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Carlos Torres Opts Out Of Braves Contract

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Right-hander Carlos Torres has opted out of his minor league deal with the Braves and is now a free agent, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports.  Earlier today, MLBTR’s Zach Links reported (Twitter links) that Torres’ representatives were already talking to other teams about a new opportunity for the veteran reliever after Atlanta didn’t put Torres on the Opening Day roster.

Torres was a big part of the Mets’ bullpen from 2013-15, posting a 3.59 ERA, 8.2 K/9 and 3.0 K/BB rate over 241 innings, mostly working as a reliever but also making 10 starts amidst his 165 games with New York.  Torres was waived in January and signed on with Atlanta in February.

The 33-year-old received a fair amount of reported interest on the open market, choosing the Braves deal over offers from the Dodgers and Yankees.  This is just my speculation, but the Yankees might have room for a bullpen addition in the wake of injuries to Andrew Miller and right-handed swingman Bryan Mitchell.  The Dodgers could also be a fit given their own pitching issues, though the injury bug has taken more bites from the L.A. rotation rather than the bullpen.

NL East Notes: Torres, Ramos, Narveson, Breslow

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Here’s the latest from around the NL East…

  • Carlos Torres has an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Braves, MLBTR’s Zach Links reports (Twitter links), and Torres’ representatives are now talking with other teams after Atlanta didn’t put the righty on the Opening Day roster.  Torres posted a 3.59 ERA, 8.18 K/9 and 3.00 K/BB rate over 241 innings for the Mets in 2013-15, with all but 10 of his 165 appearances coming out of the bullpen.  He was outrighted off New York’s 40-man roster in January.
  • Wilson Ramos hopes to remain with the Nationals beyond this season, the catcher tells James Wagner of the Washington Post.  Ramos underwent Lazik surgery and adopted a new offseason training regiment to get in better shape, and the results have paid off thus far in the form of strong Spring Training numbers.  The catcher is looking to rebound from a down year in 2015, both to “be well prepared for the market” as a free agent and to prove himself to the Nats as deserving of a new deal.  “I hope they give me a chance to stay longer and I hope I can have a good year to prove that I can be here longer,” Ramos said.  There is a fair amount of quality catching available in next winter’s free agent market, though a big season would nicely position Ramos within an overall thin class of players.
  • Left-handers Craig Breslow and Chris Narveson both have opt-out clauses today in their minor league deals with the Marlins, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro reports.  Breslow seems likely to make the roster, so with Mike Dunn established as the other lefty in the bullpen, Narveson could be the odd man out.  Narveson posted a 4.45 ERA, 9.5 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 with Miami last season but was punished by the long ball, allowing seven homers in just 30 1/3 innings.  The veteran southpaw re-signed with Miami after being outrighted in October.  Frisaro wrote more earlier this week about Narveson’s quest to make the Marlins.
  • Former Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd and an American League scout break down the Marlins roster for Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.  Both O’Dowd and the scout like Marcell Ozuna and Adam Conley this season, though the Marlins’ bullpen is a problem area.
  • In other NL East news from this morning, John Schuerholz is stepping down as the Braves’ president to take a new role as the club’s vice chairman.

John Schuerholz Steps Down As Braves President

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Longtime Braves executive John Schuerholz will step down from his role as the club’s president into the newly-created role of Vice Chairman, as announced per a Braves media release.  Executive vice presidents Mike Plant and Derek Schiller, both with the team since 2003, will step in under the new titles of president of development (Plant) and president of business (Schiller).

Stepping down as president allows the 75-year-old Schuerholz to escape some of the day-to-day business associated with the job, though he tells MLB.com’s Mark Bowman that he’ll certainly continue to be involved with the Braves.

“There is so much joy to me to be a part of this great game,” Schuerholz said. “I love it. It’s not a chore for me to come into the office. It’s not a chore for me to go to my work. But I keep being reminded by my lovely wife that I’m doing too much of that grinding and working on holidays and so on and so forth. That’s how I am. It’s not work for me.”

As he enters his 51st season working in pro baseball, Schuerholz has had one of the most decorated careers of any executive in the game.  After breaking into the business working for his hometown Orioles, he joined the expansion Royals’ front office in 1969 and assumed many roles over the next 21 years with the team, including serving as general manager from 1981-1990 (a stint that included a World Series title in 1985).  He took over as the Braves’ GM in October 1990 and the club proceeded to go on a historic run of success.

In Schuerholz’s stint as GM from 1991-2007, the Braves won an incredible 14 straight NL East titles, a streak interrupted only by the 1994 strike season.  The highlight of that run was the 1995 World Series championship, making Schuerholz part of the very short list of executives to build World Series winners with two different franchises.  Schuerholz stepped away from GM duties after the 2007 season to become Atlanta’s club president.

East Notes: Rickard, Banuelos, Eveland

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Outfielder Joey Rickard has been told that he’s made the Orioles’ roster, Roch Kubatko of MASN tweets. Of course, it comes as little surprise that Rickard, a Rule 5 pick from the Tampa Bay organization, would make the team after batting .390/.463/.576 this spring. Rickard could be having a significant impact on the Orioles’ roster composition, too, as FanGraphs’ Jeff Sullivan recently noted. Hyun Soo Kim is unlikely to make the Orioles’ 25-man and his immediate future is unclear, and while Kim’s .182/.229/.182 performance this spring is part of the reason why, but Rickard is part of the reason too. As Sullivan notes, Rickard doesn’t have much power (he only had two home runs all of last season in the minors) but was successful last year thanks to his abilities to hit for contact and control the strike zone. Rickard might also be able to add value with his defense and baserunning. If everything goes right, that could make him similar, as a player, to the late Ryan Freel, who was surprisingly productive for the Reds from 2003 through 2006. Here’s more from the East divisions.

  • Braves lefty Manny Banuelos is fighting elbow soreness, and there’s no timetable for his return, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. A recent MRI indicated there was no damage, but the Braves are determining their plan for Banuelos, who had Tommy John surgery three years ago and had surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow last September. Banuelos, who was competing for a job in the Braves’ rotation, says he doesn’t think his current soreness is a huge problem. “Doesn’t feel like it, but we’ll see,” he says. “I’m not worried too much. I wish I could pitch, man.”
  • Rays lefty Dana Eveland has an opt-out Friday, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets. Eveland is competing for a role in the Rays’ bullpen and has gotten good results in Spring Training, striking out eight batters and walking three in 10 2/3 innings while allowing three runs, none earned. He signed a minor-league deal with the team in September.

Braves Sign Drew Stubbs To Minor-League Deal

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The Braves have signed outfielder Drew Stubbs to a minor-league deal and invited him to what remains of big-league camp, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports (Twitter links). Stubbs is represented by Lagardere Unlimited.

The Rangers released Stubbs earlier this week after he exercised his opt-out. He struggled with the Rockies and Rangers last year, batting .195/.283/.382 in 140 plate appearances, and he hasn’t hit well overall in his career, generally struggling to hit for average. He is only 31, though, and has a decent track record of providing valuable center field defense and a bit of home-run power.

Bowman notes that the deal could lead the Braves to re-think their outfield depth situation. Bowman also says Jeff Francoeur’s job on the big club is seemingly “safe,” though, and the Braves have what looks like a crowded outfield picture, with Ender Inciarte, Nick Markakis, Hector Olivera, Michael Bourn and Francoeur, along with Emilio Bonifacio and Kelly Johnson, who can also play other positions. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets, however, that he expects the Stubbs deal will lead to Bonifacio’s departure from the organization. Bonifacio is signed to a big-league deal that will pay him $1.25MM.

Braves Release Alex Torres

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The Braves have released lefty Alex Torres, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets. Torres had looked likely to take a bullpen role after Atlanta signed him to a minor-league deal in December, but it appears the Braves didn’t like what they saw in Spring Training, and they ended up dealing for fellow lefty Eric O’Flaherty instead. “Just not a good fit,” says GM John Coppolella of the match between Torres and the Braves.

Torres allowed five runs, four earned, while striking out seven batters and walking five in eight innings of work this spring. Last season, his 3.15 ERA with the Mets obscured a growing walk rate — he allowed 3.1 batters per nine innings and struck out three times as many batters as he walked in a highly effective 2013 with the Padres, but that walk rate went to 5.5 in 2014 and 6.8 last year.

Article XX(B) Free Agents Update: Tuesday

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Major League Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement contains a provision that allows certain free agents who are signed to minor league contracts to receive a $100K retention bonus if they are not on the team’s 25-man roster or the Major League disabled list five days prior to the season.

Free agents who qualify for this distinction are those who have at least six years of Major League service time and had a Major League contract expire at the end of the previous season, but signed a minor league deal ten or more days prior to Opening Day.

The deadline for teams to decide on these players is today at 11am central time. By the deadline, teams with these players in camp need to decide whether to:

  • Add the player to their 25-man roster or Major League disabled list (or agree to do so in writing).
  • Grant the player his outright release from the minor league contract so that he may pursue opportunities with other teams.
  • Pay the player a $100K retention bonus to keep him in the organization beyond the deadline and send him to the minors.

Here’s the latest news from around the league on Article XX(B) signees and their roster statuses with their respective teams (newest updates on top):

  • Matt Thornton has been told that he’ll break camp with the Padres, according to Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter). The veteran southpaw signed fairly late in camp after failing to find a big league deal, ultimately reaching a minor league pact that will pay him $1.6MM at the MLB level. He can also take home up to $1.9MM in incentives depending upon how many appearances he makes.

Earlier Updates

  • Outfielder Ryan Raburn will be added to the Rockies’ 40-man roster, Nick Groke of the Denver Post clarifies (Twitter links). He figures to play an important part-time role on the club, which features three left-handed outfielders in its regular lineup.
  • The Braves have announced that outfielder Jeff Francoeur has made the Opening Day roster, with the team purchasing his contract. He’ll play a reserve role in his return to Atlanta, where he once featured as one of the most exciting young players in baseball.
  • The Padres appear set to pay Brandon Morrow the $100K retention bonus to remain with the organization, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. Morrow, 31, still needs to stretch out after getting a late start this spring.
  • The Nationals have officially added righty Matt Belisle to the club’s 40-man roster and will be active on Opening Day, the team announced. He represents a somewhat surprising victor in the pen battle, and his addition seemingly leaves the organization with just one open job to give to minor league free agent lefty Sean Burnett or optionable righties Trevor Gott and Blake Treinen.
  • Veteran outfielder Matt Joyce has made the Pirates’ Opening Day roster and will be added to the 40-man, GM Neal Huntington told reporters including Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Twitter). He had a forgettable 2015, but put up strong numbers in camp.
  • Likewise, the Indians announced yesterday that southpaw Tom Gorzelanny will remain in the organization in the minor league system. He’ll be due a $100K bonus for the privilege.

This post originally incorrectly listed Alex Torres as an Article XX(B) free agent.

Braves Release Nick Swisher

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The Braves have unconditionally released first baseman/outfielder Nick Swisher, the club announced.

Atlanta had been trying to trade Swisher for much of the offseason but will instead have to eat much of the $15MM owed to the veteran for 2016.  The Indians will also be covering a portion of that dollar figure, as the Tribe sent roughly $15MM to cover portions of Swisher and Michael Bourn’s salaries as part of the August trade that brought Chris Johnson to Cleveland in a swap of bad contracts.  If Swisher were to sign with a new team, that club would only be responsible for a prorated minimum salary while Atlanta and Cleveland would cover the rest of the $15MM.

Between the salary, Swisher’s age (35), his meager .204/.291/.326 slash line over 661 PA in 2014-15 and the double arthroscopic knee surgery he underwent in 2014, it’s not a surprise that Swisher didn’t generate much trade interest.  He did hit decently well during Spring Training, however, and he told MLBTR’s Zach Links earlier this month that he “feels great” physically.

With such a small financial cost attached, there’s a good chance at least one team will explore adding Swisher as a bench bat and a veteran clubhouse presence.  An AL team is more likely than an NL team for Swisher since senior circuit clubs wouldn’t have the benefit of the DH spot to preserve his knees.  This is just my speculation, but the White Sox stand out as a team that could use some first base/DH depth now that Adam LaRoche has retired.

Braves Notes: Grilli, Moore, Lefty Relievers

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Here’s the latest out of Atlanta…

  • Jason Grilli’s return from a ruptured Achilles tendon and the 93-mph fastball he’s displaying in the Braves camp has generated trade buzz, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes.  Grilli was enjoying a very strong season as Atlanta’s closer last season (2.94 ERA, 4.5 K/BB rate, 45 strikeouts in 33 2/3 IP) before hitting the DL in early July.  Were it not for that season-ending injury, Grilli could very well have changed uniforms at the trade deadline since several teams were rumored to be interested in his services.  Cafardo speculates that Grilli could be a fit for the Red Sox now, as manager John Farrell is a fan of the reliever and Carson Smith is on the disabled list.
  • The Braves will be responsible for all of the $900K owed to the newly-acquired Tyler Moore in 2016, James Wagner of the Washington Post reports (Twitter link).  Moore got his first taste of arbitration eligibility this offseason and agreed to the $900K deal with the Nationals well before figures had to be exchanged.
  • Atlanta’s trade for Eric O’Flaherty may not be the only move the club makes to add a lefty reliever, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman hints.  Alex Torres is the only other southpaw reliever still in the Braves’ big league camp, and the club isn’t even sure if Torres is a fit for the Opening Day roster.

Nationals, Braves Trade Tyler Moore For Nate Freiman

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The Nationals announced that they have acquired minor league first baseman Nate Freiman from the Braves in exchange for infielder/outfielder Tyler Moore.

Freiman, 29, signed on with Atlanta in December after having a disappointing year for the Athletics’ Triple- A affiliate.  In 305 plate appearances for Triple-A Nashville, the first baseman slashed just .220/.279/.321.  His last major league stint came in 2014 when he appeared in 36 games (93 plate appearances) for the A’s in 2014, slashing .218/.269/.448 with five homers.  Freiman had hoped to crack the roster in Atlanta, but he’ll now look to get back to the big leagues with the Nats.

Moore was put on waivers and then outrighted by Washington earlier this week, so it was pretty apparent that the out-of-options Moore was no longer in the team’s plans.  In four years as a bench bat in D.C., Moore hit .228/.281/.401 over 649 PA, with virtually equal numbers against both lefty and righty pitching.  Moore has played almost exclusively at first base and left field during his career, though he’s also appeared in nine games in right and worked out briefly as a third baseman this spring.

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