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Bullpen Notes: Chapman, Gott, Albers, Blevins

By Mark Polishuk | December 7, 2015 at 3:29am CDT

It’s been a huge day for reliever signings, as Joakim Soria, Ryan Madson, Mark Lowe and (probably) Darren O’Day all reaching agreements on new contracts.  If that wasn’t enough, the Dodgers and Reds are also discussing an Aroldis Chapman trade, so the biggest bullpen trade chip of them all could also soon be off the table.  Here’s some news on the relievers who have left the market, some who remain, and yet others who could be on the trading block…

  • The Nationals continue to have interest in trading for Chapman but are wary about the prospect cost, MLB.com’s Bill Ladson writes.  There’s also the difficulty involved in trading current closer Jonathan Papelbon, and Papelbon’s grievance against the Nats is just the latest in several obstacles that will make it hard for Washington to find a taker for the controversial righty.
  • The Angels are getting interest in right-hander Trevor Gott, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter link).  The Halos want a player of similar value in return.  Gott made his MLB debut in 2015 and posted a 3.02 ERA, 5.1 K/9 and 1.69 K/BB rate over 47 2/3 innings.  Owner of a 96.2mph fastball, Gott posted much higher strikeout totals over his three minor league seasons and is controlled through the 2021 season.
  • Righty Matt Albers has received interest from multiple teams, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reports (Twitter link).  Albers missed most of 2014 due to shoulder problems and signed a minor league deal with the White Sox last winter, only to miss quite a bit of time after fracturing his pinkie during a bench-clearing brawl with the Royals in April.  Still, Albers ended up posting a very impressive 1.21 ERA, 6.8 K/9 and 3.11 K/BB rate over 37 1/3 innings with Chicago last year.
  • Yakult Swallows right-hander Tony Barnette didn’t reach a deal with any of the five teams who met his $500K posting fee, according to a story from the Sanspo news outlet (hat tip to NPBTracker’s Patrick Newman for his translating tweets).  Barnette is set to return to Yakult, though there’s a chance the Japanese team could allow him to pursue a deal with a Major League team anyway.
  • The Mets will meet with lefty Jerry Blevins’ agent during the Winter Meetings, ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin reports.  Assistant GM John Ricco confirmed the club’s interest in re-signing Blevins and expects it will take a Major League contract to get the veteran southpaw back in the fold.  Blevins pitched only five innings for the Mets in 2015 as a result of two forearm fractures — one from a line drive, and another suffered while slipping off a curb.
  • In another piece from Rubin, he hears from Ricco that the Mets weren’t in on O’Day or Madson due to their high price tags.  “We didn’t see ourselves playing in that top end where O’Day was,” Ricco said. “But I think that next tier, we’re going to be keeping an eye on….We’re going to meet with a lot of the representatives for the relievers here over the next couple of days.”
  • Part of the reason the Athletics agreed to a deal with Madson was because they can’t afford to land any of the top free agent hitters and thus have to “spend money where they can,” according to Rosenthal on Twitter.  The A’s are also still looking at more starting pitching as well, as evidenced by earlier reports of their interest in Scott Kazmir.
  • Before signing Lowe, the Tigers made one more try for Soria but talks went nowhere, MLB.com’s Jason Beck tweets.  The Pirates, another of Soria’s former teams, didn’t have any interest in re-signing him since the club prefers to build low-cost bullpens, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets.  The Blue Jays looked into Soria in the name of “checking options,” a source tells Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith, but Toronto wasn’t seriously interested.
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Detroit Tigers Los Angeles Angels New York Mets Oakland Athletics Pittsburgh Pirates Toronto Blue Jays Washington Nationals Aroldis Chapman Jerry Blevins Joakim Soria Matt Albers Ryan Madson Tony Barnette Trevor Gott

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Royals, Athletics Talking With Scott Kazmir

By charliewilmoth | December 6, 2015 at 6:35pm CDT

6:32pm: The Athletics are also in the hunt for the free agent southpaw, he tells Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. There are numerous other teams still in the mix, though, she adds.

Oakland knows Kazmir as well as any team, of course. He spent all of 2014 and most of 2015 with the club after signing there as a free agent, and delivered plenty of value on his contract.

3:35pm: The Royals are in pursuit of free agent lefty Scott Kazmir, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets. The Dodgers are also interested, as Olney notes (and as FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal also noted earlier this weekend). The Royals appear close to re-signing another starter, Chris Young, but it doesn’t appear that will keep them from searching for more pitching help.

Kazmir would, of course, immediately upgrade a Royals rotation that finished 12th in the AL with a 4.34 ERA last year. Kazmir’s 3.10 ERA, 7.6 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 2015 would have placed him among the Royals’ best starters. Kazmir struggled down the stretch after being traded from Oakland to Houston, and he didn’t fare well the third time through the order (when batters hit .280/.335/.452 against him), so he also seems likely to benefit from the Royals’ strong bullpen. The 31-year-old Kazmir’s previous two-year deal with the A’s paid him $22MM, although he seems well positioned for a significantly larger deal this time around.

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Kansas City Royals Los Angeles Dodgers Oakland Athletics Scott Kazmir

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KBO’s Hyun-Soo Kim Has Multiple Offers From MLB Clubs

By Steve Adams | December 4, 2015 at 9:06am CDT

Korean outfield star Hyun-soo Kim has received “multiple offers” from Major League teams, his agents in Korea tell Daniel Kim of KBS Sports (Twitter link). Jee-ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency also hears from a source that the soon-to-be 28-year-old Kim has “concrete offers” from MLB. While neither reporter lists specific teams, a second source tells Yoo that the Athletics are taking a long look at Kim, as their regional scout in Korea compiled a “glowing report” on Kim, who is nicknamed the “Hitting Machine” in Korea. The Braves have also scouted Kim extensively, according to Yoo, though their outfield situation may not have much room if Hector Olivera is permanently slotted into left field.

Kim is an unrestricted free agent, having completed nine full seasons in the Korea Baseball Organization despite his relatively young age. After debuting and receiving a single plate appearance as an 18-year-old with the KBO’s Doosan Bears, Kim established himself as a regular just 19 years of age, hitting .273/.335/.398 with five homers and five steals in 99 games.

From that point forth, Kim has batted above .300 in all but one season — he hit .291 in 2012 — and posted outstanding on-base percentage marks while showing some power. The left-handed hitter has authored a .318/.406/.488 hitter as a professional in Korea and is coming off his best season: a .326/.438/.541 batting line with a career-high 28 home runs. Kim struck out just 63 times in 630 plate appearances in 2015 (10 percent) against an impressive 101 walks. That should come as no surprise, considering Kim has walked more often than he’s struck out in six of his nine seasons and has 597 walks to 501 strikeouts over the life his tenure in the KBO. Yoo describes Kim’s defense in left field as “solid,” noting that he also showed a bit of versatility by filling in at first base a few times in 2015.

Kim’s Korean agent, Esther Lee, will travel to the United States for next week’s Winter Meetings in Nashville. He is co-represented by the Wasserman Media Group, writes Yoo, who will of course have agents at the meetings as well. In addition to Oakland, some clubs that could be in the market for a left-handed bat in left field include the Angels, Royals, Reds. Orioles, Indians and Giants, though that list is simply speculation on my behalf.

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Atlanta Braves Oakland Athletics Hyun-soo Kim

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Craig Gentry Elects Free Agency

By Steve Adams | December 3, 2015 at 11:58pm CDT

Center fielder Craig Gentry elected free agency on Wednesday this week after refusing an outright assignment from the Athletics, MLB.com’s Jane Lee tweeted. The move was expected, as Gentry has more than three years of service time (four years, 152 days, to be exact), giving him the right to test the free-agent market in lieu of an outright.

While the 32-year-old is coming off a dreadful season in which he batted just .120/.196/.200 in a small sample of 56 big league PAs and .256/.319/.327 at the Triple-A level, he’s still an intriguing addition to the market. Age difference notwithstanding, Gentry isn’t entirely dissimilar from Peter Bourjos, who was just claimed off waivers by the Phillies. In 1860 career innings in center field, Gentry has logged an eye-popping 40 Defensive Runs Saved and been worth 26.7 runs above average per 150 games played in the estimation of Ultimate Zone Rating. Though he’s nearing the end of his physical prime, if Gentry can still approximate that level of defensive acumen, he’s an intriguing fourth outfield option at the least.

A minor league deal and invite to Spring Training may be the ultimate outcome for Gentry, who went unclaimed despite a fairly modest $1.6MM arbitration projection from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. But, as a career .265/.338/.339 hitter with a lifetime slash of .274/.354/.366 against left-handed pitching, Gentry does offer skills that make him a desirable part-time player at the very least.

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Oakland Athletics Transactions Craig Gentry

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2015-16 American League Non-Tenders

By Jeff Todd | December 3, 2015 at 9:30am CDT

Major League clubs have until 11pm CT tonight to tender contracts to players for the 2016 season. Remember that you can track all of the action using MLBTR’s Non-Tender tracker, and we offer a full list of non-tender candidates (in the estimation of MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes). Also important for reference is the set of arbitration salary projections from MLBTR and contributor Matt Swartz.

We’ll run down the list of American League non-tenders here, and update it as reports come in.

  • According to a club announcement this morning, the Yankees non-tendered righty Domingo German last night. By parting with the pre-arb-eligible hurler, New York cleared one open spot on its 40-man.
  • The Rangers announced that they won’t tender contracts to righty Nick Tepesch or outfielder James Jones. Neither player was arbitration eligible, but the decisions clear two 40-man roster spots. Tepesch missed the 2015 season battling shoulder injuries. Jones was recently acquired in a trade with the Mariners, though the main component of that deal for the Rangers was probably right-hander Tom Wilhelmsen. Texas hopes to retain both on minor league contracts, tweets the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Jeff Wilson.
  • The Blue Jays have non-tendered backup catcher Josh Thole and tendered the rest of their players, reports Shi Davidi of Sportsnet (via Twitter). Thole has served primarily as R.A. Dickey’s personal catcher due to his familiarity with the knuckleball for much of his time with the Blue Jays.
  • Outfielder David Lough has also been non-tendered by the Orioles, the club announced. Lough hit just .201/.241/.313 with the Orioles in 144 plate appearances this season but has a reputation as a good defensive outfielder in the corners and traditionally hit righties well prior to this season.
  • The White Sox have non-tendered Tyler Flowers and Jacob Turner. More on that decision here.
  • The Orioles will non-tender infielder Paul Janish, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. The defensively gifted journeyman was projected to earn a modest $600K in arbitration next season.

Earlier Updates

  • Righty Al Alburquerque will be non-tendered by the Tigers, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press tweets. The 29-year-old was projected to earn only $2.1MM, and Detroit could use pen depth, but it appears that the club decided to move on after watching the veteran contribute 62 innings of 4.21 ERA ball with 8.4 K/9 against 4.8 BB/9 last year.
  • The Athletics have announced that first baseman Ike Davis will not be tendered a contract, meaning he’ll become a free agent. The veteran was entering his final year of control at a $3.8MM projected salary. His non-tender was widely expected after a tough 2015 season, but became assured when the club swung a deal earlier today for his replacement.
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Baltimore Orioles Detroit Tigers New York Yankees Newsstand Oakland Athletics Toronto Blue Jays Transactions Al Alburquerque David Lough Ike Davis James Jones Josh Thole Nick Tepesch Paul Janish

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Free Agent Notes: Navarro, Madson, Leake, Soria, Flowers

By Steve Adams | December 3, 2015 at 1:56am CDT

Switch-hitting catcher Dioner Navarro is a “name to keep an eye on” in connection to the White Sox, says Yahoo’s Jeff Passan (links to Twitter). The sense among competitors for Navarro’s services is that something could come together quickly between Navarro and the ChiSox now that Tyler Flowers has been non-tendered, according to Passan, who calls Navarro the “top” offensive catcher on the market. I’d posit that Wilin Rosario certainly gives Navarro a run for his money in that regard, though Navarro probably comes with the better defensive reputation of the two. Regardless, a match between the Sox and Navarro certainly seems plausible.

A few more notes on some various free agents for those who are joining me in the realm of insomnia…

  • MLB.com’s Jane Lee reports that the Athletics are interested in right-hander Ryan Madson, with one source telling her that the A’s are a “legitimate suitor” for Madson’s services. Oakland is “square in the mix” for Madson, says Lee’s source. She notes that the former Phillies closer, who enjoyed a brilliant bounceback campaign in Kansas City this past season, is looking for a multi-year deal. While Oakland has already picked up reliever Liam Hendriks from Toronto, Lee writes that the team isn’t shying away from the concept of adding another relief arm. She adds that GM David Forst has stated that payroll won’t be a deterrent in the team’s pursuit of an additional setup arm.
  • The Giants still haven’t engaged in talks with right-hander Mike Leake, tweets Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. While San Francisco is widely believed to be interested in retaining the right-hander it acquired in late July, Schulman says the belief is that the team’s pursuit of ace Zack Greinke needs to be resolved before a serious effort to re-sign Leake is made. Greinke is reportedly deciding between the Giants and his former club (and San Francisco division rival), the Dodgers.
  • The Blue Jays and Royals are among the clubs monitoring the market for right-hander Joakim Soria, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link). The Tigers are out of the mix for Soria after acquiring Francisco Rodriguez, he adds. Both Toronto and K.C. are known to be interested in relief help, though a recent report from Crasnick indicated that the Blue Jays aren’t inclined to pay top dollar for any bullpen arms right now, and Soria is reportedly seeking a $27MM total over a three-year span, which seems to make the two an unlikely match.
  • CSN Chicago’s Dan Hayes tweets that the White Sox’ decision to non-tender Flowers might have been a blessing in disguise for the catcher. One scout texted Hayes shortly after the news of Flowers’ non-tender broke, telling Hayes that Flowers “should thank” the White Sox for cutting him loose, because his belief is that Flowers will get more than his projected $3.5MM arbitration salary in this market. That seems potentially steep to me, considering the fact that Alex Avila and Geovany Soto have both signed for under $3MM, but Flowers did post standout framing numbers last year and does have some pop, so clubs are sure to be interested. If nothing else, he could probably surpass that number by way of incentives in a one-year deal with a new club.
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Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers Kansas City Royals Oakland Athletics San Francisco Giants Toronto Blue Jays Dioner Navarro Joakim Soria Mike Leake Ryan Madson Tyler Flowers

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Players Avoiding Arbitration: 12-2-2015

By Jeff Todd | December 2, 2015 at 11:22pm CDT

We’ll use this post to keep tabs on arbitration deals struck today in advance of the non-tender deadline. Here’s the latest, with all projections via MLB Trade Rumors:

  • The Padres and Brett Wallace have agreed to a one-year contract for the 2016 season, according to a team announcement. Wallace will earn $1MM next season, tweets MLB.com’s Corey Brock, placing him just shy of his $1.1MM projection.
  • Backstop Chris Gimenez has agreed to a deal to avoid arbitration with the Rangers, per a team announcement. Gimenez will earn $975K while in the majors, but the deal is a split contract, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets.
  • The Orioles announced that they’ve agreed to terms with outfielder Nolan Reimold on a one-year deal, thus avoiding arbitration. Rich Dubroff of CSNMidAtlantic.com reports that Reimold will land a $1.3MM salary (Twitter link). He cleared MLBTR’s projection by $400K.
  • The Indians have avoided arbitration with newly acquired outfielder Collin Cowgill by agreeing to a $1MM salary for the upcoming 2016 season, tweets MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian. That’s an exact match with his projected salary.
  • The Athletics announced that they’ve avoided arb with second baseman Eric Sogard, outfielder Sam Fuld, and newly acquired southpaw Marc Rzepczynski (Twitter link). Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports first reported Sogard’s contract (via Twitter), adding that he receives a $1.5MM salary, which is a bit shy of his $1.7MM projection.
  • The Cubs announced that they’ve avoided arbitration with lefty Clayton Richard, who, as MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat reports (on Twitter), will take home a $2MM salary next season. That’s a sizable increase over the $1.1MM at which he was projected.

Earlier Updates

  • The Blue Jays have avoided arbitration with first baseman Justin Smoak, per Yahoo’s Jeff Passan (Twitter link). He’ll earn $3.9MM next season with the Jays. That number drastically outpaces the $2MM projected by MLBTR.
  • Jose Lobaton and the Nationals have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $1.3875MM, reports James Wagner of the Washington Post (via Twitter). Lobaton’s deal comes in just shy of the $1.5MM he was projected to earn.
  • The Phillies announced deals with infielder Andres Blanco and just-claimed outfielder Peter Bourjos. Yahoo’s Jeff Passan tweets that Bourjos will receive a $2MM salary and Blanco will be paid $1.45MM in 2016. MLBTR had projected Blanco at $1MM while Bourjos came with a projected tag of $1.8MM.
  • Jordan Lyles has a $2.975MM deal with the Rockies, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports on Twitter. The righty will earn a minor bump over his $2.8MM projection.
  • The Athletics announced that the team has agreed to a deal with lefty Felix Doubront on a contract for 2016. The value is not known at this time, but he was projected at $2.5MM.
  • Backstop A.J. Ellis will receive $4.5MM next year with the Dodgers after striking a deal, Heyman tweets. That’s an exact match for the rate projected by MLBTR and Matt Swartz. The 34-year-old, who had a nice bounce-back campaign in 2015, will hit the open market after the coming season.
  • Righty Vance Worley has signed on with the Orioles for $2.6MM, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. That falls just $100K shy of his projected value as a first-year-eligible player. Baltimore added Worley earlier in the winter from the Pirates and figures to utilize him in a swingman capacity.
  • The Cubs have agreed to a $1.42MM deal with just-added lefty Rex Brothers, Heyman tweets. Brothers was projected at $1.5MM and will land just south of that figure. Brothers was recently designated by the Rockies and then shipped to Chicago in a minor trade.
  • And the Nationals will pay $900K to outfielder/first baseman Tyler Moore for the 2016 season, also per Heyman (via Twitter). He’ll land a bit shy of his $1MM projection, but the more relevant matter here is the fact that Moore will keep his roster spot. That has at times seemed at doubt, particularly with Ryan Zimmerman now entrenched at first base.
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Baltimore Orioles Chicago Cubs Cleveland Guardians Colorado Rockies Los Angeles Dodgers Oakland Athletics Philadelphia Phillies Toronto Blue Jays Transactions Washington Nationals Andres Blanco Chris Gimenez Clayton Richard Collin Cowgill Eric Sogard Felix Doubront Jordan Lyles Jose Lobaton Justin Smoak Marc Rzepczynski Nolan Reimold Peter Bourjos Rex Brothers Ryan Zimmerman Sam Fuld Tyler Moore Vance Worley

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Athletics, Padres Swap Drew Pomeranz, Yonder Alonso

By Jeff Todd | December 2, 2015 at 11:32am CDT

The Athletics and Padres have announced a deal that will send first baseman Yonder Alonso and southpaw reliever Mark Rzepczynski to Oakland in exchange for lefties Drew Pomeranz and Jose Torres. There’s also a player to be named later heading to San Diego.

Aug 11, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Yonder Alonso (23) hits a two RBI double during the second inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

This deal is clearly motivated in large part by today’s non-tender deadline, as it involves several pieces with arbitration implications. MLBTR projects Alonso to earn $2.5MM in his second-to-last season of eligibility and Rzepczynski to take home $3MM in his pre-free agent campaign. Pomeranz, in turn, projects at $1.3MM as a first-year-eligible player.

By adding Alonso, moreover, the A’s now seem all but certain to move on from fellow lefty-swinging first baseman Ike Davis, who is projected for a $3.8MM salary but will likely end up a free agent. Presumably, Alonso will pair with the right-handed-hitting Mark Canha in a first base platoon. The 28-year-old Alonso has never quite lived up to expectations in San Diego, and the power has never really come around, but he does have excellent on-base abilities. He put up a .282/.361/.381 slash in 402 plate appearances last year.

In Rzepczynski, meanwhile, Oakland adds another pen piece as the team continues to bolster its relief corps. The 30-year-old put up an unsightly 5.66 ERA last year, but that could well have been the product of some ill fortune, as reflected in a .381 BABIP-against and 25% HR/FB rate. He posted a strong 10.5 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 while generating a ridiculous 67.3% groundball rate, and ERA estimators valued him as a much stronger contributor than the results suggested.

On the Padres’ side of the deal, Pomeranz has emerged as a solid swingman option since coming to Oakland before the 2014 season. Last year, he tossed 86 innings (including nine starts) and posted a 3.66 ERA with 8.6 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9. Pomeranz was much more effective against lefties than righties last year, but he came up as a starter and could certainly be given a chance to operate from the rotation for San Diego. Though he did just undergo a shoulder procedure, the 27-year-old is reportedly expected to be ready to go when camp opens.

Meanwhile, though the 22-year-old Torres only cracked the High-A level late last year, he was just added to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper tweets that Torres works into the mid-nineties with his fastball and has made strides with controlling his secondary offering (a curve).

ESPN.com’s Keith Law reported the major pieces of the deal on Twitter. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the deal was done (via Twitter).

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Newsstand Oakland Athletics San Diego Padres Transactions Drew Pomeranz Marc Rzepczynski Yonder Alonso

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A’s Outright Craig Gentry, Fernando Abad

By Steve Adams | November 30, 2015 at 3:44pm CDT

NOV. 30: Both Gentry and Abad cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A, the A’s announced (via Twitter). Each player has enough service time to reject the assignment in favor of free agency.

NOV. 20: The Athletics announced today that they have designated center fielder Craig Gentry and left-handed reliever Fernando Abad for assignment. The moves clear space for the addition of second baseman Joey Wendle and left-hander Jose Torres to the 40-man roster.

Gentry, 32 next week, is a plus defender in center field but batted just .120/.196/.200 in 56 trips to the plate this season with Oakland. He brings good speed to the table and has a history of production versus left-handed pitching (.274/.354/.366), so he could draw interest as a trade or waiver-claim candidate. Some clubs may not want him at his MLBTR-projected $1.6MM salary, however. If he clears waivers, Gentry has enough big league service time to refuse the outright assignment and hit the open market.

Abad, 30 next month, was unable to replicate his outstanding 2014 results in 2015. After logging a 1.57 ERA with 8.0 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 in 57 1/3 innings, he regressed to a 4.15 ERA with 8.5 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 in 47 2/3 innings this season. Abad’s 5.50 FIP was even gloomier than his ERA, and he was hit exceptionally hard by left-handers, yielding a .277/.315/.545 batting line to same-handed hitters in 2015. MLBTR projected Abad to earn $1.5MM.

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Oakland Athletics Transactions Craig Gentry Fernando Abad

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Quick Hits: Cueto, Cano, Park, Tribe, Colon

By Mark Polishuk | November 29, 2015 at 11:57pm CDT

Diamondbacks ownership sees Johnny Cueto as a “special case” who is worth a franchise-altering investment, according to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (links to Twitter).  The team’s six-year, $120MM offer to Cueto would’ve been above the D’Backs stated comfort zone of a $15MM-$18MM average annual salary for a pitcher, yet Rosenthal notes that Arizona has been willing to stretch payroll in recent years.  The D’Backs gave their largest contract in club history to an unproven rookie in Yasmany Tomas, and they were also prepared to give Masahiro Tanaka a huge contract after posting a bid to negotiate with him in the 2013-14 offseason.  Cueto, meanwhile, rejected Arizona’s offer in order to further explore his options.  With Jordan Zimmermann now off the market, it’s indeed possible that Cueto could perhaps surpass that offer from the Snakes.  Here’s some more from around baseball…

  • The Mariners privately acknowledge that Robinson Cano will inevitably be moved from second to first base, according to Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune (Twitter link).  The question now may be how many more seasons can Cano remain at the keystone.  Cano just turned 33 last month and his defensive metrics (-7.3 UZR/150, minus-9 Defensive Runs Saved) plummeted.  Since Mark Trumbo could be traded or non-tendered, the M’s may have an opening at first as early as 2016, though I’d guess the club is probably more likely to give Cano at least one more year at second and obtain a short-term first baseman if Trumbo is indeed moved.
  • Byung-ho Park is set to arrive in Minneapolis today to continue negotiating, and perhaps finalize, a contract with the Twins.  Park spoke to Korean media (including Yonhap News) before departing, saying “there are some things we need to go over with the club. I hope to be able to return with a positive result….I am approaching (the upcoming contract talks) with a positive mind.”  Park also discussed transitioning to MLB, speaking to former teammate Jung Ho Kang and his willingness to be a designated hitter in Minnesota if that’s how the club feels he is best used.
  • The reliever market is widely expected to heat up this week, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick explains in a series of tweets.  Part of the logjam has been due to the fact that two star closers (Aroldis Chapman and Mark Melancon) are on the trade block, so teams are exploring trade options before looking at free agents.  Over a third of league is currently looking for relief pitching help — Crasnick lists the Astros, Athletics, Blue Jays, Braves, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Mets, Nationals, Pirates, Red Sox, Royals and Tigers.
  • Several bits of Indians roster speculation are discussed by Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer in his latest reader mailbag.  Highlights include Hoynes’ belief that Lonnie Chisenhall will still be with the Tribe next season rather than be traded or non-tendered this winter, doubt that Jay Bruce would be a legitimate Indians trade target and the idea that Wilin Rosario might be of some interest to add pop to Cleveland’s lineup.
  • Would a reunion with Bartolo Colon be a good move for the Athletics?  Joe Stiglich of CSNBayArea.com looks at the pros and cons Oakland faces in signing the veteran right-hander.
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Arizona Diamondbacks Cleveland Guardians Minnesota Twins Oakland Athletics Seattle Mariners Aroldis Chapman Bartolo Colon Byung-ho Park Johnny Cueto Lonnie Chisenhall Mark Melancon Robinson Cano

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    Last Day To Lock In Savings On Trade Rumors Front Office

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    Rob Manfred Downplays Salary Cap Dispute With Bryce Harper

    Minor MLB Transactions: 8/2/25

    Forrest Wall Opts Out Of Minor League Deal With Padres

    Bobby Dalbec Opts Out Of Minor League Deal With Brewers

    Mets To Designate Rico Garcia For Assignment

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    Nicky Lopez Opts Out Of Minor League Deal With Yankees

    Red Sox Transfer Luis Guerrero To 60-Day IL, Reinstate Nick Burdi

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    Royals Designate Thomas Hatch For Assignment

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