AL Notes: Holliday, Chapman, Royals, Sox
The newest member of the Yankees’ lineup, outfielder/designated hitter Matt Holliday, clearly didn’t enjoy his 93-game stint with the Athletics in 2009. Included in the one-year, $13MM deal Holliday signed with New York is the ability to block a trade to one team – the A’s – tweets Chris Cotillo of SB Nation. Acquiring Holliday from the Rockies in November 2008 cost the A’s reliever Huston Street and, more painfully, outfielder Carlos Gonzalez. Former big-time first base prospect Brett Wallace headlined the package the A’s received from St. Louis for Holliday in July 2009, but Wallace never played a game for Oakland. The A’s dealt him to Toronto for now-former big league outfielder Michael Taylor (not to be confused with the member of the Nationals) the next offseason.
More from the American League:
- One of Holliday’s new teammates, closer Aroldis Chapman, also has a unique no-trade clause in the record-breaking contract he signed with the Yankees on Wednesday. Chapman can block a deal to Oakland and all other West Coast-based teams (Twitter link), and he explained his reasoning to ESPN’s Marly Rivera. “I just didn’t want to go that far from my family. I did have the opportunity to stay here near my house (in Florida, playing with the Miami Marlins) but no, I leaned more towards (going to) New York,” said Chapman.
- The Royals have expressed interest in free agent reliever Greg Holland, per FanRag’s Jon Heyman, who adds that he’ll likely end up out of their price range (Twitter link). Of course, the Royals organization is the only one Holland has been a member of to this point. A 10th-round pick in 2007, Holland made his major league debut in 2010 and soon turned into one of the majors’ premier relievers. Unfortunately, the two-time All-Star underwent Tommy John surgery in October 2015 – shortly before the Royals won their first World Series since 1985 – and missed their playoff run that year and all of last season as a result.
- In their discussions that led to the Chris Sale trade, the White Sox pressed the Red Sox to include top third base prospect Rafael Devers in a potential package, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter link). Unwilling to move Devers, Boston compromised by including both right-hander Victor Diaz and outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe. The 20-year-old Devers is MLB.com’s 20th-ranked prospect, while Baseball America placed him 41st on its midseason list.
Central Notes: Davis, Soler, Holland, Reds
Last night’s deal between the Cubs and Royals was something like a win-win, ESPN’s Keith Law writes (Insider only). Acquiring Wade Davis helps the Cubs dodge the very costly free agent closer market while adding a reliever who’s been dominant the past three seasons. The Cubs had no playing time for Jorge Soler, and it’s possible the Royals would have gotten more for Davis had it not been for Davis’ recent injury issues. Still, Law writes, Soler is a good get for the Royals, who will receive a regular who’s controllable for the next four seasons. Soler’s bat speed and exit velocity suggest he has plenty of offensive upside as well. Here are more quick notes from the Central divisions.
- The Pirates and White Sox are still vying for free agent starter Derek Holland‘s services, MLB.com’s TR Sullivan tweets. Holland, formerly a successful starter with the Rangers, is looking for a new team with which to rebuild his value after coming back in 2016 from two injury-riddled seasons. The Rangers declined his option last month.
- The Reds have spent the Winter Meetings trying to find potential trade partners for veteran middle infielders Brandon Phillips and Zack Cozart, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes. Both can hit the open market after the 2017 season, and the rebuilding Reds want to clear space for young infielders Dilson Herrera and Jose Peraza. The problem, from the Reds’ perspective, is that most teams already seem to have middle infielders they like in place, particularly at shortstop. The Reds are open to the possibility of keeping all four players. “This particular year, people seem to be set,” says GM Dick Williams. “It’s always good to have some depth there. We’ve got some good players. I think it’ll work itself out. If you end up going into spring with that group in the middle, I’ve always said those are some pretty good players to mix and match.” That might mean the Reds could option Herrera or Peraza, and they also seem likely to use Phillips and Cozart in reduced roles.
Orioles Notes: Dyson, Gardner, Trumbo
Here’s the latest on the Orioles, who seem to have spent the day so far in pursuit of position players:
- The Orioles have recently spoken to the Royals about outfielder Jarrod Dyson, FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets. (The Athletics emerged yesterday as another possible suitor for the Royals, and Heyman identified the Orioles and Rangers as other possibilities.) Dyson is a free agent after next season, and the Royals might look to deal him as they plan their way ahead. For the Orioles or for whichever team acquires him, he’ll be a cheap, versatile, lefty-swinging outfield option who brings outstanding baserunning and defense.
- Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner could be a fit for the O’s, Heyman tweets. The Orioles, however, would like to have the Yankees pay down some of Gardner’s remaining salary (a total of $25MM guaranteed over the next two seasons). At last check, the Yankees had been listening to offers for Gardner. Whether the Yankees would want to trade Gardner within the division remains to be seen, however.
- The Orioles remain interested in retaining Mark Trumbo, MASN’s Roch Kubatko writes. The two sides have agreed that Trumbo’s deal to stay in Baltimore should be four years. They’re far apart on the price of the deal, however. As Kubatko noted yesterday, the Orioles also don’t want to give Trumbo a no-trade clause.
Dayton Moore, Jed Hoyer Discuss Davis-Soler Swap
General managers Dayton Moore of the Royals and Jed Hoyer of the Cubs discussed today’s trade that sends closer Wade Davis to Chicago in exchange for young outfielder Jorge Soler. (Find all the details and analysis of that swap right here.)
For the Royals, it was obviously a difficult decision to part with a player who had been a key cog of the organization’s 2015 World Series-winning roster. But it doesn’t mean that the club is packing it in this year, per Moore, who acknowledged the importance of getting a major league asset in a deal involving Davis.
“We think it’s important to try to accomplish both [winning and looking to the future],” said Moore. “We want to win consistently,” he continued, “and Jorge certainly gives us a better opportunity to do that.”
In Soler, it seems, the Royals believe they have a player who’s ready to make good on his evident physical talent. Moore emphasized the importance of adding a controllable, already-developed power bat to this franchise. And he suggested that he sees Soler as capable of playing a roughly average right field.
The new collective bargaining agreement changes some of the math when it comes to dealing pending free agents, because it reduces and complicates the potential draft compensation that can be recouped. But that apparently wasn’t much of a factor here. The new rules “didn’t change our thinking,” said Moore, who indicated that the deal would likely have gone through regardless.
On the Cubs’ side, the reasoning was all the more clear. Like Kansas City a year ago, the challenge is to repeat an immensely successful campaign that ended with a championship. With closer Aroldis Chapman leaving, even with former closer Hector Rondon around, that meant adding another late-inning power arm.
In this case, the addition of Davis shouldn’t be read to reflect upon the team’s other pen arms, per Hoyer. He noted that the Royals’ own experience shows how the added stress of a lengthy postseason run can run down a staff in the season that follows. The hope is that by adding an “extra weapon,” says Hoyer, it’ll “take a little bit of burden off all of [the rest of the pitchers].”
Notably, Davis missed time with a flexor tendon issue that raised red flags. Particularly with just one year left on his contract, the time to get value for the Cubs is right now. Hoyer noted that the team wouldn’t have felt comfortable parting with Soler — and his years of cheap control — were it not for the fact that the Cubs “felt really good” about Davis’s arm health. Chicago’s trainer conducted an in-person physical today. In conjunction with all the other medical information that changed hands, the Cubs obviously feel confident that Davis is ready for a full 2017 season.
Royals, Cubs Swap Wade Davis For Jorge Soler
The Royals have traded closer Wade Davis to the Cubs in exchange for young outfielder Jorge Soler, tweets Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com. Reports of these talks first surfaced last night, with Yahoo’s Jeff Passan, ESPN’s Jayson Stark, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale and FOX’s Ken Rosenthal all shedding light on the situation.
[Related: Updated Kansas City Royals Depth Chart and Chicago Cubs Depth Chart]
Davis, 31, originally came to the Royals from the Rays in the 2012 James Shields/Wil Myers/Jake Odorizzi blockbuster. After struggling as a starter with both Tampa Bay and Kansas City, Davis moved to the bullpen and almost instantly broke out as one baseball’s most dominant relief weapons. Over the past three seasons, Davis has pitched to a comically low 1.18 ERA in 182 2/3 innings while averaging 11.5 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9. He’s also been utterly dominant in 25 postseason innings, yielding just one earned run and posting a 38-to-5 K/BB ratio.
Davis isn’t without his red flags, though. He hit the disabled list twice this past season due to forearm and flexor strains and saw his average fastball dip from 95.7 mph to 94.9 mph. He also posted his lowest strikeout rate and highest walk rate since moving to the bullpen. But, Davis did come back strong from his final DL stint, pitching 9 2/3 innings in September and allowing three runs while posting a 15-to-1 K/BB ratio. Furthermore, ESPNs Jerry Crasnick tweeted this morning that the Cubs were being very thorough with Davis’ medical records in order to ascertain that they were willing to take him on. Davis is earning $10MM next year and will become a free agent next winter, so this is a one-year pickup for the Cubs, barring some form of extension.
The Cubs at one point seemed like a strong match for one of the market’s top free agent closers, but GM Jed Hoyer downplayed that notion early in the offseason, and there’s been little to no evidence that the Cubs pursued any of Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen or Mark Melancon before making today’s trade. The swap reunites Davis with former Rays manager Joe Maddon and likely pushes Hector Rondon from the ninth inning back down to a setup role.
In Soler, Chicago is trading away a player with four years of team control remaining. While normally selling that type of control for a one-year asset would be difficult, the Cubs possess significant outfield depth and would’ve struggled to find Soler any form of regular role, as their roster already includes Ben Zobrist, Albert Almora, Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward, Jon Jay and Matt Szczur.
In Kansas City, however, Soler may very well slot into an everyday role in right field. The Royals currently have a Jarrod Dyson/Paulo Orlando platoon in right field, but Dyson is a free agent next winter and is has reportedly been discussed with other clubs seeking outfield help. Dyson and Davis are just two of many players that helped to comprise a Kansas City core that is now slated to hit free agency together next winter. In addition to that pair, the Royals have Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar all slated to hit the open market next year, so the acquisition of Soler could be one of many moves made with an eye toward acquiring more controllable talent.
The 2017 campaign will mark the fourth season in which Soler has seen time in the Majors, but he’s still just 24 years of age. An extremely high-profile international prospect, Soler signed a nine-year, $30MM contract with the Cubs out of Cuba prior to the 2012 season when he was just 20 years old. Soler’s powerful right-handed swing, offensive upside and plus arm made him a mainstay on Top 100 prospect lists throughout the industry. He looked every bit like the future star he was billed to be when the Cubs promoted him late in the 2014 season, as he went on to hit .292/.330/.573 with five homers in 97 plate appearances across 24 games.
Soler, though, has batted a more pedestrian .253/.328/.413 in 187 games/668 plate appearances since that brilliant debut, and he’s battled injuries as well. Soler has landed on the disabled list three times in the past two years due to a hamstring strain, an oblique strain and an ankle sprain. While none of those injuries is necessarily concerning in isolation, durability has long been a concern for Soler. He’d never played more than 62 games in a minor league season before his 2014 promotion to the Majors, and his hamstring issues date back to his minor league days.
Nonetheless, Soler gives the Royals some much-needed controllable talent and is still young enough to become a fixture in the middle of their lineup for the foreseeable future if he’s able to conquer his injury woes and tap into his potential.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cubs Close To Trading Jorge Soler To Royals For Wade Davis
8:41am: If completed, the trade will be Soler for Davis straight up, tweets Rosenthal.
DEC. 7, 12:58am: The teams are reviewing physicals and an official announcement could come in the morning, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets.
DEC. 6, 9:32pm: The Cubs are close to acquiring Davis from the Royals for Soler, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets. The deal is not expected to be done tonight, however, Passan tweets. Soler is still just 24 and retains tremendous power potential, although he has struggled to harness that potential at the big-league level and isn’t likely to get much playing time on a Cubs team loaded with outfielders. Soler hit .238/.333/.436 with 12 home runs in 264 plate appearances with the Cubs last season. Both Baseball America and MLB.com rated him among the top 50 prospects in the game prior to the 2013, 2014 and 2015 seasons.
8:07pm: The source of the snag is that the Nationals have made a late bid to acquire Davis, ESPN’s Jayson Stark writes.
7:44pm: There could be a “snag,” and the deal is not a sure thing, Passan tweets.
7:20pm: The Cubs are close to a trade that would land Royals closer Wade Davis, Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan tweets. Passan wrote earlier today that the Royals might soon deal Davis.
Davis, like several other key Royals, is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, and it appears the Royals are getting a jump on potentially big changes to their team by swinging a deal now. They reportedly like Cubs outfielder Jorge Soler, although it’s not clear that he’s involved in a deal at this time. Kelvin Herrera seems likely to take over Royals closing duties next season.
The Cubs, who are losing Aroldis Chapman to free agency, have had interest in top relievers throughout the offseason, and have already been specifically linked to Davis. Davis offers a potentially lower-cost and short-term alternative to big-name free agents to Chapman and Kenley Jansen, while still being plenty dominant himself — he’s had three straight terrific seasons in Kansas City, including a 1.87 ERA, 9.8 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 43 1/3 innings last season.
NL West Notes: Turner, Rockies, Bridich, Bumgarner, Giants
Justin Turner is “still the favorite” to return as the Dodgers third baseman, but the team is also exploring some other options, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times writes (Twitter links). The Dodgers have checked in on White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier, and McCullough figures L.A. would also explore such Sox options as Jose Quintana or David Robertson if Chicago went into rebuild mode. Given that the Sox dealt Chris Sale earlier today, it stands to reason that more moves could be on the way for the Pale Hose, and the Dodgers stand out as a logical trade partner. Here’s more from around the NL West…
- Rockies GM Jeff Bridich confirmed reports that his team had spoken to the White Sox about first baseman Jose Abreu, speaking with MLB.com’s Thomas Harding and other reporters on Tuesday. “We have been paying attention to any and all avenues of trying to upgrade ourselves at first base, and just like we’re in touch with a lot of teams, we have been in touch with the White Sox about, not just Abreu, but also a variety of their players, because they have expressed an interest in seeing what they can get,” Bridich said. This is just my speculation, but with the Rockies looking for both back-end relief help and starting pitching, Robertson and Quintana would stand out as obvious players of interest on the Sox roster. Bridich also said he had talked with the Royals “about a number of different things a number of times,” with Harding reporting that Wade Davis was one player under discussion.
- Rockies owner Dick Monfort spoke of a payroll increase earlier this offseason, and Bridich confirmed that the team is still prepared to spend in the right circumstance. Given that Colorado has been linked to such pricey names as Edwin Encarnacion and Mark Trumbo, it would indeed seem like the Rox have some money to spend.
- The Giants aren’t in ongoing negotiations with Madison Bumgarner about a contract extension, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. In October, Giants CEO Larry Baer cited a desire to keep Bumgarner in the fold well past 2019 (the star lefty’s last year of control under his current contract), though the lack of talks shouldn’t necessarily indicate a change in the team’s thinking, as most teams often wait until offseason business is concluded before focusing on extensions.
- In another tweet from Schulman, he reports that the Giants are exploring possible trades for left field help, with free agency a less likely avenue. San Francisco’s “plan A” for left field, however, is a platoon of youngsters Mac Williamson and Jarrett Parker.
Aroldis Chapman Reportedly Has $92MM Offer
One of the top three relievers, Mark Melancon, is off the board after agreeing to a record-setting $62MM deal with the Giants yesterday. But both Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen, the top two relievers of the winter, remain unsigned. Both are likely to make Melancon’s time as the relief contract record holder brief, and we’ll track today’s updates on their market here…
- The Yankees haven’t gone as high as $92MM in their offers to Chapman, and the Marlins aren’t believed to be willing to spend quite that much, Heyman reports (Twitter links).
- Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria has indeed given his front office the green light to spend on signing Chapman or Jansen, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports, though this “preliminary approval” of funds may still not be enough to outbid other big spenders on either ace closer.
Earlier Updates
- The Yankees are “determined” to land Chapman, Heyman tweets. It’s not clear, however, that they’re the team that offered Chapman $92MM.
- One team believes Chapman has a $92MM offer in hand, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets.
- The Yankees have made offers to both Chapman and Jansen, reports MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (on Twitter).
- Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times tweets that the Dodgers are remaining “competitive” in the markets for Jansen and Chapman, and they’ve also chatted with the Royals about closer Wade Davis.
- Chapman has received multiple offers that have passed the $80MM threshold, Heyman tweets. The Yankees still see him as their priority, but the Dodgers and Marlins are in the mix as well. He also suggests that the Nationals could join the fray for Chapman, pointing out that GM Mike Rizzo and manager Dusty Baker (who managed Chapman in Cincinnati) both love Chapman.
- There’s an expectation that Jansen will sign before Chapman, reports ESPN’s Jim Bowden.
- The Yankees are more focused on Chapman than Jansen and are willing to offer a five-year deal in the range of $80MM, reports FanRag’s Jon Heyman. Chapman said yesterday that he’s hoping to receive a six-year deal, but the Yankees won’t go to that level to sign him, according to Heyman. For the Yankees, Jansen is more of a backup plan to Chapman than a prime target.
- The Marlins are firmly in the mix for both top closers, at owner Jeffrey Loria’s behest, but their preference between the two differs from the Yankees, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Miami has preferred Jansen to Chapman from the start of free agency, despite the fact that he comes with the burden of draft pick compensation after rejecting a qualifying offer. Sherman notes that if the Marlins are able to land Jansen before Chapman signs, that could push the Dodgers to make a strong run at Chapman, potentially throwing a wrench into the Yankees’ winter plans. The Dodgers are trying to retain Jansen, according to Sherman, but they’d seemingly shift course to Chapman if Jansen came off the board.
Royals Making Progress Toward Trading Jarrod Dyson; Athletics Interested
The Royals are advancing toward a potential trade of outfielder Jarrod Dyson, with the Athletics as a potential suitor, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes (all Twitter links). (Jon Heyman of FanRag adds the Rangers and Orioles to the list of interested teams.) The idea, Sherman reports, is that with a number of key players set to become eligible for free agency following the 2017 season (including Dyson, Wade Davis, Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer and Alcides Escobar), the Royals need to think about how the team will look in the future. Meanwhile, they can capitalize on the market’s current demand for center field help by trading Dyson, while also dealing Davis and moving Kelvin Herrera to the closer’s role.
The 32-year-old Dyson batted a relatively modest .278/.340/.388 in 2016 and only collected 337 plate appearances, but still contributed 3.1 fWAR thanks to his excellent defense. The Athletics need outfield help and have, in recent years, acquired outfielders like Coco Crisp, Sam Fuld and Craig Gentry whose profiles when acquired were heavily oriented around defense. Dyson is also relatively cheap, at a projected $2.5MM for 2017. It makes a degree of sense, then, that the A’s would want to add him.
Royals Likely To Trade Wade Davis, Perhaps Soon
The Royals are likely to deal closer Wade Davis, and such a deal could happen quickly, Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan tweets. 2016 was Davis’ third straight dominant year in the Royals’ bullpen — he posted a 1.87 ERA, 9.8 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 over 43 1/3 innings. He is eligible for free agency following next season.
With Mark Melancon receiving a $62MM deal and top closers like Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen reportedly receiving offers for even more, Davis’ trade market figures to be robust. The Dodgers and Cubs have been linked to Davis, as have the Mets (although the Mets could be a somewhat unlikely fit). The Nationals and other teams could potentially get involved in the bidding as well.