upton’s consistent demeanor and his personality.  Upton also came with the endorsement of Alan Trammell and Kirk Gibson.  When all was said and done, Upton agreed to a six-year, $132.75MM deal with Detroit and Cespedes stayed with the Mets on a three-year deal that will allow him to opt out after year one.

Astros Looking For Catching Depth

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With backup Max Stassi sidelined for six weeks after hamate bone surgery, Astros manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart) that the team is looking at catchers outside the organization.  While Hinch said he’s comfortable with minor leaguers Roberto Pena or Tyler Heineman as the backup to start the season, it only makes sense that Houston would explore the market for experienced help.  The team’s hopes that Evan Gattis could be an option behind the plate have been scuttled by Gattis’ hernia surgery, which could keep him out of Spring Training action altogether.

The Astros recently had a scout watching Tigers backup Bryan Holaday, McTaggart reports.  Holaday is out of options and is stuck behind James McCann and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, though there’s at least a chance Detroit will keep all three catchers since the club likes Holaday quite a bit.  Houston has also reportedly shown interest in Blue Jays minor league backstop A.J. Jimenez, another out of options player.

Beyond those two, McTaggart lists some of the other potential candidates who could be acquired or available on the waiver wire as Spring Training rolls on.  Possible targets include J.P. Arencibia, Carlos Corporan, Tim Federowicz, Ryan Hanigan, Austin Romine and the odd men out of the Rangers’ backup competition between Chris Gimenez, Michael McKenry and Bobby Wilson.  I’d also cite the Padres and Rays as teams who could be open to moving a catcher.

Victor Martinez Uncertain For Opening Day

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  • “It’s a possibility” that Victor Martinez may not be ready for Opening Day, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus told reporters (including MLB.com’s Cash Kruth).  Martinez hasn’t appeared in a game since straining his left hamstring on Monday.  Ausmus said the veteran slugger could swing a bat tomorrow for the first time since the injury, though “we’ve got to wait and see.”

Bryan Holaday Drawing Interest

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  • Tigers catcher Bryan Holaday is generating interest from other teams, Peter Gammons tweets. Holaday is out of options, and the Tigers have two more established catchers in James McCann and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. So there might not be a roster spot for Holaday, unless the Tigers want to carry three catchers. (The Tigers have also experimented with using Holaday at third base and in the outfield this spring.) The 28-year-old Holaday, who split his time between Detroit and Triple-A Toledo last season, has hit brilliantly this year in Spring Training, for what little that’s worth — he has 11 hits, including four homers, in just 21 at-bats. His previous track record, including a career .251/.283/.340 line in the Majors, isn’t nearly so Ruthian, but it’s not surprising there would be at least some interest in a relatively young, cost-controlled catcher.
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