Josh Reddick Ready To Talk Extension With Athletics
Outfielder Josh Reddick is ready to discuss an extension with the Athletics, John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group tweets. John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle further clarifies that there have not been any discussions to this point, and if the two sides do talk deal, Reddick does not want those discussions to continue into the season (Twitter links).
In October, Billy Beane told the media that he saw Reddick as a potential extension candidate. “Josh is a good player and he’s still young,” Beane told reporters, including the Chronicle’s Susan Slusser. “We’ve always liked having him here. Talented guy, does everything well. … We’re all very pleased with the year Josh had.”
Via Hickey, it sounds like Reddick wanted to settle his arbitration case before discussing a longer-term deal. Last week, Reddick and the A’s reached a $6.575MM deal for 2016, Reddick’s last season before free agency. That would mean a Reddick extension would begin with that as a starting point.
Beyond that, it’s hard to say what the parameters of a deal beyond that might be, although one player who signed a recent extension in a somewhat similar situation was the Yankees’ Brett Gardner. Gardner’s $52MM deal came before the 2014 season, when he was a year short of free agency, and covered 2015 through 2018. Gardner and Reddick have somewhat different profiles — Gardner was a bit older at the time of his extension than the soon-to-be-29-year-old Reddick is now, and he drew much of his value from his speed, his on-base percentage and his ability to play center field rather than his power. But the two players were, or are, both prime-age outfielders who are consistently valuable despite never having been superstars.
Of course, it’s unclear whether the cost-conscious Athletics would be willing to commit to a deal of that scope for Reddick. And given Reddick’s youth, the weakness of next year’s free agent market, ballooning salaries for free agents, and the increasing prevalence of player-friendly opt-outs, Reddick’s camp could also ask for a contract with a significantly different structure.
In any case, it’s easy to understand why the A’s would hope to keep Reddick at this point. He’s coming off perhaps his best offensive season to date (.272/.333/.449), and his play was a highlight of the Athletics’ otherwise disappointing 2015. Thanks to his home-run power, his solid defense, and dramatic improvements in his strikeout rate over the past several seasons, he has maintained his value well in his four years with the A’s, and given his age, there’s reason to think he could continue to do so.
AL West Notes: Rasmus, Gonzalez, Lambo, Choi
Astros outfielder Colby Rasmus, who accepted a qualifying offer from Houston this November rather than test the free-agent market, tells Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle that he’d like to remain an Astro until retirement. “As I stand here right now, I’d like to see myself in Houston for the rest of my playing career,” said Rasmus. “I would really like that. I think that would be great for my family. I enjoy it here. I think there’s great people, great atmosphere that they’re trying to create — the organization as a whole wanting to win and putting good players on the field.” That may seem a lengthy goal for a player on a one-year deal, though it’s worth remembering that Rasmus has previously expressed that he may not want as lengthy a career as many players. Early in the 2015 season, Rasmus said he may only want to play through the 2018 season, voicing a desire to leave time in his life for his wife and daughters. It’s not clear if Rasmus has rethought his future following a seemingly very positive first year in Houston, but his comments will certainly be worth recalling come season’s end as he prepares to re-enter the free agent market.
Here’s more on the Astros and their division…
- The left wrist and index finger pain that plagued Astros infielder Marwin Gonzalez over the final month of the season and into the playoffs has subsided this winter, he tells the Chronicle’s Evan Drellich. The switch-hitting Gonzalez’s swing was severely hampered when batting as a left-handed hitter, he explained, but he was able to hit for the first time this offseason yesterday and expects to be good to go when Spring Training rolls around. Gonzalez, a former Rule 5 pick, has emerged as a very solid utility option for Houston and had his best season in 2015 when he batted .279/.317/.442 with 12 homers while playing all four infield positions and left field as well. He avoided arbitration by settling on a $2MM salary last week.
- John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group explores the parallels between Andrew Lambo‘s arrival in the Athletics‘ organization and the arrival of Brandon Moss several years ago. As Hickey notes, both were 28-year-old left-handed hitters that had converted from the outfield to first base and had consistent track records of power in the minor leagues. Lambo spoke to Hickey and acknowledged that he’s aware of the comparison, noting that it’s hard not to be, considering the fact that he knows Moss from the pair’s days together in the Pirates organization. Lambo tells Hickey that he feels recovered from the plantar fasciitis that plagued him in 2015. He’ll hope to earn a 25-man roster spot in Oakland, though as Hickey notes, the presence of Yonder Alonso as a left-handed-hitting first baseman and Coco Crisp in left field could cloud his chances to break camp with the club.
- The removal of Efren Navarro from the Angels‘ 40-man roster to clear space for right-hander Al Alburquerque creates a potential path to a roster spot for Rule 5 pick Ji-Man Choi, writes MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez. The 24-year-old Choi lost his 40-man spot with the Mariners last spring when he suffered a fractured leg in Spring Training but remained in the organization and returned late in the season to bat .290/.388/.406 in 89 minor league plate appearances. Choi, a left-handed bat, has a lifetime .280/.379/.401 slash at Triple-A and has gaudy numbers against right-handed pitching throughout his minor league tenure. As Gonzalez notes, however, the acquisition of a left fielder — either via free agency or trade — would likely push Daniel Nava into the role for which Choi could currently vie.
California Notes: A’s, Kendrick, Freese, Padres
With the NFL’s Oakland Raiders probably unlikely to end up in Los Angeles, CSNBayArea.com’s Joe Stiglich looks at how this could impact the Athletics‘ bid for a new ballpark. It seems like the Raiders will share the O.co Coliseum with the A’s for at least one more year and big picture-wise, not much has changed, as per a press release from A’s co-owner Lew Wolff earlier this week: “The Oakland A’s will continue to explore our options with the City of Oakland and the County of Alameda on a new venue. This announcement by the NFL regarding the Raiders does not change our immediate plans or our goal of securing a new baseball-only facility.” The Raiders would like to build a new stadium on the Coliseum’s current site, which would allow the A’s to opt out of their lease and perhaps explore a new ballpark site in downtown Oakland or even a move to a new city. Pro Football Rumors (MLBTR’s sister site) has all the latest on the Oakland stadium situation in their Raiders news section. Here’s some more from the California teams…
- “The Dodgers want the draft pick they would get if (Howie) Kendrick signs elsewhere much more than they want to bring back Kendrick,” Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times writes. Since Kendrick rejected the qualifying offer, the Dodgers will receive a compensation pick if he signs elsewhere, but only if Kendrick signs before the June draft. It’s not really clear who might make a play for Kendrick at this point in the offseason — teams like the Mets, Angels, Nationals and Diamondbacks have been linked to him, though some have since addressed second base needs in trades and others (such as the D’Backs) are balking at giving up another draft pick for a QO free agent. With Chase Utley, Enrique Hernandez and Micah Johnson all lined up to handle second base, Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi said last month that the team “feel[s] pretty set” at the position.
- Also from Shaikin, he believes David Freese should’ve signed with the Angels when the two sides were in talks in December. When negotiations didn’t lead to a deal, the Halos traded for Yunel Escobar to play third base, and Freese hasn’t been since connected to any other teams. Though Freese was the best of a rather limited class of free agent third basemen, his market has likely been hurt by the fact that several of the teams in need of third base help this offseason (i.e. the Angels and White Sox) filled their holes on the trade market.
- The Pads bullpen is still wide-open heading into Spring Training, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. Sanders lists some of the many internal options available to the Friars, and also notes that the team has been quite good at developing unheralded arms into quality relievers in recent years.
AL Notes: Rays, A’s, Jays, O’s
The Rays won an important political battle late last week in the St. Petersburg City Council, as Charlie Frago of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Under the deal that the council approved, the ballclub will have the opportunity to explore possible stadium sites in two neighboring counties for the next three years. Team owner Stuart Sternberg suggested that there’s no plan in place for a new location. “We haven’t done it before,” he said. “I don’t know if it takes a week or six months to identify and figure out a site.” But the organization made clear that it is aiming for something more than bare function. “We want to build the first of the next generation of baseball stadiums,” said president Brian Auld.
- In other stadium news, Athletics majority owner John Fisher is said to be more involved than usual as his club considers possibilities for a new park, as Phil Matier and Andy Ross of the San Francisco Chronicle report. While managing partner Lew Wolff has traditionally been the public face of ownership, Fisher is believed to control 80% of the shares.
- Change continues to filter through the Blue Jays organization, which has recently announced two front office hirings. Mike Murov will come over from the Red Sox to serve as the director of baseball operations, in which role (says the team) he’ll “assist in the preparation and analysis of financial, statistical, and contractual information, coordinating contract negotiation and arbitration preparation.” And Toronto also recently added Gil Kim to their organization as well. Formerly the international scouting director for the Rangers, Kim will serve as the Jays’ director of player development.
- The Orioles have given a promotion to the head of their analytics department, Sarah Gelles, as David Laurila of Fangraphs discusses (among other things) in his Sunday notes column. Now the organization’s Director of Analytics and Major League Contracts, Gelles discusses the development of the club’s analytical efforts, which she helped drive as an intern working for now-Phillies GM Matt Klentak.
Players Avoiding Arbitration: Friday
The deadline for teams to exchange arbitration figures with eligible players is 1pm ET today. Dozens of arb agreements figure to flow in over the next few hours, and we’ll keep track of the smaller arb agreements in this post. All projections referenced are courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz and can be viewed on the full list of 156 players that filed for arbitration this year. Remember also that you can keep track of everyone that has avoided arbitration by checking out MLBTR’s Arbitration Tracker.
Onto the agreements…
- Shortstop Zack Cozart is in agreement with the Reds for an undisclosed sum, per a team announcement. He projected at $2.9MM in his second year of eligibility after a promising start to the 2015 season was cut short by a serious knee injury.
- The Diamondbacks announced that they have avoided arbitration with righty Rubby De La Rosa for an undisclosed sum. He was projected at $3.2MM but, per Jack Magruder of Fanragsports.com (on Twitter), will earn only $2.35MM.
- Reliever Fernando Rodriguez settled with the Athletics for $1.05MM — beneath his projected $1.3MM — per the Associated Press.
- Dodgers infielder Justin Turner will earn $5.1MM next season, Jon Heyman reports on Twitter. That’s just a shade under his $5.3MM projection.
- The Braves settled with reliever Arodys Vizcaino for $897,500, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets. He had a $1.1MM projection entering the fall.
- Both Zach Putnam will earn a $975K salary next year after agreeing with the White Sox, per a club announcement. That’s $175K over the projected arb value of the Super Two.
- The Cardinals settled with first baseman Matt Adams for $1.65MM, Heyman tweets. That’s a small bump over his $1.5MM projections. The team is also in agreement with right-hander Seth Maness, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Super Two reliever projected at $1.2MM but will receive $1.4MM, per MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch (via Twitter).
- Righty Tom Koehler receives a $3.5MM payday from the Marlins, per Jon Heyman (via Twitter). The team gets a break on the $3.9MM that had been projected. The team also has an agreement with righties David Phelps and Carter Capps, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweets. Heyman adds (via Twitter) that Phelps will earn exactly his projected amount of $2.5MM. Capps was predicted to earn $800K, but his salary is yet to be reported.
- The Diamondbacks agreed to a $4.35MM rate with first-year-eligible starter Shelby Miller, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports on Twitter. He had projected at $4.9MM. Notably, Miller comes in just ahead of fellow 3+ service-class pitcher Harvey (who is covered below). Fellow Arizona hurler Patrick Corbin will earn $2.525MM next year, Passan also tweets.
- The Nationals have agreed with infielder Danny Espinosa for $2.875MM, Jon Heyman tweets. He gets a slight bump over his $2.7MM projection in his second season of arb eligibility.
- Nolan Arenado will receive a $5MM salary from the Rockies in his first season of eligibility, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports tweets. That’s exactly what fellow star young third baseman Manny Machado settled for as well, though Arenado was a Super Two. As Swartz explained recently, those two players’ cases may well have been tied together despite some important distinctions. He also explained why Arenado might not reach his sky-high $6.6MM projection in actuality.
- The Orioles have agreed with starter Miguel Gonzalez for $5.1MM, Eduardo Rodriguez of the Baltimore Sun reports on Twitter. Gonzalez projected for $4.9MM.
- Outfielder Chris Coghlan agreed at $4.8MM with the Cubs, MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat tweets. That’s quite a nice increase over his projected $3.9MM. Also agreeing with Chicago was reliever Pedro Strop, who gets $4.4MM, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter). He had been projected at $4.7MM.
- Both righty Michael Pineda (for $4.3MM) and infielder/outfielder Dustin Ackley ($3.2MM), according to Passan (via Twitter) and Jon Heyman (Twitter link). Those numbers largely track the projected amounts of $4.6MM and $3.1MM, respectively.
- Danny Duffy will play at $4.225MM next year after reaching terms with the Royals, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports (Twitter links). Catcher Drew Butera, meanwhile, will get $1,162,500 from Kansas City. Both represented small bumps over their projected values of $4MM and $1.1MM.
- Marlins closer A.J. Ramos will get $3.4MM in 2016, Heyman reports (Twitter links). Teammate Adeiny Hechavarria, meanwhile, will take down $2.625MM. Both first-year-eligible players went over their projections ($2.8MM and $2.3MM, respectively).
- The Mets will pay $4.325MM to Matt Harvey and $3MM to shortstop Ruben Tejada for 2016, ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin reports (Twitter links). Harvey approaches, but doesn’t quite reach, his $4.7MM projection. Though he’s still recovering from an unfortunate leg injury suffered during the post-season, Tejada will take home a cool half-million more than had been projected.
- Righty Joe Kelly has agreed with the Red Sox at $2.6MM, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. He falls a fair sight shy of the $3.2MM that MLBTR projected. Though he reached ten wins on the year, Kelly scuffled to a 4.82 ERA over his 134 1/3 innings.
- Righty Drew Hutchison agreed with the Blue Jays for $2.2MM, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports on Twitter. He falls short of a $2.6MM projection after a tough 2015 campaign.
- The Tigers have reached terms with shortstop Jose Iglesias for $2.1MM, per another Heyman tweet. The deal also includes some incentives, per the report. That’s a healthy jump up over the $1.5MM projection for the slick-fielding infielder, who did have a strong 2015 season.
- The Mariners announced that they reached agreement with lefty Charlie Furbush and righty Evan Scribner. Furbush will receive $1.7MM, while Scribner will get $807.5K, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports.
- Both shortstop Jean Segura and righty Wily Peralta are under contract with the Brewers, per a team announcement. Segura gets $2.6MM after being projected at $3.2MM, per Heyman (Twitter link). Matt Swartz’s system pegged Peralta at $2.8MM, and that’s exactly what he’ll earn, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (via Twitter).
There are plenty more after the jump:
Athletics Avoid Arbitration With Josh Reddick
The Athletics have agreed to a $6.575MM price tag with outfielder Josh Reddick, Jon Heyman reports on Twitter. MLBTR had projected him at an even $7MM, so he’ll come in a fair bit below that number.
Reddick played the 2015 season on a $4.1MM salary. He’ll earn a raise of just under $2.5MM for his final season before reaching open-market eligibility.
Soon to turn 29, Reddick has a consistent track record of above-average offensive production with solid pop. While he hasn’t returned to the 32-homer power he showed in 2012, he’s also drastically cut down on the huge strikeout rate he carried that year. All told, he’s slashed .255/.317/.441 in 2,370 plate appearances dating back to 2011.
With a glove that usually rates quite well — despite a drop-off last year — and very good overall contributions on the basepaths, Reddick has generally landed in the 2.5-to-3.5 WAR range for the last half-decade. That makes him a relative bargain at his agreed-upon rate, and leaves him positioned to draw quite a bit of interest as a free agent next winter.
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Players Avoiding Arbitration: Thursday
Here are the day’s lower-value arbitration deals, with all projections coming via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz:
- The Padres and southpaw Drew Pomeranz have avoided arb by agreeing to a one-year, $1.35MM deal, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. That’s a near-match with Swartz’s projection of $1.3MM. Acquired in an offseason trade with the A’s, Pomeranz will slot into the San Diego ‘pen this season and look to build on last season’s 86 innings of 3.66 ERA, during which he averaged 8.6 K.9 and 3.2 BB/9 to complement a 42.2 percent ground-ball rate.
- Fernando Salas and the Angels are in agreement on a one-year, $2.4MM deal, thereby avoiding a hearing, per Rosenthal. The 30-year-old Salas, who will be a free agent next winter, posted a 4.24 ERA in 63 2/3 innings this past season but had more encouraging peripherals; Salas averaged 10.5 K/9 against 1.7 BB/9 with a 35.1 percent ground-ball rate, prompting FIP (3.15) xFIP (3.23) and SIERA (2.65) to forecast markedly better results.
- Right-hander Jeanmar Gomez and the Phillies have avoided arb with a one-year, $1.4MM agreement, Rosenthal tweets. The soon-to-be 28-year-old posted a strong 3.01 ERA with 6.0 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9 and also recorded a sound 48.8 percent ground-ball rate in 74 1/3 innings of relief across 65 appearances. He’ll again provide some valuable innings for the rebuilding Phillies.
Players Avoiding Arbitration: Galvis, Hatcher, Alonso, Wilson, Wilhelmsen
We’ll track the day’s lower-priced arbitration agreements right here. For now, there’s only one addition to the list:
- The Phillies and infielder Freddy Galvis have settled on a $2MM salary for the 2016 season in order to avoid arbitration, reports Jon Heyman (on Twitter). Galvis comes in $100K north of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz’s projection of $1.9MM. The 26-year-old played in a career-high 151 games this past season and batted .263/.302/.343 with seven homers and 10 steals in 603 plate appearances. He should see the bulk of time at shortstop in Philadelphia this season, although top prospect J.P. Crawford is projected to be the Phillies’ long-term option there.
- Heyman also tweets that the Dodgers have avoided arbitration with right-hander Chris Hatcher. The catcher-turned-reliever will take home a $1.065MM salary, per Heyman, clearing Swartz’s projection of $900K. That makes for a nice birthday present for Hatcher, who turned 31 yesterday and will look to build on a solid season in which he posted a 3.69 ERA with 10.4 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9 in 39 innings last season.
Earlier Updates
- The Athletics have agreed to a $2.65MM contract with first baseman Yonder Alonso, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports on Twitter. Alsonso, 28, projected for a $2.5MM salary in his second year of eligibility. Oakland acquired him from the Padres earlier in the winter after he put up a .282/.361/.381 slash in 402 plate appearances last year.
- Justin Wilson and the Tigers have reached a $1.525MM deal for 2016, according to Jon Heyman (via Twitter). The 28-year-old was arb-eligible for the first time this winter after putting up a 3.03 ERA in his first 199 1/3 MLB frames. He receives a nice bump up over the $1.3MM salary that had been projected by MLBTR.
- The Rangers have reached agreement on a $3.1MM salary with recently-acquired reliever Tom Wilhelmsen, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports on Twitter. MLBTR had projected the righty to earn an even $3MM, so he’ll receive a modest increase on that valuation. Texas acquired Wilhelmsen from the Mariners earlier in the offseason. He has worked to a 2.97 ERA, with 8.5 K/9 against 4.0 BB/9, over 312 1/3 career frames in Seattle.
Minor MLB Transactions: 1/11/16
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- The Brewers announced today that the minor league contract of southpaw Nick Hagadone has been voided. The live-armed lefty is trying to return from an elbow fracture, which was obviously known beforehand. But “significant issues” arose when his physical was conducted, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy, and that scuttled the deal.
- The Phillies have brought back lefty Anthony Vasquez on a minor league pact, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports on Twitter. Vasquez, 29, hasn’t seen the majors since a seven-start debut back in 2011. He threw 134 innings last year in the Philadelphia organization, including twenty starts for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and ended the year with a 4.10 ERA with 5.1 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9.
- Outfielder/first baseman Matt McBride has joined the Athletics on a minor league deal, Matt Eddy of Baseball America notes in his rundown of recent minor moves. McBride has 158 big league plate appearances on his ledger, though he hasn’t done much in his limited opportunities. The right-handed hitter did put up a healthy (albeit park-inflated) .328/.380/.549 slash last year in 337 Triple-A plate appearances.
Blue Jays Acquire Arnold Leon
The Blue Jays have acquired righty Arnold Leon from the Athletics, Oakland announced via press release. Toronto will send cash or a player to be named to the A’s.
Leon, 27, was designated recently by Oakland. He reached the majors for the first time last year, putting up 26 1/3 innings of 4.39 ERA pitching with 6.4 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9. He has averaged better than one strikeout per inning at Triple-A over the last several years, though he’s also permitted more than four free passes per nine at that level.