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Brewers Sign Chris Perez To Minor League Deal

By Steve Adams | February 4, 2015 at 6:48pm CDT

6:48pm: Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports (via Twitter) that Perez can top out at $3MM if he hits all of the incentives in his contract. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets that $1.5MM of that will be his base salary upon making the club, and the deal has another $1.5MM worth of incentives based on games finished.

6:16pm: The Brewers announced that they have signed right-hander Chris Perez to a minor league contract with an invitation to big league Spring Training. Perez, formerly the closer for the Indians, will compete for a spot in the Milwaukee bullpen.

The 29-year-old Perez spent the 2014 season with the Dodgers, where he worked to a 4.27 ERA in 46 1/3 innings. However, despite moving back to the National League — he originally came up with the Cardinals — Perez posted the second-worst K/9 rate of his career (7.6) as well as his worst BB/9 rate to date (4.9).

Perez has struggled to a 4.31 ERA over the past two seasons — a span of 100 1/3 innings — but he was generally more effective during his 2010-12 peak with Cleveland. In that time, Perez totaled a 2.84 ERA and made a pair of All-Star teams while saving 98 games. As Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel notes (on Twitter), the Brewers have been looking for a reliever with closer experience, and Perez certainly fits that bill with a low cost of acquisition.

Presumably, the signing of Perez doesn’t preclude the Brewers’ search to add to their 40-man roster, however. Milwaukee has been linked on and off to Jonathan Papelbon over the past two weeks, and they’re also said to be interested in a reunion with Francisco Rodriguez, who has been with Milwaukee for parts of the past four seasons.

Trade Rumors App Now Has Notifications

By Tim Dierkes | February 4, 2015 at 2:19pm CDT

The world’s best app for staying up-to-date on MLB, NFL, and NBA trades and free agency just got better. I’m happy to announce that our free Trade Rumors app, available for iOS and Android, now has notifications! You can set up notifications at the sport, team, or even player level, and receive a notification as soon as a new article is posted on that topic.

We’ve also rolled out an improved, more intuitive layout to the app, with each feed represented by a vertical column on the home screen. Switch between your feeds by swiping left on the home screen. Vertical columns allow for easier one-hand scrolling.

[Download Trade Rumors for iOS and Android]

But wait, there’s more! Other features of the Trade Rumors app:

Customize your home screen. The app has feeds for MLB Trade Rumors, Pro Football Rumors, and Hoops Rumors by default, but if you’re more of a one or two-sport person, you can easily remove and reorder feeds. You can also add a feed for any of the 92 MLB, NFL, or NBA teams, as well as the thousands of players in the archives of our three sites.
We’ve also allowed for filtering of all stories versus top stories, for what is shown on the home screen as well as for notifications. This allows you to limit yourself to just the most important news for a feed, if you prefer.
Article sharing options are plentiful: choose Facebook, Twitter, email, and text message.
Once you’ve clicked an article in a feed, you can swipe to read the next article in that feed.
Did we mention the Trade Rumors app is completely free? Download today for iOS and Android.

Wondering what’s next for the always-improving Trade Rumors app? We intend to add comments, but must first switch to a native commenting system on the three websites.

Rangers Sign Ryan Ludwick To Minor League Deal

By Jeff Todd | February 4, 2015 at 2:16pm CDT

The Rangers have agreed to sign outfielder Ryan Ludwick to a minor league deal with a spring invite, executive VP of communications John Blake announced on Twitter. Ludwick can earn $1.75MM if he makes the big league roster out of camp, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets.

A 36-year-old veteran of a dozen MLB campaigns, Ludwick has had a fairly rough go of things since inking a two-year, $15MM with the Reds before the 2013 campaign. He missed much of the first year with shoulder surgery, then slashed .244/.308/.375 over 400 plate appearances last year. In the aggregate, he provided below-replacement-level production to Cincinnati in that stretch.

Of course, a more optimistic look would note that Ludwick was a .275.346/.531 hitter and provided 26 home runs as recently as 2012, and had generally hit at a comfortably above-average clip prior to that season. Texas will be glad to take a risk-free look this spring before deciding whether to commit to Ludwick.

Cuban Players Vladimir Gutierrez, Dainer Moreira Defect

By Jeff Todd | February 4, 2015 at 10:27am CDT

Cuban ballplayers Vladimir Gutierrez and Dainer Moreira have defected, according to Jorge L. Ortiz of USA Today. The pair was playing for the Cuban entrant in the Caribbean Series, currently being held in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.

Both players will need to establish residency in another country to establish their eligibility to sign with major league teams. Gutierrez will be subject to international bonus pool limits, while the more senior Moreira will be exempt.

As Ben Badler of Baseball America writes, the right-handed Gutierrez is one of the island’s best-regarded pitching prospects. Just 19 years old, his frame allows for a projection of velocity growth and he already features what might be the best curveball in Cuba, in Badler’s estimation. Gutierrez has trended upwards since placing twelfth on BA’s list of Cuba’s best prospects, Badler writes. Working from the pen in the island’s top-level Serie Nacional, Gutierrez tossed 51 1/3 strong innings in the just-concluded season (2.45 ERA, 49 strikeouts versus 19 walks).

Badler says that Moreira, a middle infielder, is “more on par with a minor league free agent than a real prospect.” That assessment derives both from his age — at least 28 and as old as 30, depending upon what roster is referenced — and his limitations on the field. Though he posted an interesting .332/.397/.368 line last year, striking out just eleven times in 277 trips to the plate, Moreira is said to have “awkward hitting mechanics,” no pop, and a fringe arm at shortstop.

James Shields Expected To Sign By End Of Week

By Jeff Todd | February 3, 2015 at 10:08pm CDT

Reports this evening suggest that the wheels are now turning for free agent righty James Shields. With multiple offers in hand, says Jon Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter), the veteran is expected to sign by the end of the week.

As I wrote yesterday, while Shields and agent Page Odle face a difficult task of maximizing value in the month of February, time remains for his market to re-develop. It appears that could now be taking place, with the list of suitors potentially growing this evening.

The Cardinals have now “shown interest” in Shields, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports on Twitter. While the St. Louis brass has insisted that the club feels good about its rotation depth, there are enough areas of concern that another arm could make good sense — particularly one of Shields’s quality.

Meanwhile, a rival general manager says that he believes the Yankees are “actively pursuing” Shields, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reports on Twitter. New York certainly could justify buttressing its starting five: it probably has an even greater need to upgrade at the back end and protect against uncertainty in the projected rotation than do the Cards. On the other hand, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that he hears the team is not changing its decision not to pursue top-of-the-market starters.

It certainly appears that both clubs have the financial wherewithal to make such a move. St. Louis has been judicious with committing future assets and maintains good forward-looking payroll flexibility. And New York can never be counted out from dipping into its coffers when opportunity arises.

As for other possibilities, the Padres are also believed to have engaged in recent discussions with the Shields camp, Morosi tweets. Another busy club, the White Sox, are almost certainly set to enter the spring with their current array of talent, GM Rick Hahn tells Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com (via Twitter).

While both of these clubs have been mentioned as possible landing spots for Shields at various points in the past, it was never entirely clear whether that was based on analysis or real internal consideration. These latest reports appear to push the needle toward the latter. Obviously, the entry of either or both would be excellent news for Shields’s leverage.

Latest On Indians’ Search For Reliever, Right-Handed Bat

By Steve Adams | February 3, 2015 at 7:35pm CDT

FEB. 3, 7:35pm: Team president Mark Shapiro views the notion of adding a right-handed bat as “kind of wishful thinking,” as he tells FanSided blog Wahoo’s on First (Twitter link).

9:15am: Ryan Ludwick, Reed Johnson and Andruw Jones (who was said to be interested in a comeback this weekend) are all options for Cleveland, Heyman tweets. It’s certainly a surprise — to yours truly, at least — to see Cleveland linked to more outfield bats, given the glut of options the team already possesses.

However, Raburn is guaranteed just $2.6MM after hitting .195/.263/.333 against lefties last season, so perhaps Cleveland is comfortable looking for an upgrade due to his modest financial commitment. The team could conceivably move him or Murphy, who recently was candid in saying that while he’s willing to accept reduced playing time, he’d be open to a trade rather than a scenario where he receives 150 or so at-bats over the life of the season.

FEB. 2: It’s been a largely quiet offseason in Cleveland, but the Indians are still on the lookout for a right-handed bat and some relief help, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (on Twitter).

The easiest spot to envision a right-handed bat entering the mix for playing time in Cleveland would be on the left side of the infield, where Lonnie Chisenhall has long had platoon issues (though he improved against lefties in a small 2014 sample). To a lesser extent, there could be a need at shortstop, given Jose Ramirez’s inexperience, but the Indians likely feel comfortable with him and the eventual arrival of top prospect Francisco Lindor. Cleveland has little need for additional outfielders, given the presence of Michael Brantley, Michael Bourn, Brandon Moss, Nick Swisher, David Murphy and Ryan Raburn. They may, in fact, be better off seeking to trade one of the outfielders already on the roster.

The free agent market offers little in the way of a bat that could help in the infield. Rickie Weeks could be an option at third base (certainly not at short, however) if he is amenable to shifting across the diamond. Aside from Weeks, names like Donnie Murphy, Jayson Nix and Jonathan Herrera offer little upside with the bat but could be moved around the infield while regulars rest or deal with injuries.

Cleveland could also turn an eye toward the trade market. Some speculative names that come to mind include Matt Dominguez (now that Houston has traded for Luis Valbuena), Logan Forsythe or perhaps Eduardo Nunez, though none are particularly exciting names. Going further out on a limb, Cleveland could gauge Atlanta’s interest in a swap of bad contracts sending Swisher (and cash) for Chris Johnson. Replacing Swisher’s contract with that of Johnson would spread out the negative value over a three-year term as opposed to Swisher’s remaining two-year commitment, thereby creating some much-needed 2016 flexibility (a need I examined months ago in Cleveland’s Offseason Outlook). Johnson also crushes left-handed pitching and could therefore form a powerful, albeit defensively challenged platoon at third base with Chisenhall.

As for relievers, there are a number of names remaining on the market. I took a look at the remaining names with above-average velocity this morning, although Cleveland likely doesn’t have interest in reunions with Chris Perez or John Axford. Still, there are some experienced late-inning arms coming off mostly solid seasons, including Joba Chamberlain and Rafael Soriano. Should Cleveland want to gamble a bit, it could by low on a formerly successful late-inning reliever such as Matt Lindstrom, David Aardsma, Brian Wilson or Matt Albers. Trades could also be explored on this front as well; one recent name added to the relief trade market was Edward Mujica.

Rockies To Sign Kyle Kendrick

By Jeff Todd | February 3, 2015 at 4:19pm CDT

Free agent righty Kyle Kendrick has agreed to sign with the Rockies, sources tell Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). The deal is for one year and $5.5MM, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports tweets. Kendrick, a client of Relativity Baseball, can earn an additional $500K if he logs 190 innings.

Colorado was said to be eyeing another starter addition, with Jayson Stark of ESPN.com tweeting earlier today that Kendrick remained a possibility. Though the Rockies added a rotation candidate recently via trade in David Hale, bringing in Kendrick should insulate the organization from feeling compelled to elevate any of its top prospects outside of its preferred timetable.

Still only 30, Kendrick has been a durable innings-logger over his career, missing only 15 games total on the DL. He has at times split time between the rotation and pen, but racked up 381 frames in 62 starts over 2013-14. Of course, the results have not always been there: he owns a cumulative 4.65 ERA over the past two seasons. More promisingly, Kendrick was good for a 3.61 earned run mark across 2011-12. But ERA estimators have consistently valued him in the low-to-mid 4 earned per nine range.

With MLB Rule Change, Yoan Moncada Cleared To Sign

By Jeff Todd | February 3, 2015 at 3:00pm CDT

Much-hyped Cuban second baseman Yoan Moncada is free to sign after MLB modified its standards for incoming players from his home nation, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports on Twitter.

With a so-called “specific license” from OFAC no longer needed, MLB will now accept a “general license” combined with a “sworn statement [by the player] that the prospect permanently resides outside of Cuba and has no intent to return to Cuba,” Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs reports on Twitter (quoting from a league memo).

Already technically a free agent, Moncada was awaiting clearance to actually sign a contract. Some uncertainty in the standards had arisen in the wake of recent diplomatic maneuvers between the United States and Cuba, with MLB and the U.S. Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) reportedly working to sort out the impact of changes in the nations’ relationship.

Moncada is perhaps the most intriguing player impacted by this news, but is presumably not the only one. Fellow middle infield prospect Andy Ibanez was also reportedly awaiting clarification of the new standards. The most immediate impact could be made by Hector Olivera, a veteran standout who figures to join an MLB roster in the near-term but who is still waiting to be declared a free agent, as Ben Badler of Baseball America notes. And the new system will clear a significant roadblock from the way of other Cuban players who can establish residency in a third country en route to the big leagues.

Unlike the 29-year-old Olivera, Moncada and Ibanez do not qualify for exemption from MLB’s international bonus pool system. Accordingly, the winning team will be forced to pay a 100% penalty tax on the amount by which it exceeds its pool allotment — which, if expectations prove correct, could be quite a substantial sum.

Five To Six Teams Still Trying To Deal For Hamels

By Steve Adams | February 3, 2015 at 2:59pm CDT

2:58pm: Philadelphia continues to ask for top catching prospect Blake Swihart from Boston, tweets Nightengale, with the Red Sox refusing to part with him in a deal for Hamels.

2:08pm: Though Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has said he expects Cole Hamels to open the season with his team, Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports tweets that five or six clubs are still trying to get their hands on the Philadelphia ace. However, no team has yet come close to making an offer that would entice the Phillies to part with the 31-year-old lefty.

Last month, the Padres, Red Sox, Rangers and Cardinals were reported to be the most aggressive teams pursuing Hamels, but the Rangers may have bowed out of the picture following their acquisition of Yovani Gallardo. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports recently reported that the Padres have remained in touch on Hamels, though some feel they lack the talent needed to complete the deal.

The Phillies have been said to be asking for two “premium talents” in return for Hamels, likely in addition to other, lesser-regarded assets. Philadelphia has proven its willingness to deal away core veterans — Jimmy Rollins, in particular, was one of the club’s mainstays in its recent run of success — but has understandably set a high asking price for Hamels, who could always be held until the summer or even beyond.

Rockies To Sign John Axford To Minor League Deal

By Steve Adams | February 2, 2015 at 2:53pm CDT

2:53pm: MLB.com’s Thomas Harding reports that if Axford makes the Major League roster, he will earn a $2.6MM base salary (Twitter link). That’s a fairly significant base salary for a minor league deal and likely explains why Axford was willing to take a non-guaranteed contract. I’d imagine that so long as Axford remains healthy, he’s a good bet to make the roster, and that guarantee may be larger than some big league deals he discussed with other clubs.

Additionally, per Harding, Axford can earn $1.5MM worth of incentives, meaning his deal can max out at $4.1MM.

2:22pm: The Rockies are in agreement with right-hander John Axford on a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training, per the team’s transactions page. Axford is a client of the Beverly Hills Sports Council.

Axford, 32 in April, began the 2014 season closing games for the Indians but quickly ceded the job to standout Cody Allen, who took hold of the ninth-inning reins and never looked back. Things weren’t so rosy for Axford, who issued far too many walks and eventually was traded to the Pirates after an August waiver claim. Axford showed slightly better control in Pittsburgh than in Cleveland, and overall the former Brewers stopper pitched to a 3.95 ERA with 10.4 K/9, 5.9 BB/9 and a 53.6 percent ground-ball rate.

While the control numbers are clearly troublesome, Axford’s increase in ground-ball rate would play well in Colorado if he can limit his walks, and he’s never had a problem racking up strikeouts. As I noted earlier this morning, Axford sports (or rather, sported) the best velocity of any remaining free agent reliever, so there’s certainly some upside on this deal.

LaTroy Hawkins figures to man the ninth inning in Denver in what will be his final season, but it’s not out of the question to think that Axford could be in the mix to pick up some saves as well. It’s possible, even, that some ninth-inning work was dangled as an incentive to get him to agree to pitch half of his innings in the hitters’ haven that is Coors Field.

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