Details On Jay Bruce’s No-Trade Clause
Last week, Reds outfielder Jay Bruce had an opportunity to update his limited no-trade clause by changing the list of eight teams that he can block deals to. However, the 28-year-old decided to stand pat and keep the same clubs on his veto list, as Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com writes. Bruce can block any proposed deal that would send him to the Red Sox, Rays, Yankees, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, Marlins, A’s, or Twins.
That mix of small and large-market teams presumably shields Bruce from destinations he may prefer not to play in while affording him leverage if a big-spending AL East club were to come calling. Of course, the Orioles are the one AL East club that is not on the block list and they have become the most recent team to be linked to the Cincinnati outfielder. There isn’t any “momentum” toward a trade at this time, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, but it seems that the talks are at least active.
Bruce, 29 in April, will earn $12.5MM in 2016 and can be controlled for the following year with a $13MM option — or be bought out for $1MM. The Reds are willing to listen on everybody and GM Walt Jocketty said that he would “probably” be open to moving Bruce and Aroldis Chapman, despite his previous reluctance to do so. Bruce slashed .226/.294/.434 in 2015, numbers that were well below his best offensive work from 2010-2013.
Quick Hits: Fernandez, Marlins, Rizzo, Orioles
The Astros haven’t been linked to David Price in free agent rumors, but that hasn’t stopped Dallas Keuchel from acting as a recruiter. “The baseball fan in me definitely would like to see [a rotation] upgrade but that’s not in my control. I know I’ve made pitches to David Price — it’s just the baseball fan in me at the end of the day,” Keuchel tells Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle. “I just play. … I think (the bosses) know that we’re in a good position.” While Price may be a bit too expensive for the Astros, the team has certainly been connected to several other free agent arms as Houston looks to back up Keuchel with another first-rate starter. Here’s some more from around baseball…
- Two Marlins sources say that Jose Fernandez‘s attitude is becoming a problem, with teammates annoyed that Fernandez “has become more entitled and cocky” due to perceived favoritism from owner Jeffrey Loria. Despite this issue, the team isn’t planning on trading Fernandez, though the Marlins know they’ll have a hard time retaining him once he hits free agency after the 2018 season.
- Also from Jackson, he reports that the Marlins have reached out to John Lackey, Scott Kazmir and Tim Lincecum, among other available starting pitchers. This is the first time we’ve heard of Miami’s interest in Lackey, though the veteran right-hander has been getting plenty of attention from several other clubs.
- If the Marlins change course on Fernandez and decide that a trade is necessary, the Dodgers, Red Sox, Royals, Twins and Astros could all be particularly good fits to acquire the star righty, ESPN’s David Schoenfield writes.
- Earlier this week, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told reporters (including the Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes) that he’ll be looking to add a left-handed hitter to help balance out the Nats’ lineup. Starting pitching isn’t necessarily a big need, as Tanner Roark and Joe Ross look set to fill out the rotation behind Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez, so while starting pitching isn’t necessarily a big need, Rizzo didn’t quite close the door on the subject. “I’m happy sliding Tanner and Joe in the rotation. With that said, you can never have enough good starting pitching,” Rizzo said.
- The Orioles haven’t swung any blockbuster trades under Dan Duquette’s watch, and CSNMidAtlantic.com’s Rich Dubroff doesn’t expect that to change this winter. Part of the issue this offseason is that the O’s don’t have much to offer in the way of prospects; Dubroff lists some of the notable minor league arms the Orioles have dealt in recent years, particularly three young starters traded within the last year just to address their right field hole (in the form of Travis Snider and then Gerardo Parra). As I noted in my Orioles Offseason Outlook piece, Baltimore has so many departing free agents that Duquette will need to be more aggressive than usual with trades or signings in order to keep the team competitive.
- The Yankees “fixate on high strikeout rates, low walk rates and high groundball percentages” for their starting pitchers, the New York Post’s Joel Sherman writes. With this model in mind, Sherman looks at ten pitchers that could be targeted by the Yankees in trade talks, though some will be harder to acquire than others since New York isn’t intending to deal top prospects like Aaron Judge.
Cafardo’s Latest: Giants, Braves, Gordon, Chapman
Here’s the latest from The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo…
- The Braves are one of multiple teams who have asked the Giants about Joe Panik and Matt Duffy in trade talks but San Francisco isn’t interesting in dealing either young infielder. Panik and Duffy may have come up in discussions with the Braves over pitching, as Cafardo reports the Giants have discussed Julio Teheran and Shelby Miller.
- Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon is generating “a ton of interest” and Miami is at least listening. It would take a controllable, front-of-the-rotation arm to really get the Marlins’ attention, however, and it “seems unlikely” that Gordon would go anywhere. I have to agree that dealing Gordon would be a stunning move even for the Marlins; if anything, the club is far more likely to extend him, as has been noted in recent reports.
- The Reds and Red Sox discussed a trade for Aroldis Chapman, but Cincinnati wanted more from Boston than the Sox eventually sent to the Padres to land Craig Kimbrel. That would represent a stunningly high asking price for a closer who is only under contract through the 2016 season. Kimbrel, by contrast, is owed $25MM through the 2017 season and Boston has a $13MM club option on his services for 2018.
- Andrew Miller is “atop” the Astros‘ list of closer targets and Mark Melancon is also under consideration. We’d already heard about Houston’s interest in acquiring a top reliever earlier today, with Miller’s name included with the likes of Chapman, Brad Boxberger and Ken Giles.
- Speaking of Melancon, the Pirates closer tells Cafardo that he’s keeping an open mind about trade speculation. “I love the Pirates. I love our group of guys and would love to stay here, but I also understand the business of it. Every organization has a different business plan, and if the Pirates feel they need to deal me, then I understand that. Our people haven’t said a word to me about the possibility, so until that changes, I’m assuming I’m starting the year with the Pirates.”
- The Twins are another team looking for relief help and they’ve also received a lot of interest about third baseman Trevor Plouffe. There has been speculation that Plouffe could be moved to make way for Miguel Sano at third base, especially if the Twins come to an agreement with Byung-Ho Park.
- Though Brett Gardner‘s name has surfaced in trade talks, it’s “not a slam dunk” that the Yankees would part with him since he’s a clubhouse leader. As CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman did yesterday, Cafardo also downplays the idea of a Gardner-for-Starlin Castro trade, noting that the Yankees would only trade Gardner if they got a starting pitcher back.
- Five general managers told Cafardo that they wouldn’t take Hanley Ramirez in a trade even if the Red Sox covered at least half of Ramirez’s remaining salary. Ramirez is owed $66MM through 2018 and he has a $22MM vesting option for 2019, so even at a reduced rate, that’s still a hefty price for a player coming off such a rough season on and off the field.
- Cafardo feels the Cubs and Giants have the best chance at signing John Lackey, who wants to remain in the National League. The Cardinals have also “kept their toes in the water” for his services. The Red Sox have checked in on Lackey but are more focused on landing an ace starter.
- John Boggs, Trevor Cahill‘s agent, said his client looks to be a starter again “but he would accept a bullpen spot if he doesn’t secure a starting job.”
Latest On Jose Fernandez
Despite recent rumors swirling about the Marlins looking to trade ace Jose Fernandez or Fernandez asking to be dealt himself, both sides say they’re looking to continue their relationship in 2016. At a recent charity event, Fernandez told reporters (including MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro) that he’d heard about the trade speculation but “I’m not paying attention to it at all….I really don’t have no time to look into that stuff. It’s not important to me.”
“I’m looking forward to being with my teammates and winning some ballgames. Get ready to go to Spring Training healthy and have a nice long year with the boys. Hopefully we get the opportunity to win the World Series. That’s the main goal. That’s what the city deserves and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Sources within Marlins management saw a Fernandez trade as doubtful a few days ago, and Frisaro hears (Twitter link) that the righty will indeed be staying put. In a recent appearance on the MLB Network, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman said that teams who contacted the Marlins about Fernandez were told that the ace isn’t available.
Any number of “unavailable” players have been dealt over the years, of course, so it’s possible the Marlins are simply trying to give themselves extra leverage in trade talks and thus drive what’s already sure to be a high asking price for Fernandez even higher. If Miami really did want to trade Fernandez, this offseason may not be the best time for it — the righty was limited to just 64 2/3 innings in 2015, missing half the season recovering from Tommy John surgery and then another month with a bicep strain in his throwing arm.
This shortened workload will mean that Fernandez will pitch under an innings limit in 2016, and interestingly, the 23-year-old said that Scott Boras, his agent, will indeed play a role in how that limit will be determined. Marlins president David Samson said last week that Boras wouldn’t have a say in Fernandez’s workload, though the right-hander himself said that Boras was already involved in such discussions last year and “it’s worked perfectly fine. We all agreed. We’re all on the same page.”
“I do not know what all this is all about, but Scott Boras will be there because he’s my agent, and I get to decide who is going to be on my phone calls on my conference. It’s that simple.”
Even an inning-capped version of Fernandez would still be attractive to virtually every team in baseball, should the Marlins decide to make him available. On the flip side, Miami hopes to be contender itself in 2016 and dealing an ace wouldn’t help an already-questionable Marlins rotation. The Fish could try to get Major League-ready pitching in return for Fernandez, though on paper, a team with such arms to spare wouldn’t necessarily be the best trade partner for Fernandez.
Added To The 40-Man Roster: Friday
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 …
- The last team to report is the Giants, who have added a host of names to their 40-man: pitchers Ty Blach, Clayton Blackburn, Kyle Crick, Ian Gardeck, Adalberto Mejia, Steven Okert, Jake Smith, and Chris Stratton. With the roster filled up with that many pre-MLB arms, it’s fair to wonder whether the team anticipates trading from among that group.
- In their second set of 40-man promotions today, the Astros have selected the contracts of outfielder Andrew Aplin and infielder Nolan Fontana.
- Moving onto the Marlins 40-man are lefty Jarlin Garcia and a trio of righties: Jacob Esch, Austin Brice, and Nick Wittgren.
- The Cubs have placed backstop Willson Contreras, righty Pierce Johnson, third baseman Jeimer Candelario, and first baseman Dan Vogelbach onto their 40-man, the team announced.
- The Phillies added outfielder Roman Quinn and righties Jimmy Cordero and Edubray Ramos.
- Joining the Royals‘ 40-man are pitchers Matthew Strahm, Alec Mills, and Kyle Zimmer, infielder Ramon Torres, and outfielders Brett Eibner and Bubba Starling, the club announced.
- The Rockies have selected the contracts of righties Carlos Estevez and Antonio Senzatela, infielder Trevor Story, and outfielder Raimel Tapia.
- The Rays will add righties Jacob Faria, Taylor Guerrieri, and German Marquez to the 40-man roster along with infielder/outfielder Taylor Motter and rising lefty prospect Blake Snell.
- The Pirates have added top prospects Tyler Glasnow and Josh Bell to the club’s 40-man, along with fellow youngsters Harold Ramirez (an outfielder) and Max Moroff (a middle infielder).
- Righty Victor Alcantara has been placed on the Angels‘ 40-man, the club announced. As MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez notes on Twitter, Alcantara is probably now the team’s single best prospect.
Earlier Updates
- Joining the big league side of the roster for the Yankees are righties Johnny Barbato and Rookie Davis along with outfielder Ben Gamel, the team announced.
- The Reds announced the additions of right-handers Robert Stephenson, Sal Romano, and Stephen Johnson to the 40-man roster to keep them from Rule 5 eligibility.
- Going onto the Rangers‘ 40-man roster are outfielder Nomar Mazara, lefty Yohander Mendez, and righties Jose Leclerc and Connor Sadzeck.
- The Dodgers brought righties Jharel Cotton and Ross Stripling onto their 40-man, per a team announcement.
- Infielder Marco Hernandez, righty Pat Light, and lefty Williams Jerez are the newest members of the Red Sox 40-man, the club announced.
- The White Sox have protected righties Brandon Brennan and J.B. Wendelken from the Rule 5 by giving them roster spots.
- The Orioles have added a trio of pitchers, per an announcement. Parker Bridwell and Andrew Triggs throw from the right side, while Chris Lee is a southpaw.
- Moving onto the 40-man for the Indians are righties Mike Clevinger, Shawn Morimando and Dylan Baker, as well as outfielders Tyler Naquin and James Ramsey, per the club.
- The Mets announced the additions of outfielder Brandon Nimmo and righties Seth Lugo, Jeff Walters, and Robert Gsellman to the club’s major league roster.
- Second baseman Joey Wendle and left-hander Jose Torres were added to the Athletics 40-man roster, per the club.
- The Mariners announced that they have purchased the contracts of infielder Patrick Kivlehan and outfielder Boog Powell, thereby adding them to the 40-man roster and protecting them from the Rule 5 Draft.
- The Astros announced the additions of catcher Alfredo Gonzalez and right-handers Jandel Gustave, Juan Minaya, Joe Musgrove and David Paulino to the 40-man roster. Notably, Gustave was a Rule 5 pick last year and found himself with both the Padres and Royals before ultimately being returned to Houston.
- The Tigers announced that they’ve added right-handers Michael Fulmer and Montreal Robertson as well as left-hander Jairo Labourt to the 40-man. Fulmer was the main piece picked up in Detroit’s trade of Yoenis Cespedes, while Labourt was one of three lefties acquired from Toronto in the David Price trade.
Trade Notes: Giles, Cubs-Braves Talks, Ozuna, Lind
While the Phillies are downplaying the possibility of trading Ken Giles this offseason, there’s an expectation among other teams that he’ll be dealt either this winter or in July, according to ESPN’s Jayson Stark. Stark heard that the asking price on Giles is steep — at least two or three high-ceiling prospects — and that the Phillies are willing to hang onto him if their price isn’t met. My first thought upon seeing the Craig Kimbrel trade return was to wonder what type of haul the Phillies could receive in exchange for Giles. While Giles hasn’t established himself to the level that Kimbrel has, of course, he’s still earning just over $500K per season, won’t be arbitration-eligible for two more years and can be controlled through 2020. The Phillies are within their rights to seek a huge return.
Here’s more on the trade market:
- The Cubs and Braves have had talks regarding Atlanta’s controllable, MLB-level pitching, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). That would appear to involve Julio Teheran and/or Shelby Miller, as it’s hard to imagine Chicago having interest in any other Braves starters for immediate MLB jobs. Rosenthal writes that the Cubs are “doing background work” on somewhere around a dozen rotation options, while colleague Jon Morosi has said that the team is in contact with nearly the same number of free agent starters. Meanwhile, the Braves are looking to get young position players back if they ship out arms, per Rosenthal.
- As we’ve heard suggested previously, the Marlins are asking other clubs for young pitching in return for outfielder Marcell Ozuna, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports (links to Twitter). It’s always seemed likely that Ozuna would be dealt, as MLBTR explained in its post on the club’s offseason outlook, and one of Crasnick’s sources confirmed that the sentiment is held around the league. “I’d be surprised if they keep him,” said an anonymous executive. “Loria clearly can’t stand the guy and everybody knows it.”
- There’s “lots of activity” on Brewers first baseman (and prospective DH) Adam Lind, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports on Twitter. The righty-masher could end up being the next veteran asset shipped out of Milwaukee, says Rosenthal, and that certainly wouldn’t be surprising.
Latest On Ken Giles
Here’s the latest chatter on Phillies‘ closer Ken Giles, who has drawn plenty of attention as a possible trade chip after tossing over 100 innings of 1.56 ERA ball in his first two seasons in the majors:
- “We’re trying to add players like Ken Giles, we’re not trying to subtract,” Phillies GM Matt Klentak said today in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (audio links). “That’s what every team wants,” he said, referring to Giles’ performance, control, and cost. Of course, as he went on to note, there’s a “caveat”: Klentak said that he is open to being “opportunistic” with any player and is listening to any and all proposals from other clubs. “The relief pitcher market this year has been a little different than it is in a lot of offseasons, maybe highlighted by the trade last week,” he noted (apparently referencing the Craig Kimbrel deal).
- The Astros and Marlins are two of several teams that have checked in with Philly on Giles, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. It’s hard to put too much stock in that, of course. Houston has been said to be pursuing a wide variety of power relief arms. And Miami could stand to plug in another late-inning arm, particularly one that won’t occupy much payroll space in the near term. Then, there’s the fact that a number of other teams are (or will likely be) in the mix as well.
- As Rosenthal notes, and as Klentak said himself directly, the club is hardly committed to dealing Giles away right now. Indeed, it would be surprising to learn of such an approach. Philadelphia was comfortable taking some additional risk by waiting to trade Cole Hamels, and that rationale holds weight here as well. Though the risk of an injury or a downturn is always there, and it would obviously behoove the team to see what it can get, that hardly means there’s a rush to cash in the 25-year-old.
Trade Market Notes: Tigers, Fernandez, Chavez, Belt
The Tigers have canvassed the trade market for late-inning relievers, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets, checking in on closers including Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller. But the team is “not comfortable with [the] asking prices” it’s been quoted, says Rosenthal. Of course, Detroit has also been tied to several of the best-available free agent relievers. If a swap isn’t in the offing, presumably the club will look to the open market to build out its pen.
Here are some more trade market notes:
- There was some buzz yesterday surrounding the possibility of the Marlins dangling stud righty Jose Fernandez in trades after Craig Mish of Sirius XM tweeted that there is a “growing sentiment” inside and outside the organization that a deal could occur this winter. That’s hardly an indication that a deal is likely, but it wouldn’t be surprising for the Fish at least to listen. The Scott Boras client has three years of control remaining and doesn’t seem likely to sign an extension. While he’ll be rather affordable — MLBTR projects only a $2MM arbitration salary because of his limited innings last year — he’d also be a hotly-pursued trade piece that could potentially bring back a huge return of more controllable talent at or near the big league level.
- Marlins sources downplayed the likelihood of a Fernandez deal to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. And club president David Samson told Jackson: “Some players are more likely to be traded than others. Jose fits in the latter category. He is a Marlin for at least the next three years and hopefully longer and we look forward to the start of the 2016 season.” As MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro notes on Twitter, it is also worth bearing in mind that the club is in the middle of important TV rights fees negotiations. Dealing away one of the club’s two major stars wouldn’t figure to aid the club’s leverage in those talks.
- The Athletics have fielded “significant trade interest” in righty Jesse Chavez, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports on Twitter. Oakland could consider dealing the 32-year-old swingman now that free agent lefty Rich Hill has signed, Passan adds. MLBTR projects Chavez to earn $4.7MM in his final trip through arbitration.
- After extending Brandon Crawford yesterday, there’s still some uncertainty surrounding the Giants‘ other key, 4+ service-time infielder by that first name. First baseman Brandon Belt could also be an extension candidated, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Twitter links), although he adds that the sides may not have progressed very far yet in talks. But there’s still also a possibility that Belt will be traded, per Schulman. While other teams may be somewhat hesitant since Belt ended the year with concussion issues, there are no reasons at present to believe that he’ll be limited going forward. And his consistent production would undoubtedly draw plenty of interest.
East Notes: Yankees, Marlins, Bour
Here’s a look at the AL and NL East..
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman understands the usefulness of dealing from a surplus in order to strengthen other areas, as Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News writes. Most recently, Cashman sent backup catcher John Ryan Murphy to the Twins for outfielder Aaron Hicks, who Cashman feels could become an everyday player. “We’ve just had a collection of catchers,” Cashman says. “It’s happenstance. You can trade from that area. The players get developed and some make it and some don’t. When you have that, it’s easier to consider the trade options to fill up another area of need. The players in your system are there for you to use at the major-league level or to acquire things you may lack.” McCarron also discusses 23-year-old Gary Sanchez, who could some day be Brian McCann‘s successor. Of course, he could also be traded some day to address a weakness, just like Murphy.
- The Marlins appear committed to first baseman Justin Bour, but they also want him to get in better shape, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. Therefore, Miami will consider some inexpensive right-handed hitting platoon options this winter. Bour, 27, slashed .262/.321/.479 with 23 homers across 446 plate appearances in his rookie season.
- More from Jackson, who writes that the Marlins want to add two veteran starters in part because they don’t want to have to bank on a youngster like Justin Nicolino, Adam Conley or Jose Urena to be the fifth starter. Still, those younger pitchers will be given a chance to compete with a veteran for the No. 5 slot.
East Notes: Hellickson, Pennington, Marlins
Phillies GM Matt Klentak says his team will depend on newly acquired Jeremy Hellickson to help solidify its rotation, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com writes. “This offseason we made it a priority to add a stabilizing influence to our young rotation, and we think we found that guy in Jeremy,” says Klentak. “I think one of the things on top of the obvious is that he’s a veteran guy, but still just 28 years old. He’ll pitch at 29 this season, so we’re excited that he’s still in his prime.” Klentak says he’s hoping for bounce-back seasons from not only Hellickson but also James Russell and Dan Otero, both of whom the Phillies acquired earlier this month. Here are more quick notes from the East divisions.
- Free agent infielder Cliff Pennington, who played down the stretch with the Blue Jays, is close to signing, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweets. He’s considering one- and two-year deals. SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets Pennington is choosing from among three teams. The 31-year-old Pennington hit just .210/.298/.281 in 2015. Given his solid defense and versatility (he can play shortstop, second base, third base and outfield and even pitch if needed), Pennington does have value, but it would be mildly surprising, in my opinion, if he wound up with a two-year deal following a down season.
- The Marlins would like to acquire two veteran starting pitchers this offseason because they don’t want to force themselves to start the year with one of a trio of youngsters (Justin Nicolino, Adam Conley, Jose Urena) in their starting rotation, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes (scroll down). The three younger pitchers will compete for a spot, but the Marlins would like to have a veteran option to compete as well. It looks, then, like the Marlins’ rotation will be Jose Fernandez, Jarred Cosart, Tom Koehler, a veteran, and then either another vet or one of Nicolino, Conley or Urena. (The team also has Henderson Alvarez, David Phelps, Brad Hand and Kendry Flores on its 40-man roster, although each of them comes with at least one question mark related to injury, performance or inexperience.) Jackson also adds that the Marlins like Justin Bour at first base, but they want him to improve his conditioning and could consider adding a right-handed platoon partner for him.