Minor MLB Transactions: 12/26/15
Here are today’s minor moves from around the game.
- The Yankees have signed outfielder Cesar Puello, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy tweets. The deal would presumably be of the minor league variety. Eddy notes that Puello is the only player from the Biogenesis scandal who has not yet played in the big leagues. The Mets released the former top prospect in August after he missed most of the 2015 season due to a back injury. The 24-year-old batted .252/.355/.393 in hitter-friendly Triple-A Las Vegas in 2014.
- The Brewers have re-signed righty Tim Dillard, Eddy tweets. (Eddy also notes the Brewers’ signing of lefty Nick Hagadone.) The 32-year-old Dillard last appeared in the big leagues in 2012. Last season, he struggled in Triple-A Colorado Springs (which is, like Las Vegas, a difficult environment in which to pitch), posting a 5.50 ERA, 7.3 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 54 innings. Those numbers were, however, severely skewed by six extremely poor outings as a starter; he posted a 1.72 ERA in 31 1/3 innings of relief.
Brewers Claim Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Josmil Pinto, Andy Wilkins
2:46pm: Milwaukee has made the claim of Niewhenhuis official and also announced two other additions off the wire: backstop Josmil Pinto, from the Padres, and first baseman Andy Wilkins, from the Rangers.
Pinto has shown some real upside at the plate at times, but has gone through rougher times more recently. And he’s always been raw defensively. But he certainly makes sense as a depth piece with some upside in Milwaukee.
With yet another claim, Wilkins is making a strong bid for most-moved player of the winter: Milwaukee becomes his sixth organization in 2015. A lifetime .274/.324/.490 hitter at the Triple-A level, he could compete to fill the role of the traded Adam Lind.
1:17pm: The Brewers have claimed outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis off waivers from the Mets, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reports on Twitter.
Nieuwenhuis has never really gained traction in his four years in the majors. New York briefly lost him to the Angels last year, then re-claimed him and outrighted him, only to call him back up for some time later in the season. After adding fellow left-handed-hitting outfielder Alejandro De Aza, it seemed unlikely there would be a place for Nieuwenhuis in New York in 2016.
For Milwaukee, meanwhile, the 28-year-old represents a possible part of the team’s outfield mix. Nieuwenhuis has played center field and shown some pop at times, and it’s arguable he has a bit of upside left given his relatively young age.
Orioles, Four Other Teams Interested In Mat Latos
The Pirates, Royals, Orioles, Brewers, and Rays have checked in on free agent starter Mat Latos, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Latos, he adds, is probably looking at one-year deal to re-establish his value.
One MLB official opined to Crasnick that Latos is “right up [Orioles GM] Dan Duquette’s alley,” (link). One also has to imagine that Latos makes a lot of sense for the Pirates, who have built a reputation as a team that can help pitchers restore their value. There have been questions about Latos’ makeup, Crasnick notes, but he also still has some upside at the age of 28.
All five of these teams are likely weighing Latos as a less costly commitment than many of the other top available starters at this juncture of the offseason. Veteran Scott Kazmir figures to net a nice payday on a multi-year deal and the Royals, who are said to have interest, could pivot to a guy like Latos if Kazmir does not fit in their budget. The other top hurlers left – Yovani Gallardo, Ian Kennedy, and Wei-Yin Chen – would all require draft pick compensation from teams. Back in November, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicted that Latos might get a one-year, $12MM deal and he pegged the Pirates as his landing spot.
A few years ago, Latos seemed in line for a monster free agent deal upon hitting the market at age 28. However, injuries and other struggles have drastically changed things. In 2015, he battled minor injuries but showed promise in his 16 starts with the Marlins this year before joining the Dodgers via trade. Latos struggled in six outings for the Dodgers and earned his release, hooking on with the Angels in late September to make a few relief appearances. In his 2015 stint with the Marlins, Latos pitched to a 4.48 ERA with 8.0 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 over 88 1/3 innings. His ERA wasn’t stellar, but advanced ERA estimators viewed him more as a mid-3.00 ERA contributor.
Quick Hits: Soler, Lucroy, Swanson, Chen
In a radio interview on The 670 Score’s “Inside The Clubhouse” show, Theo Epstein said the Cubs are committed to Jorge Soler as a big part of their roster, CBS Chicago’s Bruce Levine reports. “We are putting our stock into his future,” Epstein said. “Barring anything [an overwhelming trade offer], he knows to ignore all the trade rumors and take it as a compliment.” Epstein praised Soler’s hitting potential and his offseason training, as Soler “is down to 225 [pounds] and is working hard on his quickness and flexibility” to improve his right field defense. The Cubs could add a defense-first backup outfielder, Epstein hinted, which probably isn’t a surprise given Soler’s inexperience and the questions about whether or not Kyle Schwarber can handle left field. Here’s some more from around baseball…
- The Brewers don’t want to sell low on Jonathan Lucroy in the wake of his underwhelming 2015 season, though they could be taking a risk by waiting to make a trade, Fangraphs’ Jeff Sullivan writes in a piece for FOX Sports. If Lucroy’s concussion and injury history continues to diminish his ability, Milwaukee will have missed its window to recoup significant value for the former All-Star. Midseason deals for catchers are also somewhat uncommon, as it’s somewhat hard for a new catcher to instantly develop a rapport with pitchers.
- The Braves targeted Dansby Swanson even before they created room at short by dealing Andrelton Simmons, GM John Coppolella tells Fangraphs’ David Laurila. “We’ve been in talks with Arizona since the end of the 2015 season,” Coppolella said. “We hoped to get Swanson, but we didn’t know if, or how, the deal would materialize. We saw him as a fit for us, whether we made the Simmons trade or not. We just want really good players and he’s a really good player.”
- Wei-Yin Chen may have the most value of any remaining free agent pitcher, MLB.com’s Mike Petriello writes, as he has posted comparable numbers to Jeff Samardzija or Jordan Zimmermann and probably won’t cost as much. Of course, Chen and his agent Scott Boras are looking for healthy compensation for the southpaw’s services in the form of a five-year, $100MM contract.
- While opt-out clauses are usually considered to provide little benefit to a team, the Boston Herald’s Scott Lauber notes that there’s certainly upside if a club can avoid paying big money to a player outside of his prime years. For instance, Lauber reports that had the Red Sox been successful in obtaining Alex Rodriguez from the Rangers in the 2003-04 offseason, they had no intention of re-signing him after he opted out of his deal (as expected) after the 2007 season. The Yankees, who did deal for A-Rod and then re-signed him to a whopping 10-year, $275MM contract after 2007, have surely regretted not letting Rodriguez walk when they had the chance.
- Blue Jays director of analytics Joe Sheehan is profiled by the Toronto Star’s Brendan Kennedy, who notes that Sheehan’s promotion to the newly-created position is a sign of the team’s increased focus on analytics under Mark Shapiro.
- The Giants are the most likely team to sign Yoenis Cespedes, MLB.com’s Jim Duquette opines. The Tigers, Orioles, White Sox and Angels round out Duquette’s list of Cespedes’ most likely landing spots.
Brewers To Sign Will Middlebrooks To Minor League Deal
TODAY: Middlebrooks will earn $1.2MM if he makes the Brewers’ Major League roster, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link). If he hasn’t reached the majors by July 1, Middlebrooks can be released for a spot on another club’s roster.
TUESDAY: The Brewers have agreed to a minor league pact with third baseman Will Middlebrooks, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports on Twitter. Middlebrooks, 27, was non-tendered by the Padres, who elected to cut bait with the former top prospect rather than pay him an arbitration salary that MLBTR projected at $1.5MM.
Though Middlebrooks opened the year as San Diego’s regular third baseman after coming over via trade, he was not able to regain his once-promising trajectory there. He put up a meager .212/.241/.361 batting line with nine home runs over 270 plate appearances last year. Middlebrooks spent a lengthy stretch at Triple-A, too, and managed only a .255/.287/.379 slash in the favorable offensive climate of the PCL.
Milwaukee has been without a clear option at third after dealing away Aramis Ramirez last summer. The team also recently acquired another former Red Sox prospect in Garin Cecchini, and could let those two (among others) battle for playing time this spring.
Details On Jonathan Papelbon’s Current No-Trade List
DECEMBER 18: That list was apparently the one in effect for 2015, as Crasnick now provides a list that, he says, will be in effect for the year to come. It is the same as the prior iteration except for four changes.
On this new list, the Braves, Reds, Royals, and Mariners have moved into the group of teams to which Papelbon can reject a trade. Meanwhile, the Giants, Phillies, Tigers, and Yankees are now among the clubs to which Papelbon may freely be dealt, without his authorization.
DECEMBER 15: Nationals reliever Jonathan Papelbon has the right to name 17 clubs to which he cannot be traded without his consent, and ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports on this year’s list.
Papelbon can block deals to the following clubs: the Athletics, Blue Jays, Brewers, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Giants, Indians, Marlins, Orioles, Phillies, Pirates, Rangers, Rockies, Tigers, Twins, White Sox and Yankees. The league’s remaining teams can acquire the controversial veteran without his approval.
No-trade lists tend to reflect both personal preferences and strategic considerations. It’s hard to know the precise motivations here, but it’s worth remembering that Papelbon has previously made good use of his no-trade rights in exerting leverage. In approving the trade that sent him to D.C. last year, Papelbon received assurances he’d be used as the closer and picked up a guarantee of his 2016 option (though that would have vested anyway and he took a discount to facilitate the move).
While an exceedingly public spat with star Bryce Harper has led to wide speculation that Papelbon will be dealt, Nats GM Mike Rizzo has maintained that the team won’t simply cut him loose for whatever it can get. Papelbon is neither cheap ($11MM) nor young (35), but he’s continued to produce quality results and represents a fair value from a pure baseball perspective.
Brewers Sign Nick Hagadone
The Brewers have signed lefty Nick Hagadone to a minor-league deal, the club announced. He’ll receive an invitation to major league camp this spring.
Hagadone, who’ll soon turn 30, has compiled 118 1/3 total major league innings — all with the Indians — over the last five years. He owns a 4.72 ERA in that span, with a robust 9.3 K/9 against a less-healthy 4.6 BB/9.
Milwaukee will take a chance at harnessing the southpaw’s big arm. His average fastball velocity dropped below 94 mph for the first time last year, though he still sat at a sturdy 93.6 mph. Hagadone has been much more effective against same-handed hitters, but that could still leave him as a useful LOOGY candidate if he can reel in the walks.
As Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer notes, Hagadone is still working his way back from surgery for a fracture in his left elbow. The procedure was performed in July and was expected at the time to require a six-to-nine month absence.
Pirates Acquire Jason Rogers From Brewers
The Pirates announced that they have acquired corner infielder/outfielder Jason Rogers from the Brewers in exchange for outfielder Keon Broxton and right-hander Trey Supak.
Rogers, 27, is a right-handed bat that will give the Pirates further depth at first base, although the club admittedly already had a right-handed hitting option there in the form of Mike Morse. In 169 plate appearances will Milwaukee last season, Rogers batted .296/.367/.441 with four homers. That marked Rogers’ first extended taste of the Major Leagues, as he’d previously accumulated just 10 plate appearances — all in 2014. Lack of MLB experience notwithstanding, Rogers is a highly accomplished minor league hitter, having compiled a lifetime .290/.372/.476 slash in the minors, including a more impressive .326/.406/.582 line in 90 games at the Triple-A level. Over the past two seasons, between the Majors and minor, Rogers has handled right-handed pitching better than lefties, though his track record prior to that indicates a more traditional platoon split.
In exchange for Rogers, the Brewers will receive a fleet-footed center fielder (Broxton) and a right-hander that was Competitive Balance (Round B) draft pick as recently as 2014 (Supak). Broxton, 26 in May, made his big league debut in 2015, though he received just seven plate appearances. Most of his work came in the minors, where he batted .273/.357/.438 with 10 homers and 39 stolen bases between the Double-A and Triple-A affiliates for Pittsburgh. The Pirates originally acquired him from the D-backs early in 2014 in exchange for cash considerations. The former third-round pick (2009) long rated as one of Arizona’s more promising farmhands in the eyes of Baseball America, but he hasn’t appeared on a Top 30 list for either the D-backs or Buccos since 2012, when BA wrote that while he was a plus runner with a plus arm that played MLB-caliber defense in center field even at Class-A Advanced, he struggles to pick up breaking pitches and has a long way to go at the plate. Broxton’s drawn high praise for his athleticism, and it’s possible that even if he doesn’t hit much, he could seemingly be a defensive-minded reserve outfielder.
Supak is 19 years old and rated as the Pirates’ No. 15 prospect, per MLB.com. Supak received a healthy $1MM signing bonus out of the ’14 draft but hasn’t lived up to that investment just yet, as he struggled to a dismal 6.67 ERA with a 23-to-5 K/BB ratio in 28 1/3 innings with the Pirates’ Rookie-level Appalachian League affiliate. MLB.com notes that his fastball sits in the low 90s and could grow as his 6’5″ frame develops. However, their scouting reports note that his curveball and changeup are a ways behind his fastball, and even his heater could use some work, as it presently lacks downhill plane.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AL East Notes: Rays, Sanchez, Hardy, O’s, Blue Jays
Though many expected Brad Miller to land the everyday shortstop job for the Rays following Tampa Bay’s trade with the Mariners, that’s not necessarily the case, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The Rays could still very well swing a trade for Javier Baez or another young infielder if they’re willing to part with a starting pitcher, he notes. And, even if the Rays don’t add another shortstop option, Miller’s struggles with lefties create the possibility of at least a platoon situation with the right-handed-hitting Tim Beckham. Nick Franklin remains an option as well, though a poor 2015 campaign likely means he’ll head to Triple-A to begin the 2016 season. Manager Kevin Cash noted to Topkin, though, that his hope is for someone to take the reins early and cement himself as the man for the job.
More on the Rays and more from their division…
- Topkin also writes that virtually every club in baseball expressed some interest in Kevin Kiermaier at the Winter Meetings, though the Rays probably don’t have much interest in parting with the elite defender. Topkin adds that the Brewers and Pirates seem like possible fits for a potential James Loney deal, noting that both have had interest in the past. He also speculates that Jake McGee could be a fit with the Dodgers now that their pursuit of Aroldis Chapman has been halted by his domestic violence allegations.
- Gary Sanchez is the front-runner to be Brian McCann‘s backup for the Yankees in 2016, writes George A. King III of the New York Post. While Austin Romine will be in the competition and might get the job early on due to Sanchez’s lack of experience at Triple-A, King suggests that Sanchez will hold down the job for the majority of the season. GM Brian Cashman praised Sanchez, stating that the 23-year-old has “improved in every category” from last season, specifically citing his improved pitch blocking, game calling and throwing.
- J.J. Hardy spoke with MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko at the Orioles‘ recent FanFest event and provided an update on a shoulder injury that plagued him throughout the 2015 season. Hardy has been working out for seven weeks and expects an offseason of rest and rehabilitation to lead to improvements in 2016. While he said it was a very difficult decision to forego surgery on the shoulder to repair the small tear in his labrum, Hardy noted that he’s been through that process before and felt last time that it took a full six months of actually playing baseball after the recovery for him to feel normal again. Surgery also could’ve sidelined Hardy through Spring Training and into the regular season.
- Kubatko also spoke with Orioles catcher Caleb Joseph about Matt Wieters‘ return to the team. While Wieters’ decision to accept the qualifying offer impedes Joseph’s path to regular playing time behind the plate, Joseph had nothing but positive things to say about Wieters, calling him a mentor and praising him for his willingness to provide insight on hitters, his work to help Joseph improve his defensive techniques and more.
- Red Sox vice president of amateur and international scouting Amiel Sawdaye interviewed for the Blue Jays‘ GM vacancy before the job went to former Cleveland vice president of player personnel Ross Atkins, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Minor MLB Transactions: 12-14-15
Here are the minor moves on the day:
- The Nationals announced the signing of righty Nick Masset. He’s now 33 years of age and will be plenty familiar with the NL East after pitching for both the Marlins and Braves last year. Masset threw 25 innings of 4.68 ERA ball in 2015.
- The Brewers announced three signings today: infielder Jake Elmore, righty Daniel Tillman, and outfielder Alex Presley. Of these, Presley’s signing is probably most notable. The thirty-year-old had averaged 267 plate appearances with a .255/.299/.397 slash over 2011-14, but got just 13 chances to bat in the majors in 2015 and also did not have a great year at Triple-A.
- Outfielder Antoan Richardson inked a minors deal with the Pirates, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports on Twitter. Richardson, 32, did not play much at any level last year. He has good speed and knows how to get on base, at least in the upper mino but has never shown any pop at the plate.
- Meanwhile, the Orioles signed a MiLB pact with outfielder Alfredo Marte, per another Heyman tweet. The 26-year-old has put up strong numbers at Triple-A in recent years, but struggled with his most extended chance at MLB playing time in 2014 and only appeared in five MLB games in 2015.
- Southpaw Buddy Boshers is heading to the Twins on a minor league deal that comes with a spring invite, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reports on Twitter. The 29-year-old saw time with the Angels in 2013, but hasn’t been given a return trip to the majors since. In fact, despite posting a 3.28 ERA in the upper minors in 2014, Eveland ended up playing (and thriving) in independent ball last year.
- Another left-hander, Dana Eveland, has joined the Rays and will also get a camp invite. The 32-year-old has seen action in parts of ten MLB campaigns. He had a strong 2014 campaign with the Mets and put up nice numbers at Triple-A last year, but only was given 3 1/3 MLB innings in 2015 with the Braves.