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Tony Sipp Seeking Three-Year Deal

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Left-hander Tony Sipp is seeking a three-year contract in the Zach Duke/Boone Logan mold, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter). That means he’ll be eyeing an average annual value between $5MM and $5.5MM as he looks to find a new home this winter.

Sipp, 32, enjoyed his finest season as a Major Leaguer in 2015, working to a 1.99 ERA with 10.3 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 38.8 percent ground-ball rate in 54 1/3 innings. Sipp was dominant against left-handed batters, holding them to a .227/.290/.309 batting line, but he also exhibited dominance over right-handed batters as well. Even hitters who held the platoon advantage over Sipp mustered a paltry .190/.243/.370 slash.

Sipp has somewhat quietly enjoyed a brilliant two-year stretch working out of the Houston bullpen, and he’s averaged better than 10 strikeouts per nine innings in three consecutive seasons now. While he doesn’t immediately jump out as a household name for fans, he’s among the best left-handed options (perhaps the best) on the market this year. His primary competition for that three-year deal is probably Antonio Bastardo, though it’s of course possible that both players could receive such a pact.

To this point, Sipp has been connected to a fair number of teams, including the Orioles, Astros and Royals. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN recently tweeted that Sipp is also on the Twins’ radar. Minnesota’s need for a left-handed reliever is glaring, as the lone proven option in manager Paul Molitor’s bullpen is closer Glen Perkins, who is coming off a pair of injury-shortened seasons.

Mets, D’Backs Had Interest In Joakim Soria

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Joakim Soria is going home.  Early Monday morning, the Royals and Soria’s representatives shook hands on a lucrative three-year, $25MM deal that includes a mutual option for a fourth season.  Prior to signing with Kansas City, Soria also drew interest from a group of teams that includes the Mets and Diamondbacks, MLBTR has learned.  The Tigers, Giants, and Twins – who were previously known to have a fondness for Soria – were also among the clubs to show interest.

The Mets’ interest in Soria is particularly notable because assistant GM John Ricco recently explained that the team wasn’t in on Darren O’Day or Ryan Madson due to their high price tags.

“We didn’t see ourselves playing in that top end where O’Day was,” Ricco said earlier this week. “But I think that next tier, we’re going to be keeping an eye on….We’re going to meet with a lot of the representatives for the relievers here over the next couple of days.”

Meanwhile, there have been conflicting reports about Arizona’s plans for bolstering the bullpen.  Back in November, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported that Arizona seemed “intent on acquiring a closer” while Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports said that the team was probably “content” to add arms in front of Brad Ziegler.  The D’Backs went on to make a push for Aroldis Chapman before he was sent to the divisional rival Dodgers, but their interest in Soria would indicate that they are willing to spend on the bullpen.

Latest On Joakim Soria

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Here’s the latest on veteran closer Joakim Soria, one of the best relievers remaining on the free agent market, particularly with the Orioles closing in on re-signing Darren O’Day and with Ryan Madson having agreed to terms with the A’s.

  • It’s likely Soria will get a three-year deal, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). He’ll also be looking for some other protection in his deal: some kind of no-trade clause and an incentives package. (Rosenthal says the incentives would be to “cover him if he is used as a starter,” but that seems likely to be a typo; presumably, the veteran reliever would be looking to add some salary upside if he is used as a closer.)

Earlier Updates

  • Soria remains a potential fit for the Twins, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press writes. Soria’s agent, Oscar Suarez, says his client doesn’t mind pitching in a setup role rather than closing, but adds that he doesn’t want to sign with a team likely to trade him in July. “If he’s got to be an eighth-inning guy, he’s got no problem with that, as long as he’s paid accordingly,” Suarez says. “[H]e’d like to be in a situation where he doesn’t have to worry about being flipped on July 31 if the team falls out of it. He’s looking for a team that’s committed to him.”
  • Of course, the Tigers actually did flip Soria last July, but they are open to re-signing him even after adding Francisco Rodriguez, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press writes. With K-Rod in the fold, Soria would serve in a setup role. The Tigers spoke to Soria before acquiring Rodriguez.
  • Other teams recently connected to Soria include the Blue Jays and Royals, as well as the Rangers and Giants. At last check, Soria was reportedly looking for a three-year deal in the $27MM range.

Bullpen Notes: Storen, Sipp, Astros, Rodney, Soria, Soriano

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Here’s the latest on a number of free agent or trade candidate relievers…

  • The Astros have discussed former Nationals closer Drew Storen as a potential backup plan, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweets.  Storen could become of more interest to Houston if it fails to land one of its bigger-name targets like Aroldis Chapman, Jake McGee or Ken Giles.
  • The Astros’ search for bullpen help is the major focus of this Houston Winter Meetings preview piece from MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart.  Within the piece, McTaggart notes that there’s mutual interest between the Astros and free agent Tony Sipp for the lefty to return to Houston though the price tag remains an issue.  It could be that the Astros will focus on landing a big name closer first and then address other relief needs like adding a sorely-needed lefty to the bullpen.
  • The Cubs, Padres and Twins have shown the most interest in Fernando Rodney, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.  Rodney would ideally prefer to return to closing, a source tells Berardino, so the Padres could have the edge in this respect since the back of their bullpen is wide open with Craig Kimbrel and Joaquin Benoit gone.  Rodney followed up three years of excellent closer numbers from 2012-14 with a disastrous stint in early 2015 that cost him his stopper job with the Mariners, though he regained some old form after catching on as a setup man with the Cubs late in the season.
  • There haven’t been any developments between the Twins and Joakim Soria since the team made its initial contact, Berardino tweets.  The Royals, Blue Jays, Giants, Rangers, Tigers and Red Sox have all been among the other teams linked to Soria this winter, though the latter two are said to be out of the running after their respective acquisitions of Francisco Rodriguez and Craig Kimbrel.  Soria is looking for a big salary in the form of a three-year deal in the $27MM range, which may eliminate at least a couple of those teams who were only looking at Soria as a setup reliever.
  • Also from Berardino (via Twitter), Rafael Soriano is pitching well in the Dominican League and has drawn attention from a few MLB teams.  The Twins aren’t one of those clubs.

Starting Pitching Notes: Leake, Iwakuma, Maeda, Chen, Marlins

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The red-hot free agent pitching market will only help the Indians in trade talks, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes.  With so many top starters commanding giant salaries, the Tribe’s collection of young arms becomes more attractive both to teams who are hesitant to overspend on pitching, or to teams who missed out on their free agent targets.  President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti could be making a career-defining move, Pluto believes, if he chooses to deal one of Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar or Trevor Bauer for a big bat since such a trade could put the Tribe over the top as contenders.

Here’s more from the ever-shifting pitching rumor mill…

  • The Giants are still interested in Mike Leake, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets, even after signing Jeff Samardzija.  Leake’s market is “now more defined” with so many other top pitchers off the board.  The Giants may not be willing to give Leake a Samardzija-esque deal, however, as reported by Andrew Baggarly of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter).  This could take them out of the running for Leake given how several other teams also have interest.
  • Also from Olney, the Royals are in the mix for starting pitching.  Chris Young has been the only starter directly tied to Kansas City in reports, though there has been speculation that the World Series champs could aim higher in their search for rotation help.
  • The Dodgers and Giants both fell short in their search for Zack Greinke, but MLB Network’s Peter Gammons wonders if the two arch-rivals could compete again for Hisashi Iwakuma.  Both teams have already shown interest in the Japanese righty, and while the Mariners also have a long-stated interest in re-signing Iwakuma, I would guess the presence of these two big-market teams could drive Iwakuma’s price out of Seattle’s comfort zone.
  • There has been speculation in the Japanese media that Kenta Maeda would prefer to pitch for the Dodgers, according to NPBTracker’s Patrick Newman (Twitter link).  The Dodgers have a long history with Japanese talent and they have a need in the rotation, so a connection makes sense.  L.A. will get a chance to negotiate with Maeda if they’re one of the teams who posts a $20MM bid for his services.
  • Wei-Yin Chen has become a “hot topic” for the Cubs, 670TheScore.com’s Bruce Levine tweets.  Chen is another free agent whose market should benefit from other pitchers disappearing off the market.  Chicago, for instance, had interest in Price, Zimmermann and Samardzija before all of those pitchers signed elsewhere, though the Cubs already made one rotation-bolstering move in signing John Lackey.
  • The Marlins are exploring a wide range of pitching options as they head to the Winter Meetings, president of baseball operations Michael Hill tells MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro writes.  Frisaro suggests that James Shields or Wade Miley could be trade targets since Miami has been interested in both pitchers in the past, though the Marlins are trying to hang onto their core position players in deals (presumably trade candidate Marcell Ozuna isn’t necessarily part of this equation).
  • The Marlins are open to the possibility of signing Cliff Lee, Frisaro reports.  Presumably Miami would be one of several clubs interested in seeing if the former Cy Young Award winner has anything left in his comeback attempt.
  • The Astros could look to deal 26-year-old lefty Brett Oberholtzer, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter).  Oberholtzer has a 3.94 ERA, 2.86 K/BB rate and 5.9 K/9 over 253 2/3 career innings, all with Houston since 2013.  He’s one of many young arms the Astros have on hand beyond the five-man rotation, and the southpaw could be expendable if Houston is satisfied with its other depth options.  Heyman speculates that the Orioles, Phillies, Rangers and Reds could all be fits as trade partners.
  • The Twins aren’t one of the reported 10 teams interested in Henderson Alvarez, 1500ESPN.com’s Darren Wolfson tweets.

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/4/15

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It’s been a huge day for news, with Zack Greinke and John Lackey agreeing to terms with new teams and the Red Sox officially announcing their signing of David Price. Here are some smaller moves that might have fallen through the cracks.

  • The Dodgers have announced that they’ve outrighted righty Brooks Brown, clearing a spot on their 40-man roster. They claimed the 30-year-old from the Rockies in October after he pitched parts of two seasons in the Colorado bullpen, posting a 3.97 ERA, 6.3 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 59 innings.
  • The Dodgers are also expected to sign outfielder Donavan Tate, Baseball America’s John Manuel tweets. Tate, now 25, has struggled to establish himself since the Padres drafted him with the third overall pick in 2009. In 2015, he hit .211/.290/.334 for Class A+ Lake Elsinore.
  • The Yankees have signed infielder Pete Kozma to a minor league deal, Anthony McCarron of New York Daily News writes. Kozma was the Cardinals’ starting shortstop in 2013, but he failed to establish himself at the position and now has a career .222/.288/.293 line in parts of five big-league seasons. He has just three extra-base hits, all doubles, in his last two seasons, spanning 137 plate appearances. He is, however, solid in the field.
  • The Twins have announced that they’ve signed lefty Aaron Thompson, catcher Juan Centeno and outfielder Joe Benson to minor league deals. Thompson pitched in 41 games for the Twins last season, posting a 5.01 ERA, 4.7 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 out of the bullpen. Centeno, a longtime Mets farmhand, served as a depth catcher in the Brewers system in 2015, batting .295/.312/.364 while backing up Nevin Ashley at Triple-A Colorado Springs. The 27-year-old Benson, a Twins second-round pick in 2006, hit .248/.351/.361 last season while playing in the Mets and Braves systems.
  • The Royals have signed shortstop Orlando Calixte to a minor league deal, tweets MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan. The Royals non-tendered Calixte earlier this week after the 23-year-old batted .229/.287/.339 for Triple-A Omaha.
  • The Royals have also signed outfielder Cody Decker to a minor league deal, Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan tweets. The 28-year-old Decker hit .252/.335/.488 for Triple-A El Paso in the Padres’ system in 2015.
  • Righty Paul Clemens has signed a minor league deal with the Marlins that includes a Spring Training invite, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman tweets. Clemens struggled in parts of two seasons pitching for the Astros in 2013 and 2014, then carried those struggles over to the minors in the Phillies and Royals systems 2015. He should provide the Marlins with minor league depth.

Mariners Claim Andy Wilkins, Lose John Hicks To Twins, DFA Edgar Olmos

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The Mariners have announced an interrelated series of transactions on the fringes of the 40-man roster. Seattle claimed first baseman Andy Wilkins off waivers from the Orioles, designating lefty Edgar Olmos to create space. And the team lost catcher John Hicks, who was previously designated, when he was claimed by the Twins.

In Wilkins, the M’s are getting a left-handed bat who could factor into the team’s first base mix. He’s been passed around the league rather frequently of late, and has yet to receive a full audition in the majors (though he did have a brief stint in 2014 with the White Sox). Wilkins owns a sturdy .272/.324/.490 career slash at the Triple-A level.

Olmos, 25, has seen minimal time at the major league level, putting up some rough K:BB rates in a minimal sample. Last year at Triple-A, he tossed 33 innings of 3.55 ERA ball with 9.3 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9.

Seattle moved on from Hicks when it signed Chris Iannetta. The 26-year-old has had a cup of coffee in the majors but has spent most of the past two seasons at Triple-A. He has posted a .253/.295/.366 slash and hit eight home runs in 432 plate appearances there.

Twins Sign Byung-Ho Park

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TODAY: Park can earn up to $1MM annually in incentives, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports on Twitter. They begin to kick in at the 400 plate appearance threshold, he adds.

YESTERDAY: The Twins have officially struck a four-year, $12MM deal with Korean first baseman Byung-ho Park that includes a $6.5MM club option ($500K buyout) for the 2020 campaign. Minnesota will pay Park $2.75MM annually for the deal’s first two seasons and then $3MM apiece in 2018 and 2019.

Byung Ho Park

Park, 29, is a client of Alan Nero and Octagon Baseball. A deal was said to be highly likely as he traveled to the U.S. this week. Minnesota had won the rights to negotiate with the KBO star after promising a posting bid of $12.85MM to his now-former club, the Nexen Heroes. The Twins’ total commitment, then, will be just under $25MM.

In the end, Park’s guarantee will beat that of former teammate Jung Ho Kang by just $1MM. On the other hand, Nexen will clear over $7MM more in the more recent posting transaction. Park was only able to negotiate with one team through the KBO posting process — which is different from the new rules applicable to Japan’s NPB. Though Park could also have chosen to wait to come over until the winter of 2017-18, when he would have officially become a free agent, that would have taken away his chance to play in the majors for his late-prime years.

Park increasingly reached the MLB radar after two straight seasons in which he put up massive numbers in the hitter-friendly KBO. When Kang successfully transitioned to the bigs, the stage was set for Park to follow.

The right-handed-hitting slugger blasted 53 long balls and turned in a rather productive .343/.436/.714 slash line last year. While nobody expects that to carry over directly, scouts have said that his power is real. Indeed, one told MLBTR’s Steve Adams that there’s “no doubt” he’ll deliver pop in the majors while praising his athleticism. Park is also said to be a solid gloveman at first.

For the Twins, it seems that Park will likely see most of his time at first base and in the DH slot, possibly sharing both positions with Joe Mauer. Minnesota still needs to decide how to get Miguel Sano in the lineup; slotting him at third could dovetail with a trade of Trevor Plouffe, or the organization could roll the dice that he’ll transition well to left field. Regardless, the investment in Park suggests that he’ll be expected to receive fairly regular at bats.

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com first reported the signing on Twitter. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported the total guarantee via Twitter. And MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger tweeted the option.

Photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins communications department.

Terry Ryan: Twins Plan To Keep Trevor Plouffe

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Twins GM Terry Ryan does not intend to deal third baseman Trevor Plouffe, he told reporters today at the press conference announcing the signing of Byung Ho Park. (Via LaVelle A. Neal III of the Star Tribune, Twitter links.)

Plouffe, 29, has emerged as a sturdy option at the hot corner over the last several years. In 2015, he put up a league-average .244/.307/.435 slash, with 22 home runs, while showing a solid glove at third.

A deal of Plouffe had seemed a distinct possibility with the addition of Park, who will see significant time at DH and thus push top young slugger Miguel Sano onto the field. Sano has long been considered a third baseman, but Ryan says the hefty 22-year-old will be moved to the outfield, as the team has previously suggested could be the case.

If Minnesota holds firm in its stance, then the third base trade market will lose one of its most appealing potential options. And the Twins will keep Plouffe’s projected $7.7MM salary on the books.

For Ryan, the possibility of freeing some payroll and getting something back for Plouffe isn’t worth the trade-off. “We had trouble scoring runs last year,” he said. “We’re going to go with what we’ve got.”

Free Agent Notes: Davis, Heyward, Zobrist, Asdrubal, Young, Cotts

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Slugger Chris Davis is not the “top priority” for Cardinals GM John Mozeliak, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports on Twitter. A source tells Crasnick that St. Louis’s reported interest in the free agent is “overblown.” Of course, it remains tricky to find a perfect fit for the slugger, whose market still seems to be developing. From an analytical perspective, though, he appears to be a fairly solid match with the Cards. Indeed, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes picked the former Oriole to land there.

Here’s the latest from the rest of the free agent market:

  • Top free agent outfielder Jason Heyward looks more like a “secondary option” for the Cubs, Buster Olney of ESPN.com tweets. In other words, Chicago is pursuing other opportunities, but could pivot to chase Heyward if those other possibilities don’t come to fruition.
  • The Mets’ interest in Ben Zobrist is real, but that doesn’t mean the team will promise him four years to get a deal done, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports. New York’s pursuit of Zobrist is part of a flexible offseason plan, writes Rubin, in which various types of additions could be considered at the second base position — and elsewhere — as the market dictates.
  • Three teams are “in the mix” for free agent middle infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets. He’s expected to ink a deal “within the next week or so,” per Cotillo, which would seem to suggest that the veteran could find his next team by the time the Winter Meetings are wrapped up.
  • The Royals have had “encouraging talks” with free agent righty Chris Young about a return, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan reports. Both the 36-year-old and the team have expressed interest in a continued relationship, though it remains to be seen whether other clubs will make a push for his services — and, if so, whether Kansas City will be willing and able to meet or beat the market.
  • Similarly, the Twins have real interest in bringing back lefty reliever Neal Cotts, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports. Minnesota added Cotts in an August waiver trade. Fellow free agent southpaw Brian Duensing, meanwhile, tells Berardino that he hasn’t heard anything yet from the only professional organization he’s ever played for.
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