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Loria Reportedly Open To Trading Marcell Ozuna This Winter

By Steve Adams | September 16, 2015 at 4:31pm CDT

Marcell Ozuna has been the source of some controversy this season, and that, paired with his disappointing offensive output, could have him on the trade block this winter. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that while many in the organization would like to hold onto Ozuna given his considerable upside, team owner Jeffrey Loria is “disappointed” in Ozuna and “very much open to trading him” in exchange for pitching help.

Ozuna, still just 24 years old, broke out in 2014 when he hit .269/.317/.455 with 23 homers in 153 games. Ozuna coupled that above-average production with solid play in center field to deliver a season valued at roughly 3.5 wins above replacement, per both Fangraphs and Baseball Reference. Entering the season, he was expected to contribute to what many (myself included) regarded as the best young outfield in all of baseball.

Five months later, Ozuna is hitting .249/.296/.368 with eight homers. He spent more than a month in Triple-A earlier this season after floundering through a prolonged 1-for-36 slump, and upon his return, he likened the time in Triple-A to a jail sentence. Agent Scott Boras accused the Marlins of manipulating Ozuna’s service time, as the length of his demotion perhaps uncoincidentally appears to have been enough to prevent the outfielder from reaching Super Two designation and being eligible for arbitration a fourth time. Beyond that, he drew some criticism from decision-makers within the organization, as some questioned his conditioning early in the year (also via Jackson).

Shortly after the drama surrounding Ozuna’s demotion subsided, I profiled him at length as a trade candidate. Since that examination, Ozuna has looked better at the plate, hitting .258/.290/.494 with four homers in 93 plate appearances. He’s showing signs of another possibly extended slump, though, as he’s collected just one hit in his past 15 trips to the plate.

If Ozuna is indeed dangled in trade offers this winter, plenty of clubs would figure to have interest. He’s unlikely to be arbitration eligible until next offseason and can be controlled through the 2019 season. The Indians reportedly showed interest prior to the non-waiver trade deadline and certainly have the young pitching the Marlins would seek. From a speculative standpoint, the Giants, Padres, Mariners, Reds, Tigers, Angels, A’s and Orioles could all use outfield help in some capacity (though not necessarily in center field in each case). Of course, not all of those organizations are currently rife with young pitching options to send to Miami in return.

Josh Johnson To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

By Jeff Todd | September 16, 2015 at 2:09pm CDT

2:06pm: Johnson will indeed attempt another comeback, agent Matt Sosnick tells ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitlonger). The veteran righty has known of the tear for about ten weeks, but attempted to pitch through it before deciding to have the procedure. Sosnick says that his client will also look into “cutting-edge” medical developments that could prove beneficial in addition to the TJ procedure.

10:19am: Padres righty Josh Johnson will go under the knife for his third Tommy John procedure, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. He will almost certainly miss the entirety of the 2016 season after having the surgery some time next week.

Johnson most recently had a UCL replacement in April of 2014. He had signed a one-year, $8MM deal with San Diego prior to that season, but never threw a major league pitch before succumbing to the surgery. The Friars brought him back on an incentive-laden, one-year, $1MM pact, but the 31-year-old was never quite able to make it back to MLB action.

The Padres’ investment has obviously not panned out as hoped, but it was a relatively meager sum to risk on the pitcher they hoped would re-emerge. Johnson had a rough 2013 season with the Blue Jays, allowing 56 earned runs in just 81 1/3 frames, but carried a career-best 9.2 K/9 rate and drew solid reviews from some ERA estimators.

While he’d had injuries before that point, Johnson also had racked up nearly a thousand innings of 3.15 ERA pitching heading into his short and disappointing tenure in Toronto. At times, he’s been among the very best pitchers in the game.

Given that he’s undergoing the procedure, it certainly seems that Johnson will give it at least one more shot. In all likelihood, he won’t even have a chance at throwing competitively until he has turned 33.

Carlos Pena To Sign Contract To Retire As Member Of Rays

By Jeff Todd | September 16, 2015 at 1:19pm CDT

The Rays will sign first baseman Carlos Pena to a contract in order to allow him to retire as a member of the organization, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports on Twitter. The 37-year-old Dominican native has not played with any organization this year.

Though he ultimately made many stops along the way in his 14 big league seasons, Pena enjoyed his longest and most successful stint in Tampa Bay. After originally signing there as a minor league free agent, Pena put up a monster 2007 season in which he swatted 46 home runs and carried a 1.037 OPS. He inked a three-year, $24.25MM extension thereafter.

Though he never quite reached that peak again, Pena put up a .230/.360/.483 slash over his five years with the Rays, the last of which came after a one-year stop with the Cubs. He was also a significant contributor to the club’s 2008 and 2010 playoff teams, compiling a .269/.388/.522 batting line with four home runs in his 80 post-season plate appearances.

Before heading to Tampa Bay, Pena spent an extended stretch with the Tigers. Though he was an above-average hitter, he didn’t consistently produce there as he did later. Pena also made a stop in Chicago, as noted above, and had short tenures with the Rangers, Royals, Red Sox, Astros, and Athletics. He had an unsuccessful late-season run last year in Texas, and it appears as if that will represent his final work at the MLB level.

While Pena was born in the Dominican Republic, he played high school and college ball in the United States, making him draft-eligible. He was taken with the tenth pick of the 1998 draft by the Rangers and soon became one of the game’s highest-rated prospects. But Pena was dealt twice in 2002, not long after reaching the majors, first heading to Oakland and then on to Detroit (as portrayed in the Moneyball book and film).

It took some time until Pena made good on his full promise, but he certainly did that for the Rays. MLBTR offers its congratulations on an outstanding career, and wishes him the best as he moves on to other pursuits.

Exclusive Free Articles From MLBTR

By Tim Dierkes | September 16, 2015 at 11:20am CDT

The comments on my 2016 MLB Free Agent Power Rankings got me thinking: where might Chris Davis sign this winter? So, I went team-by-team to find the plausible fits in this week’s newsletter. Sign up below now, and you’ll get the article later today! There are no strings attached with the MLBTR Newsletter; just a free article every week. Those of you viewing this post in our app can use this link to sign up.

Angels GM Candidates Include LaCava, Hazen, Atkins, Eppler

By Jeff Todd | September 15, 2015 at 8:23pm CDT

When former general manager Jerry Dipoto left the club in the middle of the summer over an apparent lack of compatibility with manager Mike Scioscia, it became apparent that the Angels could have a unique GM search on their hands. The team has been increasingly active recently and is said to be hopeful of making a decision within a few weeks’ time.

Here’s the latest on the Angels’ search for a new leader of their baseball operations department, with updates on the preliminary interview process added as information is reported:

Blue Jays assistant general manager Tony LaCava interviewed for the Angels’ GM vacancy today, reports Buster Olney of ESPN (via Twitter). LaCava has been an AGM with Toronto since 2007 and also currently holds the title vice president of baseball operations. He’s been strongly considered for GM openings in the past, and he even (reportedly) turned down an offer to become the Orioles’ GM back in 2011.

Earlier Updates

Red Sox AGM Mike Hazen will interview with the Angels as soon as today, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports on Twitter. Hazen has long been considered likely to head up a baseball ops department at some point. His name has also come up with regard to Boston’s own internal GM opening.
Angels pro scouting director Hal Morris has also been given an interview for the post, MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez reports on Twitter. He joins Klentak and Servais as internal candidates who have reportedly been given a chance to sit down with the top-level brass.
The Angels interviewed Indians VP of player personnel Ross Atkins today, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports on Twitter. Atkins has been in the Cleveland organization for quite some time, and has occupied his current post since a promotion last year. Indians AGM Mike Chernoff has received more press as a possible GM hire, though he also seems to be an internal promotion candidate if current Cleveland GM Chris Antonetti takes the vacated president’s role. Antonetti has previously noted that Atkins holds the promise of a future general manager.
We learned yesterday that Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler had his interview with the Halos, as had been widely expected. Eppler has been tabbed by some as the leading candidate, and is reportedly interested in the position — despite any possible limitations of authority owing to the presence of Scioscia — due in part to his ties to Southern California.
Los Angeles is said also to have conducted interviews with its own assistant general managers, Matt Klentak and Scott Servais.

2016 MLB Free Agent Power Rankings

By Tim Dierkes | September 14, 2015 at 10:50am CDT

Welcome to the last in-season addition of our 2016 MLB Free Agent Power Rankings. We’ve been moving these pieces around since February, and the list continues to change with several players surging.

These rankings represent earning power in terms of total contract size, assuming everyone reaches the open market after this season and goes to the highest bidder. Here’s MLBTR’s full list of 2015-16 free agents.

1. David Price. Even back in February, $200MM (sans deferred money) was getting tossed around in regard to Price. The 30-year-old was traded to the Blue Jays on July 30th and his risen to the occasion, somehow pitching even better for his new team. The goal is now clear: exceed the seven-year, $215MM extension Clayton Kershaw signed with the Dodgers in January 2014. That contract includes an opt-out that could allow Kershaw to begin a new contract with his age 31 campaign. Since Price is already 30, agent Bo McKinnis may not need to push for such a clause.

2. Jason Heyward. Heyward’s strong season has continued since we last checked in on August 6th. Heyward gets on base, shows a touch of pop, and plays strong defense. It’s a valuable package. Since he turned 26 just last month, Heyward’s will be the rare free agent contract that includes mostly prime-age seasons. An eight-year deal would only take him through his age 33 season. As Yahoo’s Jeff Passan noted recently, an opt-out clause makes sense here.

3. Justin Upton. Upton hit .266/.382/.539 in 152 plate appearances since we last checked in, putting his oblique and thumb injuries behind him. Upton is one player where an opt-out clause seems especially valuable, because it still seems like he could take his game to another level. He’s a 28-home run guy who could become a 35-40 type, and would benefit from the chance to re-enter the market after three seasons. He could get a bigger deal at that point, since he recently turned 28. That could work out for the team too — sign him to an eight-year deal this winter but only have to pay for age 28-30.

4. Chris Davis. Davis can’t be contained, with 14 home runs in 35 games since we last checked in. He has 42 in all. Davis is five months younger than Yoenis Cespedes, and I’m starting to think he has slightly more earning power. It’s an interesting contrast. Davis seems a better bet for additional 35+ homer seasons, yet his rough 2014 season is hard to completely write off. Cespedes brings more defensive value, though his strong marks this year are out of the ordinary. Davis strikes out more, but walks more too. Both players will be vying for seven-year contracts with mid-$20MM salaries.

5. Yoenis Cespedes. Cespedes didn’t even crack my top ten in February, and now he’s ascended all the way up to fifth. Even when the Tigers traded Cespedes to the Mets on July 31st, he didn’t seem a good bet to finish with 30 home runs. Then he went and smacked 16 in 40 games for the Mets, and he now has an outside shot at 40 bombs. Jacoby Ellsbury’s seven-year, $153MM deal from December 2013 is a good benchmark for Cespedes, who should get more. Cespedes’ contract was modified in September to allow the Mets to have a shot at retaining him.

6. Zack Greinke. Greinke ranked eighth on this list in February, when a five-year deal in the low-$100MM range seemed reasonable. Sitting on an MLB-best 1.61 ERA through 29 starts, it’s time to seriously consider a six-year contract. That’s a scary proposition, since he’s already 31, but the sixth year maximizes his total even if he backs off on the average annual value. Greinke should be able to get past the six-year, $155MM contract signed by Jon Lester last winter.

7. Alex Gordon. Gordon returned from an eight-week layoff on September 1st, having recovered from a groin injury. He says he feels 100%, and is now serving as the Royals’ leadoff hitter. Since he turns 32 in February, a six-year deal seems like the limit. I wonder if he can push his average annual value up to $25MM, netting $150MM in total.

8. Johnny Cueto. In our May power rankings, I gave consideration to putting Cueto ahead of Price, second overall. A July 26th trade from the Reds to the Royals seemed beneficial to Cueto, who became ineligible for a qualifying offer. Cueto began his Royals stint with a 1.80 ERA over 30 innings, but since then, the wheels have come off. He’s allowed 28 earned runs in 26 1/3 innings, including 48 hits of which eight left the park. His ERA has risen a full run in that time, from 2.46 to 3.47. Perhaps something is wrong physically; you may recall Cueto went 13 days between starts this summer due to a sore elbow.

This story isn’t complete yet. Cueto has three regular season starts left, and the Royals are going to the Division Series. Still, Cueto’s last five starts probably took a seven-year contract off the table, and now I’m wondering whether he’ll match Lester.

9. Jordan Zimmermann. Zimmermann has a 2.66 ERA in seven starts since we last checked in, in what’s become another typically strong season from the 29-year-old righty. He seems on track to become the first Tommy John survivor to reach $100MM, and may actually pass $130MM on a six-year deal.

10. Mike Leake. Leake’s hold on this spot has grown more tenuous, as the righty spent a few weeks on the DL with a hamstring injury. Leake still has a shot at a five-year deal, as he doesn’t turn 28 until November.

Ian Desmond’s season has been all over the map: he was decent in May, very good in August, and lousy otherwise. There’s no real trend except that it’s his worst season since 2011 despite 17 home runs and counting. I imagine some kind of four-year deal is in order, but this one is hard to peg.

Ben Zobrist is finishing strong, hitting .323/.398/.516 since joining the Royals in a July 28th trade. Since he turns 35 in May, a four-year deal will be the limit. Even that will be risky – it’s not like Victor Martinez’s contract is looking good.

Troy Tulowitzki To Miss At Least Two Weeks With Cracked Shoulder Blade

By charliewilmoth | September 13, 2015 at 7:57pm CDT

SUNDAY: The team “is cautiously optimistic” that Tulowitzki can return in two-to-three weeks, GM Alex Anthopoulos told reports, including the National Post’s John Lott. The shortstop’s progress over the next few days will better determine his future status, as Anthopoulos noted that “there’s a lot of bleeding internally that needs to subside at this point” and there’s no set recovery time since different people heal at different rates from such injuries.

SATURDAY, 7:36pm: Tulowitzki has been diagnosed with a small crack to his left scapula, tweets Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com. He also has upper back muscle bruising. The timetable for his return is unknown, but the loss is certainly a blow to the club. Cliff Pennington is likely to start in his absence.

4:25pm: Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki left the first game of a doubleheader against the Yankees on Saturday with an unknown injury, MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm and others report. Tulowitzki collided with teammate Kevin Pillar while catching a popup, then toppled backward strangely. He walked off the field without assistance. X-rays on Tulowitzki’s back and ribs came back negative, although Tulowitzki was also scheduled to undergo an MRI on his upper back, the results of which won’t be available until tomorrow. He is currently day-to-day. Tulowitzki has, of course, dealt with injuries throughout his big-league career, including injuries to his wrist, groin, rib and hip.

Obviously, a significant injury to Tulowitzki would be a blow to the Jays, who are trying to hold off the Yankees and win the AL East. The Jays are very well positioned for a playoff berth no matter what, but they’re only two and a half games up in their division. Tulowitzki hasn’t hit exceptionally well (.234/.316/.370) since arriving from Colorado in a high-profile trade near the deadline, but the Jays are 29-9 in games he’s played for them.

Drew Storen Breaks Thumb, Likely Out For Season

By charliewilmoth | September 12, 2015 at 4:43pm CDT

Nationals righty Drew Storen broke the thumb on his throwing hand on Wednesday and is likely out for the rest of the season, manager Matt Williams says, via Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post Twitter links). The break occurred when Storen slammed a locker door after giving up a two-run homer to Yoenis Cespedes. According to Williams, Storen tried to throw yesterday, then informed the team his thumb was hurting and headed to Washington to see a doctor.

Storen was terrific as the Nationals’ closer in the first half of the season and still has a respectable overall 3.44 ERA, 11.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9. But he has struggled throughout the second half, during which he lost the closer role after the arrival of Jonathan Papelbon. Storen has a 5.82 second-half ERA that has roughly corresponded with (if not entirely caused, obviously) his team’s second-half tailspin. He has a solid 29 strikeouts and eight walks in 21 2/3 innings in that time frame, and without any meaningful loss of velocity, but he’s struggled in high-leverage situations.

Jocketty Wants To Remain Reds’ GM “Another Year Or So”

By Jeff Todd | September 11, 2015 at 10:20pm CDT

Reds general manager Walt Jocketty says that he intends to remain in his position for “another year or so,” as C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. The veteran executive says he’s not ready to follow the path of Doug Melvin, who’ll move into an advisory role with the Brewers after the season, though certainly his phrasing suggests that his time in the GM seat may be drawing to a close at some point in the relatively near future.

Of course, Jocketty’s own preferences are not the only ones that matters here, and his job security has been called into question — at least speculatively. The Reds are mired in last place in a highly competitive NL Central, which led the team to deal away several pending free agents at the deadline. And the club disappointed last year as well after reaching the post-season in three of the preceding four seasons.

It is worth noting, though, that Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported earlier today that Jocketty was expected to be retained. He is still under contract through 2016 under a previous extension with the club.

Jocketty also discussed his recent trades with Rosecrans, saying that the recent deadline swaps of pending free agents were deals “we knew we had to make because of the free agents and injuries.” The sell-off of Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, and Marlon Byrd brought back a nice group of young arms. Cincinnati had already picked up some useful pieces in offseason trades of Mat Latos and Alfredo Simon.

The Cinci GM acknowledged that the club is rebuilding, saying that it is “an interesting process” and “kind of a fun process” to undertake. It remains to be seen whether the Reds will look to cash in other assets this winter, with players like Aroldis Chapman, Jay Bruce, and Brandon Phillips profiling as potential chips.

Jocketty emphasized that he sees plenty of promise in the talent already assembled at or near the big league level. “I think when we get three guys back like [Devin] Mesoraco, [Zach] Cozart, [Homer] Bailey, those guys will make a big difference,” he said. “We’ll still have the other guys under our control.”

As for areas to improve, he focused in on the relief corps. “Our big thing is to try to improve our bullpen and depth in our bullpen while we keep developing our young pitchers,” said Jocketty. “I think a couple of tweaks here and there and I think we’ll be very competitive next year.”

Indeed, the pen is an obvious area to improve based on its middling results in 2015. As I recently suggested in breaking down the team’s three primary needs, it could make sense to act there even though Cincinnati faces an uphill climb in a highly talented NL Central. While Jocketty did say that he thinks the club can compete next season, it still seems likely that the bulk of his focus will remain on setting up the organization for 2017 and beyond.

Mark Teixeira Out For Season With Fractured Leg

By Jeff Todd | September 11, 2015 at 3:22pm CDT

Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira will not return this season after tests showed that he has a fracture in his right shin, GM Brian Cashman told reporters including Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). It’s expected that he’ll require three months to recover, Jack Curry of the YES Network adds on Twitter, meaning that he should be ready to go for the spring.

The loss of the 35-year-old puts a dent in New York’s efforts to keep pace with the Blue Jays in the AL East. He had rebounded from two straight marginal seasons with an excellent .255/.357/.548 batting line and 31 home runs in 462 plate appearances. The switch hitter has been out since fouling a ball off of his shin on August 17th, but it seems the significance of the injury was only just detected.

Replacing that level of production is nearly impossible, of course, but 22-year-old Greg Bird has been solid in his first 94 big league plate appearances. Bird, who hits from the left side, owns a .241/.319/.458 slash with five long balls. He has been relied upon heavily in Teixeira’s absence, appearing in every single game since the veteran went down.

While Bird figures to hold down the position in the long run, assuming he can build upon a promising start to his major league career, the Yanks will no doubt give Teixeira every opportunity to retake the position next spring. Next year will be the last of the eight-year, $180MM deal he signed before the 2009 season. New York owes him $22.5MM for the 2016 campaign. Both players could conceivably share time in the field, with the other taking swings from the DH slot, though veterans Carlos Beltran and (especially) Alex Rodriguez factor heavily in that role.

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