NL Central Notes: Epstein, Brewers, Oh, Nicasio
An extension for Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein is “just a matter of time,” team owner Tom Ricketts told reporters, including Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times at a charity event on Wednesday. “We talk all the time, and it comes up,” Ricketts explained, adding that he is “on the same page” with Epstein in that regard. Epstein, of course, is entering the final season of his five-year contract with the Cubs, though given the manner in which Chicago has returned to prominence in the NL Central and the team’s very positive long-term outlook, it’d come as a surprise if the two sides didn’t work out a new contract.
Here’s more from the division…
- Brewers GM David Stearns wouldn’t disclose whether he will continue the “file and trial” approach to arbitration that the Brewers have employed in recent years, writes MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. For those unfamiliar, “file and trial” teams cease negotiating one-year deals with players once arbitration figures are exchanged — which will happen this Friday. While some file-and-trial clubs will continue negotiating multi-year deals after arb figures are exchanged, such teams will head to a hearing if no multi-year deal talks are in the works. The Brewers have three arbitration-eligible players — Wily Peralta, Jean Segura and Will Smith. Stearns said he didn’t expect any updates on the trio’s contract status until closer to the exchange deadline.
- Seung-hwan Oh told reporters in Korea, including Jee-ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency, that he got the impression all throughout negotiations with the Cardinals that the team felt it needed him, and he’s happy with the deal he received. Oh apologized to his Korean fans for some legal troubles that he incurred which resulted in a 72-game suspension from the KBO, though his actions wouldn’t have warranted any consequences in the United States. Oh was suspended for gambling at an overseas casino in Japan (not on baseball), which is against the KBO’s rules. He’d be forced to miss a half season if he returned to Korea’s top league, though he spoke like a man who doesn’t intend to do so in the near future, saying he hoped to reach the World Series and wouldn’t be satisfied with an ERA over 3.00. Instead, Oh said, he hopes to keep that number closer to 2.00 — a threshold with which he is familiar after a stellar career in both Korea and Japan. Oh said he doesn’t plan to add a new pitch but might rely more heavily on his split-finger. He’s also looking forward to a potential showdown with countryman and new division rival Jung Ho Kang, who was 4-for-13 with a homer off Oh in Korea, per Yoo.
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington told reporters, including Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, that right-hander Juan Nicasio will be stretched out in Spring Training so that he may serve as depth in a number of roles (Twitter link). Depending on how Nicasio fares, he could be used as rotation depth, a long man or in middle relief, according to Biertempfel. Nicasio was a bit wild but had generally strong results out of the L.A. bullpen last season, working to a 3.86 ERA with 10.0 K/9 against 4.9 BB/9.
Minor MLB Transactions: 1/11/16
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- The Brewers announced today that the minor league contract of southpaw Nick Hagadone has been voided. The live-armed lefty is trying to return from an elbow fracture, which was obviously known beforehand. But “significant issues” arose when his physical was conducted, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy, and that scuttled the deal.
- The Phillies have brought back lefty Anthony Vasquez on a minor league pact, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports on Twitter. Vasquez, 29, hasn’t seen the majors since a seven-start debut back in 2011. He threw 134 innings last year in the Philadelphia organization, including twenty starts for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and ended the year with a 4.10 ERA with 5.1 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9.
- Outfielder/first baseman Matt McBride has joined the Athletics on a minor league deal, Matt Eddy of Baseball America notes in his rundown of recent minor moves. McBride has 158 big league plate appearances on his ledger, though he hasn’t done much in his limited opportunities. The right-handed hitter did put up a healthy (albeit park-inflated) .328/.380/.549 slash last year in 337 Triple-A plate appearances.
Rosenthal On Chen, Marlins, Dickey, Lucroy
Here’s the latest from FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal:
- The Marlins have interest in Wei-Yin Chen despite owner Jeffrey Loria’s previous disagreements with Chen’s agent Scott Boras, Rosenthal writes. Chen’s cost could be an issue for the Marlins, but the Fish need a starter and have a protected first-round pick, and Rosenthal writes that Loria wants to make the team “as competitive as possible” for Don Mattingly’s first season as manager. As Rosenthal notes, Chen is the best free agent starting pitcher left on the market.
- A report today indicated the Blue Jays could trade R.A. Dickey, but the Jays have not yet had discussions about that, and sources tell Rosenthal the Jays might be disinclined to deal Dickey because of the reliable innings he provides. The Jays’ series of going-for-it trades last year depleted their pitching depth (with Daniel Norris, Jeff Hoffman and others heading elsewhere), but a starter like Dickey who’s capable of pitching 200-plus innings can help them paper that over.
- The Brewers continue to discuss trades involving catcher Jonathan Lucroy, Rosenthal writes. Lucroy isn’t coming off his best season, but his highly favorable contract (in which he’ll receive just $4MM in 2016 and $5.25MM or a $250K buyout in 2017) still makes him an attractive trade target. The Brewers could be inclined to trade Lucroy sooner rather than later, since the difficulty of learning to work with a new group of pitchers makes it tricky for catchers to go from team to team once a season has already begun.
Latest On Brewers’ Potential Trade Candidates
In previewing the Brewers’ 2016 lineup yesterday, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported a number of different trade-related items, noting that in addition to catcher Jonathan Lucroy, outfielder Khris Davis has drawn some interest on the trade market this offseason.
Clubs looking for offense in the outfield have contacted Milwaukee about Davis, per Haudricourt, and the team does have a logical in-house replacement in the form of Domingo Santana, who was acquired in the Carlos Gomez trade this past summer. Haudricourt notes that Santana currently projects to bounce around the outfield, seeing time at all three positions, although that role will probably limit his at-bats. While some might suggest Santana should simply handle center field on an everyday basis, it’s worth noting that his glove profiles better in an outfield corner than in center field. A rebuilding club like the Brewers could probably get away with playing him in center despite the lackluster results, but with both Davis and Ryan Braun under club control through 2019 (or, in Braun’s case, 2020), there’s no immediate opening for regular at-bats for Santana in the long-term.
Davis, who turned 28 in December, has batted .250/.315/.494 in two-and-a-half seasons at the Major League level, belting 60 home runs in 321 games/1142 plate appearances. That power production, while impressive, figures to begin earning him some notable salaries next offseason when he hits arbitration, though, so there’s some logic to the Brewers moving him while he still has one highly affordable pre-arbitration season remaining. While he grades out as a below-average defender in left field, Davis nonetheless hit 27 homers in 440 plate appearances last season and has posted relatively even platoon splits throughout his career to this point. Haudricourt notes that Davis would be moved “if the right offer” came along.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Haudricourt also writes that the Brewers “would not hesitate” to move Ryan Braun, should a “sensible” offer present itself. Braun is entering the first season of a five-year, $105MM extension this season, and while a PED suspension and some injuries have brought down his reputation somewhat, the 32-year-old was outstanding at the plate in 2015, batting .285/.356/.498 with 25 home runs and 24 stolen bases. Braun’s glovework was less impressive, although Defensive Runs Saved felt that he turned in much better results in his second season as a right fielder than in his first. Regardless, $21MM per year over the next five seasons would represent a hefty commitment to a player entering his age-32 season, especially considering the fact that he underwent lower back surgery this offseason and has twice had to undergo a cryotherapy treatment for a damaged nerve in his right thumb.
Turning to Lucroy, Haudricourt writes that teams “continue to inquire” about the affordable catcher, but GM David Stearns has as many reasons to retain Lucroy as he does trade him at this point. Lucroy’s value is down somewhat on the heels of a season that was slowed by a fractured toe and ended with concussion problems, so there’s definitely some sense in hanging onto the 29-year-old and letting him rebuild some of that value. Given his $4MM salary in 2016 and $5.25MM club option for the 2017 season, there’s little financial harm in doing so, and Lucroy would still be a desirable trade piece this summer. Additionally, as Haudricourt notes, the Brewers don’t have a young catching prospect knocking on the door, as they do at shortstop in Orlando Arcia. Of course, holding Lucroy does carry the risk of further injury or of the once-excellent backstop simply not returning to form and thereby further diminishing his trade value.
And lastly, having already mentioned Arcia, Haudricourt points out that his proximity to the Major Leagues will soon force the Brewers into a decision of sorts. Arcia is the shortstop of the future in Milwaukee, which means that Jean Segura could either be traded or moved to second base in the near future. If the latter outcome proves to be the Brewers’ desired course of action, then a trade of second baseman Scooter Gennett becomes a possibility. While some might wonder about the possibility of a platoon between the two — Gennett, after all, has never hit left-handed pitching much — Segura doesn’t have the type of strong platoon splits one would like to see in a platoon partner for Gennett. With Segura projected to earn $3.2MM this season, he’d make for the more logical trade candidate in Milwaukee, from my perspective, if and when Arcia does force his way into the big league picture, which could happen as soon as this summer.
AL Central Notes: Indians, Santana, Twins, Park, Gordon
In an excellent piece for Sports on Earth, MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince profiles the Indians‘ “dream team” front office from the mid-1990s, which featured eight men that have now occupied (or currently occupy) the title of GM or president of baseball operations. John Hart was the Cleveland GM at the time, but the front office also included assistant GM Dan O’Dowd (who went on to become GM of the Rockies); director of player development Mark Shapiro (former GM and president of the Indians and now president of the Blue Jays); scouting director Josh Byrnes (former GM of the Padres and D-backs); advance scouts Ben Cherington and Paul DePodesta (former GMs of the Red Sox and Dodgers, respectively); assistant director of minor league operations Neal Huntington (current GM of the Pirates); and baseball operations assistant Chris Antonetti, who is of course the current president of baseball ops in Cleveland. Hart and O’Dowd spoke fondly of the group’s explorations of baseball philosophy, and Castrovince explains how O’Dowd and Shapiro wrote a 15-page whitepaper that was pitched to Hart detailing their models of extensions for arbitration-eligible players. While such extensions are commonplace now, the Indians pioneered such extensions in early to mid-90s, allowing them to retain their top talent and emerge as perennial contenders in the American League. Castrovince examines other statistical and technological trends of which the Indians were early adopters and looks at how each now-well-regarded executive got his foot in the door with the Indians.
Here’s more from the AL Central…
- The addition of Mike Napoli to the Indians‘ roster almost certainly means that Carlos Santana has gone from catcher to first baseman to DH (with a brief, ill-fated stop at third base along the way), writes Cleveland.com’s Zack Meisel. While there’s the possibility that focusing solely on offense could help Santana build his offense back up to its 2011-14 levels, Meisel also notes that the $12MM club option the team holds over Santana for the 2017 season is a steep amount for a club with an eight-figure payroll to pay a designated hitter. Meisel’s implication, of course, is that Santana’s future with the club is somewhat murky. Considering the raises Cleveland will owe Michael Brantley, Yan Gomes, Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Jason Kipnis on their guaranteed contracts and also the raises that will be owed to Cody Allen, Lonnie Chisenhall, Bryan Shaw, Trevor Bauer and Zach McAllister in arbitration, a crunch does appear to be coming.
- Brewers left-hander Will Smith has some fans in the Twins‘ front office, says 1500 ESPN’s Darren Wolfson in the first edition of his new podcast (Soundcloud link; Twins talk beginning around 19:30). Nationals right-hander Drew Storen also has some fans among Twins brass, though his projected $8.8MM salary (via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz) could serve to curb the team’s interest. Wolfson also notes that the Twins remain interested in free agent southpaw Antonio Bastardo but still aren’t keen on his three-year, $15-18MM asking price. A Twins official told Wolfson recently that even if the Twins don’t make further moves this winter, they’re happy with what they have, though Wolfson notes that he does expect at least one more move out of the Twins.
- Twins manager Paul Molitor tells MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger that he’s hopeful that Korean slugger Byung-ho Park will be ready to be his Opening Day designated hitter next season, though Molitor also recognizes that there will be some adjustment as Park transitions to a new league. Molitor notes that Park’s former KBO teammate, Jung Ho Kang, “looked beatable” when he saw him in Spring Training last season but had made enormous adjustments by the time the Twins played the Pirates in the summer. Molitor and the Twins feel that Park can make a similarly quick adjustment. “I think that our scouts understand bat speed, eye-to-hand coordination, pitch recognition abilities, even if velocities and breaking pitches are not Major League quality,” said Molitor in reference to Park’s impressive work in the KBO.
- Alex Gordon‘s desire to come back to the Royals “was a 10,” he told reporters at a press conference yesterday (as MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan writes). Gordon spoke about how appreciative he is of both ownership and the front office for bringing him back to the Royals, although GM Dayton Moore explained that Gordon was always the team’s top priority. “When we went around the table and talked to our scouts, they said, ‘Get Alex Gordon,'” said Moore to the media. “”I talked to our analytical guys and they said, ‘Get Alex Gordon.’ I talked to our coaching staff and it was, ‘Get Alex Gordon.’ Talked to his teammates along the way and it was ‘Get Gordo back.’ My momma didn’t raise no dummy. We had to get him back.” According to Moore, things began coming together on New Year’s Eve, and the final details were hammered out over the next few days prior to yesterday’s announcement.
Brewers Sign Chris Carter
9:10pm: Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter) that Carter can earn an additional $500K based on plate appearances, meaning his contract will max out at $3MM in 2016. That’s a lower baseline than the $4.175MM upon which his projected 2016 raise was based, meaning that even if Carter struggles similarly in terms of batting average this coming season, his projected price tag should come in south of this winter’s $5.6MM. And, if he does end up with a projection that sizable, it’ll likely be due to markedly increased performance, in which case the Brewers probably wouldn’t mind the salary bump.
6:32pm: The Brewers announced on Wednesday that they have signed slugging first baseman Chris Carter to a one-year contract. He’ll reportedly earn $2.5MM with the chance to add to that salary via performance incentives. Carter’s contract also contains incentives that can boost the value of his deal. The agreement will reunite the Sports Management Partners client with GM David Stearns, who served as assistant GM in the Astros’ front office before being named general manager in Milwaukee.
“We are pleased to be able to add Chris to our organization,” said Stearns in a press release announcing the move. “Over the past three seasons, Chris has proven to be one of the most consistent power threats in the game. We believe that his skills and experiences will complement our team well and provide additional production to our lineup.”
Carter, 29, has spent the past three seasons in Houston, batting a combined .218/.312/.459 with 90 home runs while spending the majority of his time at first base and designated hitter. However, a .199/.307/.427 batting line, 32.8 percent strikeout rate, projected $5.6MM salary (via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz) and the presence of rising prospects A.J. Reed and Tyler White led Houston to non-tender the slugger back on Dec. 2.
Presumably, Carter will become the Brewers’ primary first baseman, as the team has traded away incumbent first basemen Adam Lind and Jason Rogers over the past few weeks. While defense isn’t Carter’s strong point (-8 UZR/150, -14 DRS in 2064 career innings) and his strikeouts do yield a low batting average, Carter is one of baseball’s most powerful hitters. Over the past three seasons, his 90 home runs rank eighth in the Majors, and his .241 isolated power mark places him 11th among qualified batters. Of course, Carter’s 33.7 percent strikeout rate in that time also is the highest in all of baseball.
Carter was eligible for arbitration for the second time as a Super Two player this offseason at the time of his non-tender, meaning the Brewers will be able to control him for up to three seasons if he remains productive enough to justify the raises he’ll receive via the arbitration process.
Kristie Rieken of the Associated Press first reported the agreement and Carter’s guarantee (Twitter link).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Brewers Designate Josmil Pinto For Assignment
The Brewers announced that they have designated catcher Josmil Pinto for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for first baseman Chris Carter, whose reported one-year, $2.5MM contract is now official (Twitter link).
This marks a continuation of a tumultuous offseason for the 26-year-old Pinto, who has gone from the Twins to the Padres to the Brewers by way of DFA this winter. If he’s claimed by another club or traded, Pinto will already join his fourth organization of the offseason.
The attributes that make Pinto desirable aren’t hard to see. The Venezuelan backstop possesses quite a bit of pop relative to other catchers around the league, having belted 11 homers in just 280 Major League plate appearances. Pinto is a .257/.339/.445 hitter in the Majors, though much of that production came in his initial September call-up in 2013, where a .440 BABIP served to bolster his overall batting line. Pinto also posted excellent minor league numbers in 2013 and again in 2014.
However, Pinto has always viewed as a poor defender behind the plate, so when his batted just .219/.315/.391 with the Twins in 2014 and struggled even more with the Twins in, his future with Minnesota was called into question. Beyond that, there are notable health concerns with Pinto, who will turn 27 this spring. His 2015 season was marred by concussions and poor performance at the Triple-A level, where he batted just .228/.304/.354 in 68 games.
Morosi On Nationals, Storen, Brewers
Earlier today, we noted that the Padres are in active discussions with free agent shortstop Ian Desmond, as reported by Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. From a purely baseball perspective, Desmond would make a world of sense for San Diego given the offensive pop he can provide at his position. However, one has to imagine that the Padres are wary of the price tag Desmond carries. The Padres also might not be crazy about forking over that kind of cash if they don’t believe that they can contend in 2016.
Here’s a look at a couple more items from Morosi’s Sunday article:
- The Nationals are still working to trade Drew Storen, Morosi writes. MLBTR projects Storen to earn $8.8MM in his final year of arbitration, a number that is probably more than they’d like to pay a set-up man and higher than suitors would be comfortable with paying. Still, the Nats now have Shawn Kelley, Trevor Gott, Yusmeiro Petit, and left-hander Oliver Perez in the bullpen and there’s not a clear need for him there. Storen, theoretically, would serve as Jonathan Papelbon‘s set-up man, but that’s a role that he struggled with after the 2015 trade deadline.
- Look for the Brewers to move Khris Davis at the July trade deadline or even before that point, Morosi writes. The Brewers could, theoretically, move him now, but there are many quality free agent outfielders still on the board for teams with a need. Davis, 28, slashed .247/.323/.505 with 27 homers across 440 plate appearances last season. The left fielder won’t be arbitration eligible until after the 2016 season. First-year GM David Stearns appears set on a rebuild and moving the valuable Davis would be a good place to start.
Quick Hits: Baez, Baker, Prospects, Market
Barring a late-breaking move as the ball drops, this’ll be the last post of 2015 on MLBTR. Thanks for another great year! Be sure to join us bright and early tomorrow for a new one that will start with an arguably unprecedented slate of unsigned free agents.
Here are a few stray notes from around baseball:
- In a piece for Baseball America, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times explores the question whether Javier Baez can turn into a Ben Zobrist-esque player for the Cubs. Baez has been getting a look in the outfield this spring, as has previously been reported. “It just adds to his versatility,” president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said. “He’s someone who always enjoyed taking fly balls during batting practice out in center field shagging, and he’s always looked really good doing so.” Of course, Chicago will enjoy Zobrist regardless, since it just signed the genuine article this winter
- The Cubs have hired former backstop John Baker as a baseball operations assistant, as Wittenmyer also notes. The veteran wrapped up his seven-year MLB career in Chicago with a 68-game run in 2014. MLBTR wishes him the best of luck in his new gig.
- MLB.com’s Jim Callis lists his ten breakout prospects for the coming year. Among the interesting names to watch is Jake Bauers, a little-known piece of last year’s blockbuster three-team trade that sent Wil Myers to the Padres and netted the Rays Steven Souza. The rising youngster could make that deal sting even more for San Diego than it has already. Likewise, pitchers Josh Hader of the Brewers (added in the Carlos Gomez/Mike Fiers deadline swap), Frances Martes of the Astros (who came from the Marlins in the deal that sent Jarred Cosart to Miami), and Cody Reed of the Reds (a part of the Johnny Cueto flip this past summer) could change the calculus of the transactions that brought them to their current organizations, in the estimation of Callis.
- ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden provides his breakdown of the single most important missing piece for every team in the league in an Insider piece. Looking down his list, it’s notable how many clubs he cites as needing a corner outfielder. That market figures to explode at some point early in 2016.
Brewers, Eric Young Jr. Agree To Minor League Deal
The Brewers and speedster Eric Young, Jr. are in agreement on a minor league contract with an invite to Major League Spring Training, tweets ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. The MVP Sports Group client will receive a $1MM salary plus incentives if he makes the big league roster, Crasnick adds.
Young, 30, spent the 2015 season with the Braves and Mets, hitting just .153/.217/.247 in 94 Major League plate appearances but .249/.351/.315 in 307 PAs at the Triple-A level. Young doesn’t have much power in his bat, but his speed is a game-changer; the second-generation big leaguer led the National League with 46 stolen bases back in 2013, and he’s swiped 144 bags in 179 tries at the Major League level. Young has experience at second base and in the outfield, but he’s seen most of his recent work in left field and center field. He’ll presumably compete for a bench spot in Milwaukee, where his father spent the 2002-03 seasons in the later stages of his 15-year Major League career.