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Quick Hits: Twins, Hughes, D’Arnaud, Aoki, Mariners

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Some items from around baseball as we head into a new week…

  • Brian Dozier is drawing interest from other teams but the Twins aren’t looking to tie Phil Hughes’ contract to Dozier in trade talks, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets.  Hughes still has three years and $39.6MM remaining on the extension he signed with the Twins prior to the 2015 season, and since inking that new deal, Hughes has struggled badly and battled injury problems.  The veteran righty underwent surgery to help alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome last summer, and Hughes believes he can regain his old form now that he’s healthy.
  • While Hughes may not be getting shopped, Berardino also notes (Twitter link) that the Twins aren’t looking to add payroll, even after freeing up some money by parting ways with Trevor Plouffe, Kurt Suzuki and Tommy Milone.  As one rival official puts it, “everyone knows they’re rebuilding.”
  • The Mets don’t seem to be looking for a big change at catcher, as Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports that the team told representatives of a free agent catcher that Travis d’Arnaud will be given every opportunity to succeed next season.  Since the Mets offered d’Arnaud as part of trade talks for Jonathan Lucroy over the summer, it’s notable that the team is reaffirming its commitment to the talented but oft-injured catcher, though it could be that New York was more enamored with Lucroy than it is with the options on free agent catching market.  Ackert does note that the Mets could look for a more reliable backup, given d’Arnaud’s injury history and the shared offensive struggles of Kevin Plawecki and Rene Rivera.
  • Though Nori Aoki has only been an Astro for less than three weeks, the veteran outfielder may now be a non-tender candidate, the Houston Chronicle’s Jake Kaplan writes.  If the Astros plan to use the newly-signed Josh Reddick in left field, Aoki will be a very highly-paid fourth outfielder (thanks to a projected $6.8MM arbitration salary) and possibly an expendable part.  If the Astros use Reddick in right and move George Springer to center field, Aoki will again have more of a clear role, platooning with Jake Marisnick in left.  Houston has also been linked to some first baseman in rumors, which could push Yulieski Gurriel to left field and again leave Aoki without regular playing time.
  • For the second straight offseason, Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto is acting quickly on lower-profile moves to elevate his team’s talent floor, ESPN.com’s David Schoenfield writes.  Additions like Danny Valencia, Richie Shaffer and Carlos Ruiz fill holes and add more valuable depth around the Mariners’ core players, the type of top-to-bottom roster management that former Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik was unable to achieve in his time with the club.
  • While several big-name relievers are dominating headlines this winter, MLB.com’s Mike Petriello cites Daniel Hudson, Juan Nicasio and Koji Uehara as relatively inexpensive arms who could provide major dividends in a bullpen next season, perhaps even as closers.

NL West Notes: Chatwood, Utley, Dozier, Lopez, Romo, Casilla

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Though Tyler Chatwood is entering his last year under contract, there hasn’t been any sign that the Rockies are considering trading the righty, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post writes as part of a reader mailbag.  Chatwood missed all of 2015 recovering from Tommy John surgery and posted solid numbers in his comeback year, managing a 3.87 ERA, 6.66 K/9 and a 57.2% grounder rate over 158 innings.  It’s unclear whether the Rockies can extend Chatwood given his issues pitching at Coors Field, and he’d make a very interesting trade chip in this offseason’s thin free agent pitching market.  That said, given how Colorado has traditionally struggled to find any viable rotation help, the team might prefer to hang onto Chatwood for as long as possible.  Saunders’ entire mailbag piece is well worth a read, as he also addresses such topics as the Rockies’ first base search and new manager Bud Black.

Here’s more from around the NL West…

  • The Dodgers are telling teams they are “very open” to re-signing Chase Utley even as L.A. is still exploring other trades for second base help, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports (Twitter links).  At this point, it would seem that Utley could be a backup plan for the Dodgers if they couldn’t land a bigger name like Logan Forsythe, Ian Kinsler or Brian Dozier.
  • Speaking of Dozier, Berardino also tweets that there isn’t much cooking between the Dodgers and Twins in trade discussions.  “I wouldn’t hold your breath,” one team official tells Berardino about the chances of a deal.
  • The Giants haven’t had serious talks with relievers Javier Lopez, Sergio Romo or Santiago Casilla, CSNBayArea.com’s Alex Pavlovic reports.  Casilla is the least likely to return, as he and the team ended the season on bad terms.  Romo could potentially be an option for San Francisco in January or February if he fails to catch on with another club beforehand.
  • As for Lopez, Pavlovic writes that the veteran southpaw is “said to have a very short list of teams that could keep him out of retirement.”  Lopez has previously hinted at continuing his career, though it appears it could be only under particular circumstances, such as staying with the Giants.  Pavlovic isn’t sure that will happen, as the Giants already have Will Smith, Josh Osich and Steven Okert on hand as left-handed bullpen options.

Quick Hits: White Sox, Dodgers, Twins, Yankees, Orioles

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The White Sox are willing to listen to offers for just about all of their players, and industry sources regard them and the Dodgers as perfect trading partners, according to Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan (Twitter links). Ace Chris Sale, third baseman Todd Frazier and closer David Robertson are among the players Chicago could move, and all of them fit the Dodgers’ needs, notes Passan. Meanwhile, the White Sox like several Dodgers – outfielder Yasiel Puig and prospects Cody Bellinger, Alex Verdugo, Jose DeLeon and Willie Calhoun – so it seems the two sides could line up for some sort of deal this offseason.

Now for some American League notes:

  • Former Twins reliever LaTroy Hawkins has joined the team’s revamped front office as a special assistant, reports Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press. And longtime outfielder Torii Hunter, one of the greatest Twins ever, could be next. Hunter told Berardino he has had “several conversations about” taking on a role with the Twins, adding that he and the club “will talk here in the near future.” Hawkins and Hunter, both of whom retired after the 2015 campaign, spent a combined 21 major league seasons with the Twins. Minnesota chose Hawkins in Round 7 of the 1991 draft and Hunter in the first round in 1993.
  • Although the Yankees are on the hunt for starting pitching, they could take advantage of a weak market and shop contract-year right-hander Michael Pineda, Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggests. Even if New York opts against that and only adds to its rotation, Sherman doesn’t see the team going to three years for free agency’s best option, onetime Yankee Rich Hill. New York has shown interest in Hill, Jason Hammel and Derek Holland this week.
  • The Orioles did not add outfielder Mike Yastrzemski or catcher Audry Perez to their 40-man roster Friday, meaning both minor leaguers could end up leaving the organization in December’s Rule 5 draft. Baltimore is at least hoping to retain Yastrzemski, the grandson of Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Mike Yastrzemski hit just .221/.312/.369 in 385 plate appearances at Triple-A Norfolk in 2016, though injuries negatively affected him. “He had a labrum problem and he also had a core injury that he had to have surgery on, so he’s got a little work to do to be ready for the spring,” said general manager Dan Duquette. Scouts regard Yastrzemski as a potential fourth outfielder in the majors and Garcia as a possible reserve backstop, and Kubatko expects someone to draft the latter.
  • Along with the previously reported Roger McDowell and Frank Viola, Orioles Double-A pitching coach Alan Mills, Cardinals minor league pitching coordinator Tim Leveque and Rangers minor league pitching coordinator Danny Clark are vying to replace the departed Dave Wallace as Baltimore’s pitching coach, per Kubatko. The club is looking to make a hire soon, perhaps as early as this weekend.

Free Agency Notes: Cecil, Plouffe, Mariners

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The four-year, $30.5MM deal the Cardinals and left-hander Brett Cecil agreed to Saturday is a “market changer,” multiple executives and agents have told Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan, who expects relievers to continue raking in big money this offseason as part of a weak free agent class (Twitter links). FanGraphs’ Jeff Sullivan disagrees that Cecil’s contract is unexpectedly high, though, noting that the Orioles’ Darren O’Day inked a nearly identical pact last offseason (four years, $31MM) prior to his age-33 campaign. As Sullivan points out, the numbers Cecil posted from 2014-16 are similar to O’Day’s production from 2013-15, and the former is younger (31 in July).

A couple more items on free agency:

  • While third baseman Trevor Plouffe is disappointed the Twins moved on from him Friday, he saw the writing on the wall after agent Nez Balelo met with the team’s new baseball department heads – Derek Falvey and Thad Levine – last week, per Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press. “They probably want (Miguel) Sano to be run out there every day (at third),” Plouffe told Berardino. “This guy has unlimited potential. I hope I was able to help him become a good player. I’m happy they made the decision as quick as they did. It gives me the chance to sign on with somebody else.” Even though he’s fresh off a subpar season, Plouffe shouldn’t have much difficulty finding work – the only better third base options on the market are Justin Turner and Luis Valbuena.
  • The Mariners aren’t ruling out eventually re-signing reliever Tom Wilhelmsen, whom they designated for assignment Friday, general manager Jerry Dipoto told Greg Johns of MLB.com. Seattle was up against the 40-man roster limit when it parted with Wilhelmsen, and the club likely would have had to pay the arbitration-eligible right-hander in the $4MM neighborhood in 2017 had it retained him. It’s now possible the Mariners could re-up Wilhelmsen at a cheaper price in the coming months. “He did a good job, and I wish him well in free agency,” said Dipoto. “And this leaves something of an open door if something else arises and we want to bring him back.”

Outrighted: Smith, Centeno, Brennan

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As teams finalized their 40-man rosters yesterday in advance of the Rule 5 draft, here are a few more outrights…

  • The Athletics outrighted right-hander Josh Smith, as per a team announcement.  Oakland just claimed Smith off waivers from the Reds earlier this month.  The 29-year-old righty has 92 1/3 career big league innings under his belt, posting a 5.46 ERA, 7.6 K/9 and 1.66 K/BB rate for the Reds over the last two seasons as both a starter and reliever.
  • The Twins placed catcher Juan Centeno on outright waivers as part of their roster moves today, the club announced.  Centeno hit a respectable .261/.312/.392 over 192 PA with Minnesota last season, easily the most playing time he has received during his four years in the bigs.
  • The White Sox have outrighted right-hander Brandon Brennan to Triple-A, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports on Twitter.  A fourth-round pick for the Sox in the 2012 draft, Brennan has a 4.94 ERA, 1.90 K/BB rate and 6.5 K/9 over 347 2/3 pro innings, none above the Double-A level.

Players Added To The 40-Man

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We’ll use this post to keep track of the players being added to their teams’ respective 40-man rosters today, which is the deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 draft. Players must be added to the big league roster within either four years (if they were 19 or older at the time of their original signing) or five years (if 18 or younger) of their signing year in order to be shielded from selection.

MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo took a look at some of the biggest names who face roster decisions, though most of those won’t be much in question. At the fringes, teams must also consider the major league readiness of the player, since that factors heavily into whether they’ll be taken and kept. Any drafting team, of course, must keep a player on its active MLB roster for the full season (with certain exceptions relating to the DL) in order for their control rights to vest. Adding a player to the 40-man too early can have its own risks, because it limits flexibility and could require a team to expose that player to waivers if a need arises. With 26-man rosters reportedly under consideration, the Rule 5 draft could be quite intriguing this year, and that may bleed into today’s decisions as well.

Below is a division-by-division rundown of the names that were added to each team’s 40-man roster (plus the various waiver claims that spawned from teams trying to outright players to protect Rule 5-eligible prospects). We won’t delve into each player’s background, but if you’re looking to a little more about the names that were added, I’d highly recommend this tremendous, in-depth examination of each team’s additions by Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper. If you want to see how the moves look in the context of a team’s roster, head over to Roster Resource for your club’s depth chart.

Onto the moves…

American League West

American League Central

American League East

National League West

National League Central

National League East

Brewers Claim Adam Walker

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The Brewers have claimed Adam Walker off waivers from the Twins, according to Phil Miller of the Star Tribune (via Twitter). The 25-year-old, who is a Milwaukee native, was a third-round draft pick back in 2012.

Walker has long shown impressive power in the minors, with 124 total home runs in his five professional seasons. But he has yet to earn a trip up to the majors due to questions surrounding the rest of his game.

At the plate, Walker racks up an enormous number of strikeouts. At Triple-A last year, he managed a .243/.305/.479 slash and 27 bombs. But he also went down on strikes 202 times in 532 plate appearances, making for a cringe-worthy 38.0% K rate.

It’ll be interesting to see what kind of opportunity Walker will receive with the Brewers. He’s bound to draw comparisons to current first baseman Chris Carter, who has a similar profile. Indeed, with Carter’s arbitration price tag projected to rise to $8.1MM due to his voluminous home run output, it’s possible that the club could ship him out and instead go with the younger, cheaper Walker — though he has played only in the outfield as a professional. Carrying both on the MLB roster, or stashing Walker at Triple-A, are also certainly plausible outcomes as well.

Twins Outright Trevor Plouffe

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The Twins have outrighted third baseman Trevor Plouffe, according to Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (via Twitter). He’ll become a free agent today unless he’s claimed by another organization.

MLBTR projected Plouffe to garner $8.2MM in his final pass through arbitration, a rather sizable sum for the solid veteran. Evidently, any efforts to deal him weren’t showing enough promise to keep him around through today’s deadline to add Rule 5-eligible players to the 40-man roster.

[RELATED: Updated Twins Depth Chart]

Plouffe, 30, no longer fit on a Twins roster that is overloaded at first base and DH while also featuring promising young third baseman Miguel Sano. As MLBTR’s Steve Adams explained in breaking down the team’s offseason outlook, there was some reason to believe that Plouffe might draw at least a marginal trade return. But that obviously didn’t pan out.

That doesn’t mean that teams won’t be intrigued in free agency, of course. Plouffe has carried a .253/.314/.427 batting line and hit 48 home runs over his three seasons and 1,558 plate appearances. That’s approximately league-average production, to go with defensive metrics that have ranged from slightly below to slightly above average over the last few campaigns. He struggled badly early last year, and missed a fair bit of time, but was much better with the bat in the second half.

All told, there’s every reason to think that Plouffe will command a major league deal. Indeed, he could even score a multi-year commitment, depending upon how things shake out. But he likely won’t be drawing a $8MM+ annual payday. Justin Turner remains the clear top free agent third baseman, but Plouffe figures to slot in alongside Luis Valbuena near the top of the remainder of the market.

There had been discussion last winter that the Twins could try to move Plouffe to another organization to make room for Sano. But the club instead elected to keep both and give the lumbering Sano a try in the corner outfield. That move didn’t work out well at all, and in the interim Plouffe’s value fell enough that he was more a non-tender than a trade candidate.

Diamondbacks Name Ron Gardenhire Bench Coach

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The D-backs announced today that they’ve hired former Twins manager Ron Gardenhire as their new bench coach. Rounding out Arizona’s new wave of coaches will be Tony Perezchica (third base), Mike Fetters (bullpen) and Robby Hammock (quality control).

Gardenhire will join the D-backs coaching staff and serve as top lieutenant for new manager Torey Lovullo, who was actually a candidate to replace Gardenhire in Minnesota prior to the hiring of Paul Molitor before the 2015 season. He’ll bring 13 year of managerial experience at the Major League level and another 11 years of Major League coaching experience to the Diamondbacks organization. This past season, Gardenhire served as a special assistant to GM Terry Ryan in the Twins organization, and prior to that he was a finalist in the Padres’ managerial hunt but lost out to Andy Green. He’ll have at least one familiar face on the D-backs roster, as the new job will reunite him with Chris Herrmann, who had somewhat of a breakout season in 2016 (in a limited role) after being traded from Minnesota to Arizona last winter.

Perezchica has spent 15 years in the D-backs organization and has most recently spent the past three years as Arizona’s minor league field coordinator. Fetters was the team’s quality control coach prior to moving up to bullpen coach, and he’ll be replaced by Hammock, who played for the Diamondbacks for parts of six seasons between 2003-11 and served as the manager for the team’s Double-A affiliate for the past two seasons.

Arizona also announced that hitting coach Dave Magadan, first base coach Dave McKay, pitching coach Mike Butcher and coach/interpreter Ariel Prieto will all return to the coaching staff in 2017. Magadan and Butcher are returning for their second seasons, while Prieto will be embarking on his third with the organization and McKay will be entering his fourth in 2017.

Latest On Jason Castro’s Market

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Jason Castro has been the most frequently discussed free-agent catcher to this point, and multiple reports today have continued to shine a light on his market. Earlier today, ESPN’s Buster Olney again linked Castro to the Twins and added that there’s an expectation that Castro will get “at least” a three-year deal in free agency. Olney followed up that report with a tweet indicating that the Braves are among the “most serious bidders” for Castro’s services. That’s not the first time that Castro has been tied to Atlanta, but Olney’s report carries more conviction than previous links between the two sides.

SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reports (Twitter links) that five teams have joined the incumbent Astros in the mix for Castro right now, which seems to reflect the lay of the land. Yahoo’s Jeff Passan reported last week that Castro had offers from three AL clubs, and the Twins have been reported to be interested but haven’t made an offer, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reports (Twitter link). Adding them and the Braves into the mix makes five clubs, though the identities of the other interested AL clubs remains unknown.

The Rays are one potential match, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times recently noted that they’re hoping to find a new starting catcher this winter and could be drawn to Castro’s left-handed bat and framing skills. Topkin, though, did not specifically note whether the Rays have reached out. Other AL clubs in need of catching help include the Orioles, White Sox, and Angels.

Castro, 29, batted a disappointing .210/.307/.377 last year, but he performs considerably better against right-handed pitching and is regarded as one of baseball’s elite pitch framers. He’s thrown out potential base-stealers at a roughly league-average rate throughout his career, and while he had a down season in that regard in 2016 (24 percent), he was considerably above the league average just one year prior (36 percent). He’s joined by Matt Wieters and the currently injured Wilson Ramos in the top tier of the free-agent market for catchers.

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