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Austin Jackson Rejected Offer From Angels

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The Angels made a run at Toronto’s Michael Saunders in the recently-collapsed three-team Jay Bruce trade talks, and MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez reports that they’ve also recently made a one-year offer to free-agent outfielder Austin Jackson. According to Gonzalez, the Halos offered Jackson a one-year deal worth $5-6MM, but Jackson’s camp has passed on the offer.

Per Gonzalez, Jackson’s agent, Scott Boras, sought more money in the deal, though I’d also note that Gonzalez said Jackson would’ve factored into a left field platoon. If that’s the case, Boras and Jackson may have been turned off by a possible lack of playing time; if Jackson is to settle for a one-year deal, he’d probably prefer one that comes with the promise of everyday at-bats in order to rebuild some stock in advance of next year’s open market.

Notably, even that modest commitment to Jackson would’ve put the Angels over the luxury tax threshold — a concept to which the Halos have previously been reported to be averse. The Angels currently sit about $2-3MM below the $189MM tax barrier, Gonzalez and others have noted, so any significant addition would put them over the top, barring subtraction from the payroll with a subsequent maneuver.

The Angels have taken a considerable amount of flak for their projected left field platoon of Craig Gentry and Daniel Nava; while each has strong career marks when holding the platoon advantage, each also suffered through a dismal 2015 campaign and will be looking for a rebound in Anaheim. Jackson has struggled somewhat, as well, since a trade to the Mariners and the pitcher-friendly Safeco Field, though he’s still delivered solid marks in the eyes of defensive metrics. Jackson’s .261/.310/.364 slash over the past two seasons doesn’t stand out as impressive, though it’s about nine to 10 percent below the league average when adjusted for park (per OPS+ and wRC+). The extent to which Jackson would’ve been an upgrade over the incumbent platoon is largely a moot point, however, as Gonzalez writes that the team now appears likely to head into the season with Nava and Gentry in left.

Angels Never Made Offer To Freese

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The Washington Post’s Barry Svrluga spoke to a number of GMs to get their takes on how draft pick compensation for his latest piece on Ian Desmond  and other players that have been burdened by the qualifying offer. As Svrluga notes, former National Denard Span was able to secure a three-year deal despite playing in just 61 games last season and undergoing hip surgery late in the year. “Whether that pick is there or not is huge,” said Giants GM Bobby Evans, who signed Span to the aforementioned three-year, $31MM contract. “It just comes down to cost vs. benefit: How will that free agent benefit your club in the coming year and years ahead vs. the cost — which is not only financial now. It’s also a prospect. In that way, you have to think of it like a trade.” Svrluga also spoke to Padres GM A.J. Preller, White Sox GM Rick Hahn and Angels GM Billy Eppler, the latter of whom explained that while each club values draft picks slightly differently, every team assigns a monetary value to draft selections and stressed the importance of draft picks.

  • The Angels never presented David Freese with a formal offer when the two sides were discussing a potential reunion earlier this winter, reports MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez. Rather, the Angels shifted focus on picked up Yunel Escobar, whose fairly modest $7MM salary was a key to his acquisition, writes Gonzalez. Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun expressed some bewilderment that his former teammate hasn’t hooked on with a club yet, praising Freese as a positive not only on the field but in the clubhouse as well. “I don’t really know what’s going on,” Calhoun told Gonzalez. “It’s kind of crazy. … Good player, great in the clubhouse. It’s as surprising to me as it is to anyone around baseball.”

Angels Notes: Smith, Santiago, Left Field, Saunders

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Albert Pujols tops the list of the 25 biggest payroll albatrosses in baseball, as compiled by ESPN’s Dan Szymborski (Insider subscription required).  The Angels still have six seasons and $165MM remaining on their ten-year, $240MM contract with the slugger.  Szymborski figures the Halos needed at least five years of Pujols matching his 2011 production “for this contract to not be a disaster” before the inevitable decline in his last 30’s, but Pujols has hit a comparatively underwhelming .266/.326/.478 and 115 homers over his first four years in Anaheim.  Injuries have played a role in Pujols’ performance, though it’s hard to see him suddenly revisiting his Cardinals-era prime as he enters his age-36 season.  Here’s more about the Halos…

  • Joe Smith tells MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez that the Angels have yet to approach him about a contract extension, which the veteran reliever understands given how the club is busy with other needs.  Smith is a free agent after the season and he’s encouraged about finding another nice contract given how several non-closers (i.e. Darren O’Day, Tony Sipp, Ryan Madson, Joakim Soria) all received healthy multi-year deals this winter.
  • In another piece from Gonzalez, Hector Santiago relates how he spent most of the offseason figuring he would be traded.  The speculation added to what was already a busy winter for the left-hander, who got married in November.  The Angels reportedly received lots of trade interest in Santiago, and his agent even called him in November to say that a trade to the Orioles was imminent.
  • While the three-team deal that would’ve brought Michael Saunders to the Halos is apparently off, Pedro Moura of the L.A. Times notes that the attempted trade revealed that the club is still focused on left field upgrades.  The platoon of Craig Gentry and Daniel Nava is tentatively set to share the left field duties, and while the Halos at least checked in on big-name free agent left fielders (i.e. Justin Upton, Yoenis Cespedes) this winter, payroll constraints have led them to explore cheaper options.  GM Billy Eppler didn’t specifically state that the Angels were focusing on left field, just saying “I’m looking for any reinforcement at any single position we can find, wherever we can improve this club.”

Reds Notes: Bruce, Trades, Rebuilding

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We published one set of Reds Notes last night, and now here’s some more news out of Cincinnati…

  • The Reds would like to trade Jay Bruce within the next week, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reports (Twitter link).  If a deal can’t be completed within that timeframe, the “odds increase that he’ll start [the] season in Cincinnati.”
  • The proposed and apparently abandoned three-team trade from Monday that would’ve sent Bruce to the Blue Jays and Michael Saunders to the Angels reportedly fell apart due to a medical issue with a prospect Toronto had ticketed to the Reds.  The prospect’s health, however, was just one of many issues that caused the trade to be scuttled, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets.  In his subscriber-only column today, Olney also noted that the prospects involved in the trade weren’t top-tier names and not major components in the deal, so injury concerns alone wouldn’t have been a big problem.
  • Also from Olney in his column from yesterday, the Reds are having some concerns that they won’t be able to trade Bruce at all.  The club has been shopping the outfielder for months, coming close on the Toronto trade and in a deadline deal that would’ve sent Bruce to the Mets, so there’s at least some interest in Bruce’s services.  Still, it has to be something of a tough sell given Bruce’s struggles over the last two seasons and the minimum $13.5MM ($12.5MM salary, $1MM buyout of his 2017 option) owed to him for 2016.
  • As Reds fans prepare for what could be a long year, Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown looks at how the team could approach its rebuild.

Three-Team Jay Bruce Trade Unlikely To Be Revisited

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Jay Bruce’s name dominated headlines last night as the longtime Reds outfielder was reportedly on the verge of being dealt to the Blue Jays in a three-team trade (also involving the Angels) before the medical reviews of another player involved derailed the would-be deal. FOX’s Ken Rosenthal tweeted today that an official involved in the deal told him it’s “doubtful” that a new iteration of the trade will be drawn up, suggesting that the Reds will have to explore other opportunities if they’re still seeking to trade Bruce. Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM tweets that the Reds sought to shed all of the money that is owed to Bruce, adding that the asking price on Bruce is lower than some might expect it to be.

Three-Team Jay Bruce Deal With Reds, Angels, Blue Jays “Dead”

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TUESDAY: The medical concerns were in regard to a Blue Jays minor leaguer involved in the deal who was presumably going to the Reds, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter link).  With this trade at least temporarily off, Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan wonders if other teams could approach the Reds with offers for Bruce since they seem open to dealing him for a fairly low price.

11:15pm: Talks are “dead” for the time being, Olney tweets.

11:06pm: The reason for the holdup is that one of the teams found an issue with one of the players’ medicals, Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan tweets, clarifying that the player in question was not Bruce. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, meanwhile, tweets that someone close to the talks believes the problem is Saunders’ knee, an injury to which caused him to miss most of last season.

10:47pm: Some of the parties discussing the deal now doubt it will come to fruition, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets. The reasons for the hitch are currently unclear.

8:44pm: The three teams are reviewing medical records of the players involved, tweets Rosenthal.

8:20pm: The deal is nearing completion, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets.

6:36pm: The current deal has Bruce going to Toronto, Saunders heading to Anaheim and prospects going to the Reds, Heyman tweets. That suggests the Angels, who have a very weak farm system, will be providing the prospects.

6:13pm: Bruce does not currently have the Jays on his no-trade list, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets.

6:03pm: Heyman tweets that the proposed deal between the Jays and Reds actually also involves the Angels, with Saunders heading from Toronto to Anaheim in the deal. The Jays and Reds also discussed a three-team deal with the Athletics, but that trade is no longer on the table, Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan tweets.

5:44pm: Reds outfielder Jay Bruce remains on the trade market, and they could be in the process of trading him to the Blue Jays, Jon Heyman tweets. If the Jays were to acquire Bruce, he would likely play mostly left field, with Jose Bautista in right. Toronto’s top left field options currently include Michael Saunders, who missed most of last season due to injury, and 23-year-old Dalton Pompey.

For the Reds, Bruce would be the latest in a long string of veteran departures that has also included Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Marlon Byrd, Todd Frazier and Aroldis Chapman. Bruce would be unlikely to command a large return, since he’s hit just .222/.288/.406 in the last two seasons. He might, however, be in line for somewhat of a resurgence in 2016 if his batting average on balls in play (which was just .251 last season) improves a bit. When he does make contact, he has largely retained his ability to hit for power, hitting 26 home runs last season.

Still, Bruce will make $12.5MM in 2016, plus a $1MM buyout or a $13MM option in 2017, and while those figures aren’t exorbitant, he’s far from a bargain at that price. The Orioles have also recently been connected to Bruce, although at last check, their interest wasn’t particularly strong.

Angels' GM Pleased With Results of C.J. Wilson's MRI

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  • Angels GM Billy Eppler says that the team is happy with what they’ve learned from an MRI starting pitcher C.J. Wilson underwent on Monday, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register writes. Wilson merely has tendinitis in his throwing shoulder. He had reported discomfort in the shoulder on Saturday.

West Notes: Rollins, Giants, Lucroy, Astros, Angels

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The Giants had interest in Jimmy Rollins before the veteran infielder ultimately agreed to a minor league deal with the White Sox, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. Rosenthal adds that the Giants would have used Rollins as a super utility player, taking advantage of his ability to switch-hit. Via Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area (on Twitter), Giants GM Bobby Evans has confirmed the Giants were quite interested in Rollins, although they couldn’t promise the kind of playing time he would be able to get in Chicago (which has a considerably less stable shortstop situation). Here’s more from the West divisions.

  • In other news about player acquisitions that never came to be, Rosenthal tweets that the Astros tried to acquire Jonathan Lucroy from the Brewers last month but were not able to come to terms. Jason Castro is eligible for free agency following the 2016 and Lucroy is controllable for an additional year (and for a very modest $5.25MM or a $250K buyout), so perhaps it’s no surprise that David Stearns’ former employers called him about a possible trade.
  • The Angels would prefer to have more lefty relief help, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register writes. They’re without a lefty specialist, and the only lefty who currently figures to be in their bullpen is Jose Alvarez. The team does have additional lefty bullpen candidates in Lucas Luetge and Rob Rasmussen. “To have a lefty specialist available is a tool you’d like you to have in bullpen, but we’ll see where we are,” says manager Mike Scioscia. Fletcher doesn’t say whether the Angels actually plan to pursue more lefties, but even if they do, perhaps the issue isn’t so pressing. Unsurprisingly, the free agent market is a bit thin, and Scioscia and the Angels have gotten very good results with heavily right-handed bullpens in the past, such as their 2003 and 2004 ’pens, which were elite very limited contributions from left-handers.

AL West Notes: Weaver, Martin, Alvarez, A’s

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We covered some Rangers news earlier today, so let’s look around the rest of the AL West…

  • Jered Weaver is looking to rebound from a rough 2015 season, and the Angels righty tells reporters (including MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez) that he focused on offseason flexibility and stretching exercises to help his durability for the coming year.  Beyond just keeping healthy and helping the Halos win, Weaver is also entering the last year of his contract and wants to ensure his career continues past 2016.  “I’d like to play for as long as I can. But if I go through another season like last year — with not just the frustration of the numbers but how my body felt — your heart and your mind can only do so much,” Weaver said.  “Sometimes, your body pulls the reins back and tells you you need to slow down a little bit.  That’s kind of what happened last year.  I was definitely motivated every time I would go out.  I was still competitive.  I still love pitching.  Sometimes your body’s just not on the same page.”
  • Leonys Martin of the ‪‎Mariners‬ has issued the following statement on the indictment of his former agent, Bart Hernandez (Facebook link via Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports): “I am obviously aware that Bart Hernandez was arrested yesterday by the United States government. The decision to arrest him was made by the government, not by me, and any questions about why he was arrested should be directed to the prosecutor in Florida. Out of respect for the judicial process, I will have no further comment on this matter, and I ask that the media respect my privacy and the privacy of my family. My total focus is on doing everything in my ability to contribute to a successful season for the Seattle Mariners.”
  • Henderson Alvarez is feeling good in his recovery from shoulder surgery and tells the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser that he is hoping to be throwing in minor league games by April.  That would project Alvarez for a May debut with the Athletics, or roughly a month ahead of his original schedule.  “If you watch him play catch, it looks like there’s nothing wrong with him….We want to make sure he’s healthy, but we’re really excited about having him,” manager Bob Melvin said.  Obviously, if Alvarez is able to return healthy and get back to his old form, that would make his buy-low signing a steal for Oakland.
  • In another item from Slusser, the A’s are hoping Stephen Vogt and Josh Phegley stay healthy since the club is otherwise quite thin at catcher.  Those two are the only catchers on the 40-man roster, though Oakland recently signed Bryan Anderson to a minor league contract.  Then again, as one AL executive tells Slusser, “The state of catching in the whole industry is scary.  It’s unbelievable how few good catchers there are, everyone is concerned.  Is Oakland in trouble?  Sure they are.  Is every else?  Yes.  It’s not unique.”

Minor MLB Transactions: 2/21/16

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Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…

  • The Marlins released left-hander Troy Patton, the team announced.  Patton was a non-roster invite to Miami’s spring camp after signing a minor league deal with the club in December.  Patton’s 2015 season was limited to 30 1/3 innings for the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate, as he missed much of the year serving an 80-game suspension for testing positive for amphetamines.  The southpaw has a 3.25 ERA, 7.2 K/9 and 3.14 K/BB rate over 169 career innings with the Astros, Orioles and Padres, though only 14 of those frames have come in the last two seasons.
  • The Angels have hired Brendan Harris and Ben Francisco as pro scouts, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times reports (via Twitter).  The hirings would suggest that Harris and Francisco are retiring after lengthy professional careers that saw both men play for six different franchises and play their last big league games in 2013.  Harris spent eight seasons in the majors, with 390 of his 529 career games coming as a regular with the Rays and Twins from 2007-09.  The versatile Harris saw lots of time at shortstop, third base and second base over his career and he hit .256/.314/.381 over 1876 plate appearances with six different franchises.  Francisco saw regular action in the outfield with Cleveland and Philadelphia from 2007-2011 before bouncing around to four other clubs in his final two seasons.  Francisco hit .253/.323/.418 with 50 homers over 1771 Major League PA, though he may be best remembered in Philadelphia for his three-run homer that helped the Phillies win Game 3 of the 2011 NLDS against the Cardinals.  MLBTR congratulates Harris and Francisco on their fine careers and wishes them the best as they move into the scouting world.
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