Minor MLB Transactions: 1/16/21
The latest minor moves from around the sport…
- The Tigers announced that left-hander Robbie Ross, right-hander Andrew Moore, first baseman Aderlin Rodriguez and infielder Yariel Gonzalez have all been signed to minor league deals. Ross is the most familiar name of the group, posting a 3.83 ERA over 321 2/3 innings as a workhorse member of the Rangers and Red Sox bullpens from 2012-16 (also starting 12 games with Texas in 2014). After an injury-riddled 2017, however, Ross hasn’t returned to the majors, pitching in the White Sox farm system and then independent ball. Moore is the only other member of the quartet with MLB experience, as he tossed 63 2/3 innings for the Mariners (posting a 5.51 ERA) over parts of the 2017 and 2019 seasons.
Latest On Kirby Yates
1:36PM: It doesn’t seem like the Blue Jays are one of the finalists for Yates, as Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith tweets that the Jays “aren’t considered frontrunners” for the righty, though Toronto had “real interest.”
10:12AM: Former Padres closer Kirby Yates may be nearing a new contract, as the right-hander is “in final stages of considering offers from five teams,” according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). Yates has whittled his market down to these five finalists from a reported 12 teams that showed interest in the former All-Star. Most notably, the Padres aren’t one of the finalists, as Acee writes that the club would have to “substantially” increase their current offer to bring Yates back into the fold.
That stint in San Diego saw Yates develop from being something of a journeyman reliever in his age-30 season into a legitimate weapon. Yates posted a 2.55 ERA and an exceptional 38.44 K% and 31.2 K-BB% over 183 2/3 innings with the Padres after being claimed off waivers from the Angels in April 2017. Yates emerged as the Padres’ closer after the Friars dealt Brad Hand in 2018, and he proceeded to convert 53 of 57 save opportunities over the 2018-19 seasons. Between a league-high 41 saves and a tiny 1.19 ERA over 60 2/3 innings in 2019, Yates received a ninth-place finish in NL Cy Young Award balloting.
2020, however, was a much different story, as Yates pitched only 4 1/3 innings before undergoing a season-ending surgery in August to remove bone chips from his elbow. The Padres and their fans must surely wonder what might have been if the 2019 version of Yates had been available to contribute to their postseason run, and while there was some interest in a reunion between the two sides, it seems as though Yates will be moving on.
A few weeks ago, Acee reported that Yates was looking for a deal in the range of over $5MM in guaranteed money, plus millions more in potential incentives. (MLBTR projected a $5MM contract for Yates, ranking him 42nd in our list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents.) Even considering the slow-moving nature of the relief pitching market, that would seem like a pretty reasonable price for Yates, given the possible upside he could bring to any bullpen.
There hasn’t been much public buzz about Yates on the free agent rumor mill — besides the Padres, the Dodgers are the only other team known to have interest in Yates’ services. The Dodgers have addressed their bullpen by re-signing Blake Treinen and acquiring Corey Knebel, but there would certainly still be room for L.A. to also add Yates to the relief corps if they are one of Yates’ five finalists.
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Orioles Re-Sign Thomas Eshelman
The Orioles have re-signed right-hander Thomas Eshelman to a minor league contract, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko reports (Twitter link). Eshelman chose to become a free agent last month rather than accept an outright assignment to Baltimore’s Triple-A team.
In his second consecutive year of swingman work for the O’s, Eshelman posted a 3.89 ERA over 34 2/3 innings, starting four of his 10 outings. He had only an 11.2 K%, continuing his near career-long trend of not missing many bats. While Eshelman’s Statcast numbers aren’t anything to write home about, his return to the organization gives the Orioles another option as they figure out their pitching mix. Eshelman’s ability to contribute a spot start is useful, particularly in a rotation that may feature several young hurlers who may still be building up their innings.
Of course, Eshelman is himself only 26 years old, and he was a second-round pick for the Astros in the 2015 draft. He has a 4.22 ERA over 514 1/3 career innings in the minors (with the Orioles, Phillies, and Astros) to go along with his 5.22 ERA, 12.4 K%, and 6.5 BB% in 70 2/3 Major League innings with Baltimore.
Tri-City ValleyCats File Lawsuit Against Astros, MLB
The Tri-City ValleyCats are suing the Houston Astros and Major League Baseball arising out of this offseason’s contraction of minor-league baseball, reports Daniel Kaplan of the Athletic. They become the second affiliate known to pursue legal action against their former parent club and the league; the Staten Island Yankees did the same in December.
The ValleyCats are seeking at least $15MM in damages, Kaplan reports. The crux of the team’s claims is that they relied upon the now-expired affiliation agreement between Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball in selling tickets and advertisement sponsorships, which lost value when the club lost its affiliation with Major League Baseball. The ValleyCats remain operational as a member of the MLB-partnered Frontier League but will no longer serve as a traditional minor-league affiliate.
Tri-City’s complaint (more of which is available in Kaplan’s full piece) harshly criticizes MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. “MLB’s intimidation tactics, which it used to pit MiLB teams against each other for the ‘privilege’ of not having their businesses destroyed, has gone on for years but was most vividly demonstrated by a May 2020 email in which Commissioner Rob Manfred emailed the ValleyCats’ owner condolences on the passing of his father, and then in the very same email, issued a veiled threat that any public statement made about MLB’s contraction efforts would be ‘unwise,” the ValleyCats alleged.
Tri-City’s previous owner, Bill Gladstone, passed away due to complications from COVID-19 last spring, Kaplan notes, with Gladstone’s son Doug on the receiving end of the alleged correspondence from Manfred.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see more teams that lost their affiliation follow the (Staten Island) Yankees’ and ValleyCats’ lead in bringing suit against their former parent clubs and MLB. The minor-league restructuring resulted in 40 teams losing their affiliation with Major League Baseball.
Angels Sign Kurt Suzuki
9:04pm: The Angels have announced the signing.
12:20pm: The Angels are in agreement on a one-year, $1.5MM deal with free agent catcher Kurt Suzuki, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (Twitter link). The 37-year-old will reunite with Angels general manager Perry Minasian, who was part of the Braves’ front office when Suzuki played for Atlanta in 2018.
Catching was an obvious area of interest for the Angels, who previously carried only Max Stassi and Anthony Bemboom on the 40-man roster. They’ll now add a bat-first option with fourteen MLB seasons under his belt to the mix. Over the past three years, Suzuki has hit .268/.332/.453 in 826 plate appearances between Atlanta and the Nationals. That’s a bit better than league average offensive output generally, but is significantly better than average for a catcher.
Suzuki gives back some of that value defensively, where he’s never thrived as a thrower or pitch framer. Per Statcast, Suzuki has been 13 runs below-average as a framer over the past three seasons, while his 15.1% caught stealing rate in that time is one of the league’s worst marks. Nevertheless, his offense-first skill set pairs well with the Angels’ in-house catchers.
Stassi, the presumptive starter, has generally rated as a high-end defender but never hit much before last season’s small-sample offensive burst. Stassi’s also recovering from an October hip surgery that originally came with a four to six month recovery timetable, which could push manager Joe Maddon to lighten his workload early in the season.
Presumably, the Suzuki addition signals that Los Angeles will focus most of their attention this offseason on bolstering the pitching staff. Their uncertain catching mix made them on-paper fits for top free agent J.T. Realmuto and trade target Willson Contreras, but they’re likely out of the running for those players now. The same goes for second-tier free agent backstops like Yadier Molina, with whom the club was in contact early in the offseason. The Suzuki signing brings the Angels’ projected payroll to $164MM after accounting for forthcoming arbitration raises, per Roster Resource. That leaves a little wiggle room if owner Arte Moreno is willing to authorize a similar outlay to last year’s $177MM figure (before prorating).
Latest On J.T. Realmuto, George Springer
The Phillies have made a five-year offer worth “slightly” more than $100MM to free-agent catcher J.T. Realmuto, according to Jayson Stark of The Athletic. It’s the second such offer the team has made to Realmuto since last spring, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, who adds that there’s “a groundswell of optimism” that Philadelphia will re-sign the two-time All-Star.
The 29-year-old Realmuto spent the previous two seasons in Philadelphia, where the ex-Marlin continued his run as the majors’ premier catcher. Realmuto made it known during those two years that he wanted to remain a Phillie for the long haul, so it’s unsurprising that the team is putting forth a serious effort to keep him. The Phillies have “begun to position themselves as the favorite” in the Realmuto derby, Stark writes, in part because other potential suitors seem to be fading away.
The Mets, who looked like one of the front-runners to get Realmuto when the offseason started, signed James McCann instead. The Yankees probably aren’t in the mix after agreeing to re-sign second baseman DJ LeMahieu for $90MM and retaining catcher Gary Sanchez. The Angels may not be involved after agreeing to sign veteran backstop Kurt Suzuki on Friday, while Stark notes that the Rangers “seem unlikely” to dole out a nine-figure contract at this juncture. The Astros look like a fit for Realmuto, but as a qualifying offer recipient, signing Realmuto would require giving up draft picks, and they’re reportedly hesitant to do that. The Nationals have shown interest in Realmuto, though it’s unknown whether they’re willing to hand out $100MM-plus in this case.
The Realmuto sweepstakes may ultimately come down to the Phillies and the Blue Jays, who have been in on seemingly every star player this winter. However, per Stark and Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Toronto’s main focus appears to be free-agent outfielder George Springer. The Jays regard center field as a bigger need than catcher, which is why they’re making a greater push for Springer.
Dodgers, Corey Seager Avoid Arbitration
The Dodgers and shortstop Corey Seager have avoided arbitration, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. Seager, a client of the Boras Corporation, is set to earn a $13.75MM salary in 2021.
Still just 26, Seager has already earned several honors in his career, including National League Rookie of the Year in 2016, NLCS MVP and World Series MVP in 2020, and two All-Star nods. Even before his playoff tear last fall, it was a banner season for Seager, who batted .307/.358/.585 (151 wRC+) with 15 home runs in 232 plate appearances.
The big-spending Dodgers could certainly extend Seager sometime soon, but as of now, he’s in line to be one of the most coveted players on next winter’s free-agent market. Seager could be part of a ridiculously deep shortstop class, as Francisco Lindor, Trevor Story, Carlos Correa and Javier Baez are also due to become available.
Mets, Francisco Lindor Avoid Arbitration
The Mets and newly acquired shortstop Francisco Lindor have avoided arbitration with a $22.3MM agreement, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Lindor is a SportsMeter client.
Lindor’s settlement checks in even higher than the $17.5MM to $21.5MM arbitration projection MLBTR made for him earlier in the offseason. The four-time All-Star was still in Cleveland then, but with the team knowing it wouldn’t extend him before free agency next winter, it decided last week to send him to the Mets in a mega-trade.
Unlike Cleveland, the Mets look well-equipped to meet the 27-year-old Lindor’s demands on an extension. Lindor figures to eclipse the $300MM mark on his next contract, but that shouldn’t serve as a roadblock to deep-pocketed new owner Steve Cohen. The Mets may have to act quickly, though, as Lindor stated this week that he does not want to negotiate a contract during the season.
Mets, Michael Conforto Avoid Arbitration
The Mets and outfielder Michael Conforto have avoided arbitration with a $12.25MM settlement, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. Conforto is a client of the Boras corporation.
Conforto, soon to turn 28, has been a terrific offensive performer since he debuted in 2015, but he found another gear last season. Across 233 plate appearances, Conforto slashed .322/.412/.515 with nine home runs. Although he did benefit from a .412 batting average on balls in play, Conforto’s 157 wRC+ was nevertheless good for the seventh-highest mark in the National League.
The upcoming season could be the last as a Met for Conforto, who’s slated to reach free agency next winter. But Conforto has expressed interest in a contract extension in the past, and team president Sandy Alderson said in November he expects to “broach” the topic of a new deal this offseason.