Jonathan Papelbon Files Grievance Against Nationals
DEC. 7: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the MLBPA filed a grievance against the Nationals on Papelbon’s behalf two days after the suspension was issued. The team considered the filing to be “obligatory,” and Rosenthal adds that it will be addressed this spring.
DEC. 6: Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon has filed a grievance against the Nationals challenging the team’s decision to impose a suspension without pay for the final four games of the 2015 season, WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford reports. Papelbon received the ban for his role in a dugout scuffle with star outfielder Bryce Harper.
Per the report, Papelbon and his representatives brought the action based on the position that the team lacked precedent for withholding Papelbon’s pay in relation to the suspension. Clearly, the dispute is about much more than the dollars involved, as those four games represented just over 2% (about $300K) of Papelbon’s $13MM total salary on the year.
The degree of ongoing animus between player and team remains unclear. But if nothing else the matter also raises issues of the broader relations between teams and players under the collective bargaining agreement. Those considerations are surely heightened given that negotiations on a new CBA are set to take place over the coming year.
Article XII of the CBA addresses disciplinary matters, providing that clubs have the authority to impose “disciplinary action for just cause.” While that section does not specifically authorize or forbid certain forms of punishment, it does contemplate both fines and suspensions resulting in lost salary (in providing that a team must make a player “whole” if the decision is overturned). A player subject to disciplinary action may challenge it through a grievance proceeding before an arbitral panel, which in turn must assess whether “just cause” existed for the punishment that was meted out.
The embattled reliever remains under contract in D.C. next year for $11MM, as part of the agreement he reached with the club when he was traded from the Phillies in July. He’s probably worth every penny as a player, as he continues to put up strong results at the back of the pen, but his issues off of the mound continue to mount.
Relations between Papelbon and the Nats were surely already strained, though we’ve heard varying accounts of the extent to which conciliation may be possible. It certainly seems likely that this dispute will only ratchet up tensions. Washington has, of course, been rumored to be weighing a trade of the veteran, though the market for his services remains rather cloudy.
Bradford adds that there’s no date for a hearing at present. It’s unclear whether there will be any possibility of negotiations to forestall further airing of the unfortunate matter.
Mariners Acquire Miley, Aro In Exchange For Smith, Elias
An exceptionally busy offseason for Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto continued on Monday, as the Mariners acquired left-hander Wade Miley and right-handed reliever Jonathan Aro from the Red Sox in exchange for lefty Roenis Elias and right-handed reliever Carson Smith. Both teams have formally announced the trade.
Miley, 29, has a long history with Dipoto, who not only was a consultant with the Red Sox after electing to leave his job with the Angels this summer but also served as the Diamondbacks’ scouting director when Miley was drafted back in 2008. Miley is controlled for at least two more seasons for a total of $15.25MM, and his contract also contains a $12MM club option for the 2018 season. He’ll give the Mariners a reasonably priced arm to slot into the rotation behind Felix Hernandez alongside Taijuan Walker and James Paxton.
Miley’s first season with Boston got off to a slow start, but the lefty rebounded from a ghastly 8.62 April ERA to 4.10 ERA with a 137-to-58 K/BB ratio across his final 178 innings of the 2015 season. Miley has been a healthy and consistent innings eater dating back to his sophomore season in 2012, averaging 198 innings of 3.92 ERA ball per year despite spending three years with the hitter-friendly Chase Field as his home park and a fourth season in the American League East. One can imagine that the move to the spacious Safeco Field will benefit Miley considerably.
Aro, 25, posted outstanding numbers between Double-A and Triple-A in 2015 and ultimately made his big league debut. He logged a 3.04 ERA with 8.8 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9 in 74 minor league innings. He yielded eight runs in 10 1/3 Major League innings and averaged 92.5 mph on his fastball while posting an eight-to-four K/BB ratio. MLB.com ranked Aro 26th among Boston farmhands, noting that his fastball features some sink and can touch 95 mph. He has a slider and changeup as well, with the former grading as at least average. Their scouting report feels he can pitch successfully in multiple-inning relief stints and calls Aro “durable.”
Seattle’s decision to part with Smith comes as somewhat of a surprise. The 26-year-old delivered 70 brilliant innings of relief, pitching to a 2.31 ERA with 11.8 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and an exceptional 64.8 percent ground-ball rate. Smith ranked sixth among qualified relievers in ground-ball rate and struck out a greater number of batters than nearly any pitcher on the top 30 in that regard. He’s controllable for another five seasons and will give president of baseball operation Dave Dombrowski and the Red Sox another elite relief arm to pair with the likes of Craig Kimbrel and Koji Uehara in the late innings.
The Red Sox will also pick up a left-hander with significant big league experience in the form of Elias. The 27-year-old has spent the past two seasons mostly at the big league level, logging a 3.97 ERA with 7.7 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 44.9 percent ground-ball rate. Elias has yielded an unspectacular .255/.333/.411 batting line to right-handed hitters but dominated lefties, holding same-handed batters to a .218/.304/.332 clip. His control against lefties could stand to improve a bit, but he’s a generally useful weapon against them and could conceivably be tougher if shifted to a bullpen role, where he could throw harder in shorter stints.
A bullpen slot could be his best shot at cracking the roster next spring, as an immediate spot in the Boston rotation doesn’t seem too likely. The Red Sox currently have David Price, Clay Buchholz, Eduardo Rodriguez, Rick Porcello and Joe Kelly, to say nothing of highly regarded left-handers Henry Owens and Brian Johnson more or less ready for big league action.
Of course, Elias could simply be rotation depth for the Red Sox in the event that they trade another arm or two, or he could be flipped to another club himself. Earlier this offseason, the Marlins were said to have some interest in him when discussing potential Marcell Ozuna deals (though they were looking for considerably more than Elias alone in exchange for Ozuna). Elias is controllable through the 2020 season and won’t be arbitration eligible until at least the 2017-18 offseason.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX reported earlier this afternoon that the two sides were making progress on a deal that would send Miley to Seattle. Ken Davidoff of the New York Post reported the trade was in place (Twitter link). Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweeted that Aro, Elias and Smith were involved.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dodgers’ Deal For Chapman Not Yet Complete
2:33pm: ESPN’s Jayson Stark tweets that the Reds are now telling other clubs no trade for Chapman has been agreed upon. Stark certainly implies that the Dodgers believed a trade to be done, adding: “I don’t think [the] Dodgers agree.”
2:13pm: The trade is not yet finished, according to MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon (links to Twitter). Not only that, but Sheldon hears that there are other clubs involved who could swoop in and acquire Chapman at the last minute.
11:11am: Peraza’s name did indeed come up in talks between the Dodgers and Reds, tweets Heyman, although he’s yet to confirm if Peraza is indeed heading to Cincinnati in the deal. If that’s the case, he notes, the club could escalate its efforts to deal Brandon Phillips.
9:33am: Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets that none of Julio Urias, Corey Seager or Jose De Leon are headed to the Reds in the trade. The Dodgers, though, have plenty of other enticing prospects in their ranks, notably including right-hander Grant Holmes and infielder Jose Peraza as fellow top 100 types (though those names are my own speculation).
9:27am: The Dodgers have struck a deal to acquire one of the game’s most elite bullpen arms, Aroldis Chapman, from the Reds in exchange for a pair of prospects, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Rosenthal adds that the Dodgers’ plan is to keep both Chapman and Kenley Jansen, who instantly team to become one of the game’s most dominant late-inning duos (if not the most dominant late-inning duo). The trade is pending medical reviews.
Chapman, 27, enjoyed yet another incredible season in 2015, working to a 1.63 ERA with 15.7 K/9, 4.5 BB/9 and a 37.1 percent ground-ball rate. Over the past four seasons in Cincinnati, the Cuban-born phenom has delivered an astounding 1.90 ERA while averaging 16.1 strikeouts and 3.8 walks per nine innings to go along with an average of 36 saves per season. Chapman, of course, is known for his blistering fastball; the left-hander averaged 100.3 mph on his heater in 2014 and followed that up with a similarly incredulous 99.5 mph average this past season.
The Dodgers recently lost on on retaining Zack Greinke, when the division-rival Diamondbacks made an absolutely stunning push at the eleventh hour and signed him for an unprecedented six-year, $206.5MM sum. The following day, one of L.A.’s fallback plans, Jeff Samardzija, landed a five-year, $90MM contract with yet another division rival, the Giants. Some, then, may consider this move to be somewhat reactionary in nature, though the Dodgers’ interest in Chapman predates both of their division rivals’ acquisitions. Los Angeles, too, has since added to its rotation, bringing in Hisashi Iwakuma on a reported three-year, $45MM contract.
While the sting of losing Greinke is notable, adding Chapman to pair with Jansen will significantly shorten the necessary workload for most of the Dodgers’ rotation, as the team now boasts a pair of arms — one left-handed and one right-handed — that routinely average more than 13 strikeouts per nine innings.
Chapman, like Jansen, is a free agent following the 2016 season, making him a one-year rental, at least for the time being. While both relievers are one characteristically strong season away from a strong case to break Jonathan Papelbon‘s record four-year, $50MM contract for a reliever, if there’s any club that has the financial firepower to persuade one of those arms to forego free agency in lieu of an early contract extension, it’s the Dodgers. Should both pitchers reach the open market next winter, I’d wager that both will be easy calls to receive and reject the qualifying offer in search of that record-setting deal. That scenario would set the Dodgers up to acquire a pair of compensatory picks at the end of the first round in the 2017 draft.
Even with Chapman on board, one would imagine that the highly active Dodgers will still be open to adding further relief help. And, of course, more rotation stability will still be an area of focus for president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and the rest of the team’s front office. Behind Clayton Kershaw and the recently added Iwakuma (assuming his deal is finalized), the Dodgers currently figure to deploy Brett Anderson, Alex Wood and Mike Bolsinger. Hyun-ji Ryu’s arm is a question mark after missing 2015 due to shoulder injuries, and it’s not clear when, exactly Brandon McCarthy will be ready to return from Tommy John surgery.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rays Have Made Extension Offer To Jake Odorizzi
The Rays have offered right-hander Jake Odorizzi a contract extension, agent Jason Wood confirms to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links 1, 2, 3, 4). Topkin notes that the timing of the offer is interesting, because Odorizzi could also be part of trade talks with the Cubs as the Rays search for a hitter. (Presumably, if a contract is agreed to between the two sides, Odorizzi would want assurance that he won’t immediately be traded.)
Wood called Tampa Bay’s offer a “very nice initial offer,” says Topkin, adding that the agent said there are “lots of reasons” to continue the dialogue. Wood says there’s mutual interest and is working on a counter-offer for the Rays, whose initial offer is believed to include multiple option years, per Topkin. That’s been standard operating procedure for the Rays over the years, who locked up Evan Longoria, Matt Moore and Chris Archer to contracts that each include at least two option seasons early in each player’s career (albeit, earlier in their respective careers than Odorizzi is at present).
Odorizzi, 26 in March, has pitched well for the Rays in each of the past two seasons, though he missed some time in 2015 due to an oblique strain and was thus limited to 169 1/3 innings. Odorizzi doesn’t throw particularly hard, averaging about 91 mph with his fastball, but he’s shown an ability to pick up strikeouts at an above-average clip nonetheless. Over his past 337 1/3 innings (2014-15), Odorizzi has a 3.74 ERA with 8.6 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9. A pronounced fly-ball pitcher, Odorizzi does have a rather low 33.5 percent ground-ball rate in that time.
Originally acquired from the Royals in the James Shields/Wil Myers trade (though I submit that the trade should be referred to as the Wade Davis/Jake Odorizzi swap, personally), Odorizzi is not yet arbitration eligible and won’t be until next offseason. He’s controllable for another four years, so it stands to reason that the Rays would like to secure a pair of free agent years (if not more) in exchange for committing to him at this juncture.
Assuming he maintains his current trajectory, Odorizzi’s arbitration seasons could command as much as $20-25MM. And, as the free-agent market is beginning to show, the going rate for second- and even third starters is escalating closer to $20MM than ever before. Clearly, the Rays wouldn’t be interested in guaranteeing full market value this far in advance (no team would), so Wood and Odorizzi would have to make some form of concessions — probably in the overall cost the arbitration years and in the annual value of the free-agent seasons.
Were Odorizzi to agree to a long-term contract, his new deal would somewhat reset the market for pitchers in his service class. The only extension for a starting pitcher with between two and three years of service time in recent seasons was Corey Kluber‘s five-year, $38.5MM deal last winter, but Kluber was noticeably older than Odorizzi and also coming off a Cy Young campaign, making his situation rather unique. Previous deals for pitchers in this service class (e.g. Yovani Gallardo, Derek Holland) were in the five-year, $30MM range, but those contracts are five years old now. Gio Gonazalez’s five-year, $42MM deal from 2012 somewhat surprisingly stands as the record for starters with between two and three years of service. It seems unlikely that the Rays would be keen on shelling out any sort of record deal for this service class, especially considering that one of the years in question is a pre-arbitration year (Gonzalez had Super Two status working in his favor).
A four-year pact with an option would lock in Odorizzi’s arbitration seasons and give the Rays an extra year of club control in exchange for delaying free agency by one season. That deal would still allow Odorizzi to hit the open market entering his age-31 season, though Tampa Bay typically seems to strive for multiple option years in these days.
Cubs To Re-Sign Trevor Cahill
11:55am: Cahill will receive a one-year, $4.25MM contract from the Cubs, according to Olney (Twitter link). ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers adds that while Cahill is definitely in the bullpen for now, the Cubs told Cahill he could be stretched out for rotation work should the need arise (Twitter link).
11:46am: The Cubs have agreed to re-sign right-hander Trevor Cahill, reports ESPN’s Buster Olney (via Twitter). The John Boggs client was said within the past hour to be nearing a deal with an unreported club.
Still just 27 years of age (28 in March), Cahill enjoyed a renaissance in the bullpen after signing a minor league deal with the Cubs midway through the season. While the D-backs, Braves and Dodgers all seemingly gave up on him in various ways last season, Chicago received 17 brilliant innings of relief from the former starter in a relief role down the stretch. Cahill yielded just four runs in those 17 innings and recorded an outstanding 22-to-5 K/BB ratio to go along with an as-always excellent ground-ball rate: 61.8 percent. He also pitched 5 1/3 innings in the postseason, allowing two runs on seven hits and no walks with eight strikeouts (3.38 ERA).
While Boggs recently told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that Cahill’s preference was to return to a rotation, it seems likely that he’ll continue to be used out of manager Joe Maddon’s bullpen with the Cubs. Chicago already has Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester, John Lackey, Kyle Hendricks and Jason Hammel as rotation options, and further additions to the starting mix shouldn’t be entirely ruled out. If the bullpen is indeed the landing spot for Cahill, he will re-join the likes of Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop, Justin Grimm, Neil Ramirez and Travis Wood in the team’s relief corps.
Dodgers To Sign Hisashi Iwakuma
DEC. 7, 9:30am: Iwakuma will land a three-year, $45MM contract, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (via Twitter). That would match MLBTR’s prediction from early November.
DEC. 6, 8:45pm: There is a deal in place that is believed to be for a three-year term, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports on Twitter. If that’s the case, then Los Angeles will be acquiring the age-35 through age-37 campaigns of the veteran.
7:24pm: The Dodgers are nearing agreement on a deal with free agent righty Hisashi Iwakuma, according to multiple reports. Indeed, ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden reports on Twitter that an agreement is already in place, while Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears it’s not yet done (Twitter link) but says other clubs think a pact will be finalized. The sides are “moving toward completion” of a contract, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
Possible financial terms remain unreported. Iwakuma, a client of the Wasserman Media Group, got off to a slow start and dealt with shoulder issues last year, but ended up turning in a typically excellent campaign for the Mariners. Over 129 2/3 innings, he worked to a 3.54 ERA with 7.7 K/9 against 1.5 BB/9.
Remarkably enough, that’s the worst single-season earned run average the 34-year-old has compiled over a single campaign. He’s been remarkably good since coming to Seattle from Japan before the 2012 season. In 653 2/3 total MLB frames, Iwakuma has allowed just 3.17 earned runs per regulation game.
ERA estimators largely support the results. Iwakuma posted a 3.36 SIERA last year and carries a 3.33 mark over his four seasons. In addition to a sparkling 16.2% K-BB%, Iwakuma has induced groundballs on just over half of the occasions that a batter has put one of his pitches in play.
Never reliant on velocity, Iwakuma has experienced only a slow drop in fastball velocity. Last year, he averaged 88.9 mph on his fastball, down from the 90.3 he maintained back in 2012.
It is worth noting, though, that Iwakuma missed starts in each of the last two seasons. He was sidelined for about a dozen outings last year, though he obviously ended the year producing solid results from the rotation. Iwakuma has also been somewhat susceptible to the long ball, allowing a 13.8% HR/FB rate and 1.10 home runs per nine over his career.
In rating Iwakuma the 25th-best free agent available, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicted that he’d be able to find three years and $45MM on the open market. Aside from age, the major factor weighing down the righty’s value is the fact that a signing team will be required to part with a draft pick.
It’s easy to see why the Dodgers would be interested in the veteran. Paying a hefty average annual value won’t stress the club’s payroll much (if at all), but by adding an older player the club would be able to avoid a lengthy entanglement. Los Angeles had, of course, reportedly pursued several other high-profile pitchers only to fall short in the bidding.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Tigers Sign Jarrod Saltalamacchia
The Tigers have announced the signing of catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, per MLB.com’s Jason Beck (Twitter links). GM Al Avila said that the Munsey Sports Management client will have an opportunity to compete for a position backing up presumptive starter James McCann.
Detroit will be committed to Saltalamacchia for only one year at the MLB minimum rate. He’ll still earn a healthy $8MM this year, however, as the Marlins are still paying down the rest of the free agent contract he signed with the team.
Salty, who’ll turn 31 early in the season, lost his spot in Miami last year after a rough 2014 campaign and slow start. He landed with the Diamondbacks, putting up a strong .251/.332/.474 slash in 194 plate appearances. The switch hitter has historically been quite excellent against right-handed pitching, making him a nice potential complement to the righty McCann.
Dodgers “Making Progress” On Aroldis Chapman Deal
4:57pm: The Dodgers are “making progress” on a deal involving Chapman, Rosenthal tweets.
4:13pm: The Dodgers are discussing a trade with the Reds that would bring Chapman to Los Angeles for prospects, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. Obviously, the prospect package likely required to land Chapman would be considerable. The Dodgers do, of course, already have a terrific closer in Kenley Jansen, but having too many great ninth-inning options is an excellent problem to have. A dominant bullpen would also likely help ameliorate worries the Dodgers might have about their rotation, which just lost Zack Greinke to the Diamondbacks. As Rosenthal tweets, there’s also the possibility that the Dodgers could trade either Chapman or Jansen if they do trade for Chapman.
4:04pm: Reds GM Dick Williams expects that his club will deal star closer Aroldis Chapman, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman tweets. There is, obviously, plenty of interest in Chapman, with potential trade partners including the Nationals, Astros and Diamondbacks as well as the Dodgers.
That the Reds plan to deal Chapman perhaps comes as little surprise — Chapman is eligible for free agency after the season, the Reds don’t appear likely to contend in 2016, and he ought to fetch a very significant return. The 27-year-old flamethrower was brilliant as usual in 2015, posting a 1.63 ERA, 4.5 BB/9 and a ridiculous 15.7 K/9 in 66 1/3 innings while winning his fourth straight All-Star berth in 2015. He also posted an average fastball velocity of 99.5 MPH that came in 1.4 MPH faster than the closest pitcher (the Royals’ Kelvin Herrera).
Dodgers To Sign Chase Utley
The Dodgers have agreed to a one-year deal with second baseman Chase Utley, Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports tweets. The deal is believed to be for around $7MM, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman tweets. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweeted that a deal was close. Utley is a client of the Wasserman Media Group.
The 36-year-old Utley joined the Dodgers after an August trade with the Phillies and batted a modest .202/.291/.363, a line consistent with the notion that his hitting has declined steeply in the past two seasons. However, he had a very low .230 batting average on balls in play for the 2015 season, suggesting there’s room for him to rebound next year, and he was worth 4.4 fWAR in 2014 even as his hitting numbers declined. The Dodgers might be hoping he improves somewhat offensively, combining to produce sufficient value with his hitting and his solid glove.
The Dodgers also have a pair of interesting young second base options in Enrique Hernandez and Jose Peraza. Hernandez hit .307/.346/.490 in a super-utility role for the Dodgers in 2015, and though his minor-league track record suggests it’s unlikely he can keep up that kind of production, he does have pop in his bat. Peraza, acquired in the Dodgers’ three-team trade with the Braves and Marlins in July, lacks power but has youth, outstanding speed and a top prospect pedigree on his side.
By re-signing Utley, then, the Dodgers are giving themselves another option at second, quite reasonably hoping that one of their second basemen, or a combination of them, will produce. Such a signing would, however, suggest that they are unlikely to re-sign 2015 second baseman Howie Kendrick, who figures to be significantly more expensive and to require multiple years. By signing Utley, the Dodgers can clear the position for Peraza in 2017 if he shows he’s ready.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Braves Sign Gordon Beckham
The Braves have announced that they’ve signed longtime White Sox infielder Gordon Beckham to a one-year deal. The Relativity Sports client will receive $1.25MM, with the possibility of an additional $500K worth of incentives.
Despite having been in the league for seven seasons, Beckham is still just 29 years of age. He’s coming off a disappointing season in Chicago that saw him bat a career-worst .209/.275/.332 in 237 plate appearances, though defensive metrics did praise his work at both second base and third base last season. Beckham carries a good bit of experience at both positions and is a lifetime .242/.304/.372 hitter that has averaged 13 homers per 162 games.
While he hasn’t lived up to the expectations many carried when he was selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2008 draft, Beckham will provide the Braves with an option at either second base or third base, both of which are positions of need in Atlanta. While Jace Peterson had a solid three-month run at second base in 2015, he wilted considerably from July through season’s end, hitting just .212/.281/.297 over his final 80 games/299 plate appearances. Some pegged Peterson as a utility player more than a starter when he was coming through the Padres’ system, and Beckham at least gives Atlanta a platoon partner for Peterson, who hit a dreadful .190/.234/.276 versus lefties in 2015.
At third base, Hector Olivera was believed to be a possible long-term option, but the Braves have recently transitioned him to the outfield, so there’s an opening at the hot corner as well. While Beckham probably won’t be counted on as an everyday option there, he does provide some experience at the position and give the Braves an element of depth.
Beckham’s signing could mean that infielder Pedro Ciriaco isn’t long for the Braves’ 40-man roster. The deadline to tender arbitration-eligible players a contract is tonight, and with Beckham and Adonis Garcia both serving as fellow right-handed options, the Braves could jettison the well-traveled Ciriaco.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the signing and the dollar amount (via Twitter). MLB.com’s Mark Bowman was the first to tweet the incentive structure of the deal.