Indians Re-Sign Mike Freeman To Minor League Deal
The Indians announced this morning that they’ve re-signed infielder Mike Freeman to a minor league pact and invited him to Major League Spring Training. Cleveland also inked righty DJ Johnson to a minor league deal and will bring him to Major League camp.
Freeman, 33, has spent the past two seasons in the Cleveland organization, working in a utility capacity and slashing a combined .270/.352/.377 in 256 plate appearances. He’s seen time at all four infield spots and in both outfield corners along the way, with the majority of his work coming at second base and at third base. While he doesn’t have much power, Freeman has a productive track record in Triple-A and a history of average or better walk rates. He could join Yu Chang in vying for a bench spot this spring.
Johnson, meanwhile, spent the 2020 season pitching in Japan between the Hiroshima Carp and the Rakuten Eagles. He had some struggles with the Carp but did pitch to a 3.07 ERA with a 16-to-6 K/BB ratio in 14 2/3 innings with the Eagles.
Prior to that NPB stint, Johnson saw big league action with the Rockies in 2018-19, logging a 4.88 ERA and 4.93 SIERA with average strikeout and walk rates but a 14.7 percent walk rate that was far too high for sustained success. Johnson has punched out a quarter of the minor league hitters he’s faced in his career, including exactly one third of the 453 hitters he’s faced in Triple-A.
Latest On Paxton, Odorizzi, Walker
10:45am: The Cardinals are indeed in the market for Odorizzi, tweets Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
10:25am: The Phillies and Cardinals are among the clubs who are still active in the free-agent market for starting pitchers, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweets. Among the starters being considering are James Paxton, Jake Odorizzi and Taijuan Walker. The Phils have already made some modestly priced additions to their rotation mix, signing Matt Moore ($3MM) and Chase Anderson ($4MM) to one-year deals, but they’re likely to vie for innings at the back of the rotation and perhaps even in long relief. Any of Paxton, Odorizzi or Walker would surely be a set-in-stone member of the starting staff, health permitting.
Those two clubs aren’t alone in their exploration of this market, however. Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet report that the Blue Jays are also looking at free-agent starters in this tier, noting that the club seems to prefers to keep investments in the starting staff to one year. That’d likely rule out Odorizzi, who is known to be seeking a multi-year arrangement. The Sportsnet report indicates Jays interest in both Walker and Paxton but characterizes Toronto’s current level of interest in Odorizzi as “unclear.”
As for the Cardinals, jumping into this mix would deepen a group that currently includes Jack Flaherty, Adam Wainwright, Miles Mikolas, Carlos Martinez and Kwang Hyun Kim. Lefty Genesis Cabrera and righties Jake Woodford and Daniel Ponce de Leon are on hand as depth options as well.
Still, Mikolas didn’t pitch last year due to a flexor strain that required surgery, and Martinez’s standing in the organization has seemingly diminished. He’s oscillated between the bullpen and rotation in recent years. Adding an established starter is plenty sensible, and the Cards look to have suddenly awakened from a dormant offseason in the past week, acquiring Nolan Arenado and re-signing Wainwright.
Any of the three pitchers in question would serve as logical upgrades for this group of teams, but there’s some cause for pause as well. The Phillies, notably, are about $11MM shy of the $210MM luxury tax threshold. There’s been no indication yet that owner John Middleton is willing to cross that mark, which has seemingly come to serve as a de facto salary cap for MLB owners this winter. Even if the Phils could secure one of the three pitchers in question for an annual commitment south of $11MM, doing so wouldn’t leave much room for in-season acquisitions.
The Blue Jays aren’t anywhere close to the luxury barrier, but Davidi and Nicholson-Smith suggest they’re also wary of adding so many veteran options that it impedes the path to innings for younger arms like Anthony Kay and Julian Merryweather. Toronto currently has Matz, Hyun Jin Ryu, Robbie Ray, Nate Pearson, Tanner Roark and Ross Stripling as possible rotation pieces slated for the Opening Day roster, and there are several arms on the 40-man roster in Triple-A.
As such, some in the industry expect the Jays to look to move the remainder of Roark’s contract, per Nicholson-Smith and Davidi. He’s owed $12MM this year, and while it’s unlikely they could convince another club to pay the full freight of that deal, it’s possible he could be movable with the Jays eating some cash or taking on a different contract in return.
With regard to the Cardinals, it’s worth wondering the extent to which ownership is willing to spend. They surely have some money earmarked for their hopeful reunion with Yadier Molina, and despite ample speculation about shuffling their outfield mix, the status quo remains in place. Then again, with the Rockies incredibly agreeing to pay all of Arenado’s $35MM salary this season, the Cards appear to have the payroll capacity to bring Molina back and still explore upgrades in the rotation and/or in the outfield. In its current state, the roster is projected for a roughly $138MM payroll (via Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez) with just shy of $150MM in luxury-tax obligations.
The asking price of all three pitchers matters, of course. Such parameters can vary as Spring Training nears, but as of late January, Odorizzi was reportedly still in search of a three-year deal that’d pay him $12-14MM annually. SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson said in his podcast two weeks ago (audio link, around the 9:30 mark) that the Twins believed Paxton to be seeking a one-year deal in the $12MM range.
There hasn’t been much reported on Walker’s asking price, but he’d surely have a case for a multi-year deal given his age and solid results in 2020 — his first healthy season since Tommy John surgery in 2018. He’s something of an interesting case, however, as there are arguments for him to take either a one-year pact or a multi-year deal this winter. At 28, he could take a one-year pact to further prove his health and look to cash in on a long-term deal next winter when he’s still a relatively young free agent entering his age-29 season. At the same time, the security of any multi-year deal would be appealing for a pitcher whose 2018-19 seasons were almost entirely wiped out due to injury.
Cubs Agree To Minor League Deals With Rex Brothers, Joe Biagini
The Cubs have agreed to a handful of minor league pacts, Baseball America’s Chris Hilburn-Trenkle reports in his latest minor transactions roundup. Left-hander Rex Brothers, right-hander Joe Biagini, outfielder Nick Martini and corner infielder Patrick Wisdom have all joined the organization. Presumably, they’ll all be in big league camp.
Brothers, 33, tossed 3 1/3 innings with the Cubs last year and was tagged for three runs in that time. He spent the bulk of the season at Chicago’s alternate training site. Brothers looked the part of a potential lights-out reliever early in his career, logging a 2.82 ERA and 29.2 percent strikeout rate through his first 175 2/3 innings with the Rockies in 2011-13.
Brothers struggled through a brutal 2014 season, however, and he’s only pitched sparingly in the Majors since that time (37 1/3 total innings). Overall, the lefty carries a 3.84 ERA in the big leagues, but all of his success came in that early Rockies run. He’s punched out nearly 34 percent of hitters faced in parts of six Triple-A seasons, though, and his ability to miss bats continues to intrigue teams even if it’s paired with shaky control.
Biagini, 30, had a strong rookie season with the Blue Jays as a Rule 5 pick back in 2016. Toronto tried to move him into the rotation in 2017, though, and over the next two years he struggled in that role and in a return to the bullpen.
Biagini looked to have righted the ship in 2019, pitching to a 3.78 ERA through 50 frames before being traded to the Astros alongside Aaron Sanchez, but his brief tenure in Houston proved to be a nightmare. In 19 innings from 2019-20, he yielded 22 runs on 31 hits (seven homers) and 13 walks. He’s had success out of the ‘pen on multiple occasions with the Jays, and he can perhaps give Chicago some right-handed depth in that regard.
Martini, also 30, has been an OBP machine in the upper minors and even in his brief time at the MLB level. From 2018-19 between the A’s and Padres, he slashed .269/.372/.380 in 288 trips to the plate. The left-handed-hitting Martini has had similar OBP-driven value at the plate in Triple-A, where he’s a .305/.401/.435 hitter in more than 1400 plate appearances. For a Cubs team that has wanted to cut down on its strikeouts, he’s an intriguing depth option to stash in the event of an injury at the big league level. Martini has experience at all three outfield spots but has worked mostly in the corners in recent minor league seasons.
The 29-year-old Wisdom was hitless with two plate appearances as a Cub in 2020 and carries a .218/.299/.397 batting line through 88 plate appearances over the past three seasons. The longtime Cardinals prospect has shown some power at the Triple-A level but has also been prone to strikeouts there. He’s a .252/.328/.478 hitter in parts of four seasons of Triple-A ball but has experience at both first base and third base.
Josh Phegley Announces Retirement
Backstop Josh Phegley announced today that he is hanging up his spikes. He appeared in each of the prior eight MLB campaigns.
Phegley, who’ll celebrate his 33rd birthday later this month, opened and closed his career in Chicago but spent most of his time with the Athletics. He finishes with 1,203 plate appearances of .225/.268/.381 hitting and 35 home runs.
A first-round draft pick out of Indiana, Phegley debuted with the White Sox in 2013. He had yet to fully establish himself in the majors when he was shipped to Oakland as part of a memorable swap.
Phegley launched his career with the A’s with a strong showing in 2015, when he slashed .249/.300/.449 in 73 games of action. Unfortunately, that proved to be a high-water mark. Phegley served as a reserve until 2019, when he appeared in a personal-high 106 contests and posted a .239/.282/.411 batting line with a career-best dozen long balls.
In his first trip onto the open market, Phegley settled for a minor-league deal with the Cubs. He cracked the Opening Day roster but only saw limited action. Phegley will bow out of the game now rather than battling for another opportunity. MLBTR wishes him the best in his future endeavors.
Three Teams Pursuing Rich Hill
There are at least three teams making serious pushes to land southpaw Rich Hill, according to a report from WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. The Rays, Brewers, and Mets are each in pursuit of the veteran hurler.
Hill is closing in on his 41st birthday, but still spun 38 2/3 innings of 3.03 ERA ball last year over eight starts with the Twins. There’s little question he’s deserving of an important role on a big league pitching staff, even if it’s unreasonable to expect he’ll turn in a full starter’s workload over the entirety of a 162-game season.
While the results were excellent, Hill did show some worrying signs in Minnesota (with the obligatory short-sample alert). He managed only a 31:17 K/BB ratio, far off of the sparkling strikeout and walk numbers he had routinely sported in prior years with the Dodgers. Hill also shed a few ticks off his fastball — not that he has ever been reliant upon overwhelming velocity.
It’s not surprising to see the Rays and Brewers in the hunt for Hill. Both teams have moved away from traditional pitcher usage patterns in recent seasons and would have little trouble scheming up ways to maximize Hill’s unique capabilities. The Mets do not fit in quite the same manner, but could plug the ageless southpaw into the back of their rotation mix and plan to get him regular respite from the typical five-day pitching schedule.
One team is notably absent from the set of reported pursuers: the Red Sox. Bradford notes that the Boston organization has seemingly backed away from its initial interest after making other additions. That’s likely a bit of a disappointment for Hill, who resides in Massachusetts and has made clear that geographical location is one of his chief concerns (along with the ability to compete for a title). For what it’s worth, the Mets are obviously nearby and the Rays play frequently in the northeast.
Giants To Sign Zack Littell
The Giants have inked reliever Zack Littell to a minor-league pact, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). He’ll receive an invitation to participate in MLB camp this spring.
Littell, 25, has thrown 63 2/3 total innings over the past three seasons, recording a cumulative 4.52 ERA. He has a pedestrian 49:23 K/BB ratio in that span.
It’ll be interesting to see if Littell can regain his footing with a new organization. He produced quite promising results in 2019, but lost his roster spot with the Twins last year after five of the 31 batters he faced went deep.
Jackie Bradley Jr. Reportedly Seeking Lengthy Contract
We’ve heard a fair bit of chatter surrounding free agent center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr., who has been linked to a variety of potential suitors. To this point, though, it hasn’t been clear what sort of contract he might command.
It seems Bradley and agent Scott Boras are hoping to leverage strong demand into a much longer deal than might have been anticipated. Bradley is “seeking a significant contract, perhaps beyond four years,” sources tell Mike Puma of the New York Post (via Twitter).
Reaching a contract of that duration would be quite the achievement, particularly in this market. Bradley is a quality performer who’d fit quite a few rosters, but there was little reason entering the winter to think he’d have a shot at a deal past two or three guaranteed seasons. MLBTR predicted a two-year, $16MM pact.
To be fair, Bradley is the type of player who seems likely to remain useful for a lengthy stretch. He’s a glove-first, left-handed-hitting outfielder who’ll likely have a late-career role as a fourth outfielder even once he’s deemed incapable of handling everyday duties in center.
That said, we’re talking about a soon-to-be-31-year-old player with a lifetime .239/.321/.412 batting line. Bradley is a very good defender and baserunner but mostly profiled as a solid regular rather than a star with the Red Sox. He was at his best in an injury-shortened 2020, though it’s hard to believe teams will put too much weight on his BABIP-boosted 120 wRC+ after three-straight campaigns of below-average output with the bat.
Whether there’s any realistic hope of a four — (or more?) — year pact isn’t yet clear. Perhaps it’s plausible if Bradley is willing to take a lesser average annual value. If nothing else, the fact that Boras is evidently tossing around such figures just weeks before Spring Training would seem to speak to the level of market interest in Bradley.
Orioles Sign Felix Hernandez To Minor League Deal
The Orioles are signing right-hander Felix Hernandez to a minor league contract, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. Hernandez will earn a $1MM salary if he gets to the majors.
Hernandez is now the most accomplished of the Orioles’ pitchers, having earned six All-Star nods and won an American League Cy Young with the Mariners from 2005-19. However, King Felix’s production waned during his last few years as a Mariner, leading the team to cut ties with him.
Hernandez signed a minors pact with the Braves going into the 2020 campaign, and he looked like a realistic rotation candidate for the club, but he wound up opting out because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But Hernandez could now stand an even better chance to grab a spot in the Orioles’ starting staff. The O’s “ace” is John Means, who put up a 4.53 ERA a season ago.
Indians To Sign Bryan Shaw, Heath Hembree To Minors Deals
Former Indians reliever Bryan Shaw is returning to the team on a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training, Zack Meisel of The Athletic tweets. The Indians have also added fellow righty reliever Heath Hembree on a minors pact, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. Hembree will earn a $1.25MM salary and could also make incentives if he gets back to the majors.
Now 33 years old, Shaw enjoyed his best seasons as an Indian from 2013-17. He was good for 60-plus innings per season then, totaling 358 2/3 in 378 appearances, and logged a 3.11 ERA/3.41 SIERA with a 22.5 percent strikeout rate and an 8.0 percent walk rate. Shaw parlayed that success into a three-year, $27MM guarantee with the Rockies, but his career has gone off the rails since then. He struggled mightily with the Rox and Mariners from 2018-20 and had been on the open market since October.
Hembree did well to prevent runs with the Red Sox from 204-19, but they traded him to the Phillies last August amid what was a rough season for the 32-year-old. He ended the campaign with 19 innings and a horrid 9.00 ERA (albeit with a much better 4.47 SIERA), after which the Phillies let him go.
Nationals Sign Gerardo Parra To Minor League Contract
The Nationals have signed outfielder Gerardo Parra to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training, according to Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. He’ll earn a $1MM salary if he makes the majors, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets.
Parra has appeared with seven teams in the majors since debuting in 2009. He was most recently a member of the Nationals and Giants in 2019, when he batted .234/.293/.391 with nine home runs and eight stolen bases in 301 plate appearances. Parra became a fan favorite in Washington that year for his “Baby Shark” theme when he came to the plate. The Nationals, of course, won the World Series that season, though Parra hasn’t been in the majors since then. He spent last year with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball.
As a major leaguer, the 33-year-old Parra has batted .276/.323/.404 with 88 home runs and 96 stolen bases over 5,183 plate appearances. Parra has played every outfield position in the bigs, so he’ll now vie for a role as a backup to Nats starters Juan Soto, Victor Robles and Kyle Schwarber.