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Dodgers, Cuban OF Yusniel Diaz Agree To $15.5MM Deal

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The Dodgers have agreed to sign Cuban outfielder Yusniel Diaz to a $15.5MM deal, according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com.  Furthermore, the Dodgers and Omar Estevez have agreed to a pact that will pay the infielder $6MM. When considering the 100 percent luxury tax the Dodgers will have to pay on each player due to the fact that they’ve already shattered their league-allotted international bonus pool, Los Angeles will be paying a combined $43MM or so to add the pair of prospects to its ranks.

Even though he’s only 18, Diaz has been known in Cuban baseball circles for years thanks to his offensive prowess while playing center field in Cuba, Ben Badler of Baseball America (subscription required and recommended) wrote earlier this year.  In fact, as a 14-year-old in Cuba’s 16-and-under league, Diaz garnered the attention of scouts when he slashed .367/.519/.517 across 80 plate appearances.  In his writeup, Badler praised Diaz for his athleticism, speed, and his production in Serie Nacional, where he faced competition at his own age level as well as veteran talents.  Despite having seen time in the corner outfield in the past, Diaz’s best position is center field and that’s where Badler sees him playing at the major league level.

Diaz likely would have been chosen as Serie Nacional’s Rookie of the Year in 2015 but that award went to another player after he defected from Cuba in April.  In August, Major League Baseball issued a memo to all teams announcing that Diaz was free to sign.  Badler ID’d the Dodgers as one of the logical destinations for Diaz at the time since they were one of the clubs that were already over their 2015-16 bonus pools and facing spending restrictions starting on July 2 next year.  The Dodgers will be handcuffed from spending more than $300K on any international player during the next two periods, so they essentially decided to go out with a bang before entering their penalty period.

Estevez, meanwhile, “showed above-average power in games and solid raw power in batting practice,” Sanchez writes.  While he doesn’t have the strongest arm out there, he does have good instincts for the second base position.  The Dodgers’ international haul for the 2015-16 period has been rather expensive between Diaz, Estevez, Cuban right-handed pitcher Yadiel Alvarez ($16MM), outfielder Starling Heredia ($2.6MM), infielder Ronny Brito ($2MM), outfielders Christopher Arias ($500K) and Carlos Rincon ($350K), and shortstop Oneal Cruz ($950K).  That grouping along cost more than $87MM when factoring in luxury tax expenditures, although by Sanchez’s count, the Dodgers have signed 28 international prospects since the signing period began on July 2.

Kapler, Roberts Are Finalists For Dodgers’ Manager; Decision To Come By Monday

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Since the Dodgers and manager Don Mattingly mutually agreed to part ways last month, the Dodgers have been conducting interviews to determine their next skipper. Farm director Gabe Kapler was said to be the early front-runner, although to this point, Los Angeles has also interviewed Padres bench coach Dave Roberts, Mets bench coach (and former A’s manager) Bob Geren and former big leaguer/current Nebraska head coach Darin Erstad. Last month’s updates on the search can be found here, and we’ll keep track of the November updates to the Dodgers’ managerial search in this post…

  • The Dodgers will decide on their next manager no later than Monday, sources tell Buster Olney of ESPN.com (on Twitter).  The club’s choice still appears to be between Kapler and Roberts.

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Relief Notes: O’Day, A’s, Chapman, D’Backs, Brothers

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In such a crowded market for Darren O’Day’s services, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman observes that the Dodgers, Braves and Nationals could each have an edge.  The Dodgers, of course, can offer the most money and have “big time” interest in the right-hander.  O’Day’s family lives near Atlanta, so the Braves could have something of a hometown advantage.  Then again, O’Day’s wife is a TV reporter working for a station in Washington D.C., which could help the Nats.  Here’s more about O’Day and others on the ever-churning bullpen rumor mill…

  • You can add the Athletics to the long list of teams with interest in O’Day, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.  While Oakland has a clear need for bullpen help, it would be a big surprise to see a small-payroll team like the A’s win the bidding for O’Day.  The right-hander has already received multiple offers and is looking for a four-year deal in the $28MM-$36MM range.
  • Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that Brad Ziegler may remain as the team’s closer.  “With Ziegler doing the job that he has, I am looking to better ourselves more than likely in the front end versus the back end (of the bullpen),” Stewart said.  The Snakes have been linked to several big-name relievers in offseason buzz, and their particular interest in Reds closer Aroldis Chapman goes back several months, though the Reds’ demand for two pre-arbitration Major Leaguers was too high for Arizona’s liking.  “I’ve made it pretty clear that I’m just not in the mood to give up three or four players for one guy at the back end of my bullpen,” Stewart said, speaking not specifically of Chapman but of ace relievers in general.
  • “Surprised would be an understatement” to describe how Rex Brothers felt when the Rockies designated him for assignment, the southpaw tells Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post.  Brothers has come to terms with the move, however, and is looking forward to a fresh start in the bigs.  It should be noted that Brothers has the choice of electing free agency since he has more than three years of service time, and while he doesn’t directly say so, it certainly sounds as if the lefty will indeed be hitting the open market.  Brothers posted very solid numbers out of Colorado’s bullpen from 2011-13 before struggling in 2014 and spending most of 2015 in the minors.

NL West Notes: Rockies, Cueto, Puig, Padres

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With the Rockies in need of starting pitching and the Indians in need of outfield help, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post wonders if the two clubs could fit as trade partners.  Carlos Gonzalez and Corey Dickerson could both be available if Colorado could land the right arm (or arms) in return, and Danny Salazar, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer have all been mentioned as possible trade chips for the Tribe this winter.  As Saunders notes, Cleveland could balk at the remaining $37MM on Gonzalez’s contract and the fact that he’d only be controlled through 2017.  Dickerson comes with four years of control and isn’t even eligible for arbitration until next winter, though he’s obviously a much less proven asset than Gonzalez and also missed a lot of time with injuries last season.  Here’s some more from around the NL West…

  • The Diamondbacks have had internal discussions about possibly signing Johnny Cueto, ESPN’s Buster Olney reports (Insider subscription required).  It’s no secret that Arizona has been targeting pitching this offseason, as they’ve been linked to such names as Shelby Miller, Yovani Gallardo and John Lackey on the trade and free agency fronts.  Those pitchers carry a much lower price tag than Cueto would on the open market, however, and it would be surprising to see the mid-market Snakes make a big splurge on the type of nine-figure contract it would take to land Cueto.
  • The Dodgers aren’t likely to trade Yasiel Puig this offseason since his potential is still so high, his contract is reasonably priced and he brings some right-handed hitting balance to an L.A. outfield full of left-handed bats, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times writes.  The Dodgers would also be selling low on Puig in the wake of his disappointing 2015 season.
  • Olney also addresses the Puig situation in his previously-linked column, reporting that Dodgers upper management “is much more open to the idea of moving Puig than they would’ve been, say, 18 months ago.”  If Puig is really a clubhouse problem, Olney feels the Dodgers should cut their losses and trade him this winter, since they’re one of the few teams with the financial muscle to not have to worry about getting the best possible return back for a sell-low player.
  • The trades of Craig Kimbrel and Joaquin Benoit would seem to open the door for Brandon Maurer to take on a bigger late-game role in the Padres bullpen, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes.  The Padres are reportedly looking to add a mid-range bullpen arm, though Lin notes that the team could simply keep Maurer in relief to address that need.  The team hasn’t closed the door on shifting Maurer back to starting pitching, however, since the Padres have rotation needs both this year and in coming seasons.
  • Also from Lin, he reports that the Padres are in talks with Mark McGwire about the ex-slugger becoming the team’s new bench coach, with a source calling McGwire “a very strong candidate for the job.”  McGwire is currently the Dodgers’ hitting coach, though his role with that club is up in the air as they search for a new manager.  Lin reports that the Diamondbacks were also considering McGwire as their new hitting coach but McGwire took himself out of consideration for that position.  Ron Gardenhire had previously been linked to San Diego’s bench coach job, though it now appears as though if he was to join the club, it would be in a front office capacity rather than in the dugout.

Dodgers Interested In Zimmermann; Giants A “Threat” To Land Greinke

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Righty Jordan Zimmermann is one of the Dodgers’ “top targets” among free agent starters, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (Twitter links). That shouldn’t be read as a shift of focus away from Zack Greinke, he adds, so much as an indication of the team’s affinity for Zimmermann.

That report comes on the heels of another suggesting that the Giants could be a “formidable threat” to land Greinke. As Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com writes, San Francisco is at least creating an impression in the marketplace that it is prepared for a serious pursuit of the talented — but less than youthful — veteran starter. Of course, the Giants are also said to be doing some diligence on David Price.

It’s always intriguing to consider these two division rivals competing over a player, but in truth the connection goes beyond the fact that only one can win the NL West. Los Angeles probably has more free agent spending capacity than any team in baseball right now — whether or not it chooses to use it — while their neighbors to the north seemingly saved their hefty war chest for this winter’s strong group of free agents. And, of course, both have obvious needs in the rotation.

One year ago, it wouldn’t have been surprising at all to expect to debate the relative merits of these two pitchers. At that point, Zimmermann was coming off of a season in which he looked like an improving, top-of-the-rotation arm, while Greinke was good but obviously not getting any younger.

Things have changed quite a bit in the meantime, though. The 29-year-old Zimmermann has lost some luster, while Greinke turned in a season for the ages. Of course, there’s an argument to be made that perceptions and recency bias could be clouding the situation, but it seems clear at this point that Greinke will out-earn his younger competitor.

All told, it remains far too early to get any kind of a reasonable read of the market. There’s arguably been more chatter surrounding Greinke than other top arms — it’s mostly been crickets, in particular, regarding Johnny Cueto — but as of yet there’s nothing to suggest any sort of clarity. Indeed, if anything, these reports serve only to confirm the fluidity at the top of the pitching market.

Added To The 40-Man Roster: Friday

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Tonight at 8:00pm ET is the deadline for teams to add players to their 40-man roster and thereby protect them from this year’s Rule 5 Draft. In other words: there will be a significant amount of 40-man roster moves made over the course of the next 13 or so hours. Six clubs already made moves to protect prospects from the Rule 5 yesterday, and each of the remaining 24 clubs should make moves today as well.

In brief: players drafted/signed at 18 years of age or younger must be added to the 40-man roster within five years of signing or be exposed to the Rule 5 Draft. Players drafted/signed at 19 or older must be added within four years. Those interested in all of the specifics can refer to articles from MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo and J.J. Cooper of Baseball America. Perhaps of greater interest is that Mayo lists all of the prospects from MLB.com’s Top 100 list and from their organizational Top 30 lists that much be protected in advance of tonight’s deadline, while Cooper provides brief write-ups on each player that has been protected (and will continue to do so as additions are made).

Here are today’s additions to the 40-man roster. You can check out Baseball America’s coverage to learn more about the individual players listed below …

Earlier Updates

Free Agent Notes: Cespedes, Lackey, Asdrubal, Oh

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ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick has a fascinating new column on the lengths to which Yoenis Cespedes’ agents at CAA and Roc Nation Sports have gone to market the outfielder to clubs. Cespedes’ representatives have distributed a roughly 100-page, cloth-covered book entitled “52 Reviews” (a hat tip to Cesepedes’ jersey number) that contains testimonials from managers, coaches, teammates, executives and media members on Cespedes. The book also has a video player embedded on the inside cover which plays a highlight reel set to music. (One can only hope it is as majestic as Cespedes’ initial 20-minute showcase video as an amateur.) While Crasnick notes that such materials don’t necessarily provide increasingly analytic teams with any data of which they were previously unaware, one assistant GM offered an interesting take on the book’s purpose: “I think the agents are hoping these things will find a way into hands of the owners and have an impact on people who are writing the checks. And it’s such a cutthroat industry, the agents want to make it 100 percent clear they’re doing everything they can and more than the next guy will do.” Crasnick spoke to officials who are familiar with Cespedes that downplayed any clubhouse concerns and also talked with CAA head Brodie Van Wagenen about the effect that “52 Reviews” has had, with Van Wagenen noting that more than anything, it has sparked dialogue about Cespedes’ talent, which is the primary purpose. Crasnick’s column is well worth checking out in full, of course.

A few more notes on the free agent market…

  • The Cardinals, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Rangers, Red Sox and Dodgers have all “at least checked in” with John Lackey’s representatives, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Each of the listed teams has a well-known desire to add pitching help either via free agency or trade this winter (or, in some cases, likely both).
  • Asdrubal Cabrera is currently getting interest from four clubs, tweets SB Nations’ Chris Cotillo. The Rays aren’t believed to have ruled out a reunion, he adds, though it seems unlikely to me that Tampa Bay would not only bring Cabrera back but likely give him a raise after already acquiring Brad Miller this offseason. Miller gives the Rays an option at shortstop, and Logan Forsythe, of course, had a breakout season at second base. A Cabrera return would jam up the payroll and also push Miller into a utility role, which doesn’t make much sense after he was the key piece acquired from Seattle in exchange for Nate Karns — a quality, young right-handed starter.
  • Newsday’s Marc Carig tweets that Korean closer Seung-hwan Oh is on the Mets’ radar, but the team isn’t planning an aggressive pursuit of him at this time. New York is said to be eyeing relievers to bolster its setup core.
  • Dave Cameron of Fangraphs lists the five free agents that he would avoid this season, citing Dexter Fowler, Yovani Gallardo, Justin Upton, Jordan Zimmermann and Chris Davis as potential landmines and explaining his rationale for skepticism in each case.

Latest On Market For Darren O’Day

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10:56pm: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman hears differently from Rosenthal, tweeting that the Braves’ early interest in O’Day has dwindled as his price has risen.

10:26pm: There’s been no shortage of teams connected to Darren O’Day this winter, and ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweets that the Dodgers are in “big time” pursuit of the former Orioles setup ace, noting that two sources have said as much to him in the past week. A more surprising team now being linked to O’Day, though, is the Braves, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Atlanta is in the midst of a rebuilding phase but is nonetheless eyeing O’Day as well as left-hander Matt Thornton, Rosenthal writes, adding that execs from other clubs feel that the Braves could actually submit the largest offer for O’Day’s services.

O’Day is said to be seeking a four-year pact in the range of $28-36MM total and reportedly left last week’s GM Meetings with multiple offers in hand. Presumably, none of the offers extended to him in Boca Raton were in that range, but the Dodgers have been connected to O’Day from the onset of the offseason and were said by Crasnick last week to have “significant” interest, which seemingly hasn’t waned as widespread interest potentially works in O’Day’s favor.

While Atlanta makes a curious fit, it should be noted that despite the fact that 2014-15 was an offseason spent largely rebuilding, the team did add veteran Nick Markakis on a four-year deal. Adding O’Day would be a similar win-now move amidst a slew of other re-tooling maneuvers, though any multi-year deal agreed to would extend into the 2017-18 window in which Atlanta aims to contend with a rebuilt staff of impressive young pitchers.

Thornton’s asking price isn’t known at this time, but the 39-year-old vet did just conclude a 2015 campaign that saw him work to a pristine 2.18 ERA in 41 1/3 innings. While Thornton’s strikeout numbers (5.0 K/9) are down considerably from his peak years with the White Sox, he held left-handed opponents to a miserable .198/.205/.279 batting line and was also reasonably effective, albeit not dominant against right-handers as well (.229/.333/.357).

Los Angeles and Atlanta are just two of many teams that have reportedly shown interest in O’Day. He’s also been linked to the Tigers, Mets, Cubs, Nationals, Red Sox and Royals. Of course, Boston and Detroit have already acquired help for the back of their bullpens and may not wish to spend to this extent to further bolster their relief contingents.

Market Notes: Soria, Utley, Desmond, Jones

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Free agent reliever Joakim Soria has long been rumored to be drawing interest from several of his former employers, and at least two of them are still in the hunt, per a tweet from Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press. The current “front-runners” to land the righty, it seems, include the Royals and Rangers — but not the Tigers, who just dealt for Francisco Rodriguez. Interestingly, the other top pursuer is largely a newcomer to the chatter on Soria: the Giants rate as one of the three most likely landing spots, according to the report.

Here are a few more free agent notes:

  • Five or six clubs have expressed interest in signing Chase Utley as a “mostly everyday infielder,” agent Joel Wolfe tells Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News (Twitter link). The Dodgers are one of those teams, per the report (and as suggested previously). Utley would probably be best served as a platoon option at this point, though he’d presumably see plenty of action if he gets most of the time against right-handed pitching.
  • The representatives of shortstop Ian Desmond are highlighting his defensive versatility to prospective clubs, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets. That’s a bit surprising to hear, given that much of Desmond’s value is tied to his ability to play short, where he rates as a solid defender despite being prone to committing errors. DiComo notes that Desmond has played outfield previously, which is true — but only barely. Desmond has appeared in the outfield in exactly four games as a professional: twice with the Nats, once in Triple-A, and once in the Dominican Winter League. Indeed, he’s only ever played eight other games at any position other than short, with all of those coming in the way of minor league appearances at second. None of that is to say that Desmond can’t play elsewhere on the diamond. After all, he is an excellent athlete. And perhaps the idea of eventually moving to the grass would make the back end of his deal somewhat more palatable.
  • Veteran outfielder Andruw Jones is looking for a chance with a big league club and will retire if he doesn’t find one, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reports on Twitter. The 17-year MLB veteran, now 38 years old, last appeared in the majors in 2012. But he was rather productive for the NPB’s Rakuten club between 2013 and 2014, slashing .232/.392/.441 in 1185 total plate appearances. It is worth noting, though, that Jones did not end up playing last year after reportedly seeking another shot at the bigs.

Giants, Dodgers Have Expressed Interest In Shelby Miller

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The Giants and Dodgers have “checked in” on Braves righty  Shelby Miller, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports on Twitter. We already heard recently of interest from another NL West club, the Diamondbacks, though those talks apparently did not progress (Twitter link).

It’s not entirely clear at this point what level of interest the Braves have in dealing the 25-year-old righty. He re-emerged last year in Atlanta after being acquired in the Jason Heyward trade, contributing 205 1/3 innings of 3.02 ERA pitching with 7.5 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9. MLBTR projects Miller to earn $4.9MM in his first of three trips through arbitration.

The Braves have already made clear that they’ll trade just about anyone on their roster, after a major sell-off last year and recent send-off of shortstop Andrelton Simmons. GM John Coppolella has said that the team will not trade first baseman Freddie Freeman, but it seems plausible to think that any other players could be had for the right price.

Young pitching has clearly been the focus of Atlanta’s acquisition efforts thus far, and the club has built an impressive stable of arms. Most recently, high-upside hurler Sean Newcomb headlined the Simmons swap. And a number of other pitchers were already installed in the upper reaches of the farm last winter.

On the surface, then, it might be asked why the Braves would have any interest in dealing players such as Miller and Julio Teheran, both of whom are affordable, well-regarded, younger pitchers. (You could say the same of already-dealt lefty Alex Wood.) The answer, perhaps, is that the value of these kinds of pitchers is arguably highest right now, when the club is simply not ready to compete, making it an opportune time to cash them in for assets that will be of greater utility down the line. It’s also worth noting that, as with Simmons, both Miller and Teheran will enjoy fairly significant raises over the coming seasons.

Both San Francisco and Los Angeles, of course, are said to be hunting for significant rotation upgrades this winter. The division rivals have both had their share of injuries in the rotation and seek multiple new arms. For the opposite reasons that might motivate the Braves to deal a player like Miller, it’s certainly plausible to imagine both clubs having interest in the concept of sacrificing near-future value for a mid-prime major leaguer who is at least controllable for a few seasons at a reasonable rate of pay. That’s all the more true, of course, given that both the Giants and Dodgers are said to be weighing significant free agent pitching investments.

It’s obviously not worth speculating too much about what kind of return might entice the Braves, but there’s little question that both prospective trade partners have the assets needed if the motivation is there. And it’s worth remembering that the Atlanta front office has proven itself highly creative in structuring deals. Of course, it remains to be seen whether there’s a match to be made with these — or other — teams.

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