Pirates Claim Nefi Ogando, Designate Jason Rogers
The Pirates have claimed righty Nefi Ogando off waivers from the Marlins, per a team announcement. He’ll take the roster spot of corner infielder Jason Rogers, who was designated for assignment.
The 27-year-old Ogando only has 18 MLB appearances to his credit, but has shown an average fastball that sits right at 95 mph. He has also generated grounders at an impressive 57.6% clip and owns a solid 3.66 ERA in his 19 2/3 frames.
Of course, that’s not all there is to the story. Ogando has also recorded as many walks as strikeouts (ten apiece) in his limited big-league time. And he has never fully capitalized on his big heater in the minors, where he compiled pedestrian whiff rates and often exhibited a lack of command. Over two seasons and 52 2/3 frames of action at Triple-A, Ogando owns a 3.08 ERA with 7.0 K/9 against 3.9 BB/9.
In order to take a shot on Ogando’s arm, Pittsburgh will open the possibility of losing Rogers. The 28-year-old had shown some hitting ability with the Brewers, but largely struggled in his first year with the Pirates organization after coming over in a trade last winter.
Rogers struggled in brief action in the majors in 2016, receiving just 33 plate appearances over 25 games of action. He spent most of the year at Triple-A, slashing .263/.338/.371 with just four home runs over 420 plate appearances. That represented a rather significant fall-off in power output (and overall productivity at the plate) as against his prior work in the minors.
Marlins Designate Elvis Araujo, Announce Brad Ziegler Signing
The Marlins have designated lefty Elvis Araujo for assignment, per a club announcement. He’ll play in 2017 for Japan’s Chunichi Dragons, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald tweets. Araujo’s roster spot will go to veteran reliever Brad Ziegler, whose two-year contract was also announced.
Araujo was claimed off waivers from the Phillies earlier in the offseason, and had been perhaps second to Hunter Cervenka on the team’s depth chart among southpaw relievers. It seems increasingly plausible to expect that Miami won’t put too great an emphasis on ensuring that its bullpen features at least one lefty; Jason Martinez of MLBTR and Roster Resource currently projects an all-righty relief corps.
The 6’7 Araujo threw 62 total major frames over the past two seasons. He produced largely equivalent K/BB numbers — which average out to 9.1 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9 — but suffered much worse batted-ball fortunes in 2016. All told, he owns a 4.35 ERA in the big leagues, which is just about what ERA estimators expect based upon his peripherals.
Araujo did show improved control when pitching at Triple-A last year, where he carried a 2.18 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and just 2.6 BB/9 over 20 2/3 frames. Notably, he debuted there after he reached the majors — which came after he had made only 25 total appearances at Double-A — so there’s perhaps added reason to believe that Araujo could still undergo some refinement.
6 Teams Have Made Offers To Edwin Encarnacion
6:56pm: Cleveland, Texas, and Oakland appear to be the three most likely destinations at present, Bowden adds. On the N.L. side, the Rockies are said still to be “monitoring” the developments while the Marlins aren’t involved.
6:13pm: In addition to the Indians and Blue Jays, the Rangers, Astros, and Athletics have all made offers to Encarnacion, according to ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden (who cites team sources for each organization). As noted below, there’s apparently at least one other organization that has dangled a proposal as well.
Each of those five clubs have put multiple years on the table, per Bowden, who notes that some of the offers include opt-outs following the 2017 campaign. Two suitors, in particular, are said to be engaged in negotiations “at a rapid pace” with Encarnacion’s reps. It’s not known which of the five organizations are pushing hardest at present.
2:35pm: The Indians are “pulling out all the stops” to land Encarnacion, although they might ultimately not be able to afford him, a source tells Fan Rag’s Jon Heyman. Kinzer tells Heyman that two teams have been especially enthusiastic in their pursuit of Encarnacion, although he doesn’t say who.
11:14am: Here’s the latest from Edwin Encarnacion‘s agent Paul Kinzer, via an interview with Jeff Blair of Sportsnet590:
- Kinzer says he is surprised Encarnacion isn’t yet signed. He acknowledges the “glut” of power hitters remaining on the free agent market (presumably including players like Mark Trumbo, Mike Napoli, Jose Bautista and Chris Carter) but says he felt Encarnacion and Yoenis Cespedes stood above that group.
- Encarnacion has gotten three- to four-year offers from six teams, Kinzer says. Most of those offers were for three years. National League teams have been involved in Encarnacion’s market as well as American League teams.
- Encarnacion’s priority, though, has been to return to the Blue Jays. The Jays, of course, made a significant offer to Encarnacion, but that offer came right around the opening of free agency, and Kinzer says the timing wasn’t quite right for Encarnacion, who wanted to assess other teams’ interest. After the Jays signed Kendrys Morales and then Steve Pearce, Kinzer and Encarnacion felt it wasn’t likely Encarnacion would return to Toronto. “We never had any idea that the Blue Jays were going to move that fast,” Kinzer says. He acknowledges the two sides have spoken recently, but says Encarnacion is coming to grips with the fact that he probably won’t be a Blue Jay next season.
- Kinzer says he expected significant offers from teams like the Red Sox and Yankees early in free agency. Those apparently didn’t materialize, and Kinzer says he believes the threat of a lost draft pick had an impact on Encarnacion’s market. The absence of a new CBA early in the offseason was a factor as well, he adds.
- Kinzer feels it wasn’t a mistake that Encarnacion didn’t discuss an extension with the Jays once the 2016 season started. He says that when he negotiated Starlin Castro‘s extension with the Cubs, it was a significant distraction for Castro, affecting his eating and sleeping habits. Encarnacion, meanwhile, was very productive in his final year before free agency.
NL East Notes: Klentak, Marlins, Swanson, Mets
Some news from around the NL East…
- Phillies GM Matt Klentak said his team is looking at adding another hitter or reliever, though neither move is a necessity, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki writes. The hitter is likely to be a reserve outfielder, as the Phillies want to see what they have in their young outfielders as they continue their rebuilding process. “We continue to prioritize roster flexibility and payroll flexibility so players that are in position to sign shorter term contracts are going to be more appealing to us,” Klentak said.
- The Marlins have assembled their bullpen based on talent, fit and availability, without any specific regard to balance between left-handers and right-handers. As a result, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro notes, Miami could head into 2017 with an entirely right-handed relief corps. Hunter Cervenka and Elvis Araujo are the only southpaw relievers on the Marlins’ 40-man roster and either could potentially win a job in Spring Training, though both pitchers are way down depth chart at this point.
- Dansby Swanson is “as close to untouchable as any Brave right now,” David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes, as John Hart and John Coppolella are both very impressed by the young shortstop’s on-field talents and off-the-field intangibles. “I don’t think you can put any playables or comparisons on him, I just know we’re better with him, and the whole is greater than the parts. This is a special guy that makes people around him better,” Coppolella said. The White Sox reportedly wanted Swanson as part of a Chris Sale trade package earlier this offseason but the Braves refused to part with the former first overall draft pick.
- The Mets are known to be shopping outfielders, though MLB.com’s Mike Petriello notes that even if New York deals one of Jay Bruce, Curtis Granderson or Michael Conforto, it still creates an issue since neither Granderson or Conforto project as a good defensive center fielder. Petriello instead proposes that the Mets could move two outfielders (either the two veterans, or Conforto with one of Granderson or Bruce to garner a bigger trade return) and then acquire an actual center fielder to properly fill the job.
Minor MLB Transactions: 12/17/16
Here are today’s minor transactions from around the league:
- The White Sox have re-signed righty Blake Smith to a minor league deal, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets. (Heyman had previously reported it was the Padres who had signed Smith, but that seems to have been incorrect.) Chicago non-tendered Smith two weeks ago. The 29-year-old made his big-league debut in 2016, pitching 4 1/3 innings for the White Sox, but he’s perhaps a little more interesting than that pedigree suggests — he played his first several pro seasons as an outfielder before moving to the mound in 2013 as a 25-year-old, and he’s since made good progress getting through the minors, posting a 3.53 ERA, 9.5 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 71 1/3 innings for Triple-A Charlotte in 2016 while throwing his fastball in the 93-MPH range in his big-league stint. The Padres selected Smith in the second round of the Rule 5 Draft in 2015 but ultimately returned him to the White Sox.
- The Marlins have signed righty Javy Guerra to a minor league deal, tweets MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro. The 31-year-old Guerra pitched briefly for the Angels in 2016 but spent most of the year with Triple-A Salt Lake, where he posted a 4.35 ERA, 9.9 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 in 51 2/3 innings. As that line suggests, Guerra has struggled with his control, and his 4.3 career MLB BB/9 has probably been his biggest impediment to sustained success (although he’s also had injury issues, and he missed 50 games in 2015 due to a drug suspension). Nonetheless, he has had strong seasons with the Dodgers and White Sox in parts of six years in the big leagues, and his experience could be valuable to the Marlins as they continue to address their bullpen.
Minor MLB Transactions: 12/16/16
Here are the latest minor moves from around the league:
- The Rays added catcher Michael McKenry on a minor-league contract, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets. Heyman further adds that McKenry will receive $900K if he’s in the Majors, plus a possible $475K in incentives. He has opt-outs on March 30 and June 1. With Wilson Ramos not expected to be ready to take over behind the plate for at least the first month or two of the year, there’s a need for depth. McKenry will presumably battle with pre-existing options Luke Maile and Curt Casali for a roster spot to open the season.
- Outfielder Brandon Barnes is headed to the Marlins on a minors pact, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets. The deal includes a Spring Training invite. Barnes, 30, figures to function as a depth piece after seeing time in the majors over parts of the last five seasons. He struggled to a .220/.250/.320 batting line in just 109 MLB plate appearances last year.
- Lefty Jeff Beliveau is headed to the Blue Jays on a minors deal with a spring invite, per a club announcement. The 29-year-old has thrown 45 MLB frames spread over four years, with an even 4.00 ERA and 9.4 K/9 against 4.2 BB/9. Last year, he didn’t pitch above the Double-A level in the Orioles system, but provided 49 2/3 innings of 2.54 ERA pitching with a dozen K/9 to go with a sub-optimal 5.3 BB/9.
- Righty Erik Johnson is back with the Padres on a minor-league arrangement, Heyman tweets. Johnson will continue to work back from Tommy John surgery with San Diego, which had recently non-tendered him.
- The Orioles announced a series of minors signings. Among those not previously covered at MLBTR, the club will bring back outfielder Chris Dickerson and take a shot on Tomo Ohka. Dickerson joined Beliveau at Double-A in the Baltimore organization last year, hitting well in brief action there, but hasn’t seen the bigs since 2014. Ohka, 40, is a much more speculative addition; he’s trying to return to the majors for the first time since 2009 by turning himself into a knuckleballer.
- Anther pitcher seeking to make it back after a long run away from the majors is lefty Andy Oliver, who’ll try things out with the Brewers, per Heyman (via Twitter). Heyman adds that can opt out of his deal on June 15 if he’s not on the big-league roster, and Oliver also receives a foreign team inquiry clause. Oliver blitzed through the Tigers system after being taken in the 2nd round of the 2009 draft. He cracked the bigs briefly in 2010-11, but has plied his trade at Triple-A ever since. Oliver moved back to the rotation for half of his appearances last year with the Orioles’ top affiliate, which may have helped as he finally quelled some of his control issues. Oliver ended 2016 with a 3.43 ERA over 86 2/3 frames and 8.7 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9 (his lowest walk rate since his debut year in full-season professional ball).
- The Tigers added third baseman Zack Cox on a minor-league arrangement, the indy ball Wichita Wingnuts announced. Once a highly regarded prospect, Cox never earned a major league call-up during his time in the Cardinals and Marlins systems, but hit .290/.348/.452 last year in 460 plate appearances for Wichita.
- Five players are returning to the Rangers organization on minor-league pacts, per Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter links). Utilityman Alex Burg will join right-handed hurlers Dario Beltre, Austin Bibens-Dirkx, Anthony Carter, and David Perez in returning to Texas. There’s a new farmhand coming in, too, as the Rangers added righty James Dykstra from the White Sox in a cash deal. Dykstra, 26, reached Double-A last year, throwing 102 1/3 innings of 4.93 ERA ball with 5.8 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9.
- Two previously designated players — catcher Justin O’Conner (Rays) and lefty Williams Jerez (Red Sox) — have been outrighted by their organizations, per club announcements.
Marlins To Sign Brad Ziegler
The Marlins have struck a two-year, $16MM deal with reliever Brad Ziegler, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Ziegler can also earn $2MM through incentives, per SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (via Twitter).
The agreement won’t be finalized until the veteran takes a physical, but he’s slated to earn $7MM for 2017 and $9MM in the following year, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets. Ziegler’s total guarantee lands exactly where MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicted in rating Ziegler 27th in earning power among free agents.
[RELATED: Updated Marlins’ Depth Chart]
Ziegler, 37, will join the just-signed Junichi Tazawa in a revamped Marlins’ bullpen. That unit had lost Carter Capps to injury (and then trade) before watching Mike Dunn depart via free agency. While the hoped-for addition of Kenley Jansen did not come to pass, Tazawa and Ziegler will plug two quality arms into the late-inning mix on a much less onerous overall commitment. Just who’ll take what role remains unclear, but there are plenty of options (albeit, perhaps, still also an ongoing need for an additional left-hander).
Though he didn’t reach the big leagues until he was 28 years of age, has long worked in the mid-eighties with his fastball, and has always posted pedestrian strikeout and walk numbers, Ziegler has still yet to end a single season having allowed over 3.5 earned runs per nine. In nearly 600 major league frames, he owns a stellar 2.44 ERA.
The reason? Ziegler’s submarine delivery has enabled him to draw groundballs on just under two out of every three balls put in play against him. He’s also exceedingly difficult to take out of the yard, having allowed just 0.35 HR/9 over his career. And despite his lack of velocity, Ziegler is basically impossible to run off of (17 stolen bases allowed lifetime) — which helps enhance the value of his groundball-inducing sinker, by keeping the double play in order when a runner does reach base. It’s an utterly unique profile, but one that has had undeniable success.
Whether Ziegler can continue his magic act is anyone’s guess, but he has shown no signs of slowing down and Miami won’t take on too big a risk in the contract. And there are some encouraging signs even beyond the still-dominant groundball and earned-run figures. Ziegler’s 11.7% swinging-strike rate in 2016 was a personal high, as he successfully baited hitters to offer and whiff at pitches out of the zone more than ever before.
Beyond age, and the lack of strikeouts, the biggest limitation in Ziegler’s package lies in the platoon department. He has dominated opposing righties while showing some vulnerability to lefties over his career. Hitters stepping in with the platoon advantage have hit .271/.365/.392 against Ziegler, drawing 121 walks against just 115 strikeouts.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Marlins Designate Nefi Ogando, Announce Junichi Tazawa Signing
The Marlins have designated righty Nefi Ogando for assignment, per a club announcement. His departure from the 40-man creates space for the addition of fellow right-hander Junichi Tazawa, whose signing was reported yesterday.
Ogando, 27, allowed just four earned runs on ten hits in his 15 2/3 major league innings in 2016. And he showed a mid-nineties fastball. But he recorded only eight strikeouts with eight walks in that stretch, reflecting longstanding questions.
Ogando has had effective seasons in the minors, but has never flashed all that much functional strikeout ability and has never managed to tamp down the free passes. Ultimately, there’s enough to like about his live arm that another organization will surely have interest in attempting to harness it — if the Marlins don’t retain him — but it’s not difficult to see why the Fish were willing to cut bait to make way for Tazawa.
Jeffrey Loria Open To Considering Sale Of Marlins
Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is “receptive to the possibility of selling” the organization, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Loria has at least floated the rather lofty price tag of $1.7B, Mike Ozanian of Forbes reported yesterday, though Jackson says that he dangled a lower asking price (by how much isn’t known) to one prior would-be buyer who checked in.
While the news is notable — as Jackson says, Loria previously has balked at the idea of a sale — it’s important to recognize its limitations. For one thing, the current ownership group has not hired a firm to broker a deal. For another, it has reportedly already failed to progress in talks with several interested suitors in recent months.
As has been rumored, one of the entities to pursue the Marlins was Mitt Romney’s Solomere Capital, which brought an offer of less than $1.7B to the table and was rejected. It’s not immediately clear where the market might land for the Miami organization (along with its stadium-rights agreement and other revenue sources), though Jackson cites one “potential buyer” who says he’d consider paying something in the neighborhood of $1.3B — nearly double Forbes’ $675MM valuation.
Of course, that paper valuation doesn’t necessarily reflect the market situation; MLB organizations are obviously in high demand and can deliver long-term returns to owners that aren’t strictly tied to annual earnings. There may be some untapped potential in the Marlins’ franchise, too, though surely another stadium bonanza won’t occur again for some time. Stadium naming rights and a new TV rights deal (which would go into effect after the 2020 season) certainly hold out the promise for a cash-flow boost. And it’s at least worth wondering if other prospective owners see opportunities to boost attendance, which continues to lag behind most of the league, or otherwise enhance the margin.
Ultimately, whether a serious bidder emerges for the Marlins remains to be seen. And Major League Baseball would certainly need to be involved in approving any sale that ultimately is arranged — which, obviously, has not yet occurred. But it’s interesting to consider that the controversial Loria could seriously weigh a divestiture of his interests in the organization, which he is said to have purchased for $158.5MM back in 2002.
Marlins Interested In Brad Ziegler, Joe Blanton
The Marlins’ preferred bullpen targets after missing out on both Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman are righties Brad Ziegler and Joe Blanton, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link). Miami reportedly agreed to a two-year deal with Junichi Tazawa yesterday but is still hopeful of adding one more reliever to its bullpen, it seems.
[Related: Miami Marlins Depth Chart]
Blanton and Ziegler are arguably the top two relievers left on the market now that upper-echelon names like Chapman, Jansen and Mark Melancon have signed. Ziegler, 37, has recorded a sensational 2.05 ERA with 6.2 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 68.1 percent ground-ball rate over the past two seasons while pitching in hitter-friendly environments (Arizona and Boston). Though he averages just 84 mph on his fastball, Ziegler is a ground-ball machine that has a penchant for inducing weak contact. He’s said to be weighing multiple two-year offers right now, as teams are apparently reluctant to put three-year deals on the table due to his age. With an average of 70 appearances per season dating back to 2009, though, Ziegler’s durability has been impressive.
As for Blanton, the 36-year-old looked to be done with baseball in 2014 after a rough stretch with the Angels, but he’s reinvented himself as a reliever over the past two seasons, pitching to a 2.65 ERA with 9.2 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 in 165 innings between the Royals, Pirates and Dodgers. Despite his age and his struggles toward the end of his tenure as a starting pitcher, multi-year deal seems likely for Blanton based on that impressive run.
Miami currently has a solid on-paper bullpen featuring A.J. Ramos, Kyle Barraclough, David Phelps, Tazawa, Dustin McGowan and lefty Hunter Cervenka. Adding either Ziegler or Blanton would further deepen that unit and provide support to a considerably shakier rotation. Deepening the bullpen has been a long-stated goal for the Marlins, who reportedly made a significant offer to Kenley Jansen before he inked his new deal with the Dodgers. FanRag’s Jon Heyman reports that Miami also made Aroldis Chapman an offer that was between $80-86MM and may have been willing to go higher, but their offer didn’t include a no-trade clause and was heavily backloaded (Twitter links).