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NL Central Notes: Epstein, Holliday, McCutchen, Hamilton

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The Cubs had the best offseason according to FanGraphs’ David Cameron. The additions of Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist, John Lackey, and Adam Warren to the talented ball club will help even out the performances of younger boom or bust talents. Cameron had only one critique – signing a true center fielder would have let the Cubs put Heyward in a more comfortable spot while taking pressure off Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler. Cameron graded the offseason of all 30 teams in his post so go ahead and see what he has to say about your favorite. The Brewers rebuild ranked second.

Here’s more from the NL Central:

  • Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts plans to once again make Theo Epstein the highest paid executive in baseball, writes Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago. When Epstein originally joined the franchise on a five-year, $18.5MM contract, it was the largest ever signed by an executive. Since then, others have surpassed him – most notably Andrew Friedman of the Dodgers. Ricketts emphasized that Epstein has delivered on his promises to build a perennial contender and therefore deserves to be compensated as the best. He also noted that it’s a low stress conversation because of their good working relationship.
  • The Cardinals won’t be making any decisions on Matt Holliday’s 2017 club option until after the season, writes Derrick Gould of the St. Louis Dispatch. Holliday is in the final guaranteed year of a seven-year, $120MM contract. Notably, his $17MM option for 2017 comes with just a $1MM buy out making it a $16MM decision for the club. Holliday has also approached the club in the past about deferring money in his contract.
  • Pirates chairman Bob Nutting spoke to reporters about the next CBA, writes Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. As a low revenue club, access to talent is the team’s top concern. In the past, they used large amateur budgets to build their current contending roster. The most recent CBA closed off these avenues of spending. Further, the club’s recent success has compounded the issue since they receive lower draft picks and budgets for winning. Nutting declined to comment on specifics. Nutting also reiterated that the club will “try to find an opportunity” to extend Andrew McCutchen.
  • Reds manager Bryan Price hopes speedy outfielder Billy Hamilton can grow into a leadoff role, writes Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Hamilton is just a career .242/.287/.324 hitter. Despite excellent base running, including 126 stolen bases in 1,087 plate appearances, few players could earn regular reps with that triple slash. With Hamilton, his elite defense guarantees him a regular role, per Price. Now it’s just a matter of finding where his bat plays. FanGraphs’ WAR metric agrees with Price. Hamilton has compiled 6.1 WAR putting him on a 3-4 WAR pace per full season.

Brewers Sign Blaine Boyer To Minor League Deal

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FEB. 24: Boyer would earn $950K in the Majors and has another $250K worth of incentives built into his contract, reports Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (via Twitter).

FEB. 12: The Brewers announced on Friday that they have signed right-hander Blaine Boyer to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training.

Boyer, 34, spent the 2015 season in the Twins’ bullpen and put up outstanding bottom-line results in spite of a notable lack of strikeouts. The Aegis Sports Management client appeared in 65 games with Minnesota, tallying 68 innings with a sparkling 2.49 ERA. He averaged 2.6 walks per nine innings and recorded a strong 47.6 percent ground-ball rate, but Boyer also averaged just 4.6 strikeouts per nine with the Twins. The lack of missed bats led metrics like FIP, xFIP and SIERA to peg him in the 4.00 to 4.40 range.

Those numbers aside, Boyer was an effective member of the Twins’ bullpen last season, marking his second straight year of quality contributions in a big league ’pen after a long layoff from the game. As Boyer explained to MLBTR’s Zach Links in Spring Training with the Twins last season, he actually retired from baseball following the 2011 season, but his love for the game brought him back to the Majors in 2014. Since resurfacing in the Majors, Boyer has a 2.91 ERA in 105 1/3 innings between the Padres and Twins. Considering the large number of open spots in the bullpen behind Jeremy Jeffress, Will Smith, Corey Knebel and Michael Blazek, Boyer seems to have a solid chance at cracking the big league roster if he enjoys a strong Spring Training.

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.

Brewers Claim Sean Nolin

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12:58pm: Via Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, general manager David Stearns said that although Nolin has been developed as a starter to this point in his career, the Brewers will look at using him out of the bullpen, perhaps in a multi-inning role (links to Twitter).

12:44pm: The Brewers announced today that they have claimed left-hander Sean Nolin off waivers from the Athletics. Nolin had been designated for assignment by Oakland last week when the club acquired Khris Davis from the Brewers, so, while he isn’t a part of the trade, he’s technically an additional piece of compensation picked up by the Brewers as a result of the trade. (Nolin, after all, would not have been available in this manner were it not for the Davis trade.)

The 26-year-old Nolin was one of four players traded by the Blue Jays to the Athletics in the 2014 Josh Donaldson blockbuster. Long considered one of Toronto’s better prospects, Nolin ranked No. 8 on Baseball America’s list of top prospects just last offseason. BA has profiled him as a potential fourth starter in the past, praising his above-average command and mix of four average or better offerings. Nolin had sports hernia surgery last offseason though, and that may have contributed to an early groin injury that led to more than a month on the disabled list in 2015. When he was healthy enough to take the mound, Nolin made 14 appearances (12 starts) at the Triple-A level, logging an excellent 2.66 ERA with 7.2 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 37.7 percent ground-ball rate. (BA did note that his high arm slot made him likely to end up as an extreme fly-ball pitcher).

In the Majors, Nolin struggled quite a bit more, making six starts and totaling a 5.28 ERA in 29 innings of work. Nolin managed just 14 strikeouts against 12 walks in that time, and his fastball sat at just 86.9 mph — a considerable drop from the low 90s heat he showed when healthy and rising through the Blue Jays’ farm system.

Milwaukee will hope for better health out of Nolin than the A’s received in 2015. If he is indeed back to form, he’ll give the Brewers another option in what would otherwise project to be an all-right-handed rotation. Nolin is out of minor league options, so he’ll need to crack the roster out of Spring Training or again be exposed to waivers and clear before the Brewers would be able to option him to Triple-A Colorado Springs.

NL Central Notes: Arrieta, Braun, Bruce, Waldron

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The Cubs will keep an eye on Jake Arrieta’s workload this season to ensure that the Cy Young Award winner is still fresh for October, Joe Maddon tells reporters (including ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers).  Arrieta threw 248 2/3 innings in the regular and postseason in 2015, far above his previous career high of 176 2/3 frames in 2014.  While Arrieta takes pride in being a workhorse and finishing games, “there’s certain sacrifices that need to be made and I’m more than willing to make those sacrifices to be better for my team later in the season,” he said.  Jon Lester and John Lackey will also have their innings monitored, Maddon said, as the Cubs clearly have their eyes set on being at full strength for the postseason.  Here’s some more from around the NL Central…

  • Ryan Braun will indeed be moving back to left field this season, Brewers manager Craig Counsell confirmed to media (including the Associated Press).  “We talked it over and discussed it, and I think with the players that we have on our roster this year, it’s an advantageous decision for both Ryan and the players we have involved,” Counsell said.  Milwaukee’s left field spot was opened up when Khris Davis was traded to Oakland, and there had been speculation that Braun would be shifted to give highly-touted youngster Domingo Santana regular playing time in right.
  • Also from Counsell, he discusses his first Spring Training as a big league manager and many other topics as part of a Q&A with Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  • Jay Bruce has been the subject of several trade rumors this offseason but he’s taking everything in stride, the Reds outfielder told reporters (including C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer.)  When asked if the trade speculation made it awkward to be in the Reds’ clubhouse, Bruce said “No, not at all.  If it were somewhere else, it’d be awkward right now.  This is what I know, this organization has been much more to be than just a baseball team. I’ve been here since I was 18 years old, and this is all I know.  I look forward to still being here and if something does happen, I completely understand.  It’s part of the business.  I mentioned before, obviously, I truly believe the Reds have to do everything they can do improve the organization and if they end up feeling that making a move with me is part of that plan, I respect them for that.”
  • The Cardinals have shut down right-hander Tyler Waldron due to an impingement in his throwing shoulder, the team told media (including MLB.com’s Barry W. Bloom).  Waldron, 26, was a non-roster invite to the Cards’ camp.  He has a 4.54 ERA over 492 minor league innings in the St. Louis and Pittsburgh farm systems.  Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said Waldron was being shut down indefinitely and he wasn’t sure when the righty would be throwing again.

Brewers' Center Field Job Up For Grabs

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  • The Brewers have turned over half of their 40-man roster since the final day of the 2015 season, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. While GM David Stearns tells Haudricourt that he didn’t come into the offseason with a set number of transactions in mind but rather with a goal of accumulating as much controllable talent as possible. “We’re trying to aggregate as much young talent as we possibly can,” Stearns explains. “The 40-man roster is a way we can do that so we have tried to use that tool to add some talent. I don’t know if that exceeds my expectations but we’ve certainly been busy.” (Stearns was recently a guest on the MLBTR Podcast and offered more in-depth comments regarding that quest.) Manager Craig Counsell tells Haudricourt that center field is the most uncertain spot on the roster heading into Spring Training. Haudricourt notes that four of the new additions — Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Rymer Liriano, Keon Broxton and non-roster invitee Eric Young Jr. — have experience there.

Brewers Release Pat Misch To Pursue Opportunity In Japan

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  • The Brewers have released southpaw Pat Misch to enable him to pursue an opportunity with Japan’s Orix Buffaloes, the club announced on Twitter. Misch, 34, had been set to spend big league camp fighting for a job with Milwaukee after hooking on with a minor league deal back in January. It’s been quite some time since he appeared in the majors, but that doesn’t mean that the veteran hasn’t enjoyed an interesting career of late, as detailed by Baseball America’s John Manuel. Since several rough seasons stateside and a Tommy John procedure, Misch has consistently put up good numbers since the start of 2014. Along the way, he’s appeared in winter ball, indy ball, Triple-A (with the Marlins), and Taiwan’s top league. And at that last stop, Misch spun a no-hitter in Game 7 of the Taiwan Series.

Davis Discusses Trade To Athletics

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  • Khris Davis was sitting in Los Angeles traffic when his agent called him to inform him of his trade from the Brewers to the Athletics, he tells Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Davis, a California native, expressed excitement over the trade but also a profound fondness for Milwaukee, even going so far as to say he’d love to return later in his career. “In my dream scenario world, I come back and finish my career in Milwaukee,” said Davis. “The back end of my career. That’s kind of my home. I was raised by a lot of those staff members.” Davis tells Rosiak that the trade wasn’t completely unexpected, as he began to consider it a possibility once former GM Doug Melvin announced his transition to an advisory role. Davis says he’s looking forward to earning a job with the A’s: “There’s going to be a learning curve, but I’m excited to just go there and start and see the West Coast and be a basher and just crush it.”

Twins Have Interest In Will Smith

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  • The Twins continue to poke around the trade market for left-handed relief help and like Brewers left-hander Will Smith quite a bit, reports 1500 ESPN’s Darren Wolfson in his latest podcast (audio link, with Twins talk firing up around the 37:45 mark). There’s certainly no indication that Milwaukee is looking to move Smith, although as this winter’s Ken Giles trade showed, moving a controllable relief arm can certainly bolster a farm system in a hurry. The Twins have no shortage of minor league talent that could entice the Brewers, though GM Terry Ryan recently spoke about a number of in-house options that intrigue him as lefty options in the bullpen, calling out Taylor Rogers and J.T. Chargois by name.

Brewers Weighing Move Of Braun To Left Field

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