Rockies Sign Tyler Chatwood To Two-Year Deal
8:02pm: Chatwood will earn $1MM in both 2015 and 2016, tweets ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. He will be able to earn an additional $250K in 2016 based on games started.
7:09pm: The Rockies announced tonight that they’ve inked right-hander Tyler Chatwood to a two-year deal to avoid arbitration. The contract will pay the RMG Baseball client roughly $1MM in 2015 as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, per the Denver Post’s Nick Groke (Twitter link), though complete terms of the deal aren’t yet known.
The 25-year-old Chatwood enjoyed an excellent season in 2013, pitching to a 3.15 ERA with 5.3 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and a 58.5 percent ground-ball rate in 111 1/3 innings of work for the Rockies. However, he was limited to just 24 innings and a 4.50 ERA in 2014 before an injury sidelined him and eventually led to his operation on July 19.
Originally a second-round pick of the Angels back in 2008, Chatwood was acquired by the Rockies in a one-for-one swap that sent Chris Iannetta to the Halos. He’s yet to establish himself as a consistent force in the Majors, though he appeared to potentially be on his way to doing so prior to his injury. While he’s unlikely to pitch until late in the 2015 season at the earliest, the Rockies will retain control of him through the 2017 season, so he still has time to deliver value. In particular, his excellent ground-ball rate — he posted a 57.7 percent mark from 2012-13 when healthy — is very well-suited for the homer-friendly Coors Field.
Nationals, A’s Swap Tyler Clippard, Yunel Escobar
Yunel Escobar‘s tenure with the Athletics lasted all of five days, as he has now been traded to the Nationals in exchange for right-hander Tyler Clippard, the Nats announced on Wednesday.
Escobar, of course, had only just been acquired by the Athletics this past weekend alongside Ben Zobrist in a trade that sent a prospect package headlined by Daniel Robertson to the Rays. A trade of Escobar likely means that infielder Marcus Semien, acquired by Oakland in their trade of Jeff Samardzija to the White Sox, will again be ticketed for an everyday role in the middle infield. Indeed, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that Semien will be the club’s shortstop, teaming with Zobrist to comprise the club’s double-play tandem.
As for the Nationals, the acquisition opens a number of avenues. First and foremost is that Escobar simply supplants Danny Espinosa as the team’s second baseman, pairing with All-Star shortstop Ian Desmond. In that scenario, Escobar, who is controlled through the 2016 season at a reasonable total of $13MM (plus an option for the 2017 season), could slide over to shortstop next year if Desmond signs elsewhere as a free agent. However, the possibility of an eventual Desmond trade cannot be outright ignored, as the Nats reportedly discussed a three-team swap with the Rays and Mets last weekend that would have netted them Escobar and Zobrist, with Desmond heading to New York.
The 32-year-old Escobar, typically a sound defender, had somewhat of a down season on both sides of the ball in 2014. Though he picked things up with the bat late in the season to salvage a .258/.324/.340 batting line (92 OPS+, 95 wRC+), he posted a UZR/150 of -26, and Defensive Runs Saved dinged him equally, rating him at -24 runs. However, Escobar also battled shoulder and knee problems last season and has otherwise always been regarded as an excellent defender, so while some will assume this to be age-related decline, there’s reason to believe that he could rebound in 2015.
Clippard, 30 next month, is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $9.3MM in 2015 — his final year of team control before hitting free agency. Clippard has been a staple in the Nats’ bullpen dating back to 2009, pitching to a 2.64 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in that time, though his control has improved significantly since 2011. Despite being an extreme fly-ball pitcher, Clippard has never had a huge problem with home runs and will likely be able to avoid such problems at the spacious O.Co Coliseum. One large reason for his ability to keep the ball in the yard is that a number of his fly-balls are of the infield pop-up variety — 15.5 percent over the past six seasons and a whopping 19.3 percent in 2015. That trend figures to continue, given all of the space in Oakland’s park, as Fangraphs’ Dave Cameron notes (on Twitter).
This marks the second straight offseason in which the A’s have traded for a high-priced reliever, although the two deals are markedly different. Last winter, Oakland acquired Jim Johnson from the Orioles in what essentially amounted to a salary dump, while parting with Escobar (two to three years of him, no less) represents a significant value heading to Washington. In this instance, however, Clippard seems likely to remain in a setup role, as Oakland has lights-out closer Sean Doolittle currently manning the ninth inning on an affordable long-term deal, eliminating the financial risk that would have come with letting him accumulate saves while still arbitration-eligible.
On a grander scale, the move further adds to the intrigue of the Oakland offseason. After reaching the playoffs via Wild Card status, Oakland began its offseason by signing Billy Butler to a three-year pact — a win-now move aimed to upgrade in the short-term. The A’s then traded away Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss, Jeff Samardzija and Derek Norris for packages of younger players (although they did receive a pair of MLB-ready pieces in Marcus Semien and Jesse Hahn). Following those moves, most assumed the A’s to be gearing up for a rebuild, but at that point, GM Billy Beane added Zobrist (with one year left on his deal) and Escobar in another move aimed at the short-term future. Overall, it seems that Beane and his staff are merely re-tooling — giving themselves a chance at contention in 2015 while simultaneously acquiring younger, more affordable players to create a lengthier window of contention (or to use as chips in further trades).
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first reported that Escobar was headed to the Nats (Twitter link) and speculated that Clippard would be a fit. MLB.com’s Bill Ladson confirmed (on Twitter) that Clippard was indeed headed to Oakland.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rockies, Drew Stubbs Avoid Arbitration
The Rockies and outfielder Drew Stubbs have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $5.825MM contract, reports Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet (on Twitter). That salary is just $125K north of the $5.7MM figure projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.
Stubbs a client, of Lagardere Unlimited, enjoyed a strong overall year in his first season with the Rockies. The 30-year-old hit .289/.339/.482 with 15 homers, 20 steals and average defense in center field, making him a well-rounded player and resulting in roughly 2.5 wins above replacement.
Like nearly any player, Stubbs isn’t without his flaws. He posted a vastly higher OPS against left-handed pitching (.944) than right-handed pitching (.757), and the majority of his damage was done in the hitter-friendly confines of Denver’s Coors Field. At Coors, Stubbs slashed a hefty .356/.388/.611 with 12 of his 15 homers, but on the road he hit a sub-par .211/.288/.333.
This agreement brings to an end Stubbs’ final trip through the arbitration process, as he’ll be a free agent next offseason as he heads into his age-31 campaign. In spite of the significant platoon and home/road splits, another sound season would position him well on next year’s free agent market. Clubs in hitter-friendly parks of their own, in particular, could be drawn to his combination of defense, power and speed.
D-Backs GM Stewart Talks Payroll, Shields, Catchers
4:02pm: In addition to discussing catchers, as noted below, Stewart also discussed the club’s payroll and his interest in James Shields with Piecoro. Stewart notes that the addition of Cuban righty Yoan Lopez could push the club to make cost-cutting moves. Lopez received an $8.25MM signing bonus that, after accounting for the penalties incurred due to exceeding their bonus pool, will cost the D-Backs about $16.3MM, Piecoro writes.
Stewart says he isn’t sure how the D-Backs will trim payroll, but they’re currently looking at about $106MM, and he’d like to be under $100MM. “I would like to be (under $100 million),” he tells Piecoro. “I’ve not been told to be, but I would like to be.” One player the club isn’t interested in dealing, according to Piecoro, is Mark Trumbo.
Despite the plainly stated desire to shed payroll, the D-Backs remain interested in Shields, Stewart says. The D-Backs have spoken with agent Page Odle to “work on groundwork,” according to Stewart, who thinks that the team’s old-school mentality will appeal to Shields. “I think James is a throwback guy by the way he goes about his business and the innings he pitches,” says Stewart. “I think the fact that Tony (La Russa) is here and that we have more baseball people — he probably sees us as a true baseball team vs. some of the other teams out here that are geared more toward analytics and those type of things.”
Stewart’s comments are interesting, particularly due to the fact that La Russa said after the departure of former GM Kevin Towers in September that he hoped to “beef up” the club’s usage of advanced metrics (via MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert on Twitter). Additionally, the club hired a new director of analytics just this past November, though they’ve done little else from a baseball operations standpoint to alter their image as a member of baseball’s old guard.
1:59m: GM Dave Stewart says that he has decided not to pursue an upgrade behind the plate, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. Instead, the club will rely on the continued development of recent trade acquisition Peter O’Brien while also utilizing some combination of Tuffy Gosewisch and Rule 5 pick Oscar Hernandez.
Piecoro quotes Stewart:
“I’ve decided that I’m not going to pursue another catcher. I talked with my people and my coaching staff. They believe that O’Brien is going to be around sooner than later. If that does happen, there’s no need to go out and get another guy. We would have had to trade somebody we didn’t want to trade to make it happen. We’re going to be patient and allow the progression of O’Brien to take place and stand pat on that.”
O’Brien, 24, came to Arizona in the Martin Prado deal and only had time for four games in his new organization. A bat-first catcher, the question remains whether O’Brien’s glove will be good enough to keep him behind the dish. Piecoro reports that Arizona was impressed with his work in the AFL, and notes that the team has had a chance to watch him over the last few days as well. Of course, it is far from clear that O’Brien will be ready to contribute at the big league level this season, leaving the team with quite a thin group at the position.
Royals Extend Ned Yost Through 2016
The Royals have extended the contract of manager Ned Yost through 2016, the club announced on Twitter. Much embattled in some circles, Yost nevertheless saw Kansas City through to a stunning run into and through the postseason, culminating in a World Series appearance.
With the new deal, Yost has an additional year of security. That will keep him from entering the coming season as a lame duck, though of course it does not ensure that he will stay around for the long haul. In any event, Yost is interested in remaining at the helm only for two or three more years, according to Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter).
Yost took over the K.C. dugout back in 2011, overseeing a pair of sub-par efforts in his first two campaigns. But things trended up in 2013, when the club won 86 games, and culminated in a breakneck second half last year that vaulted the Royals from a 48-50 record to the Wild Card.
As if the first postseason appearance since the George Brett era was not enough, Yost and his squad launched an improbable run all the way to Game 7 of the sport’s final series. He took plenty of criticism along the way — bunting and bullpen utilization chief among them — but it is hard to argue with the results that he wrung from a scrappy, youthful club.
It remains to be seen, of course, whether Yost can help to orchestrate a repeat performance. But he will have the chance to do so without worrying whether he’ll be under contract for the following season.
Nats, Desmond Have Not Had “Significant” Extension Negotiations
The Nationals have not had “significant” extension negotiations with shortstop Ian Desmond this offseason, MLB.com’s Bill Ladson reports. Though GM Mike Rizzo reportedly met with agent Doug Rogalski at the Winter Meetings, a source tells Ladson that no true negotiations occurred at that time, and that none have taken place since.
Recent reports have suggested that the Nationals have engaged in several trade scenarios regarding Desmond. Most recently, the team was said to have kicked around a three-team scenario that would have sent Desmond to the division-rival Mets, though ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweeted today that New York’s discussions regarding Desmond were “only cursory.”
The 29-year-old has emerged as one of the game’s best shortstops over the past three seasons, a rare 20-home-run hitter at the position who plays solid defense. (Though his offensive production has ticked down successively in each year.) Desmond is also widely cited as a team leader and outstanding clubhouse presence, and is the franchise’s longest-tenured player.
All said, expectations have been that an extension would at least be explored, with the team having already reportedly offered him a deal in excess of $100MM last offseason and Desmond expressing interest in staying put. But the Nats have added a long-term replacement in Trea Turner via trade, which at least reduces some of the future need. And it could well be that Rizzo does not feel a market-value deal would be a wise investment at this point.
Of course, late-spring (or later) extensions are fairly frequent occurrences, and it is far too soon to say that a new deal is not a reasonable possibility.
Diamondbacks “In Mix” For James Shields
The Diamondbacks are “in [the] mix” for free agent righty James Shields, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi of FOX Sports report (Twitter links). Shields has received a $110MM offer, but was not interested in playing for that unnamed team, per the report.
Arizona is not interested in guaranteeing Shields nine figures, says FOX Sports, which indicates that present bidding is shy of $100MM. Notably, a report from one week back stated that the D’Backs (and Marlins) felt that they could not reach the necessary price range for Shields.
With the market for Shields still murky, it remains impossible to predict where he will end up. Per the above-linked article, interest in Shields seems to come with significant qualifications beyond that of the since-rejected high-bidding club. Neither is it entirely clear what standards the 32-year-old veteran will use to decide. A native of the West Coast, Shields has a wife and children to consider as well.
As for the D’Backs, the team has made several moves to re-shape its roster since overhauling its front office in advance of the offseason. Coming into the winter, new GM Dave Stewart said that a front-line pitcher was on the wish list, though it was never clear just how likely it was that the team would seriously pursue a higher-level talent like Shields.
As things stand, the team will roll out a rotation that could include some or all of recent additions Jeremy Hellickson, Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster, Vidal Nuno, and even Robbie Ray. Pre-existing options such as Josh Collmenter and Trevor Cahill, along with Tommy John rehabbers Bronson Arroyo and Patrick Corbin, remain available as well, among others.
Landing Shields would obviously put a different spin on the team’s moves to date. Presumably, such a win-now act would add particular impetus to the team’s efforts to upgrade behind the plate, potentially by dealing away from the starting depth.
Cuban Right-Hander Yoan Lopez Weighing Offers
JAN. 12: Lopez is already weighing multiple offers and could receive the largest bonus ever for an international amateur prospect, tweets MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez. Currently, Roberto Baldoquin‘s $8MM signing bonus stands as the largest ever signed by an international amateur. (Players such as Jose Abreu, Rusney Castillo, Yasiel Puig, etc. were considered professionals when they signed.)
If a record-setting bonus is to be expected, then it stands to reason that the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels and Rays all have a leg up when it comes to signing Lopez, as each team has already incurred the maximum penalties for exceeding their bonus pool this signing period. None of those four will be able to sign a player for more than $300K next two signing periods, so they may be more willing to take on the added cost right now while they’re still able to add talent. The Cubs and Rangers, on the other hand, can’t sign a player for more than $250K after exceeding their pools last signing period, and therefore can’t bid aggressively on Lopez.
JAN. 9: The United States Office of Foreign Assets Control has cleared Cuban right-hander Yoan Lopez to sign with Major League teams, reports MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez. The 21-year-old Lopez was already cleared by Major League Baseball back in November, meaning that he can now officially sign with a big league club at any time. Sanchez writes that Lopez is expected to sign with a club prior to Spring Training.
Because Lopez is just 21 years of age and has only three seasons of professional experience in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, he will still be subject to international spending limitations. To this point, the Yankees, Dodgers, Padres and D-Backs have shown the most serious interest in Lopez, according to Sanchez.
Of that group, the Yankees have already gone well over their 2014-15 spending pool. As such, it stands to reason that they could be willing to outspend other interested teams, as they’re already set to incur the maximum penalties during the next international signing period. Additionally, the Rays, Red Sox and Angels have gone over their pools, though Sanchez doesn’t specifically link any of those three clubs to Lopez.
Lopez has held multiple showcases for Major League clubs since defecting from Cuba and establishing residence in Haiti, and he’s also held private workouts for multiple yet-unreported clubs. Sanchez writes that Lopez’s fastball sits 93 to 95 mph, but he’s touched 100 mph on occasion. He also throws a cutter, curve, changeup and slider, per Sanchez, who adds that Lopez worked to a 3.12 ERA with a 28-to-11 K/BB ratio in 49 innings in his final season in Cuba.
Rockies, Padres, Giants Interested In Dillon Gee
Following a report from last night in which Andy Martino of the New York Daily News indicated that the Mets are in active trade talks regarding Dillon Gee, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Rockies, Padres and Giants are all looking at a trade for the 28-year-old righty.
The Rockies were linked by Rosenthal’s colleague, Jon Morosi, to free agent Ryan Vogelsong last night, and Morosi reported late last week that the Rox also had mild interest in Dan Haren. It’s not surprising to see Colorado looking to add some arms, and Gee would seem a bit of a better fit than either Vogelsong or Haren. For one, his projected $5.1MM price tag (courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz) is half that of Haren’s. But more importantly, Gee is more of a ground-ball pitcher than either of the other two veteran righties; he posted a 44.1 percent ground-ball rate in 2014 and sports a 45.6 percent mark for his career. While those numbers are roughly league average, they’re much higher than the marks Haren and Vogelsong have posted in recent years. Both have a ground-ball percentage of about 39 percent in that time. Gee is also controllable for two seasons via arbitration — another factor that Colorado likely finds appealing.
It’s a bit puzzling to see the Padres linked to a starting pitcher, but perhaps it shouldn’t be, given how active GM A.J. Preller has been on the trade front this winter. San Diego currently projects to have a strong crop of starters, fronted by Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross and Ian Kennedy. Beyond that trio, injury-prone but talented righties Brandon Morrow and Josh Johnson will compete with Odrisamer Despaigne, Robbie Erlin andCory Luebke for the final two spots. Of course, both Luebke and Johnson are on the mend from Tommy John surgery, so they’re unlikely to be ready for the beginning of the season. And, Cashner, Morrow and Johnson all have lengthy injury histories, so perhaps it shouldn’t be too surprising that the Friars are looking for more depth. San Diego also traded away the talented Jesse Hahn, who seemed destined for a rotation spot, in the Derek Norris deal with the A’s.
As for the Giants, they’ve had uncertainty surrounding their rotation for quite some time, and that only increased when they learned that Tim Hudson would require ankle surgery that would keep him shelved for eight weeks. Following that news, vice president/assistant GM Bobby Evans told reporters that the team still wasn’t considering adding a Major League arm to its ranks, but that no longer appears to be the case. The Giants have Madison Bumgarner atop the rotation and re-signed Jake Peavy to a two-year deal, but both Matt Cain and Hudson are now coming off surgery, Tim Lincecum has been unstable for the better part of three years, and Yusmeiro Petit has never handled a full season’s workload as a starter (though he has been brilliant as a swingman for the past two seasons). San Francisco also watched Vogelsong hit the open market this winter, further depleting their rotation.
Gee, who turns 29 in late April, worked to an even 4.00 ERA in 137 innings with the Mets last season. He was limited by a strained lat muscle that led to a prolonged DL stint, but he did toss 199 innings the year prior. Over the past four seasons in the Mets’ rotation, Gee has worked to a 4.01 ERA (4.24 FIP) with 6.6 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9. The Mets are known to be looking to shed a veteran starter this winter, and Gee’s name has come up the most frequently of late.
Among the areas that the Mets could be looking to address on their big league roster are left-handed relief and shortstop. I find it unlikely that the Mets receive a starting-caliber shortstop in a trade of Gee, but a left-handed reliever is certainly a plausible return, and they could simply move him for the best package of minor league talent offered by any of the interested parties as well.
Dan Haren To Attend Spring Training With Marlins
MONDAY: Though Haren is planning on attending Spring Training, he’s still hoping for a trade and has again asked that the Marlins move him to a West Coast club so he can be closer to his wife and children, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. One likely he roadblock standing in the way of the deal, according to Jackson, is that the Marlins want to keep the $10MM the Dodgers sent their way in initial trade, even if they deal Haren to another club.
SUNDAY: Dan Haren will report to Spring Training as a Marlin next month, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. The Marlins acquired Haren from the Dodgers last month in the Dee Gordon / Andrew Heaney deal, but Haren lives in California, and he struggled with being away from his family when he pitched for the Nationals in 2013. Following the trade, it was unclear whether Haren would pitch for the Marlins, be traded back to a team on the West Coast, or retire and forgo his $10MM 2015 salary. Last week, it was reported that Haren had told the Marlins his preference would be to pitch for another team. As of yesterday, however, the Marlins reportedly remained hopeful that Haren would pitch for them. It appears Haren changed his mind, although his apparent willingness to pitch for the Marlins still does not necessarily rule out a possible trade.
The 34-year-old Haren remains reasonably useful, despite his dwindling velocity — he posted a 4.02 ERA, 7.0 K/9 and a stingy 1.7 BB/9 in 186 innings last season, despite his average fastball clocking in at just 87.7 MPH. Assuming he sticks with the Marlins, he’ll join Mat Latos as a veteran presence in a young group of starting pitchers that also includes Henderson Alvarez, Tom Koehler and Jarred Cosart, with Jose Fernandez returning at some point during the season after having Tommy John surgery last year.