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156 Players File For Salary Arbitration

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The Major League Baseball Players Association announced today that 156 players have filed for salary arbitration. Players and teams will formally exchange arbitration figures on Friday, and in the five to six weeks that follow, dozens of agreements will be reached. Players and teams that are unable to find a middle ground will head to arbitration hearings in mid to late February, and, on the flip-side of things, some will hammer out multi-year deals in order to avoid the process in the future (possibly even extending the contract into would-be free agent years).

We’re keeping track of all of the arbitration settlements in the 2016 version of MLBTR’s annual Arbitration Tracker (bear in mind that some agreements have already happened) and will continue to do so as each case is resolved, whether by one-year agreement, multi-year deal or hearing. Here’s a team-by-team rundown of the players that filed for arbitration, with each player’s service time in parenthesis in addition to MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz’s projected salary for each.

AL West

Angels

Astros

Athletics

Mariners

Rangers

AL Central

Indians

Royals

Tigers

Twins

White Sox

AL East

Blue Jays

Orioles

Rays

Red Sox

Yankees

NL West

Diamondbacks

Dodgers

Giants

Padres

Rockies

NL Central

Brewers

Cardinals

Cubs

Pirates

Reds

NL East

Braves

Marlins

Mets

Nationals

Phillies

For more information on the arbitration process in general, readers can refer to our breakdown of Arbitration Basics. For those who wish to garner more insight into Swartz’s projection model, check out his explanation of the model and its limitations as well as MLBTR’s Arbitration Breakdown series, in which Swartz examines some unique cases that might leave the model more susceptible to inaccuracy than a standard arbitration case. 

Marlins Now Unlikely To Trade Marcell Ozuna

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After agreeing to terms with starter Wei-Yin Chen, the Marlins now seem rather unlikely to deal away young outfielder Marcell Ozuna, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro reports on Twitter. Miami had reportedly been dangling Ozuna in hopes of landing a young rotation piece, but seemingly moved on to strike an agreement with Chen when it could not find a trade arrangement it liked.

Of course, much of the impetus for the apparent organizational inclination to trade Ozuna seemed to come from owner Jeffrey Loria. Though there had been discussions about an extension, things turned south after the Scott Boras-represented Ozuna declined to pursue a contract and then struggled to open the 2015 season.

When Jon Heyman asked Loria today whether Ozuna would be moved, he reportedly responded: “he’s here!” (Twitter link.) That line is hardly definitive, of course, but it certainly seems to suggest that it could stay that way in the context of the Chen agreement and the aforementioned report.

While the Marlins were said to be comfortable deploying Christian Yelich in center if a deal had come together involving Ozuna, it seems preferable to keep him and Giancarlo Stanton at the corners. Indeed, as I wrote in addressing the lynchpin decision on Ozuna in the Marlins’ offseason outlook, there is still tremendous appeal in keeping that trio together for the foreseeable future.

Dodgers Hire Alex Anthopoulos As Vice President

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JANUARY 12: The Dodgers have announced Anthopoulos’s hiring as vice president of baseball operations.

JANUARY 5: Former Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos, whose resignation at season’s end shocked many in the baseball world, will join the Dodgers’ front office and work alongside GM Farhan Zaidi, according to multiple reports, including one from Vince Cauchon of Radio X in Quebec, who was the first to report the hiring earlier today (via Twitter). Cauchon seems to imply that a deal is in place, and Jon Heyman tweets that an agreement is being finalized. All told, it seems likely that the team will announce the hire in the near future. Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times writes the move is “expected” to be completed soon, though no specific role has been determined at this point.

The 38-year-old Anthopoulos will become the sixth member of the Dodgers’ front office that is either a current or former GM, joining president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, Zaidi, senior vice president Josh Byrnes, senior advisor Ned Colletti and special advisor Gerry Hunsicker. Byrnes has previously served as the GM of the Padres and D-backs, while Colletti was the Dodgers’ GM before the current regime inherited baseball operations autonomy. Hunsicker spent roughly a decade as the Astros’ GM.

Anthopoulos was named the Sporting News’ executive of the year in 2015 on the heels of a number of high-profile trades that culminated in a division title and ALCS run for the Blue Jays, snapping a 22-year playoff drought in Toronto. The acquisitions of Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki and David Price stand out as perhaps the most memorable trades, but Anthopoulos also acquired LaTroy Hawkins, Mark Lowe and Ben Revere in addition to signing Russell Martin to a five-year contract in the offseason. However, with CEO Paul Beeston set to retire in Toronto, ownership sought a replacement and reportedly offered former Indians GM/president Mark Shapiro final say in baseball operations decisions as a means of luring him to Toronto. That promise is said to have led to Anthopoulos’ resignation, despite the fact that he was offered an extension prior to his departure.

Anthopoulos will add to a growing collection of well-respected baseball minds working to shape the Dodgers, though his specific role remains unclear, as does the number of teams that expressed interest in hiring him. Anthopoulos told the Canadian Press last month that he’d received interest from a variety of teams and media outlets and was expecting to take a job with a team in January. One report even mentioned that the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes had interest in bringing Anthopoulos on board in their front office. That would’ve made him the second notable baseball executive to change sports this month — Paul DePodesta reportedly is leaving the Mets to join the Cleveland Browns’ front office (as explained on MLBTR and on Pro Football Rumors earlier today) — but it seems that Anthopoulos will instead remain in the game with which he has been involved since 2000.

Rockies Sign Gerardo Parra

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The Rockies have officially announced a three-year, $27.5MM deal with outfielder Gerardo Parra. The contract includes a club option for a fourth year at $12MM, which comes with a $1.5MM buyout.

Parra, a client of Octagon, will earn $26MM over the first three years of the deal. He gets $8MM for the coming season, $8MM again in 2017, and then $10MM in the final season.

In Parra, who’ll turn 29 early in the season, the Rox will pick up a young, athletic player whose performance has been somewhat difficult to judge. As I explained in late August of last year, a huge first-half performance (combined with his age) made a four-year guarantee and/or ten-plus-million AAV seem plausible at one point.

But Parra tailed off down the stretch, ending the year with a .291/.328/.452 slash. That’s still good, of course, but is hardly the breakout that had seemed in the offing as of late summer. And he’s been more of an average to slightly-below-average offensive producer for most of his career. It’s worth noting, too, that the left-handed-hitting Parra has also tended to carry significant platoon splits.

It’s at least as hard to peg Parra from a defensive perspective. He became something of a sabermetric darling back in 2013, when he turned in a monster year with the glove (29.5 UZR, 41 DRS). That had followed several years of above-average metrics, seeming to suggest that Parra was one of the game’s best corner outfielders (if not also a good center fielder as well). But both of those major defensive rating systems have identified a significant drop-off in each of the last two seasons, with Parra rating as a well-below-average performer last season.

Ultimately, the contract comes in just shy of the three-year, $27MM prediction made by MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes before the hot stove kicked into gear this winter. While Parra always seemed to occupy a nice niche in this market, drawing wide appeal with his sturdy reputation and lower price tag, it is still notable that he was able to meet expectations despite the fact that the position-player market has been slow to develop.

Obviously, it’s an interesting strategy for Colorado to pursue, as the team could certainly have relied on its in-house options for the coming season. Parra will join a depth chart that already features left-handed-hitting outfielders Carlos Gonzalez, Charlie Blackmon, and Corey Dickerson, possibly suggesting that one of those players could end up on the move. Certainly, it’s not a minor signing for this organization, which hadn’t given out a deal of this magnitude since the pre-2012 Michael Cuddyer contract.

Signing a replacement for one of the team’s incumbent bats, in concert with a trade to acquire pitching, has long seemed an intriguing possibility, and it could be that GM Jeff Bridich is employing just such an approach here. He addressed that general concept in a recent interview on the MLBTR Podcast (at about the 13-minute mark), saying that it could be “part of a strategy” but noting that it’s still “incumbent upon us to know when a good baseball trade is a good baseball trade” — regardless of which direction the pitchers and position players were headed.

Wilmer Reina of Diario la Verdad (Twitter links) and Jon Heyman (via Twitter) first reported the signing and its essential terms. Ken Rosenthal added the annual breakdown on Twitter.

Marlins In “Active Negotiations” With Wei-Yin Chen

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The Marlins “remain in active negotiations” with southpaw Wei-Yin Chen, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Rosenthal first said there was interest between the sides a few days back. Miami is not alone in pursuit, and the market is “evolving rapidly,” per the report.

Chen, a client of Scott Boras, is arguably the best pitcher left on the open market. Certainly, he came into the winter with the strongest earning power of those arms yet to have sign: MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes ranked him the 13th overall free agent and valued him at five years and $80MM. Dierkes also took a full look at Chen’s open-market case in a free agent profile.

For Miami, the rotation has long been an area of focus, but the club has only added Edwin Jackson thus far. While he certainly builds out depth, it’s been a while since he was an effective rotation piece. And given the minimal financial commitment and availability of a bullpen role, it’s certainly possible that he could simply be utilized in a swingman capacity.

The Fish have a bit of an edge over other possible suitors for Chen, in that they have a protected first-round draft pick. Without the threat of losing a top selection, the club’s opportunity cost is much lower than those teams that would part with a valuable young piece. Of course, some of the other clubs rumored to have interest may not need to factor that too heavily, either, whether because they have already punted their top pick (e.g., Nationals), don’t have a strong draft position (e.g., Royals), or could sign other QO-bound free agents as well (e.g., Orioles).

Chen isn’t alone, of course. While the focus has been on the number of significant bats still available, he forms rather an impressive trio — along with Yovani Gallardo and Ian Kennedy — of still-available-starters. All three require draft compensation to sign.

Gerardo Parra Seeking Three-Year Deal; Rockies, Two Others In Mix

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7:43pm: The Angels are not one of the three finalists in on Parra, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. But Parra’s destination still has an impact for Los Angeles, per the report, as the team would have interest in Blackmon if he becomes available.

1:01pm: The Rockies are among three teams currently in the mix for free-agent outfielder Gerardo Parra, his agent, Jose Mijares(not to be confused with the pitcher of the same name) of Octagon tells MLB.com’s Thomas Harding. Parra hopes to reach a decision within the “next couple days,” his agent added when speaking to Harding. Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post adds that Mijares said Parra is seeking a three-year deal.

Colorado has been connected to Parra on multiple occasions over the past week, with Jon Heyman originally indicating that the Rox were a “serious” suitor for the 28-year-old outfielder. It’s not certain which other teams are in the mix at this point, though Parra has also been prominently linked to the Angels and Nationals recently. The Nationals have long been seeking a left-handed-hitting outfielder, but they may have satisfied that need with the weekend addition of Ben Revere (who came over in a swap that sent Drew Storen to Toronto). The Royals were also said to have interest at one point, although Kansas City re-signed Alex Gordon last week. Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets that the Padres aren’t in the mix for Parra despite a potential opening in left field.

Parra is coming off a season that featured mixed results. He opened 2015 in Milwaukee and was on pace for a career year, slashing .328/.369/.517 in 351 plate appearances for the Brewers. That excellent production led the Orioles to part with one of their top pitching prospects, right-hander Zach Davies, in order to acquire Parra prior to the non-waiver trade deadline. Parra maintained his brilliant offensive production through his first two weeks with Baltimore, logging an .840 OPS and cracking three homers in 66 trips to the plate. His season went into a swan dive from that point on, however, as he batted a meager .215/.237/.307 over his final 41 games/172 plate appearances. While a notable BABIP spike (.372) inflated his numbers with the Brewers, he fell victim to the opposite swing of the pendulum down the stretch, BABIPing just .243 over the life of that slump. His overall batting line still represented the best of his career, although declining defensive metrics have dragged down his WAR totals despite increased production at the dish.

At one point this offseason, Parra was reported to have received multiple three-year offers, though that came more than a month ago, and it’s not clear to what degree his asking price and/or the offers he has received have changed (if at all). Parra’s ultimate landing spot holds a fair amount of intrigue given the potentially broad range of ramifications his addition could have.

If, for instance, the Rockies’ interest is earnest and the team does end up landing its former division rival (Parra spent parts of six seasons with the D-backs), one would have to imagine the agreement would increase the likelihood of a trade in Denver. The Rockies, after all, already have three left-handed-hitting outfielders in the form of Corey Dickerson, Charlie Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez, leaving them without the opportunity to deploy Parra as a platoon mate for any of the three. Gonzalez is the most frequently mentioned trade candidate of the bunch in large part because he’s controllable for a shorter period of time (two years) than either Blackmon (three years) or Dickerson (four years). With $37MM owed to Gonzalez over the span of those two seasons, he’s also far and away the most expensive asset the Rockies currently have in the outfield.

The Angels, on the other hand, currently project to utilize a combination of Craig Gentry and Daniel Nava in left field, giving them room for an upgrade of their own. Anaheim has, in the past, been frequently linked to left-handed bats, and Parra would fill that need for the team. However, signing Parra would almost certainly put the Angels over the luxury tax threshold, barring some form of trade, and owner Arte Moreno reportedly does not wish to exceed that $189MM capacity. (Remember, too, that luxury tax penalties are calculated based on the average annual value of a contract and not the yearly payroll, so heavily backloading a deal would not spare the Halos of that consequence.)

Of course, other teams do make varying degrees of sense as theoretical destinations. The Orioles still have a need in the corner outfield, though they previously were said to prefer a two-year deal. The Indians could certainly use an upgrade in the outfield corners, particularly with Michael Brantley slated to open the season on the disabled list. Likewise, the White Sox have been tied to upgrades but have been reluctant to go near the asking prices set forth by Justin Upton and Yoenis Cespedes. The Cardinals made a strong run at retaining Jason Heyward, so one can assume they have at least an openness to corner outfield additions, even if it’s not a pressing need. And the Tigers, too, have been tied to left-field upgrades, though Parra wasn’t listed earlier today in a report indicating many of the names they’ve discussed.

Cardinals Sign Seung-Hwan Oh

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6:34pm: The deal would max out at $11MM — $5MM in 2016 and $6MM in 2017 — if Oh triggers all available incentives and the team picks up its option, per Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News (Twitter links).

1:40pm: The Cardinals have officially signed star Korean reliever Seung-hwan Oh to a one-year deal with a club option that reportedly guarantees him about $5MM. Oh, who is represented by Chip Sloan of Pryor Cashman LLP, did not require a posting fee to sign because he was a free agent.

Known by the nicknames “Stone Buddha” and “Final Boss,” Oh is perhaps the most celebrated Korean closer with 498 games finished over an 11-season career split between Korea and Japan. The right-hander has a career 1.81 ERA, 10.7 K/9, and 2.1 BB/9 over 646 1/3 innings between the two countries. In 2013, after nine seasons in the hitter-friendly KBO, Oh made the transition to the Hanshin Tigers of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball and continued his success, including a 2015 campaign that saw him post a 2.73 ERA, 8.6 K/9, and 2.1 BB/9. A two-year old scouting report credits him with a mid-90s fastball, hard slider, and slow curve. MLBTR’s Steve Adams spoke to a pair of scouts earlier this offseason that praised Oh’s fastball and labeled his slider as at least an average offering. As Han Lee of Global Sporting Integration tweets, Oh would become the fourth Korean reliever to jump from NPB to the Majors, joining predecessors Sang-Hoon Lee, Dae-Sung Koo and Chang-Yong Lim. (None of the three pitched more than a season in MLB, though none came with Oh’s track record in Asia, either.)

Oh won’t be the “final boss” of the St. Louis bullpen, given Trevor Rosenthal’s firm hold on the closer’s job, though he will add some much-needed depth to a back-end bullpen trio that saw a lot of action in 2015; setup man Kevin Siegrist appeared in a league-high 81 games, with Seth Maness (76 games) and Rosenthal (68) also seeing a lot of work.  The additions of Oh (if completed) and the re-signed Jonathan Broxton will give manager Mike Matheny more flexibility in deciding his late-game options.

Daniel Kim of KBSn first reported that the sides were close to agreement (via Twitter). Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the deal was nearing finalization, pending physical, and reported the contract value.

 

MLB Declares Randy Arozarena Free Agent

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Cuban infielder/outfielder Randy Arozarena has been declared a free agent, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. The 20-year-old joins fellow standout Lazaro Armenteros as intriguing prospects who are now free to join an MLB organization.

According to Badler, Arozarena will hold a showcase in Mexico on January 22. Expectations appear to be that he’ll sign in relatively short order after that occurs. Notably, Arozarena will be subject to international bonus limitations.

In its last ranking of young Cuban talent, BA listed Arozarena as the ninth-best prospect who was (then) still on the island. Calling him a “quick-twitch athlete,” Badler praises Arozarena for his speed and says he could play up the middle and feature at the top of a big league lineup — if he reaches his potential.

While it doesn’t seem as if there’s a lot of power projection for the youngster, Badler does say he’s got enough pop to be a double-digit home run threat despite generally featuring a “line-drive approach.” And he’s said to have good contact skills, bat speed, plate discipline, and pitch recognition, making for an appealing overall package.

Defense remains something of a question, as Arozarena has moved around quite a bit in recent years. He has a history at shortstop and has featured there in showcases, but as Badler explains he has also been utilized quite a bit in the outfield in recent years. It’s not clear yet where Arozarena will end up, but it appears likely that he has a good shot at being able to handle a challenging defensive assignment in the long run, adding to his value.

Though he’s a fair bit older than Lazarito, Arozarena is still not a player who’ll be pursued for his immediate impact. Badler guesses that he’d be likely to open at the High-A level to start the 2016 campaign, suggesting it could be a few years until he factors at the major league level.

Cuban Prospect Lazaro Armenteros Declared Free Agent By MLB

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Sixteen-year-old Cuban phenom Lazaro Armenteros — more commonly referred to simply as “Lazarito” — has been declared a free agent by Major League Baseball, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Armenteros will be eligible to sign beginning on Feb. 10. Because he is just 16 years of age, Armenteros will be subject to international spending limitations. Any club that has already exceeded its budget — or any club that exceeds its budget to sign the infielder/outfielder — will be required to a pay a 100 percent luxury tax on the amount by which the pool has been exceeded.

Armenteros hosted a open showcase for interested clubs at the Padres’ facility in the Dominican Republic last Friday, as Ben Badler of Baseball America wrote a week ago (Badler’s piece also includes video footage of Armenteros, and Badler further noted on Twitter that the location of his showcase was not an indicator of a team having the inside track on signing him). In a subscription-only scouting report from November, Badler called Armenteros one of the most promising players in Cuba, noting that he has “good bat speed, a strong frame and a chance to hit for big power.” Armenteros is “much more well-rounded” than Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who signed with Toronto for a $3.9MM bonus last summer, per Badler.

Both MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale have profiled Armenteros relatively recently as well. One AL scouting director told Sanchez that Armenteros is a “front-line guy” that possesses “lots of tools, size, strength and potential.” Sanchez interviewed Armenteros himself about his decision to pursue a Major League opportunity and leave his native country behind. As he explained to Sanchez, Armenteros was sanctioned by the Cuban government and not allowed to return to his 15U team in Cuba at the beginning of last season, which helped him to make the decision. Armenteros rejected the notion that he was sanctioned due to anti-government sentiments by others in his family, telling Sanchez that he doesn’t know why he was sanctioned, as the government would not give his father a good answer.

Within Nightengale’s profile, he gives an idea of how well-regarded Armenteros is not just among MLB clubs but worldwide. Per Nightengale, a Japanese team has shown a willingness to pay Armenteros upwards of $15MM to play in Nippon Professional Baseball, although the specific term and details were not included alongside the base sum of the reported offer. Nightengale chronicles Armenteros’ journey to Haiti and eventually establishing residency in the Dominican Republic, where he now resides and works out six days a week.

Because he’s eligible to sign this winter, Armenteros will be available to clubs that have already exceeded their international bonus pool during the 2015-16 signing period. That includes the Dodgers, Cubs, Royals and Giants, each of whom has already been subjected to luxury tax penalties on international prospects (particularly the Dodgers). Teams that exceeded their 2014-15 pools and are limited this offseason, however, will not be able to sign Armenteros, as they’re prohibited from exceeding $300K on a single signing bonus for an international prospect. That restriction rules out the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, Angels and Diamondbacks from making a run at the raw but highly touted Armenteros.

Marlins Sign Edwin Jackson

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SATURDAY: The deal is now complete, Heyman tweets. Heyman also adds that Jackson will receive a full no-trade clause, which is somewhat remarkable given Jackson’s situation. Of course, the Marlins will only pay Jackson $507.5K, so the no-trade clause shouldn’t be a significant hindrance to the Marlins.

MONDAY 11:33pm: There’s a deal in place pending physical, per Jon Heyman (via Twitter).

1:50pm: The Marlins are nearing an agreement on a Major League contract with right-hander Edwin Jackson, reports MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro (via Twitter). Miami was first reported to have interest in the 32-year-old Legacy Agency client last week. Because Jackson is still slated to be paid $13MM from the Cubs in the final season of his four-year, $52MM contract with Chicago, he’d only cost Miami the league minimum, which would be subtracted from the sum owed to Jackson by the Cubs.

While Jackson’s contract with the Cubs will go down as a bust, he rather quietly enjoyed a strong season split between the Chicago and Atlanta bullpens last year. In 47 relief appearances totaling 55 2/3 innings, Jackson posted a 3.07 ERA with 6.5 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and a 41.1 percent ground-ball rate. His 93.9 mph average fastball was his strongest mark of the past four seasons, although that shouldn’t come as a surprise when factoring in the move to short relief stints. When previously linked to Jackson, the Marlins were said to be considering him for their rotation, though one has to imagine that a relief role is a possibility as well, should a deal ultimately be agreed upon.

The addition of Jackson, Frisaro tweets, will not preclude the Marlins from continuing to search for upgrades to their pitching staff. Perhaps, then, the Marlins are merely looking at Jackson as depth for the rotation that can be transferred to the bullpen in the event that another arm is acquired either via free agency or trade. Relying on Jackson as a fallback rather than a set-in-stone rotation member would seem a reasonable course of action for Miami, who entered the day with a rotation picture consisting of Jose Fernandez, Jarred Cosart, Adam Conley, Tom Koehler and one of David Phelps or Justin Nicolino.

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