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Indians Sign Will Venable To Minor League Deal

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3:45pm: Venable has passed his physical, and GM Mike Chernoff has confirmed the deal, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian tweets. In his column below, Meisel notes that Venable and Chernoff were teammates in their college days at Princeton.

12:40pm: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reports that Venable will receive a $1.5MM base salary and can earn up to $2MM worth of performance bonuses (Twitter link).

9:30am: Venable will take a physical with the Indians today, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com tweets. Via Zack Meisel of Cleveland.com, Venable will receive a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite.

7:46am: Outfielder Will Venable will be in camp with the Indians today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes (Twitter links). That suggests that player and team have agreed to terms on a contract of some sort, although Rosenthal does not say that specifically. Venable is a client of Turner Gary Sports.

The Indians can use the outfield depth Venable will provide, particularly with Michael Brantley dealing with a shoulder injury. Brantley hopes to be ready in time for Opening Day, but if not, Venable could give the team a left-handed hitter to pair with Rajai Davis in left field until Brantley returns to the lineup.

The 33-year-old Venable hit .244/.320/.350 in 390 plate appearances in 2015, hitting passably in San Diego and then fading down the stretch after an August trade to the Rangers. His power output has faded since a 22-homer outburst with the Padres in 2013, although he maintains decent value due to his baserunning (he had 16 steals in 2015 while only being caught once) and his ability to play all three outfield positions. The longtime Padre has a career .251/.317/.406 line in parts of eight big-league seasons.

Indians’ Abraham Almonte Suspended 80 Games For Failed PED Test

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The Indians announced today that center fielder Abraham Almonte has received an 80-game suspension from Major League Baseball after testing positive for a banned substance (Boldenone, per a statement from MLB).

While he’s far from a household name, Almonte quietly enjoyed a strong 51-game run with the Indians this past season after being acquired from the Padres in exchange for left-hander Marc Rzepczynski. The switch-hitter batted .264/.321/.455 across 196 plate appearances with Cleveland, adding five homers, six steals and quality defensive contributions. He had been projected to get the bulk of the club’s playing time in center field.

For Cleveland, the loss of Almonte for half of the regular season further thins out what was already a questionable outfield picture. The Indians did reportedly bring veteran outfielder Will Venable into camp on a minor league deal today, but the team’s outfield depth chart is still perilously thin. Michael Brantley figures to begin the season on the disabled list, leaving the Indians with Rajai Davis, Collin Cowgill and Lonnie Chisenhall as its primary options on the 40-man roster (plus Venable and fellow non-roster invitees Shane Robinson, Michael Choice and Robbie Grossman).

The Indians have recently been tied to Austin Jackson but were said recently to be done spending on Major League free agents with their payroll nearly maxed out. Almonte’s suspension won’t provide Cleveland with any sort of financial relief, as he is not yet arbitration-eligible, but one has to wonder whether his absence will motivate the team to take some action on the free agent market. Jackson is the top name available, though other outfield options that have yet to sign include David Murphy, David DeJesus, Marlon Byrd, Alex Rios and former Indians cornerstone Grady Sizemore.

Indians Unlikely To Add Further Free Agents

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The Indians have been somewhat loosely connected to outfielder Austin Jackson in the past week, but Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that Cleveland is “pretty much tapped out as far as payroll goes,” and specifically calls out Jackson as an unlikely target for the team.

The Indians have spent a combined $12.25MM on Mike Napoli and Rajai Davis this winter, and they recently agreed to terms with infielder Juan Uribe to add a further option at the hot corner. ESPN’s Buster Olney reported tonight that Uribe’s guarantee is $4MM, bringing Cleveland’s free-agent expenditures to a fairly modest $16.25MM. The entirety of that $16.25MM will be added to the club’s 2016 payroll, however, which currently sits at about $93.435MM by my rough estimate (h/t: Cot’s Contracts) after factoring in money owed to Chris Johnson and the $15MM Cleveland included in the trade to acquire Johnson while shedding Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher. That figure eclipses last season’s Opening Day mark of just under $88MM.

Even if the match between Cleveland and Jackson is unlikely or impossible, it’s easy to see how the connection would’ve made sense. Michael Brantley is among the game’s best outfielders, but he’s recovering from shoulder surgery and isn’t expected to be ready come Opening Day. Beyond Brantley, the veteran Davis can see time all over the outfield, but the rest of the mix features Abraham Almonte, Collin Cowgill and Lonnie Chisenhall — none of whom comes with much of a track record in the Majors.

As far as Jackson goes, the apparent removal of Cleveland as a suitor for his services further clouds an uncertain situation for the former Rookie of the Year runner up. While Jackson’s production at the plate has taken somewhat of a dip in the past two seasons (about 10 percent below average, per park-adjusted metrics OPS+ and wRC+), he’s rated as an average center fielder in that time per UZR and DRS. In addition to the Indians, Jackson been thinly connected to the White Sox, Rangers, Cubs, Brewers and Angels over the past five weeks. Texas, though, is said to be in a similar boat to the Indians in terms of payroll (or, at least, reportedly does not want to spend additional funds). The Brewers, meanwhile, haven’t given any indication that they’re pursuing outfield help, and the Angels are perilously close to the luxury tax barrier that they’re reportedly loath to exceed.

AL Central Notes: Molitor, Royals, Minor, Fulmer, Greene, Tribe

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The Twins haven’t had any talks with Paul Molitor about a contract extension, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.  Molitor exceeded expectations in his first year as a Major League manager, leading the Twins to a surprising 83-79 record.  There isn’t necessarily a lot of urgency to get a new deal done — not only is Molitor still under contract through the 2017 campaign, “the expectation at this point is that” the Twins will give Molitor “every opportunity to” continue managing, Berardino writes, especially as long as Terry Ryan is the GM.  Here’s some more from around the AL Central…

  • The Twins will likely wait to see how their bullpen situation develops in Spring Training before checking out any free agent relievers, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweets.
  • Given how Ned Yost, Dayton Moore and J.J. Piccolo all have ties to the Braves, it’s maybe no surprise that the Royals have picked up so many former Atlanta pitchers as reclamation projects, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick writes.  Kris Medlen proved to be a very sound investment for K.C. last winter and now Peter Moylan and Mike Minor have both joined the Royals this offseason looking to re-establish their value. The ties between the pitchers themselves also played a role — Medlen and Moylan trained and rehabbed together in 2014 when both were recovering from Tommy John surgery.
  • Minor said that pitching at Kauffman Stadium and the Royals’ offer of two guaranteed years were big reasons he signed with the team, the lefty tells Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link).
  • Shane Greene’s first season with the Tigers was riddled with injuries, including a scary situation involving an aneurysm that caused blood clots in his fingers, ESPN’s Katie Strang writes.  Greene underwent shoulder surgery to address the problem in August, and while the blood clots have yet to dissolve (which may not happen for years), Greene said he’s feeling much better and is looking forward to competing for a spot in Detroit’s rotation.
  • Michael Fulmer drew heavy interest in trade talks this offseason, Jeff Seidel of the Detroit Free Press reports, though the Tigers didn’t bite on dealing the highly-touted young righty.  It’s no surprise that GM Al Avila was keen to keep Fulmer, given that the right-hander was the centerpiece of the trade package received last summer for Yoenis Cespedes.
  • “The Indians are always sneaky about” working on contract extensions, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes, so it wouldn’t surprise him if the Tribe inks at least one player to a multi-year deal this spring.  Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer make sense as possible extension candidates since both become arbitration-eligible next winter, and Hoynes also thinks the Tribe could extend Cody Allen.
  • Hoynes’ mailbag piece covers several other Indians-related topics, including Hoynes’ belief that the Tribe won’t exercise their $12MM club option on Carlos Santana for the 2017 season.  I tend to agree, unless Santana rebounds from something of a down year in 2015.

AL Central Notes: Jackson, Sox, Minor, Tigers, Twins

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Following their reported signing of Juan Uribe to a one-year deal, the Indians “seem to be considering” a run at free agent outfielder Austin Jackson, tweets Jon Heyman. Cleveland has a well-documented need in the outfield that has yet to be addressed — as Jeff Todd and I discussed on this week’s MLBTR Podcast. Jackson would add some stability to the picture at a potentially bargain rate at this juncture of the offseason and on the heels of a pair of so-so seasons at the plate. Heyman notes that there are other possibilities for Jackson, though, citing the White Sox, Angels, Brewers and “maybe” the Rangers, noting that Texas may not want to spend the money. It’s unclear whether Heyman was merely speculating on that last grouping of teams, though given the Angels’ reluctance to spend on free agents this winter and Texas GM Jon Daniels’ recent comments suggesting the payroll isn’t likely to grow much more, Jackson could be a stretch for either club.

Here’s more on the AL Central…

  • Heyman also tweets that the White Sox appear to be open to one more outfield addition — one that can handle playing some center field. Austin Jackson, of course, would fit the bill in that regard, he notes, as would Dexter Fowler, if the Sox are willing to spend more. Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago/670 The Score also writes that the Sox are interested in adding to their outfield depth and are indeed considering Fowler. However, Fowler is said to be one of Baltimore’s top targets, and the O’s reportedly “expect” that they’ll be able to land both Fowler and free-agent right-hander Yovani Gallardo.
  • Left-hander Mike Minor, who inked a two-year contract with the Royals earlier today, will be unavailable for the first six weeks to two months of the regular season, general manager Dayton Moore told reporters, including Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). That Minor will be sidelined for some time to open the season isn’t unexpected, as the former Braves hurler is recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
  • The Tigers are reportedly set on adding relief arms to their Spring Training mix after adding Bobby Parnell on a minor league pact, but MLB.com’s Jason Beck tweets that the team could yet bring in another player on a minor league deal — likely an infielder. The infield market has been largely picked clean, though a few recognizable names such as Alberto Callaspo, Jonathan Herrera and Dan Uggla have yet to sign this offseason.
  • Twins skipper Paul Molitor tells reporters, including MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger (Twitter link) that heading into Spring Training, he’s considering Kurt Suzuki his starting catcher and trade acquisition John Ryan Murphy the backup. Of course, it’d be somewhat surprising to see a manager promise a starting role to a just-acquired, inexperienced option with a seasoned veteran in house. Suzuki probably will get the nod on Opening Day, and I can imagine him getting some more time early in the year as Murphy learns a new pitching staff and acclimates to his new organization. However, barring a return to 2014 form for Suzuki, it seems likely that Murphy will at least work his way into a larger role than that of a traditional backup catcher, as Minnesota’s hope is that he can develop into its primary catcher beyond the 2016 campaign. It’s worth noting, too, that Suzuki has a $6MM option that will vest at 485 plate appearances. He’s averaged 491 PAs as the clear No. 1 catcher in the past two seasons, and the Twins probably would prefer to avoid that option vesting — especially if Suzuki’s production more closely resembles 2015 than 2014.

AL Central Notes: Harrell, Uribe, Freese, Stammen, Hunter

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Here’s the latest out of the AL Central:

  • The Tigers were said to be looking around at depth arms to bring into camp, per MLB.com’s Jason Beck (Twitter links), with former big leaguer Lucas Harrell among those under consideration. But the team’s addition of righty Bobby Parnell likely rounds out the organization’s pitching moves heading into camp, per Beck. It seems that the 30-year-old Harrell will look to catch on with another club. He spent last year pitching in Korea, racking up 171 2/3 innings of 4.93 ERA pitching with 7.9 K/9 and 5.7 BB/9.
  • Third base remains an area of focus for the Indians with camp opening, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports. Cleveland is still monitoring the free agent market, with both Juan Uribe and David Freese potentially under consideration. As Bastian notes, Giovanny Urshela showed the ability to man the hot corner last year, but failed to demonstrate a similar readiness at the plate.
  • Meanwhile, the Indians don’t appear to be expecting either Craig Stammen or Tommy Hunter to be ready for Opening Day, manager Terry Francona told reporters including Bastian (Twitter links). It seems that Stammen may actually be slightly ahead in his timeline than Hunter. Of course, he’ll still need to earn a roster spot since he signed a minor league deal.

Rockies Claim Tony Wolters From Indians

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The Rockies announced that they have claimed catcher/infielder Tony Wolters off waivers from the Indians. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, right-hander Adam Ottavino (who is recovering from Tommy John surgery) has been transferred to the 60-day disabled list. Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post first reported that the waiver claim would happen (Twitter link).

Wolters, 23, was a third-round pick of the Indians back in 2010 and spent the 2015 season with Cleveland’s Double-A affiliate, where he struggled to a .209/.290/.280 batting line in 271 plate appearances. However, he brings a rare skill-set to the table, as a former shortstop that shifted behind the plate in 2013 but still plays the middle infield on occasion. Wolters is a career .258/.335/.349 hitter in the minors, and he consistently rated among Cleveland’s top 30 prospects in the eyes of Baseball America from 2010-15. BA noted last winter that the move behind the plate didn’t do his offense any favors, but the Rockies will attempt to get his bat back up to speed in an effort to eventually reap the benefits of Wolters’ rare breed of defensive versatility.

AL Central Notes: Park, Smith, Indians, Brantley, Tigers

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Nine different Twins talent evaluators saw Byung-ho Park in person before the team submitted its $12.85MM bid earlier this offseason, Minnesota vice president of personnel Mike Radcliff tells David Dorsey of the News-Press Media Group. Radcliff himself was among those who watched Park personally in South Korea, having been to Korea in four of the past six seasons, per Dorsey. “It’s a different style,” said Radcliff of Korean baseball. “They swing hard and often over there. There’s a transition. … But we think his swing is Americanized, if you will. He has less movement in his body, from head to toe. He will see velocities he hasn’t seen much of before. But we think the transition will be good, if you will. There just aren’t too many situations to compare him to.”

Here’s more on the Twins and their division…

  • The Twins continue to poke around the trade market for left-handed relief help and like Brewers left-hander Will Smith quite a bit, reports 1500 ESPN’s Darren Wolfson in his latest podcast (audio link, with Twins talk firing up around the 37:45 mark). There’s certainly no indication that Milwaukee is looking to move Smith, although as this winter’s Ken Giles trade showed, moving a controllable relief arm can certainly bolster a farm system in a hurry. The Twins have no shortage of minor league talent that could entice the Brewers, though GM Terry Ryan recently spoke about a number of in-house options that intrigue him as lefty options in the bullpen, calling out Taylor Rogers and J.T. Chargois by name.
  • The Indians have shuffled their Latin American Operations department, writes Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. After an “amicable” split between the organization and former Latin American director Ramon Pena, the Indians have promoted Koby Perez to that post and made a series of subsequent promotions. Previously, Pena had overseen all Latin American scouting, player development and operations, but those responsibilities will be spread out among different officials now, Hoynes continues. Hoynes spoke to Cleveland president of baseball operations about the team’s approach in Latin America and how the Indians plan to leverage their player development resources in that sphere.
  • Indians outfielder Michael Brantley has begun taking no-contact swings, writes MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian. Brantley, who underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder back in November and was said to have a recovery timeline of five to six months, reported to camp early and will need to progress to hitting off a tee and eventually taking batting practice before he’s ready for in-game action, Bastian writes. Bastian spoke to GM Mike Chernoff and hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo about Brantley’s progress and the possibility of a swifter-than-expected return. “…knowing him and his makeup and how hard he works, and our training staff, how diligent they are, I’m pleased, but I wouldn’t say I’m surprised [by his progress],” said Van Burkleo.
  • Right-hander Michael Fulmer, the key piece received by the Tigers in July’s Yoenis Cespedes trade, is viewed by the organization as a starter but could factor into the team’s bullpen in 2016, writes Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press. Justin Verlander, Jordan Zimmermann, Anibal Sanchez and Mike Pelfrey are locks for the rotation, with lefty Daniel Norris favored to land the fifth spot, but manager Brad Ausmus was open to the idea of Fulmer in a relief role this year. “Realistically, if he were to make the club, he would probably be a reliever,” Ausmus told Fenech. “If he were not to make the club, he would probably be a starter. … You have enough time in spring training that even if he’s coming out of the pen right now in big league camp, there will be a point where if you think he’s going to be a starter in Toledo, we can make the switch and get his innings up before the start of the season.”

AL Central Notes: Sano, Indians, Gurriel, Tigers

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On this day in 2005, the Twins signed Johan Santana to a four-year, $39.75MM extension in the wake of the southpaw’s Cy Young Award season.  The deal not only gave the small-market Twins some cost certainty through Santana’s arbitration seasons and his first free agent year, it also proved to be a nice bargain as Santana put up sterling numbers from 2005-07 (including another Cy Young in 2006).  He didn’t finish out that deal in a Twins uniform, however, as Santana was traded to the Mets in February 2008.  Here’s the latest from around the AL Central…

  • The Twins’ signing of Miguel Sano is chronicled by Chip Scoggins of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, a transaction that the team hopes will not only help the Major League roster if and when Sano becomes a star slugger, but one that also cemented the Twins as players on the international market.  Minnesota encountered several obstacles in its pursuit of Sano, including a lengthy investigation into his age and the team’s willingness to go beyond its international spending comfort zone to land a prospect that seemingly everyone in the Twins organization believed was an elite talent.
  • The Indians have scouted Yulieski and Lourdes Gurriel and will check in on the two Cuban stars, though Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer doesn’t think the Tribe has the money it will take to land either player.  Hoynes also addressed several other Tribe-related topics as part of this mailbag piece.
  • The Tigers like drafting hard-throwing college pitchers, yet as ESPN’s Keith Law tells George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press, nobody who fits that description is likely to be available when the club makes the ninth overall pick in June.  Law suggests that the Tigers could opt for a high school pitcher instead (such as Forrest Whitley or Greg Veliz) or they could possibly go for position player talent instead with Puerto Rican shortstop Delvin Perez.

Minor MLB Transactions: 2/13/16

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Here are today’s minor moves from around the game:

  • The Diamondbacks have outrighted lefty Will Locante, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets. They designated Locante for assignment last week after he posted a 5.79 ERA, 8.1 K/9 and 7.3 BB/9 in 42 rough innings of relief for Double-A Mobile last year.
  • The Indians have announced that they’ve signed 34-year-old catcher Guillermo Quiroz to a minor-league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. The light-hitting Quiroz has played parts of ten seasons in the Majors, but in the 2015 regular season he only appeared with the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento, where he hit .247/.303/.292 in 99 plate appearances.
  • The Angels have signed catcher Lou Marson and righties Josh Zeid and Cody Satterwhite to minor-league deals, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy tweets. Marson, the former Indians backup, has played sparingly in the last several seasons due to injury. He has a lifetime .219/.309/.299 line in parts of six big-league seasons. The 28-year-old Zeid is perhaps best known as one of the pieces the Phillies sent the Astros in the 2011 Hunter Pence deal. He spent the 2015 season in the Tigers’ Triple-A bullpen, posting a 4.46 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9. The 29-year-old Satterwhite pitched last season in a tough pitching environment at Triple-A Las Vegas, posting a 4.38 ERA, 8.9 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 72 innings of relief.
  • The Blue Jays have re-signed lefty reliever Colt Hynes to a minor-league deal, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet tweets. Hynes pitched in five games for the Jays last season. He also pitched 47 1/3 innings combined at Double-A and Triple-A, posting a 3.47 ERA, 7.3 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9.
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