Jose Reyes Set For April Trial On Domestic Violence Charges
Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes is currently scheduled to stand trial in April after pleading not guilty to charges of domestic abuse stemming from an incident in Hawaii on Halloween day last year, Christian Red of the New York Daily News reports. That’s the same date that Colorado is scheduled to open the 2016 season in Arizona.
The local prosecutor, Kerry Glen, said he would not rule out a plea deal between now and the start of the trial, though he gave no indication of the likelihood of such a scenario. “If I find that acceptable, we would enter into that agreement,” said Glen. “There is always potential for additional negotiation between now and then.”
Needless to say, the charges themselves appear appropriately serious given the accusations against Reyes. It certainly seems that he faces a realistic prospect of jail time if convicted, though the precise counts being pursued are not immediately clear from the article.
But there are quite significant additional considerations at play beyond the immediate criminal matter. According to the Daily News, it is not known whether Reyes — a native of the Dominican Republic — ever completed a reported effort to gain U.S. citizenship.
If he is not presently an American citizen, there certainly could be serious immigration repercussions in the event that he pleads guilty or is convicted. There are a wide variety of considerations that would go into just what could occur on the immigration side of things, but that does indeed appear to be a serious matter.
Senior MLBTR readers will no doubt recall that there have been several recent instances where players’ careers and personal lives were heavily impacted by immigration difficulties. Without intending any direct comparisons, the cases of Roberto Hernandez and Juan Carlos Oviedo (both of which involved the use of false identifies) involved contract disruptions and lengthy holds on their playing careers, though both were ultimately able to return. (To get a sense of how things played out in those cases, you can review the old tags for their assumed identities: Fausto Carmona and Leo Nunez.)
To be sure, the least important matters at issue here are the impact on the baseball season that lies ahead and Reyes’s contract status with the Rockies. But there are obviously real implications here from that perspective for both team and player. If nothing else, the trial date presents a self-evident conflict, as would any hypothetical prison time. And recent reports have been somewhat unclear as to the league’s timeline for deciding upon its own disciplinary action (if any), with suggestions that the commissioner will act before the season (if not Spring Training, too) but also that there’s an apparent preference to first allow the legal process to conclude.
Cespedes Has Been Seeking Six-Year Deal Worth Roughly $22MM Annually
Free agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and his representatives at Roc Nation Sports have been seeking a six-year contract that will pay the slugger as much as $22MM annually this offseason, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter).
At present, the Orioles are said to have an offer on the table to Cespedes that is worth in the range of $90MM over five seasons, with a sixth-year option possibly included in that offer. While it’s a sizable sum in a vacuum, that figure is a departure from the expectations that many carried for Cespedes heading into the offseason on the heels of a monstrous .291/.328/.542 season that featured 35 homers and excellent left field defense. The asking price highlights the unlikelihood that Cespedes will alter his course and instead seek a short-term deal, as many teams have seemingly hoped. The Mets are said to have interest on a deal of one to three years in length, and the White Sox were also reported to have interest in a three-year deal for their former division-rival.
If Cespedes is to ultimately decide his best course of action is to enter the open market again next offseason — which I personally find difficult to imagine — one creative alternative would be to pursue a relatively short-term deal with an opt out after the first year of the contract. MLBTR’s Jeff Todd and I discussed that scenario for not only Cespedes but also Justin Upton on yesterday’s MLBTR Podcast. A high-annual-value deal of perhaps three years in length with a first-year opt out could prove to be a compromise between Cespedes and interested parties, although I’ll stress again that said scenario is only my own speculation.
Orioles Have Made Offer To Cespedes; Mets Still Interested In Short-Term Deal
12:47pm: The Mets have not extended a formal offer to Cespedes, tweets Heyman, but do remain interested in pacts of one to three years if he comes off his demands for a longer-term deal.
12:30pm: MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez tweets that Cespedes is believed to be considering both a five-year, $90MM offer (plus a possible option) with the Orioles against a one-year deal with the Mets which would allow him to hit free agency again next winter.
JAN. 15, 11:40am: Jon Heyman tweets that the offer is believed to be for about $90MM over five years and may contain an option for a sixth season. Ghiroli also hears (Twitter link) that there’s a possible option attached to the deal, adding that Camden Yards is appealing to Cespedes. Kubatko adds (Twitter link) that there won’t be an opt-out clause from the Orioles.
JAN. 14, 9:36pm: Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles have increased their interest in Cespedes and are considering an offer worth around $18MM per year. That would seem to indicate that the Orioles are on the higher end of the range previously listed by Crasnick, although from my vantage point that still seems to be too light to land a player of Cespedes’ caliber. Whether that’s a launching point into deeper negotiations or an offer near the top of Baltimore’s comfort zone remains to be seen, but the team does not appear, at this time, to simply be willing to reallocate the ~$150MM offered to Davis to a pursuit of Cespedes.
6:16pm: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweets that “it’s believed” that the Orioles are willing to go in the range of five years and $75-90MM for Cespedes at this time. While that’s a sizable sum, it’s also considerably south of the general expectations most had for Cespedes entering the season. Crasnick also tweets that the Orioles are becoming increasingly frustrated with Davis and might even be on the brink of walking away from negotiations entirely.
4:57pm: The Orioles have made an offer to outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, an industry source tells MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko (Twitter link), who adds that Baltimore prefers Cespedes to Justin Upton at this time. Per Kubatko, there are no new developments in the seemingly stagnant talks between the Orioles and Chris Davis. MLB.com’s Britt Ghiroli tweets that Baltimore’s interest in Cespedes “is high.”
The nature of the offer remains a mystery at this juncture, although given Baltimore’s reported seven-year, $150-154MM offer to Davis, the team clearly has some money to spend this offseason. While many have speculated that Cespedes could eventually change course and seek a short-term deal, that speculation seems largely unfounded; reports yesterday indicated that Cespedes’ camp has no interest in seeking a short-term deal, and as Jeff Todd and I broke down on today’s podcast, players on the level of Cespedes, Upton and Davis typically end up getting paid, even if they linger on the market into late January. For instance, one year ago today, a common narrative was that Max Scherzer didn’t have a market and wouldn’t be able to secure the mammoth contract he sought; on Jan. 22, he signed a $210MM contract with the Nationals. While the outfield market has been slow to develop, the Orioles could potentially be one of the keys to expediting the signing process for the remaining top bats. Representatives of each of the top remaining bats know that Baltimore has money to spend and a need for offense, with at least one corner-outfield hole to fill.
As the two top corner outfield bats remaining on the market, Cespedes and Upton figure to remain linked until one of the duo signs. The pair offers relatively similar skill-sets, though Cespedes offers considerably more defensive upside whereas Upton’s keener eye at the plate leads to an edge in on-base percentage for him. Additionally, Upton is two years younger, but he also comes with draft-pick compensation attached to his name after rejecting a qualifying offer. The same cannot be said for Cespedes, who was of course ineligible to receive a QO after being traded from the Tigers to the Mets this past season.
Padres Closing In On Deal With Fernando Rodney
The Padres and right-hander Fernando Rodney are closing in on a contract, according to Jon Heyman (links to Twitter). Rodney, who turns 39 this spring, is expected to enter camp as the favorite to close games in San Diego, per Heyman. Recently, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the Padres were still in the mix for Rodney and could offer ninth-inning time as a means of enticing him. Rodney is represented by Octagon.
Rodney spent most of the past two seasons in Seattle, although his second season as the Mariners’ closer didn’t go nearly as well as the first. After recording a 2.85 ERA with 10.3 K/9, 3.8 BB/9 and a 48.6 percent ground-ball rate in 2014, the “Fernando Rodney Experience” turned sour in Seattle when he struggled to a 5.68 ERA and lost the grip on the closer’s role in 2015. Rodney would go on to rebound following a DFA and a trade to the Cubs, however, as he surrendered just one earned run with a 15-to-4 K/BB ratio in 12 innings with the Cubs and made the team’s postseason roster.
While Rodney’s career has been somewhat of a roller coaster, the veteran has posted a cumulative 2.80 ERA over the past four seasons and still averaged a very healthy 94.7 mph on his fastball between time with Seattle and Chicago last season. If a deal is finalized and Rodney does indeed land ninth-inning duties for the Friars. he’ll be supported by a cast of setup men including Kevin Quackenbush, Drew Pomeranz and Nick Vincent, as right-hander Brandon Maurer is slated to re-enter the rotation in Spring Training.
Rays, Logan Forsythe Agree To Two-Year Deal
The Rays and second baseman Logan Forsythe are in agreement on a two-year contract that contains a club option for a third season, reports Jon Heyman (links to Twitter). Forsythe will receive a $2.5MM signing bonus and earn just $1MM in 2016 before earning $5.75MM in 2017. The 2018 club option is for $8.5MM and comes with a $1MM buyout, he adds, also tweeting that Forsythe’s option can escalate in $500K increments, up to $2.5MM based on plate appearances. That would bring the maximum value of the deal to $20.25MM over three years.
Forsythe, a client of PSI Sports Management, was first said to be nearing a two-year deal with the Rays by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times last night. SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo added word of the club option and the $10.25MM guarantee. Forsythe was arbitration eligible this winter and had beenprojected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $3.3MM in 2016. In other words, this new contract will buy out his remaining two seasons of arbitration, and the club option will extend Tampa Bay’s control of Forsythe by one season. He’s now on track to hit free agency entering either his age-31 or age-32 season, depending on the outcome of the option.
Forsythe, who turned 29 years old yesterday, emerged as one of the Rays’ best overall players with a breakout 2015 season that saw him bat .281/.359/.444 with 17 home runs, nine stolen bases and solid defensive contributions at second base. While Forsythe had been a utility player for much of his career prior to last season, primarily providing value against left-handed pitching, he took a major step forward against right-handers in 2015, slashing .273/.353/.375 even without the benefit of the platoon advantage. If he’s able to sustain that type of production against righties in the future, it’ll pair quite well with his lifetime .280/.349/.478 slash against left-handed pitchers and allow Forsythe to serve as a quite valuable piece at second base for Tampa Bay.
The Rays initially picked up Forsythe in a seven-player trade that also netted the team Brad Boxberger, Matt Andriese, Maxx Tissenbaum and Matt Lollis in exchange for right-hander Jesse Hahn and left-hander Alex Torres.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dodgers Sign Kenta Maeda
JAN. 13: Maeda will earn a base of $3MM in each of the eight seasons of his contract and can earn an additional $8.15MM per year beyond that sum, reports Yahoo’s Jeff Passan (links to Twitter). Maeda’s yearly bonuses kick in at 90 innings pitched, per Passan. From that point forth, he’ll earn $250K for every 10 innings up until 200 innings, according to the report. Maeda will also earn $1MM upon making his 15th, 20th, 25th, 30th and 32nd starts each season. Passan’s report leaves $150K of bonuses each year unaccounted for, so there are a few final missing details to Maeda’s exact contract structure. Ultimately, the contract can max out at a total of $90.2MM over eight seasons.
JAN. 7: The Dodgers have added another significant pitcher, officially signing star Japanese righty Kenta Maeda. It’s quite an unusual contract for the Wasserman Media Group client, whose physical reportedly revealed some issues that could cause health problems down the line.
Maeda, 28, will reportedly receive only a $25MM guarantee over a lengthy eight-year term. Los Angeles will also pay a $20MM posting fee to Maeda’s former NPB club, the Hiroshima Carp. Maeda can also earn up to $10MM annually through incentives tied to the number and length of his starts, maxing out the annual potential at around thirty games started and 200 innings pitched. In the event that all the incentives are triggered, then, the deal’s total value could top $100MM.
Notably, Maeda won’t have the ability to capture upside through other means. Per reports, he can’t opt into arbitration when he reaches sufficient service time and won’t have any opt-out opportunities that would put him onto the open market.
MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes tabbed Maeda with the 14th-highest earning power coming into the winter in his list of the top fifty free agents. Dierkes predicted Maeda would earn about $60MM (plus the release fee) over five years, matching the overall estimated commitments for Jeff Samardzija and Mike Leake. (Both have indeed agreed to five-year deals, with Samardzija getting $90MM and Leake landing at the predicted value.)
Los Angeles has moved to add arms after losing Zack Greinke to the division-rival Diamondbacks and then blowing up a deal with Hisashi Iwakuma after a physical. The club already inked Scott Kazmir yesterday, though that created a rare imbalance, with southpaws Clayton Kershaw, Brett Anderson, and Alex Wood set to be joined by fellow lefty Hyun-jin Ryu when he returns from injury.
Adding Maeda would figure to bump one of those left-handers to the pen — if it doesn’t create some impetus toward a trade. Brandon McCarthy is also set to return from Tommy John surgery at some point during the year, and the organization has depth options in Mike Bolsinger, Carlos Frias, and others. Wood looks like the most likely trade piece, and he could conceivably be packaged with a variety of L.A.’s other interesting assets.
There’s no disputing the quality of Maeda’s work in Japan. Last year’s 2.09 ERA was more or less typical for the veteran righty, as he’s yet to allow over 2.60 earned in any of the last six seasons. While he doesn’t quite have the peripherals or the scouting hype that Masahiro Tanaka did when he came over, Maeda has long been viewed as a MLB-caliber arm.
Certainly, the successful transition of top NPB arms like Tanaka and Yu Darvish — among others before them — reduces the uncertainty regarding Maeda. He’s often been referred to as something of an injury risk, given his small stature, but Maeda has only missed a few starts and has averaged right around two hundred frames annually since becoming a full-time starter.
Maeda is also said to be showing new life with his secondary offerings, as Baseball America’s Ben Badler recently wrote. Per Badler, the righty has shown a new-look changeup that may have surpassed his slider as his best offspeed pitch. While he’s not overpowering in terms of velocity, Maeda has excellent control (1.9 BB/9 in his career) and would obviously hold even more appeal with two swing-and-miss offerings.
Christopher Meola reported the signing on Twitter, as well as its essential contract terms (links to Twitter). Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported the precise guarantee (in a tweet), the annual incentive value, and the “red flags” that drove the deal’s unusual structure (Twitter link). ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick first noted the issues in the physical (via Twitter).Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (here and here) and J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles News Group (in a tweet) had additional contract details.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
156 Players File For Salary Arbitration
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
- Kole Calhoun (2.130) — $3.6MM
- Garrett Richards (3.148) – $6.8MM
- Fernando Salas (5.048) – $2.2MM
- Projected total spend: $12.6MM
Astros
- Jason Castro (5.104) – $4.6MM
- Josh Fields (3.000) – $800K
- Evan Gattis (3.000) – $3.4MM
- Marwin Gonzalez (3.133) – $1.9MM
- Dallas Keuchel (3.089) – $6.4MM
- Luis Valbuena (5.148) – $5.8MM
- Projected total spend: $22.9MM
Athletics
- Yonder Alonso (4.116) – $2.5MM
- Josh Reddick (5.050) – $7.0MM
- Fernando Rodriguez (4.032) – $1.3MM
- Danny Valencia (4.118) – $3.4MM
- Projected total spend: $14.2MM
Mariners
- Charlie Furbush (4.121) – $1.7MM
- Leonys Martin (3.063) – $3.75MM
- Evan Scribner (2.142) – $700K
- Projected total spend: $6.15MM
Rangers
- Robinson Chirinos (3.103) – $1.4MM
- Jake Diekman (3.049) – $1.0MM
- Mitch Moreland (5.067) – $5.6MM
- Jurickson Profar (2.167) – $508K
- Tanner Scheppers (3.111) – $800K
- Shawn Tolleson (3.122) – $2.6MM
- Tom Wilhelmsen (4.089) – $3.0MM
- Projected total spend: $14.908MM
AL Central
Indians
- Cody Allen (3.076) — $3.5MM
- Lonnie Chisenhall (3.158) — $3MM
- Jeff Manship (2.130) — $700K
- Bryan Shaw (4.081) — $2.8MM
- Josh Tomlin (4.151) — $3.1MM
- Projected total spend: $13.1MM
Royals
- Drew Butera (5.018) – $1.1MM
- Lorenzo Cain (4.074) – $6.1MM
- Louis Coleman (3.018) – $1.0MM
- Tony Cruz (4.105) – $1.0MM
- Danny Duffy (4.085) – $4.0MM
- Jarrod Dyson (4.088) – $1.7MM
- Mike Moustakas (4.111) – $5.7MM
- Projected total spend: $20.6MM
Tigers
- Jose Iglesias (3.036) – $1.5MM
- J.D. Martinez (4.036) – $7.8MM
- Andrew Romine (3.049) – $700K
- Justin Wilson (3.035) – $1.3MM
- Projected total spend: $11.3MM
Twins
- Eduardo Escobar (3.128) – $1.8MM
- Casey Fien (3.143) – $2.2MM
- Kevin Jepsen (5.163) – $6.0MM
- Tommy Milone (3.143) – $4.5MM
- Eduardo Nunez (4.090) – $1.5MM
- Trevor Plouffe (4.162) – $7.7MM
- Projected total spend: $23.7MM
White Sox
- Avisail Garcia (2.167) – $2.3MM
- Dan Jennings (2.171) – $700K
- Brett Lawrie (4.055) – $3.9MM
- Zach Putnam (2.135) – $800K
- Projected total spend: $7.7MM
AL East
Blue Jays
- Brett Cecil (5.152) – $3.4MM
- Jesse Chavez (5.108) – $4.7MM
- Steve Delabar (3.008) – $700K
- Josh Donaldson (3.158) – $12.0MM
- Drew Hutchison (3.128) – $2.6MM
- Aaron Loup (3.083) – $900K
- Michael Saunders (5.138) – $2.9MM
- Drew Storen (5.140) – $8.8MM
- Projected total spend: $36MM
Orioles
- Brad Brach (3.063) — $1.1MM
- Zach Britton (3.158) — $6.9MM
- Ryan Flaherty (4.000) — $1.5MM
- Miguel Gonzalez (4.095) — $4.9MM
- Manny Machado (3.056) — $5.9MM
- Brian Matusz (5.156) — $3.4MM
- Chris Tillman (4.113) — $6.2MM
- Mark Trumbo (5.027) — $9.1MM
- Projected total spend: $39MM
Rays
- Alex Cobb (4.061) – $4.0MM
- Hank Conger (4.051) – $1.8MM
- Logan Forsythe (4.113) – $3.3MM
- Brandon Guyer (3.066) – $1.3MM
- Desmond Jennings (4.101) – $3.1MM
- Jake McGee (4.127) – $4.7MM
- Logan Morrison (5.069) – $4.1MM
- Erasmo Ramirez (2.158) – $2.8MM
- Rene Rivera (4.082) – $1.6MM
- Drew Smyly (3.154) – $3.9MM
- Projected total spend: $30.6MM
Red Sox
- Joe Kelly (3.101) — $3.2MM
- Robbie Ross (3.100) — $1.1MM
- Junichi Tazawa (5.086) — $3.3MM
- Projected total spend: $7.6MM
Yankees
- Dustin Ackley (4.087) – $3.1MM
- Aroldis Chapman (5.034) – $12.9MM
- Nathan Eovaldi (4.013) – $5.7MM
- Didi Gregorius (2.159) – $2.1MM
- Ivan Nova (5.024) – $4.4MM
- Michael Pineda (4.099) – $4.6MM
- Projected total spend: $32.8MM
NL West
Diamondbacks
- Welington Castillo (4.009) – $3.6MM
- Patrick Corbin (3.105) – $2.3MM
- Randall Delgado (3.100) – $1.0MM
- Rubby De La Rosa (3.097) – $3.2MM
- Daniel Hudson (5.117) – $2.0MM
- Shelby Miller (3.030) — $4.9MM
- A.J. Pollock (3.052) – $4.3MM
- Projected total spend: $21.3MM
Dodgers
- Luis Avilan (3.077) – $1.1MM
- Yasmani Grandal (3.115) – $2.7MM
- Chris Hatcher (2.146) – $900K
- Kenley Jansen (5.073) – $11.4MM
- Justin Turner (5.045) – $5.3MM
- Scott Van Slyke (2.151) – $1.2MM
- Projected total spend: $22.6MM
Giants
- Brandon Belt (4.128) – $6.2MM
- George Kontos (2.171) – $1.0MM
- Projected total spend: $7.2MM
Padres
- Andrew Cashner (5.126) – $7.0MM
- Derek Norris (3.102) – $3.4MM
- Drew Pomeranz (3.013) – $1.3MM
- Tyson Ross (4.126) – $10.0MM
- Projected total spend: $21.7MM
Rockies
- Nolan Arenado (2.155) — $6.6MM
- Charlie Blackmon (3.102) — $4.5MM
- DJ LeMahieu (3.128) — $3.7MM
- Projected total spend: $14.8MM
NL Central
Brewers
- Wily Peralta (3.033) – $2.8MM
- Jean Segura (3.065) – $3.2MM
- Will Smith (2.155) – $1.2MM
- Projected total spend: $7.2MM
Cardinals
- Matt Adams (3.033) – $1.5MM
- Seth Maness (2.154) – $1.2MM
- Brandon Moss (5.160) – $7.9MM
- Trevor Rosenthal (3.058) – $6.5MM
- Projected total spend: $17.1MM
Cubs
- Jake Arrieta (4.145) — $10.4MM
- Chris Coghlan (5.148) — $3.9MM
- Justin Grimm (2.170) — $1MM
- Hector Rondon (3.000) — $3.6MM
- Pedro Strop (4.156) — $4.7MM
- Adam Warren (3.036) — $1.5MM
- Travis Wood (5.004) — $6.4MM
- Projected total spend: $31.5MM
Pirates
- Francisco Cervelli (5.146) – $2.5MM
- Jared Hughes (3.162) – $2.2MM
- Jeff Locke (3.020) – $3.5MM
- Mark Melancon (5.098) – $10.0MM
- Jordy Mercer (3.095) – $1.8MM
- Chris Stewart (5.091) – $1.6MM
- Tony Watson (4.101) – $4.6MM
- Projected total spend: $26.2MM
Reds
- Zack Cozart (4.084) — $2.9MM
- J.J. Hoover (3.102) — $1.1MM
- Projected total spend: $4MM
NL East
Braves
- Arodys Vizcaino (2.168) — $1.1MM
- Chris Withrow (2.132) — $600K
- Projected total spend: $1.7MM
Marlins
- Carter Capps (3.007) – $800K
- Jose Fernandez (3.000) – $2.2MM
- Dee Gordon (3.154) – $5.9MM
- Adeiny Hechavarria (3.060) – $2.3MM
- Tom Koehler (3.016) – $3.9MM
- Bryan Morris (3.011) – $1.1MM
- David Phelps (3.156) – $2.5MM
- A.J. Ramos (3.030) – $2.8MM
- Projected total spend: $21.5MM
Mets
- Lucas Duda (4.137) – $6.8MM
- Josh Edgin (3.015) – $600K
- Jeurys Familia (3.030) – $3.3MM
- Matt Harvey (3.072) – $4.7MM
- Jenrry Mejia (3.085) – $2.6MM
- Addison Reed (4.002) – $5.7MM
- Ruben Tejada (4.171) – $2.5MM
- Carlos Torres (3.114) – $800K
- Neil Walker (5.166) – $10.7MM
- Projected total spend: $37.7MM
Nationals
- Danny Espinosa (4.113) – $2.7MM
- Wilson Ramos (5.047) – $5.3MM
- Anthony Rendon (2.130) – $2.5MM
- Ben Revere (4.149) – $6.7MM
- Stephen Strasburg (5.118) – $10.5MM
- Projected total spend: $27.7MM
Phillies
- Freddy Galvis (3.021) – $1.9MM
- Jeanmar Gomez (4.063) – $1.5MM
- Jeremy Hellickson (5.045) – $6.6MM
- Projected total spend: $10MM
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
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
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
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.