Added To The 40-Man Roster: Sunday
As Opening Day approaches, teams will be making tough roster decisions involving their veteran players. Some of these decisions pertain to Article XX(B) free agents who have their opt-out date on Tuesday, though other players have opt-outs that fall on Sunday or Monday. We’ll keep track of the players who make the big league roster cut here:
- The Mariners confirmed that Dae-Ho Lee has been added to the 40-man roster, as Bob Dutton of The News Tribune tweets. Lee had the ability to opt out of his minor league deal today if he did not make the 40-man cut. Per the terms of his deal, the Korean first baseman will earn a $1MM base salary with $3MM in possible bonuses.
- Mariners right-handed reliever Joel Peralta has been told he’ll be added to the 40-man roster, Greg Johns of MLB.com tweets. However, nothing is official yet since the 40-man roster is currently full. It’s possible that a move involving Jesus Montero could free up a spot for the reliever.
- The Brewers have added Blaine Boyer to their 25-man roster, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Journal-Sentinel (on Twitter). Boyer, 34, posted a 2.49 ERA in 65 games for the Twins last season, but that was offset by a sub-par 4.6 K/9. Now that Boyer’s fate has been decided, Milwaukee must figure out what to do with Franklin Morales and Chris Capuano who have opt outs on Monday and Tuesday (respectively).
- Brewers outfielder Ramon Flores will make the Brewers’ big league roster, as Todd Rosiak of the Journal-Sentinel tweets. Flores was out-of-options, so the team did not have the option of sending him down to the minors.
- Left-hander Ross Detwiler has been told he’ll be on the Indians‘ Opening Day roster, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com tweets. Per the terms of his deal, Detwiler will earn a $1MM base salary with the opportunity to add another $1.5MM in performance bonuses. The former No. 6 overall draft pick spent last season with the Rangers and Braves but struggled with both teams.
Will Smith Has Torn LCL
Brewers reliever Will Smith has a torn lateral collateral ligament in his right knee, and it’s unclear whether he’ll opt for rehab or surgery, Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel writes. In a freak occurrence, Smith suffered the injury while taking off his shoe in the clubhouse.
“I was standing on one leg, trying to take the shoe off and I pulled hard and it stayed on. My knee just went up and popped,” Smith says.
Whether or not Smith’s injury requires surgery, it appears he’s in for a significant stay on the Brewers’ disabled list. Smith figured to be part of the Brewers’ mix at closer, along with Jeremy Jeffress. The injury likely means that Jeffress will have the role to himself, at least for awhile.
Smith has been one of the better lefty relievers in baseball the past three seasons, and he was terrific in 2015, with a 2.70 ERA, 3.4 BB/9 and an impressive 12.9 K/9 in 63 1/3 innings working in a setup role. He figured to become a trade candidate for Brewers at some point, since an electric lefty reliever seems like a luxury for a rebuilding team, although his current injury could delay that possibility. Smith is making $1.475MM in his first year of arbitration eligibility in 2016 as a Super Two player.
NL Central Notes: Bailey, Smith, Jones, Braun, Victorino, Luebke
Reds righty Homer Bailey is progressing rapidly in his effort to return from Tommy John surgery, MLB.com’s Barry Bloom writes. The club is targeting a May 1 return, which would be less than a year from the date of his procedure. Manager Bryan Price actually suggested that Bailey could have been ready for the start of the season, but the organization chose not to “push him.” The right represents an important bounceback player to watch, given his huge contract. He says that recovery has been “smoother” than he anticipated and that he’s yet to experience discomfort throwing.
Here’s more from the NL Central:
- There was plenty of news out of Brewers camp today, as Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. Top reliever Will Smith is experiencing knee swelling and could miss the start of the season. That would leave Jeremy Jeffress as the obvious choice to handle the 9th while Smith works back to full speed.
- Brewers Rule 5 pick Zack Jones has had shoulder issues all spring long and is going to start out on the DL. That could actually make it easier to keep him, as the team can bring him along slowly and give him some minor league time on a rehab assignment before exposing him to the majors.
- The lower back soreness experienced recently by Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun appears to be an increasing concern. Manager Craig Counsell suggested that the team will exercise caution, but doesn’t expect the problem to disappear in the next few days. “We may have to manage this into the season,” said Counsell. “That’s becoming apparent now.”
- Outfielder Shane Victorino discussed his status with the Cubs with Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. It appears he’s still deciding whether to remain in the organization, but doesn’t seem inclined to retire. “I just still want to play the game I love,” Victorino said. “We all want to do that forever, but this time I really felt like I had made a turn for the better this offseason, going back to switch-hitting.” He added that he wouldn’t hesitate to call it quits if he felt otherwise, saying: “I am my hardest critic, so if I feel like I am done, no one would need to make that decision for me.”
- Pirates lefty Cory Luebke has an opt-out date of Tuesday the 29th, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. That’ll be an interesting situation to monitor, as Luebke has reportedly been fairly impressive in camp — as we covered last night.
Career Notes: Dickey, Colon, Jimenez
Several notable big leaguers have officially hung up the cleats this offseason, or given an indication (sort of) about when they might be retiring. Here’s the latest from some more veterans about when they may or may not consider calling it a career…
- R.A. Dickey is entering the last year of his contract with the Blue Jays and the 41-year-old tells VICE Sports’ John Lott that he’ll sit down with his family after the season to decide on his future. Right now, “we’re all kind of undecided. We just like to stay in the moment,” Dickey said. If he does return, it would be for a situation that suits his family and likely a one-year contract. “I think I will be an attractive option for a lot of teams because I will not be requiring a multi-year deal, and I will probably be asking less than what my market value will be….And for me, it’s not necessarily about the money at this point. It’s about the right fit, and how close to home I’d be, and are there direct flights, and what is the clubhouse policy for kids, all that stuff,” Dickey said. Despite his age, the knuckleballer is as steady an innings-eater as any in baseball, averaging 219 frames per season since 2011. Given the lack of starting pitching available in next winter’s free agent market, Dickey is probably correct in assuming he would get a lot of interest.
- Speaking of ageless right-handers, Bartolo Colon tells Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News that plans to pitch as long as he’s healthy. “I take it year by year. We’ll see what happens for me,” Colon said. The 42-year-old fan favorite is preparing for his 19th season in the bigs, returning to the Mets rotation until Zack Wheeler makes his midseason return from Tommy John rehab.
- Left-hander Cesar Jimenez hasn’t arrived at the Brewers‘ Spring Training camp, and while the team hasn’t heard anything official yet, Jimenez might be retiring, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets. Jimenez appeared in 16 games with the Crew last season after he was selected off waivers from Philadelphia in August, and he signed a minor league deal to return to Milwaukee in January. Jimenez, 31, has a 4.05 ERA over 104 1/3 career innings and parts of six big league seasons with the Brewers, Phillies and Mariners.
Opt-Out Notes: Robinson, Boyer, Morales, Burnett, Murphy
As Spring Training winds to a close, several teams will face roster decisions on veteran minor league signings. Some of these veterans are Article XX(B) free agents whose fates have to be decided five days prior to Opening Day, while others have differing opt-out dates. Here’s the latest on some veterans looking to catch on with Major League rosters…
- Shane Robinson can opt out of his contract with the Indians on March 29 if he isn’t on the Tribe’s 25-man roster, MLBTR has learned. While Cleveland is notably thin on outfield options, Robinson could choose to opt out since the Indians have added veterans Marlon Byrd and Will Venable to their outfield mix within the last month. While Robinson has only a .237/.302/.313 slash line over 649 career plate appearances, he is an above-average baserunner and defender at all three outfield positions.
- Blaine Boyer‘s opt-out with the Brewers is March 27 and Franklin Morales can opt out on March 28, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Chris Capuano, another veteran arm competing for a job in the Brewers bullpen, appears to have the standard Tuesday deadline for Article XX(B) players.
- Sean Burnett‘s opt-out date on his Nationals contract is April 1, James Wagner of the Washington Post reports. The Nats have 24 hours to either add Burnett to the roster or release him if he exercises his clause. The southpaw is looking to make a comeback after pitching only 10 1/3 innings total over the last three seasons due to shoulder surgery and Tommy John surgery.
- David Murphy hasn’t heard anything from the Red Sox about his roster status and doesn’t expect to before the March 27 opt-out date, the outfielder tells WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. “I think in most cases in a situation where an out date is created in a contract, most teams are going to want to take it down to the wire because you never know what might happen with injuries,” Murphy said. On Monday, the veteran said he might consider retirement rather than go to the minors at this stage of his career.
NL Central Notes: Lucroy, Bruce, Schwarber, Pirates
Here’s the latest from around the NL Central…
- The Brewers were talking with the Astros and Braves about a three-team trade involving Jonathan Lucroy last month, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports. Houston made an attempt at Lucroy earlier in the offseason, as previously reported by FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, and the club has also been linked to Braves center fielder Ender Inciarte. This isn’t to say that Inciarte was also necessarily part of this three-team proposal, of course, as Atlanta’s role in the trade could’ve taken any number of forms.
- Lucroy has been the subject of many trade rumors this winter, to the point that he and his family don’t have living arrangements in Milwaukee settled yet since he presumed he was going to be dealt. “It’s all out of your control. But communication is a big thing. I’d like to be kept up to date what’s going on. It’s not like I’m going to spread it all around, I just want to know when it’s coming, when to expect it,” the longtime Brewers catcher said.
- Also from Nightengale’s piece, he notes that the Reds were willing to pay roughly $8MM of Jay Bruce‘s $12.5MM salary as part of the abandoned three-team trade that would’ve sent Bruce to the Blue Jays, Michael Saunders to the Angels and prospects to Cincinnati. It was expected that the Reds would have to eat some money in any Bruce deal, given that the outfielder is coming off two consecutive subpar seasons. Saunders is making $2.9MM in 2016, so adding Bruce would’ve cost Toronto around $1.6MM in extra salary (not counting the $1MM buyout of Bruce’s $13MM club option for 2017).
- Like Lucroy, Bruce is also rather surprised to still be with his original team given all of the trade speculation. He reiterated that he would prefer to stay with the Reds, and blames his recent “pretty poor” play for threatening his long-term future in Cincinnati. (Though it could be argued that if Bruce had been hitting more, the Reds would’ve been able to move him sooner.) “In order for me to have a chance to stay here, I need to play better. We’ll see what happens. I never changed my sentiment, wanting to be part of this for the long haul….But obviously, I have to do my part to even have a chance,” Bruce said.
- Kyle Schwarber could be a personal catcher for Jason Hammel this season, CSN Chicago’s Patrick Mooney writes, as the Cubs are looking for ways to get Schwarber’s bat into the lineup whenever possible. Schwarber’s defensive future has been the subject of much debate, as he’s scheduled to see most of his playing time in left field this year even though his fielding prowess is still a question mark. It’s also unclear if Schwarber can handle being a regular catcher, though with Miguel Montero and David Ross ahead of him on Chicago’s catching depth chart, he could be eased into the position for just Hammel’s starts. Being removed from too much grind behind the plate could actually benefit Schwarber, Mooney notes, by helping him stay healthy.
- The Pirates hired James Harris as a special assistant to baseball operations in February, and Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review examines how the hiring is an example of how the Bucs are willing to look outside of baseball for ways to build their organization. Harris specializes in fitness and nutrition techniques and he has spent much of his career in football, including the last decade working with Chip Kelly both at the University of Oregon and with the NFL’s Eagles. Harris’ lack of baseball experience wasn’t a big factor for Pirates GM Neal Huntington, as the goal for any athlete is about “maximizing performance. How do we help this player get better every day and perform as consistently as possible?“
Central Notes: Indians, Meyer, Rosenthal, Rivera
The Indians have little time to evaluate Marlon Byrd and make final roster decisions, as Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal writes. Manager Terry Francona acknowledged the dilemma of making a call after a brief look at the late-to-sign veteran. “It’s not like we need to see him hit a home run,” said Francona. “This is going to be a hard one. I think we’re balancing not trying to do too much, too quick. … Because it’s going to be hard unless something jumps out one way or another.” As Lewis notes, the organization does have some flexibility since it can retain some of the competitors for outfield jobs — including Joey Butler, Collin Cowgill, and Tyler Naquin — via options. Will Venable is also in the hunt for a role, per the report, while Robbie Grossman and Shane Robinson appear to be “outside contenders” at this point.
Here’s more from the central divisions:
- Twins righty Alex Meyer will return to the rotation to open the 2016 season, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger reports. The former top-50 leaguewide prospect shifted to the pen last year after a disastrous beginning to the season, with up-and-down results. Meyer has a long way to go to restore his prospect sheen, but it seems he’ll at least have a chance to harness his big arm as a starter.
- Trevor Rosenthal of the Cardinals, meanwhile, has established himself as one of the game’s best relievers, but still hopes to have a chance to return at some point to the rotation, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. Rosenthal mostly pitched as a starter in the brief time he spent in the minors, but has operated exclusively in relief at the major league level. Though he didn’t take issue with his 9th-inning role, Rosenthal said he “would definitely like to have [a starting] opportunity,” preferably “sooner rather than later.” Of course, his role is highly unlikely to change this spring or over the season to come, and it remains to be seen whether the organization will be willing to tinker next spring. Rosenthal’s work as a closer has already earned him a $5.6MM payday in his first of three years of arbitration.
- Infielder Yadiel Rivera has impressed the Brewers this spring, but finds himself in a tough spot in the organization’s hierarchy, as Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. The 23-year-old is behind Jonathan Villar in the pecking order at the major league level, with the heralded Orlando Arcia rising quickly as well. But there’s little question that a rebuilding Milwaukee organization will find some way to give Rivera a chance if his added strength and confidence show up in the results; indeed, none of the club’s likely starting infielders appear to have a stranglehold on their jobs heading into the season.
NL Central Notes: Cubs, Pirates, Brewers, Reds
No team will fret over having too much in the way of talent, but Phil Rogers of MLB.com wonders if the Cubs‘ depth could stifle the growth of Javier Baez and Jorge Soler. In the case of Baez, manager Joe Maddon believes that he can get enough work in as a utility player. Overall, Maddon is grateful to have such strong insurance against injuries.
“It’s obvious just by making the daily lineups now,” he said on Sunday. “When you give guys a day off playing but the team that goes to play that day is pretty thick still. That’s what has hit home with me. … The depth is really intriguing. You need that to be successful during the course of a long season. You’re going to have things happen. No question.”
Here’s more out of the NL Central:
- Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette took on the tough task of predicting the Pirates‘ Opening Day roster. His projections do not include outfielder Matt Joyce, who was brought in on a minor-league deal this offseason. Nesbitt’s writes that his projections could be thrown off by a few factors, including the possibility that Michael Morse is moved in anticipation of Jung Ho Kang’s return.
- Brewers left-hander Sean Nolin won’t be ready for Opening Day and that could have roster implications for Milwaukee, as Tom Haudricourt of the Journal-Sentinel writes. As Nolin deals with his elbow issue, only two lefties – Chris Capuano and Franklin Morales – are left vying for spots and both were brought in on minor league deals. Those two southpaws plus reliever Blaine Boyer have opt out clauses in their contracts that could spring them from their deals before Opening Day.
- Nolin is out-of-options, but his elbow issue likely will buy the Brewers time in making a decision on him, Haudricourt tweets. Nolin is likely destined for the DL.
- J.J. Hoover is likely to be the Reds‘ closer and manager Bryan Price says he would “definitely” be the choice if the season started now, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com writes. Hoover, who won his arbitration case against the Reds this offseason, could help his arb case next offseason if he can rack up saves.
Rymer Liriano Suffers Facial Fractures
Outfielder Rymer Liriano sustained multiple facial fractures Sunday after being hit by a pitch in the Brewers’ Spring Training game against the Dodgers, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. Liriano was batting in the eighth inning when Matt West‘s pitch came up and in and struck him hard on the cheek. He was removed on a stretcher. He will begin the season on the disabled list, and it’s unknown when he’ll return. “It’s serious,” says Brewers manager Craig Counsell. “He got hit in the head.”
The Brewers acquired Liriano in January in a minor trade with the Padres. Liriano, who is out of options, was competing to make the team and possibly earn playing time in center field, where the Brewers have a vacancy. Once a top prospect with the Padres, Liriano batted .292/.383/.460 for Triple-A El Paso last season.
Rangers Content With Current Catching Situation
The Rangers have reportedly been in the market for a catcher in recent weeks, but that search has apparently been put on the back burner. On Sunday, Texas GM Jon Daniels indicated that he will not be adding another catcher between now and Opening Day, as T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com writes.
“At this point I anticipate both our catchers are in camp,” Daniels said. “We are open if there is a true improvement to the team, but we’re not going to change for change’s sake.”
Daniels admitted that he has talked “a little bit” with rival teams about acquiring a catcher, but Sullivan gleans that the asking prices for Derek Norris and Jonathan Lucroy have simply been too high. Ultimately then, the Rangers will head into April with Robinson Chirinos behind the dish and a handful of veteran catchers jostling for the No. 2 job.
But, aside from Bobby Wilson, Chris Gimenez, and Michael McKenry, Sullivan notes that 2010 sixth-round pick Brett Nicholas has looked strong in camp and could also find his way on to the roster. Daniels says that the team wasn’t sure what they had in Nicholas but his performance as of late has the club viewing him as “a big league-capable catcher.” On the other hand, Nicholas can be stashed in the minors whereas the team’s trio of veterans probably can’t. Gimenez is out-of-options and Wilson and McKenry have opt-out opportunities if they’re not on the big league roster.
In a perfect world, the Rangers would probably prefer to have Lucroy or Norris to shore things up behind the plate, but they are not presently willing to meet the demands of the Brewers or Padres in order to make a trade happen. The salaries of both players ($4MM and $2.9MM), respectively, are also factors. Even though those are relatively modest sums, the team is already said to be well over their projected payroll thanks to the Ian Desmond signing.