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Quick Hits: Shields, Sandoval, Cardinals, Astros, Twins

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On the notion of the Padres trading right-hander James Shields to the Red Sox for benched third baseman Pablo Sandoval, one scout told Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune, “James Shields is not good in Fenway Park in his career. Some people think he’s a National League pitcher at this point of his career. But it’s one fewer year (on his contract) than Sandoval. I think Sandoval would be better off outside of Boston. I think he’s been eaten whole there. That trade actually would make some sense.” Both players are coming off down seasons, albeit Shields was easily the more valuable of the two in 2015. Shields, 34, exceeded the 200-inning barrier for the ninth straight year and set a career high with a 9.61 K/9, but he also logged personal worsts in BB/9 (3.6) and FIP (4.45) to accompany a mediocre 3.91 ERA. Sandoval is a half-decade younger (29), though that plus is offset by a well-known weight problem and the fact that he had the worst fWAR in baseball in 2015 (-2.0). Moreover, the two carry undesirable financial commitments. Shields is due $60MM over the next three years, though he can opt out and become a free agent after next season. That would mean leaving $44MM on the table, however. Sandoval, meanwhile, is owed $70MM through 2019. Both players’ deals have expensive club options at the end that their respective teams surely won’t exercise, which will lead to buyouts ($2MM for Shields in 2019, $5MM for Sandoval in 2020).

More from around the majors. . .

  • With president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski in charge, the Red Sox are a meritocracy when it comes to putting together a roster, as Alex Speier of the Boston Globe writes. That was evident in the team’s decision to relegate Sandoval, whom it signed just a year ago, in favor of Travis Shaw at the hot corner. The Dombrowski-led Red Sox began the trend of valuing performance over contract when they elected last summer to end the short-lived, disastrous experiment of Hanley Ramirez in left field, Speier notes. “My focus is on the guys that are in uniform, not what’s attached to them or what their contract states,” manager John Farrell said. “We’re all about evaluating and what’s best for our team.”
  • The Astros have informed left-hander Wandy Rodriguez that he will not crack their Opening Day Roster, tweets Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle. Rodriguez, who inked a minor league accord with the Astros in the offseason, had been competing with James Hoyt and Michael Feliz for the final spot in the team’s bullpen. Rodriguez had an opt-out in his contract for last Saturday, per Evan Drellich of the Chronicle. With that deadline having passed, it’s unclear what the immediate future will hold for Rodriguez, but he could end up on the market and in search of a major league deal elsewhere. “Let me see what happens if somebody picks me (up),” he told Drellich.
  • The Cardinals aren’t looking for outside help at shortstop in the wake of Ruben Tejada’s injury, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Instead, the Redbirds will at least wait until they have a better understanding of Tejada’s status. He’ll start the season on the disabled list with a muscle strain in his left quadriceps, leaving Jedd Gyorko and Greg Garcia as the Cardinals’ options at the major league level. They also have Aledmys Diaz of Triple-A Memphis as a potential call-up.
  • Nick Burdi, the Twins’ best relief pitching prospect, is “out indefinitely” with right forearm tightness and will begin the season on the DL, reports LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune. Of course, forearm injuries sometimes portend Tommy John surgery. Burdi, who’s capable of hitting 99 on the radar gun, threw three scoreless spring innings for the Twins. The 23-year-old tossed 63 2/3 innings at multiple minor league levels last season and pitched to a 3.82 ERA with an 11.7 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9.
  • Right-hander Roberto Hernandez is drawing interest from teams that want to sign him to a minor league contract, but he’s holding out for a major league deal, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets. Hernandez, 35, opted out of his deal with Toronto earlier this week after the club didn’t add him to its active roster. In 84 2/3 innings last year with Houston, Hernandez worked to a 4.36 ERA with 4.5 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9.
  • Lefty reliever Wesley Wright has garnered multiple Triple-A offers, per Cotillo (Twitter link). Wright, whom Arizona released Monday, has thrown 371 innings of 4.16 ERA ball to accompany an 8.6 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in his major league career. Those mediocre numbers belie his success versus left-handed batters, who have hit a paltry .234/.313/.334 against Wright.

Minor MLB Transactions: 3/31/16

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Here are Thursday’s minor moves from around Major League Baseball:

  • The Orioles have released lefty reliever Hideki Okajima, per Michael Mayer of Metsmerized Online (via Twitter). Okajima, who signed a minor league deal with the O’s last month, hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2013. He spent the past two seasons in Japan and is best known in the bigs for his work in Boston’s bullpen from 2007-11.
  • The White Sox have released three minor leaguers – outfielder Scott Hairston, utility man Steve Lombardozzi and righty Maikel Cleto – Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune reports (on Twitter). Hairston, the most accomplished of the trio, signed with the White Sox in November after sitting out the 2015 season. The 11-year MLB veteran owns a lifetime slash of .242/.296/.442, though he has fared significantly better against left-handed pitchers (.268/.315/.489). Lombardozzi last played extensively in the majors in 2013, when he was worth -0.6 fWAR in 118 games with Washington. Control problems have beset the career of Cleto, who has put up a 6.60 ERA with an 11.6 K/9 and 6.0 BB/9 in 45 big league innings. He spent last season with the White Sox’s Triple-A affiliate, Charlotte, and recorded a stingy 3.00 ERA in 51 innings to go along with a 10.76 K/9 and 4.24 BB/9.
  • The Angels signed outfielder Shane Robinson to a minor league deal, according to their Twitter account. Cleveland released Robinson earlier this week after he exercised his opt-out clause. Robinson has batted .237/.302/.313 in 649 career plate appearances over parts of six seasons. The 31-year-old has performed better defensively throughout his career, having received plus marks in defensive runs saved and ultimate zone rating.
  • The Twins have released outfielder Joe Benson, according to Mayer (on Twitter). Benson, whom the Twins signed to a minor league contract during the winter, hit just .125/.263/.188 in 19 spring plate appearances. Most of Benson’s career has been spent in the Twins organization since they chose him in the second round of the 2006 draft. His only big league action came in 2011, when he slashed .239/.270/.352 in 21 games with Minnesota.

Notable Opening Day Roster Decisions

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With Opening Day fast approaching, and a variety of deadlines hitting clubs around the league, we’re seeing plenty of final roster and initial playing time decisions being made. While many don’t necessarily implicate control rights or other contractual matters, some are particularly noteworthy. Among them:

  • Ricky Nolasco has won the Twins’ final rotation spot, with the club optioning Tyler Duffey to Triple-A, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger tweets. The 25-year-old Duffey had an impressive ten-game debut last year, but was outperformed in camp by the high-priced veteran Nolasco, who struck out 14 in his 13 1/3 innings. Duffey, meanwhile, surrendered a 7.30 ERA in 12 1/3 innings, with six walks to go with just six strikeouts. Minnesota also seems to have set its pen and the rest of its 25-man Opening Day roster, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune tweets, by reassigning Logan Darnell to minor league camp. It appears that Fernando Abad will function as the sole lefty middle reliever on the club.
  • It appears that reliever Craig Breslow has made the Marlins’ roster, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com tweets.  Breslow inked a minor league deal with Miami this winter and will earn $1.5MM in 2016 if he makes the roster.
  • The Giants have optioned catcher Andrew Susac and will go with Trevor Brown in the reserve role to open the season, Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area was among those to report on Twitter. Susac has dealt with injuries this spring and could certainly stand to receive more steady playing time. That creates a nice opportunity for the 24-year-old Brown, a glove-first receiver who has a lot to prove with the bat.
  • The Brewers will go with Yadiel Rivera and Rule 5 pick Colin Walsh as bench infielders, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy tweets. That leaves Hernan Perez without an apparent role. He’s out of options, so a roster move could be coming for the 25-year-old. Meanwhile, Walsh will get a chance to stick in Milwaukee, which is obviously intrigued at the idea of keeping his future rights.

Carlos Quentin Elects Free Agency, May Retire

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11:40am: Ryan tells reporters (including LaVelle E. Neal III) that Quentin indicated that he will return to his family and retirement, rather than seek out another team.

11:04am: Veteran outfielder Carlos Quentin has rejected his Triple-A assignment from the Twins and is now a free agent, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger reports (Twitter link).  The Twins granted his release after Quentin asked to be let go, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweets.

The minor league deal Quentin signed with Minnesota in February didn’t contain an opt-out date until June 1, though there was an unofficial agreement in place between the two sides that Quentin would be released if he didn’t make the club.  After Quentin was assigned to the minors, the Twins gave him a few days to decide on his next move, with GM Terry Ryan and manager Paul Molitor both hoping Quentin would stay in the organization since the veteran would almost assuredly get called up at some point during the season.

The nine-year MLB veteran last played in the bigs in 2014, as Quentin played just five games with the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate in 2015 before deciding to retire.  The virtual year off, however, eased a lot of pain in Quentin’s knees and shoulder and he decided to give playing another shot this offseason.

Injuries have long limited Quentin’s career, as he only cracked the 100-game plateau three times in nine seasons.  When he was on the field, however, Quentin swung a dangerous power bat.  As recently as 2013, he hit .275/.363/.493 with 13 homers over 320 PA with the Padres.  Despite this track record, it seems unlikely that Quentin would land a big league job without at least some time in the minors.

AL Notes: Trades, Quentin, Gretzky

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The Red Sox are unlikely to make a significant deal before Opening Day, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal writes. Britton notes that, since 2000, 111 trades have been made between March 25 and April 5, and almost all of them have been small. That’s because, with rare exceptions (like the Padres’ acquisition of Craig Kimbrel last April 5), most teams focus on setting their rosters and making minor deals at the end of Spring Training. If they had intended to make bigger moves, they likely would have made them earlier. That’s why the Red Sox are unlikely to acquire, say, a top starter from the Indians, or Sonny Gray from the Athletics, at this point in time. Here’s more from the American League.

  • The Twins have announced that they’ve reassigned veteran slugger Carlos Quentin. Via MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger (on Twitter), the organization is allowing Quentin a few days to decide whether to accept a minor-league assignment. Quentin had a good spring, hitting two home runs while batting .250/.333/.500, but it’s tough to imagine him getting a big-league job without first taking a minor-league assignment, since he struggled with injury and performance in 2014 and spent most of the 2015 season away from the game after retiring last May.
  • The Angels have released outfielder Trevor Gretzky, as noted on the MILBmoves Twitter account. The release of a 23-year-old Class A player might normally pass by unnoticed, but we mention this one because of Gretzky’s background. He’s the son of hockey great Wayne Gretzky, and the Cubs drafted him in the seventh round back in 2011. The Angels then acquired him two years ago for Matt Scioscia, the son of Angels manager Mike Scioscia. Gretzky hit .242/.312/.318 for Class A Burlington last year.

Twins Release Ryan Sweeney

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The Twins have released outfielder Ryan Sweeney, the team announced.  Sweeney signed a minor league deal in December that would’ve paid him $750K had he made Minnesota’s roster.

Sweeney sat out the 2015 season in order to get healthy from a series of nagging injuries that had plagued his career.  The well-regarded defender was hoping to win a job as a backup outfielder for the Twins, and he’d been hitting well (.294/.400/.412) over 40 Spring Training plate appearances.  The 31-year-old has a .276/.333/.380 slash line over 2338 career PA with the White Sox, A’s, Red Sox and Cubs over nine years in the bigs, most notably as a starter in Oakland in the late aughts.

Twins Outright Mike Strong

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

  • The Twins have outrighted lefty Mike Strong to Triple-A Rochester, clearing a spot on their 40-man, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger tweets. Strong was claimed twice this offseason, going from the Brewers to the Marlins and then on to the Twins. The 27-year-old worked mostly in relief last season at Double-A Biloxi (where he fared well) and Triple-A Colorado Springs (where he fared poorly), combining for a 3.82 ERA, 8.2 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 66 innings.

Central Notes: Indians, Meyer, Rosenthal, Rivera

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The Indians have little time to evaluate Marlon Byrd and make final roster decisions, as Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal writes. Manager Terry Francona acknowledged the dilemma of making a call after a brief look at the late-to-sign veteran. “It’s not like we need to see him hit a home run,” said Francona. “This is going to be a hard one. I think we’re balancing not trying to do too much, too quick. … Because it’s going to be hard unless something jumps out one way or another.” As Lewis notes, the organization does have some flexibility since it can retain some of the competitors for outfield jobs — including Joey Butler, Collin Cowgill, and Tyler Naquin — via options. Will Venable is also in the hunt for a role, per the report, while Robbie Grossman and Shane Robinson appear to be “outside contenders” at this point.

Here’s more from the central divisions:

  • Twins righty Alex Meyer will return to the rotation to open the 2016 season, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger reports. The former top-50 leaguewide prospect shifted to the pen last year after a disastrous beginning to the season, with up-and-down results. Meyer has a long way to go to restore his prospect sheen, but it seems he’ll at least have a chance to harness his big arm as a starter.
  • Trevor Rosenthal of the Cardinals, meanwhile, has established himself as one of the game’s best relievers, but still hopes to have a chance to return at some point to the rotation, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. Rosenthal mostly pitched as a starter in the brief time he spent in the minors, but has operated exclusively in relief at the major league level. Though he didn’t take issue with his 9th-inning role, Rosenthal said he “would definitely like to have [a starting] opportunity,” preferably “sooner rather than later.” Of course, his role is highly unlikely to change this spring or over the season to come, and it remains to be seen whether the organization will be willing to tinker next spring. Rosenthal’s work as a closer has already earned him a $5.6MM payday in his first of three years of arbitration.
  • Infielder Yadiel Rivera has impressed the Brewers this spring, but finds himself in a tough spot in the organization’s hierarchy, as Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. The 23-year-old is behind Jonathan Villar in the pecking order at the major league level, with the heralded Orlando Arcia rising quickly as well. But there’s little question that a rebuilding Milwaukee organization will find some way to give Rivera a chance if his added strength and confidence show up in the results; indeed, none of the club’s likely starting infielders appear to have a stranglehold on their jobs heading into the season.

AL Central Notes: Tigers, Cespedes, Indians, Twins

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Before signing Justin Upton, the Tigers were also in on free agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, as Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.  Detroit was open to a reunion with the slugger, but they liked Upton “slightly more.”  The Tigers offered Cespedes a four-year deal, but had the Upton agreement not come together, they could have potentially gone to five years, Heyman says.

Why did they prefer Upton to Cespedes? Well, in part (link), the Tigers loved Upton’s consistent demeanor and his personality.  Upton also came with the endorsement of Alan Trammell and Kirk Gibson.  When all was said and done, Upton agreed to a six-year, $132.75MM deal with Detroit and Cespedes stayed with the Mets on a three-year deal that will allow him to opt out after year one.

Here’s more from the AL Central:

  • Some Indians fans have been critical of the team’s decision to sign Mike Napoli, Rajai Davis, Juan Uribe, and Marlon Byrd (minor league deal) to one-year pacts rather than make one high-priced free agent splash this winter.  Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer explained the Tribe’s thinking a little bit while pointing out the pitfalls of pricey multi-year deals, like the ones given to Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn.  The Indians wound up committing ~$104MM to both players and recently they had to trade both veterans to try and unload a portion of that money.
  • Carlos Quentin has a June 1st opt-out in his deal with the Twins, assistant GM Rob Antony tells Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press (on Twitter).  However, there’s also a “gentleman’s agreement” to cut him loose prior to that date if the team does not have big league plans for him.  Quentin appeared destined for retirement before he had a change of heart during the offseason.
  • Ryan Sweeney has a straight minor-league deal with no opt-out clause or right to demand his release, Antony tells Berardino (on Twitter).  Sweeney sat out the 2015 season in an effort to allow his body to heal from multiple ailments.  While he was out of the game, the veteran collected on the $2MM still owed to him by the Cubs.
  • Outfielder Darin Mastroianni also has a straight minor-league deal with the Twins, according to Berardino (Twitter link). The assistant GM says that the 30-year-old (31 in August) didn’t even ask the club for an opt-out due to his comfort with team brass.  Mastroianni signed on with Minnesota in December.

Andy MacPhail On The 25-Year Anniversary Of The Twins’ 1991 World Series Championship

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The Minnesota Twins surprised the baseball world in 1987 when they finished first in the American League West with an 85-77 record – just one season after going 71-91. But they didn’t stop there; the Twins stunned Detroit (98-64 in the regular season) to win the A.L. Championship Series, then shocked St. Louis (95-67) to bring home a World Series title.

Just four years later, after a complete retooling of the pitching staff, the 1991 Twins rebounded from a last-place finish the year before to win the A.L. West. After dropping nine of their first 11 games, they started putting things together – and eventually went on a 24-3 tear from May 28-June 25 (including a 15-game winning streak). By the time that stretch ended, they found themselves atop the divisional standings – and never entered a day’s action the rest of the season looking up at anyone. After defeating Toronto in the ALCS, they outlasted Atlanta in the worst-to-first World Series to bring home another trophy.

Oct 26, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies president Andy MacPhail during a press conference to introduce new general manager Matt Klentak (not pictured) at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The architect of both championship clubs was Andy MacPhail, who was just 32 years old when he took over as Minnesota’s General Manager in August 1985. Now the President of the Philadelphia Phillies, MacPhail took some time to speak to MLB Trade Rumors about the 1991 Twins in this – the 25th anniversary of their last World Championship.

The pitching staff was completely overhauled between 1987 and 1991. The front three in 1987 were Frank Viola, Bert Blyleven and Les Straker; by 1991, Jack Morris, Scott Erickson and Kevin Tapani sat atop the rotation. Jeff Reardon was the closer in 1987; Rick Aguilera was in that role in 1991.

“We had to turn the entire pitching staff over in a four-year period, which was no easy feat,” MacPhail said. “As I recall, it was a little bit of everything – trades, free agent acquisitions, minor league free agents, major league free agents … Some came from the system, like Scott Erickson. Some were more high-profile free agents, like Jack Morris. But one of the most critical signings was a minor league free agent named Carl Willis – who ended up pitching the 8th inning and doing an extraordinary job for us. With Willis in the 8th and Aguilera in the 9th, we locked down the last two innings. It just goes to remind you that you have to get contributions from every potential artery you can to improve your club – not just rely on one aspect alone. Tapani and Aguilera were trades. Morris – major league free agent. Mark Guthrie – minor league free agent. They all combined in one year to help us completely turn over the pitching staff.”

 The best pitcher on the 1987 team – and the most recognizable – was Frank Viola, who earned World Series MVP honors that season and went on to win the A.L. Cy Young Award in 1988. The trade of Viola at the July 1989 deadline turned out to be a big reason why the Twins won the 1991 World Series, as three pitchers acquired for him – Tapani, Aguilera and David West – became key members of the Minnesota staff.

“At the time we moved him, we were in last place, and it felt like we needed some volume as opposed to one great starter,” MacPhail said. “We had a difficult negotiation after the ’88 season. He ended up signing a three-year agreement, but we were probably going to have another negotiation that would not be easy. We just felt it was time to make a move. When he went over to the Mets, he won 20 games and pitched well there. Given our circumstances, we were looking for volume. We got Kevin Tapani – who did a tremendous job for us and was an integral piece of the ’91 puzzle. And we were able to add David West, who ended up starting and relieving for us over the course of ’91. And then another critical piece was Rick Aguilera, who was our closer and filled an important void for us.”

From a fan standpoint, moving such a popular player and person as Viola had to be tough. MacPhail was asked if it was harder to remove him from the team because Minnesota was a small market club.

“That was a harder one to do. We ended up doing it right at the deadline on July 31st,” MacPhail said. “Back then, it was a midnight deadline. We did it with minutes to spare. It was not an easy decision by any stretch. I remember just wanting to have to sit down for a moment and sort of collect myself. Independent of the market size, it clearly was not an easy decision. It was not going to be popular, because you are trading a known for multiple unknowns to some degree. While I felt conviction that it was the right thing for us to make the trade … I wouldn’t say I was conflicted, but I recognized back then that of all the trades I had made in my career, this one was going to have the most riding on it. If it was not successful, it was going to come back and bite you personally – probably in a big way. You trade a potential 20-game winner to a New York club, you better be getting something back.”

A year and a half later, the Twins were playing in the 1991 World Series. Vindication, or still a tad conflicted?

“No, the end game object is to be the last club standing. We were able to accomplish that. The pitchers we acquired in that deal were big parts of it. So I felt the actions of the organization were justified,” he said.

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