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Twins “100 Percent Committed” To Terry Ryan

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A Twins official says the team is “100 percent committed” to GM Terry Ryan despite the team’s 11-31 start, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press writes. Berardino notes that Ryan and Twins owner Jim Pohlad spoke on the field on Friday, and there did not appear to be strife between them.

“There are concerns in ownership as you would be expecting when you’re (11-31),” says Ryan. “[B]ut as far as the relationship and anything else that comes with our conversations, it’s mostly, ‘All right, how are we going to get this thing right?’ That’s where some of that creativity comes in as far as answers.”

Ryan, for his part, recently offered support for Twins manager Paul Molitor. It sounds, though, like he’s very open to other moves to address the team’s weaknesses.

“It just isn’t going well at all. So I have to be prepared to try to change it up and move some pieces,” he says. “We’re struggling to a point where we haven’t been able to right it. I’m going to have to do some things. We’re going to have to keep messing around with this roster.”

To that end, the Twins have made a variety of roster moves in the past two weeks, adding lefties Pat Dean and Taylor Rogers, righty Brandon Kintzler, and outfielders Robbie Grossman and Darin Mastroianni to the big club. Aside from a 5-3 win against the Blue Jays today, however, the losses continue to mount.

Offensively, the team’s winter signing of Byung Ho Park has been a success, and Joe Mauer and Miguel Sano have contributed. But a number of position players have struggled, including Oswaldo Arcia, Eduardo Escobar, Danny Santana and Eddie Rosario. (Escobar is currently on the disabled list; Rosario was recently sent to the minors.) The team has the second-worst OBP (.299) and worst slugging percentage (.376) in the AL. The team’s pitching staff, meanwhile, has accumulated a miserable 5.01 ERA, with the team suffering through down seasons so far from Phil Hughes and a number of relievers and back-of-the-rotation starters.

Ryan, of course, enjoyed success with the Twins in the early 2000s, as the team won four division titles from 2002 through 2006. He stepped down in 2007, remaining with the organization as an adviser, and returned to the GM job in 2011. The Twins had three straight seasons of 92 losses or more from 2012 through 2014 (although an incoming GM does not deserve full blame for the poor performance of a team built in part by his predecessor). The Twins finished 83-79 last season in their first winning campaign since 2010.

Quick Hits: Strike Zone, Reds, Twins

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MLB’s competition committee has agreed to changes in the strike zone and the intentional walk that could go into effect next season, reports ESPN’s Jayson Stark. The changes would raise the strike zone slightly, from the bottom of the hitter’s knees to the top, thus creating a smaller zone for hitters and likely increasing offense. Also as a result of the proposed changes, a team could immediately issue an intentional walk without throwing the requisite four pitches. The changes must next be approved by MLB’s playing rules committee, which is led by Mets GM Sandy Alderson. Here are more quick notes from around the game.

  • GM Dick Williams says the Reds will be creative in addressing their beleaguered pitching staff, but they have limited resources with which to pursue solutions, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes. The team now has six starting pitchers (Homer Bailey, Raisel Iglesias, Anthony DeSclafani, Michael Lorenzen, Jon Moscot and Tim Adleman) on the disabled list. “We will get creative. We always do. We find a way,” says Williams. “But this is putting an incredible strain on our resources.” They don’t seem likely to turn to top prospects like Robert Stephenson and Cody Reed, and Williams says there’s no “rainy day fund” with which to pursue outside replacements.
  • Twins GM Terry Ryan still supports manager Paul Molitor despite the team’s 10-31 start, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press writes. “I’m in this with (Molitor); we’re joined at the hip,” says Ryan. “No one’s pointing fingers around here. I’ve got to do a better job. The club has to do a better job. It starts with my chair. I’m aware of that. I take that as serious as anything because I’m the one that makes the decisions.” Molitor, of course, took the Twins managerial job last year and led the club to its first winning season since 2010. But this season, in which he’s presided over a club that’s last in the AL in both runs scored and runs allowed, has been a trying one.

Central Notes: Chris Correa, Brewers, Molitor

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Former Cardinals scouting director Chris Correa, who is pleading guilty to criminal charges for his role in the Cardinals’ unauthorized access of the Astros’ proprietary computer network, has had his sentencing hearing pushed back from June 6 to July 5 at the request of the probation office, reports David Barron of the Houston Chronicle (links to Twitter). As of January, Correa was slated to plead guilty to five of the 12 charges of unauthorized access to a private computer, with a maximum penalty of five years in prison per charge as well as a fine of $250,000, per a release from the United States Department of Justice.

More from the NL Central…

  • Rule 5 second baseman Colin Walsh and out-of-options outfielder Ramon Flores are both struggling immensely for the Brewers, but manager Craig Counsell tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that the team isn’t planning to give up on either player anytime soon. “I don’t think anybody sets specific dates on this stuff,” said Counsell when asked specifically about Walsh. “You have to feel it. At some point, we have to see what they can become.” Counsell acknowledged that not every player is destined for an everyday job but stressed the importance of finding role players that can contribute to a winning club, even if it’s difficult for those players to get consistent at-bats. “Every team’s got guys at the back end of their roster,” said Counsell. “Those guys are going to play the least. We’re evaluating that. … There’s going to be times when you might have to live through stretches of development.”
  • MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy also spoke to Counsell about the fact that the Brewers are leading the league in an undesirable category: taking called third strikes. Counsell explained that he feels velocity has “changed the game” and that the looking strikeouts have been a recent topic of conversation among Milwaukee decision-makers. “There’s multitudes of ways to talk about this, but one of them is, do you get hits on pitches at the edge of the strike zone?” he asked rhetorically. “Should you swing at it with two strikes, or take it? We had this conversation this morning, actually. Can you get a hit if you swing at it? The ideal result for a hitter [on a pitch at the edge of the zone] is a foul ball, actually. But there are five hitters in the game who can intentionally hit foul balls.” The concepts raised by Counsell and the idea of taking a fringe pitch in a full-count setting have previously been explored by the Astros, which is of course where Milwaukee GM David Stearns previously served as an assistant GM.
  • Twins skipper Paul Molitor chatted with Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports about his club’s struggles, saying that he’s still approaching the job with the same vigor. While he didn’t exactly suggest that there’s a significant hope of a full-blown turnaround this year, Molitor did stress that he’ll continue to “choose to see light still” even amidst the difficulties.

2017 Vesting Options Update

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Each year, the free-agent class is impacted by the performance of players with vesting options (as is the financial future of players with said provisions in their contract). For those unfamiliar with the option, a vesting option is typically a club option that can automatically trigger based on the player’s health and/or performance. Meeting pre-determined criteria for games played, innings pitched, plate appearances, etc. are the most common means of triggering vesting options, though as you’ll see below, there have been some more creative approaches to vesting options in the past as well.

We’ll check in on these players periodically throughout the season, and here’s the first look…

  • Chris Iannetta: The Mariners hold a $4.25MM club option over Iannetta for the 2017 season, but that option can also vest at $6MM if Iannetta starts 100 games in 2016 and does not finish the season on the disabled list due to an injured hip, back or right elbow. Having started 30 of the Mariners’ first 39 games, Iannetta is on pace to clear the 100 start threshold with ease, and if he can continue to post an OPS in the mid-.700s, the Mariners probably won’t mind having him back for another season at that price. One factor that could throw a wrench into his playing time: Mike Zunino is demolishing Triple-A pitching thus far, batting .305/.357/.580, though the former first-round pick has cooled off considerably in the past two weeks.
  • Kurt Suzuki: Another backstop with a $6MM vesting option, Suzuki needs to reach 485 plate appearances in 2016 for that option to trigger. The big 2014 first-half that earned Suzuki that extension never seemed sustainable, and he has batted just .242/.294/.330 since signing the deal. The Twins probably don’t want to see this one vest, as evidenced by the fact that he’s on pace for 349 plate appearances, which would be his lowest total since signing in Minnesota.
  • Matt Holliday: The 36-year-old Holliday has a $17MM club option for the 2017 season that automatically vests if he places within the Top 10 of this season’s NL MVP voting. Holliday isn’t the hitter he once was, and even in his best years with the Cardinals, he (somewhat surprisingly) never landed inside the Top 10 in NL MVP voting. At 36 years of age and off to a good but unspectacular .250/.325/.485 start to the season, it seems safe to assume that his option won’t vest. The club will have the choice of exercising the option or paying Holliday a buyout of $1MM.
  • Coco Crisp: Crisp, also 36, has a more complicated vesting option tacked onto his two-year, $22MM deal. The option is valued at $13MM and will automatically kick in if Crisp receives 550 plate appearances or appears in 130 games this season. The option initially could also have vested based on combined playing time from 2015-16 (1100 PAs from 2015-16 or 260 games from 2015-16), but Crisp spent most of the 2015 campaign on the DL, so he’ll have to hope to trigger the option based solely on his 2016 health. He’s appeared in 31 of Oakland’s 41 games and picked up 126 plate appearances, so he’s a bit shy of the pace for either threshold. Clearly, though, there’s still plenty of time to make up ground. He’s batting .234/.304/.405.
  • Yusmeiro Petit: The one-year, $3MM contract signed by Petit this winter came with a $3MM club option ($500K buyout) that vests if Petit reaches 80 innings pitched. Petit has occupied a role similar to the one in which he thrived for a few years as a member of the Giants’ bullpen, and he’s picked up 21 innings through the Nationals’ first 40 games. If that pace holds, he’ll indeed clear 80 innings and see that salary lock in. With a 1.71 ERA and 3.28 FIP through his first 21 frames, the Nats probably wouldn’t mind that at all.
  • CC Sabathia: The 35-year-old Sabathia’s vesting option is tied to the health of his shoulder. He’ll lock in a $25MM salary for the 2017 campaign if he doesn’t end the 2016 season on the DL due to a shoulder injury or spend 45+ days on the DL this year due to a shoulder injury. Sabathia is currently on the disabled list, but it’s due to a groin injury, so it doesn’t impact the option’s status. While he’s certainly no longer an ace, Sabathia did have a 3.81 ERA through his first five starts of the season, though his strikeout and walk numbers weren’t particularly encouraging.

It’s perhaps worth noting, as well, that both Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher had vesting options for the 2017 season worked into the four-year deals they originally signed with the Indians. However, with each player having been released from that contract and signing new deals (with the D-backs and Yankees, respectively), those options are no longer in play. (The lack of playing time for each player this season would’ve made them a non-issue anyhow.)

Twins Sign Robbie Grossman, Option Eddie Rosario

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MAY 18: The Twins demoted Rosario to Triple-A Rochester following today’s game, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Additionally, Neal reports that Grossman will be in uniform for the Twins tomorrow night, meaning his contract will be selected and added to the 40-man roster. Minnesota’s 40-man roster currently stands at 39, so a corresponding move to accommodate Grossman is not necessary.

MAY 17: The Twins and outfielder Robbie Grossman are in agreement on a minor league pact, per La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (Twitter link). Grossman, a Lagardere client, will be assigned to Triple-A Rochester. He had opted out of a minor league pact with Cleveland earlier this week and, per Neal (Twitter link), has a June 15 opt-out in his new deal with Minnesota.

The 26-year-old Grossman will add some outfield depth to a Twins organization that has seen its fair share of struggles across all three outfield positions. Opening Day center fielder Byron Buxton was optioned to Triple-A after again looking overmatched by big league pitching, and fellow top prospect Max Kepler struggled in limited Major League action as well. Eddie Rosario, the club’s sophomore left fielder, is batting a dismal .213/.232/.343 in 114 plate appearances. Even 2015 Rookie of the Year contender Miguel Sano is hitting a solid but unremarkable .235/.331/.412 with just six homers on the season.

The Twins made a somewhat similar depth pickup earlier this year when they signed veteran David Murphy and assigned him to Rochester, but Murphy ultimately requested his released and elected to retire. That’s highly unlikely to be the outcome with the much younger Grossman, though there is of course no guarantee that he’ll see the big league roster with Minnesota before his mid-June opt-out date.

Grossman was once looked at as a potential long-term piece for the Astros, who acquired him in the 2012 trade that sent left-hander Wandy Rodriguez to the Pirates. Baseball Prospectus once ranked Grossman as a Top 100 prospect, and he showed some promise as a 23-year-old rookie in 2013 when he batted .268/.332/.370 in 288 plate appearances. However, the switch hitter’s production slipped to .222/.323/.323 across the next two seasons, and the Astros ultimately released him this past winter.

From a defensive standpoint, Grossman has experience at all three outfield positions, though he received poor marks in both Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved in a small sample of 250 center field innings between 2013-14. His corner work has generated much more positive reviews, with the majority of his big league experience having come in left field. And, it’s worth noting that Grossman has been quite productive at the Triple-A level this season, batting .256/.370/.453 with six homers and three steals in 134 plate appearances for Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate.

AL Central Notes: Maybin, Buxton, Royals, Tribe

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Here’s some news from around the AL Central…

  • The Tigers will activate Cameron Maybin from the disabled list tomorrow, with Anthony Gose going to Triple-A in a corresponding move.  Maybin suffered a hairline fracture in his left hand during Spring Training and is hitting .194/.313/.367 over 115 minor league plate appearances.  Detroit acquired Maybin from the Braves last November, and the outfielder will join Steven Moya and Andrew Romine in the outfield mix alongside regulars Justin Upton and J.D. Martinez.  A Maybin/Gose center field platoon seemed to be the initial plan over the winter, though Gose’s struggles earned him a demotion.
  • Byron Buxton is hitting well at Triple-A, though as La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes, the Twins aren’t likely to call Buxton back up to the Show until he shows consistent production and solid development as a hitter.  The star prospect has just a .195/.239/.316 slash line over 187 PA in the bigs and often looked over-matched at the plate against Major League arms.  Buxton only played 13 Triple-A games before his initial promotion in 2015, so he may simply need more seasoning (despite how much he’s crushing pitching at lower level) before he returns to the Twins.
  • The Royals may not have the prospect capital to make a splash at the trade deadline, Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star writes.  The acquisitions of Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist before last summer’s deadline helped win the Royals a championship but those deals also left the club thin on expendable minor league talent.  For better or worse, Mellinger opines, K.C. will have to rely on its current roster to step up if the Royals hope to make another postseason appearance.
  • Stephen Strasburg’s big extension with the Nationals is just the latest case of a star pitcher receiving a huge salary, and Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer notes that the Indians have positioned themselves well by amassing one of the game’s better rotations at a relative bargain price.  With a number of promising young arms in the farm system, the Tribe seem likely to use starting pitching as a trade chip to address other roster issues.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/14/16

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Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.

  • The Marlins have placed right-hander Kendry Flores on the 15-day DL with a strained pitching shoulder, per a team announcement. Flores, whom the Marlins recalled from Triple-A prior to their Saturday doubleheader, left his start against the Nationals after three shutout innings because of the injury. It was the first big league action of the year for Flores, who threw 12 2/3 innings of 4.97 ERA ball, struck out nine and walked four with the Marlins last season.
  • Catcher Michael McKenry has opted out of his minor-league deal with the Rangers, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. McKenry was batting .220/.389/.341 for Triple-A Round Rock after agreeing to terms on a minor-league deal in December. He hasn’t yet played in the big leagues this season even as the Rangers have used four different catchers at the Major League level. McKenry, now 31, is a career .239/.319/.407 hitter in parts of six seasons with the Rockies and Pirates.
  • The Braves have released minor-league catcher Ryan Lavarnway, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. The Braves’ recent acquisition of Anthony Recker likely meant the Braves had less playing time for Lavarnway, but given Lavarnway’s career .374 minor-league OBP, he should be able to find work elsewhere. He has appeared in the last five big-league seasons, spending time with Boston and Baltimore in addition to Atlanta.
  • The Indians have announced that they’ve selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Michael Martinez, who also played briefly for them last season. The five-year MLB vet was batting .288/.351/.442 for Triple-A Columbus. Martinez will take the place of Michael Brantley, who is heading to the 15-day DL with shoulder inflammation. Brantley had surgery on the shoulder in the offseason. Via MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian (on Twitter), however, a recent shoulder MRI didn’t reveal any serious problems. Brantley was off to a slow start this season, batting just .231/.279/.282 since making his season debut in late April. To clear space for Martinez on their 40-man roster, the Indians transferred catcher Roberto Perez (hand) to the 60-day DL.
  • The Dodgers have released utilityman Elian Herrera to give him an opportunity to play in Japan, Alex Freedman of the Oklahoma City Dodgers tweets. Herrera was hitting .218/.308/.238 for Oklahoma City while playing shortstop, second, third and left field. He batted .242/.290/.395 with the Brewers last season before signing a minor-league deal with the Dodgers last winter.
  • The Twins have signed utilityman Thomas Field, as Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press tweets. Field has been assigned to Triple-A Rochester. The 29-year-old has played sparingly in parts of four seasons in the big leagues. He began the season with the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate in Toledo, but he was released after playing just 15 games there. He spent most of last season with Triple-A Round Rock in the Rangers system, batting .247/.347/.439 over 435 plate appearances and playing second base, shortstop and the corner outfield positions.

Yankees Acquire J.R. Graham From Twins

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The Yankees have announced that they’ve acquired righty J.R. Graham from the Twins in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. They’ve optioned him to Double-A Trenton. To clear space for Graham on their 40-man roster, they’ve placed outfielder Mason Williams on the 60-day DL.

The Twins designated Graham for assignment last week after he allowed ten runs in 8 1/3 innings for Triple-A Rochester this season. Graham came through the Braves system and experienced only modest success as a starter, but he caught a break when Minnesota selected Graham him in the 2014 Rule 5 Draft, likely figuring his mid-90s heater would play up in relief. He spent most of 2015 in their bullpen, posting a 4.95 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 for the season while leaning heavily on his fastball and slider. The Yankees will presumably continue to give Graham chances in a bullpen role, perhaps hoping he develops given additional time in the high minors.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/9/16

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Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league…

  • The Cubs have purchased the contract of righty Alex Sanabia from the Mexican League Tijuana Toros, MLBTR’s Zach Links has learned. Sanabia will head to Triple-A Iowa to bolster the club’s rotation depth. The 27-year-old has seen action in parts of three MLB seasons with the Marlins, throwing 138 2/3 innings over 24 starts and four relief appearances and posting a sturdy 4.15 ERA with 5.6 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9. Sanabia had a rough go of things with the Angels’ top affiliate last year, but has given the Toros 30 innings of 3.60 ERA ball with 6.0 K/9 against a stingy 0.9 BB/9.
  • Left-hander Ryan O’Rourke has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A by the Twins, tweets Mike Berardino  of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The 28-year-old has appeared in 36 games for Minnesota over the past two seasons but struggled to a 5.83 ERA. While O’Rourke misses plenty of bats (8.9 K/9), he also has struggled with his control, as evidenced by the 20 walks he’s issued in 29 1/3 big league innings. Lefties, however, have been befuddled by him, batting just .149/.286/.234 in 58 plate appearances.
  • The Orioles announced today that right-hander Scott McGough has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Norfolk. Baltimore designated the 26-year-old, who was claimed off waivers from the Marlins earlier this year, for assignment last week. McGough made his big league debut in Miami last season but allowed seven runs in 6 2/3 innings. He’s been roughed up for a dozen runs in 8 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level this season but had an excellent 2015 campaign, posting a 1.93 ERA in 37 1/3 innings across three minor league level.
  • The Red Sox have signed former A’s first baseman Nate Freiman to a minor league deal and assigned him to Double-A Portland, according to an announcement from the independent Atlantic League. Freiman, 29, has been playing for the Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks and hitting quite well through a small six-game sample (8-for-21, two homers, one double, two walks). Freiman showed good pop and handled left-handed pitching well for the 2013-14 A’s (.279/.326/.470 in 233 PAs), but his production evaporated at the Triple-A level last season when he hit just .220/.279/.321 in 305 PAs.
  • The Nationals acquired minor league catcher Martin Medina from the Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations, per Baseball America’s Matt Eddy. The 26-year-old was originally drafted by the White Sox in the 20th round back in 2011, but Chicago flipped him to Toronto last summer (also for cash considerations). He’s a career .244/.314/.334 hitter in the minors and has caught 30 percent of opposing base-stealers, but he’s yet to progress beyond the Double-A level.
  • Also via Eddy, the Braves have released right-hander Rob Wooten from Triple-A Gwinnett. The long-time Brewers reliever signed a minors pact with Atlanta this winter and had a nice showing with Gwinnett, yielding just three runs on seven hits and no walks with seven strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings. The rest of Wooten’s career has come with the Brewers organization. He owns a 4.07 ERA with 8.3 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9 in 185 2/3 Triple-A innings and a 5.03 ERA with 7.0 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 in 68 big league frames.
  • One more from Eddy, who adds that the Reds traded outfielder Pin-Chieh Chen to the Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations. The 24-year-old Chen, signed by the Cubs as a free agent out of Taiwan prior to the 2010 season, has climbed as high as Double-A in the minors, spending parts of four seasons at that level and compiling a .236/.344/.327 batting line there. Baseball America rated him as Chicago’s No. 31 prospect prior to the 2012 season but didn’t rise higher than that on their prospect rankings.

Dodgers Claim Casey Fien From Twins

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2:56pm: Fien will join the Dodgers’ big-league team, Shaikin tweets.

1:45pm: The Dodgers have claimed righty reliever Casey Fien from the Twins, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Minnesota placed Fien on waivers earlier this week along with Tommy Milone. The Twins also outrighted Milone today, as Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press tweets.

Fien allowed 12 runs and five homers in 13 2/3 innings with the Twins this season. He had been significantly more effective in the previous several seasons, however (even as his strikeout rate has progressively declined), and last year he posted a 3.55 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and an excellent 1.1 BB/9 over 63 1/3 frames. He also hasn’t shown a significant loss of velocity in 2016 as compared to last season. Fien clearly seems able to throw strikes, but that tendency might sometimes get him into trouble, as he’s an extreme fly-ball pitcher.

The Dodgers’ immediate plans for Fien aren’t yet clear. They’re looking for reliable bullpen help to complement Kenley Jansen (and are reportedly considering adding top prospect Julio Urias to their bullpen). Fien is optionable, however. Fien will make $2.275MM this season (a salary that the Dodgers will assume as a result of the claim), and the Dodgers can take him through the arbitration process for two more seasons beyond this one if they choose.

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