Marlins Sign Ross Detwiler To Major League Contract
TODAY: Detwiler will earn $850K in guaranteed money, Craig Mish reports (via Twitter), with another $100K available in potential incentives.
JANUARY 1: The Marlins have signed left-hander Ross Detwiler to a major league contract, Craig Mish of Sportsgrid tweets. It’s a one-year deal for the CAA Sports client.
Detwiler was the sixth overall pick of the Nationals in 2007, and while he did stick with the organization through 2014, he has bounced around since then. He spent parts of 2015-20 with the Rangers, Braves, Cleveland, Athletics, Mariners and White Sox, and there were multiple independent league stints mixed in there.
Although Detwiler has seldom posted impressive production in the majors, he did perform well out of the White Sox’s bullpen last season, finishing with a 3.20 ERA/3.90 FIP with 6.86 K/9, 2.29 BB/9 and an excellent 58.3 percent groundball rate in 19 2/3 innings of work. Detwiler spent all of 2020 as a reliever, and if that’s his role in Miami, he could help a bullpen that ranked last in the National League in ERA (5.50) and FIP (5.65) a season ago.
Marlins Designate Stephen Tarpley For Assignment
The Marlins have announced that left-hander Stephen Tarpley has been designated for assignment. The move creates roster space for Ross Detwiler, whose signing is now official.
Acquired from the Yankees just shy of a year ago, Tarpley missed a month of the 2020 season due to an oblique strain and otherwise struggled over 11 innings with Miami. The southpaw posted a 9.00 ERA while allowing two homers and eight walks during his small sample size of work. While Tarpley has a 5.8 BB/9 and 1.6 HR/9 over his 44 2/3 career MLB innings with the Marlins and Yankees, he has been almost an entirely different hurler over his 450 2/3 minor league innings — he owns a modest 3.0 BB/9 and only an 0.4 HR/9, while posting often extreme groundball numbers.
With this intriguing resume, it isn’t out of the question that Tarpley is claimed by another team during his DFA period in the hope that another change of scenery could unlock some late-career (Tarpley turns 28 in February) potential. A third-round pick for the Orioles in the 2013 draft, Tarpley also spent some time in the Pirates’ farm system during his career.
Dodgers Interested In DJ LeMahieu
While the Yankees continue to be the team most prominently linked to DJ LeMahieu, other clubs continue to linger as alternate possibilities for the free agent infielder. The includes the reigning World Series champions, as David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports said earlier this week during an MLB Network appearance that the Dodgers “are definitely in talks with LeMahieu.”
According to various reports, LeMahieu and the Yankees are separated by one year and over $25MM in contract talks — enough of a gap that it certainly presents opportunity for other big-spending teams to get involved. The Blue Jays have been considered to be the Yankees’ chief rivals to sign LeMahieu, with the Mets and Astros also involved at various points this offseason, but the Dodgers could suddenly loom as potential favorites if they made a full-on push to land the All-Star.
Since Los Angeles already has over $197MM on the books in projected 2021 payroll, signing LeMahieu would surely put the Dodgers over the $210MM luxury tax threshold. The club could look to make some trades elsewhere to free up money and avoid a tax payment, or the Dodgers could simply take a fairly minimal one-year hit (a 20% charge on every dollar spent between $210MM-$230MM) in order to further reinforce the lineup for another title run with the addition of LeMahieu’s bat. With Clayton Kershaw, Kenley Jansen, Corey Seager, Chris Taylor, and Joe Kelly all potentially set for free agency in the 2021-22 offseason, L.A. will suddenly have lot of payroll space available if it wishes to duck back under the tax threshold next winter.
The Dodgers are obviously very familiar with LeMahieu from his days as the Rockies’ regular second baseman, though he has taken his game to an MVP-caliber over two seasons with the Yankees. LeMahieu’s ability to also play third base and first base make him a good fit for a Los Angeles team that prizes multi-positional players, and it could make him a perfect (and more versatile) replacement for another free agent in Justin Turner.
It has been a pretty quiet offseason overall for the Dodgers, but the club isn’t thought to be under any of the financial restraints that are seemingly holding back a lot of teams this winter. With this kind of payroll flexibility available, the Dodgers could be content to wait out the market, both because they’re already loaded with talent and because players like LeMahieu in search of big paydays have a relatively short list of teams that can meet their asking price.
It’s worth noting that LeMahieu rejected the Yankees’ qualifying offer, and Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman usually stays away from free agents that come attached to draft pick compensation. However, AJ Pollock represents one such external QO signing during Friedman’s tenure in Los Angeles, as the Dodgers surrendered what ended up being the 34th overall pick in the 2019 draft when they signed Pollock to a four-year deal in January 2019.
Latest On Masahiro Tanaka
With the Yankees reportedly focusing much of their attention on DJ LeMahieu‘s free agency, there hasn’t been much buzz about the possibility of a reunion between Masahiro Tanaka and the Bronx Bombers. Tanaka has made some recent comments about his future, most recently a tweet earlier today stating that he and his representatives haven’t put any sort of limit on what teams Tanaka might be considering playing for in 2021 and beyond.
This tweet came on the heels of reports suggesting Tanaka was only considering a return to the Yankees or a return to Nippon Professional Baseball, rather than signing with another MLB club. As it happened, Tanaka left the door open to pitching in Japan in an interview on the “All Night Nippon” radio show (hat tip to Nikkan Sports), saying the chances of returning to his home country are “not zero.” Tanaka implied that pitching for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, his original NPB team, would be his ideal choice in the event of a homecoming, but he also said he’d consider the Yomiuri Giants.
During the radio interview, Tanaka also implied that he had yet to receive a contract offer from a Major League team, which doesn’t seem implausible given the slow-moving nature of this offseason’s free agent market. More teams than just the Yankees seem to be playing the waiting game, whether it’s for a particular player or for a broader view of the market as a whole — in terms of pitching, clubs could be waiting to see where Trevor Bauer signs, or waiting to see where trade targets land. By that token, business could pick up now that Yu Darvish and Blake Snell have both been moved, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Tanaka begins to receive more serious attention from MLB clubs.
Rejoining the Golden Eagles or signing with another NPB team would certainly count as a surprise, since Tanaka still represents a solid investment for seemingly any Major League team looking for rotation help. (MLB Trade Rumors ranked him 10th on our list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents.) Tanaka posted a 3.56 ERA, 8.3 K/9, and 5.50 K/BB rate in 2020, with that 48-inning sample size pretty closely matching his career totals over seven Major League seasons with the Yankees. One would imagine this type of production would be welcome in a New York rotation that is lacking in proven big league experience, though given the speculation that the Yankees are trying to stay under the luxury tax threshold, re-signing Tanaka doesn’t appear to be a priority for the team unless LeMahieu signs elsewhere.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
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Five Teams Showing Interest In Alex Colome
There hasn’t been much public buzz about Alex Colome‘s market this winter, but the former All-Star has been attracting some attention in free agency. Darren Wolfson of SKOR North (via Twitter) reports that the Twins “recently inquired” about Colome’s services, while FanSided’s Robert Murray (Twitter links) adds that the Nationals, Red Sox, Astros, and White Sox have also shown interest.
For the last five seasons, Colome has been a solid and occasionally dominant ninth-inning option, racking up 138 saves for the Rays, Mariners, and White Sox since the start of the 2016 season. With Chicago in 2020, Colome posted just an 0.81 ERA over 22 1/3 innings, while posting a largely impressive slate of Statcast metrics (in particular finishing in the 95th percentile in barrel percentage). ERA predictors, however, weren’t nearly as impressed with his work, as Colome’s 2.97 FIP, 4.26 xFIP, and 4.44 SIERA all reflected his ordinary 6.4 K/9, as well as some good fortune in the form of a .200 BABIP and 86.4% strand rate. He also didn’t allow a single home run last year, which isn’t likely to be duplicated over a full season.
Colome largely relies on a two-pitch arsenal of a cutter (which he has thrown over 70% of the time in each of the last two seasons) and a four-seam fastball that clocks around the 94.4mph range. It’s hard to argue with results, of course, though teams could be wary of committing big money to the 32-year-old Colome going forward if they feel his advanced metrics will start catching up to his on-field numbers.
That said, the lack of Colome updates to this point could also be par for the course during an offseason that hasn’t seen much high-priced movement in the relief market. Trevor May‘s two-year, $15.5MM deal with the Mets represents the only significant contract given to a relief pitcher this winter, and such names as Liam Hendriks, Brad Hand, Blake Treinen, and Trevor Rosenthal continue to wait for their next teams (not to mention many other prominent relievers who could be available in trades).
As we inch closer to the projected start of Spring Training, it isn’t surprising that we’ll hear more news about interest in Colome and other relievers as teams start to get aggressive about filling holes in the bullpen. All five of the teams linked to Colome have needs at the back of their respective pen, even if a provisional closer is already in place to handle the bulk of save opportunities. For the White Sox in particular, there has been speculation that the team could elevate Aaron Bummer or Evan Marshall to closer if Colome went elsewhere, though it would make sense that Chicago would welcome back a familiar closer (at the right price, of course) if the Sox want some ninth-inning experience for what they hope will be a deeper run into the postseason.
Haruki Nishikawa Not Expected To Sign With MLB Team This Offseason
3:45 pm: Nishikawa will not reach an agreement with an MLB club before this afternoon’s 4:00 pm CST deadline, per a report from Yahoo! Japan (link in Japanese). He’ll instead return to the Fighters for a tenth season in 2021.
10:52 am: In early December, the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters made center fielder Haruki Nishikawa available to major league teams via the posting system. That opened a 30-day window for MLB clubs to work out an agreement with Nishikawa; otherwise, the 28-year-old would return to the Fighters for at least another season.
Today marks the final day of Nishikawa’s posting window, as was first noted last month by Jon Morosi of MLB.com (Twitter link). While no one knows if the left-handed hitter will put pen to paper in the coming hours, it seems he has attracted the attention of a few MLB teams. Japan’s Nikkan Sports reported earlier this week (Japanese-language link) that the Astros, Blue Jays, Cardinals and Diamondbacks were among those with interest in the outfielder. It isn’t clear if any of those four (or any other MLB club) has actually put forth a formal offer, however.
Over parts of nine seasons at Japan’s highest level, Nishikawa has hit .286/.382/.394. He’s coming off a very strong 2020 seasons with the Fighters, wherein he slashed .306/.430/.396 with more walks than strikeouts across 523 plate appearances. Nishikawa has never been much of a power threat, but he’s consistently hit for high batting averages and drawn plenty of walks.
If Nishikawa were to come to an agreement with an MLB team, the signing team would owe a release fee to the Fighters. That fee, which comes on top of the contract paid to the player himself, is equal to 20 percent of the contract’s first $25MM, plus 17.5 percent of the next $25MM and 15 percent of any dollars thereafter. Nishikawa’s track record in NPB is lesser than that of countryman Shogo Akiyama, who inked a three-year, $21MM deal with the Reds last winter. It’d be a surprise to see Nishikawa top that mark, so in all likelihood his posting fee will fall squarely into that first tier, 20-percent bracket. Nishikawa’s former Fighters teammate, right-hander Kohei Arihara, signed with the Rangers last week.
Two Years Ago, The Twins Signed An Elite Hitter
Today marks the two-year anniversary of the Twins announcing a free agent deal with Nelson Cruz. The then-38-year-old received a one-year, $14.3MM guarantee with a $12MM club option covering the 2020 season.
At the time, Cruz was coming off an incredible four-year run with the Mariners. He had hit .284/.362/.546 during his time in Seattle. By measure of weighted runs created plus, the slugger was the sport’s eighth-most productive hitter between 2015-18 (minimum 600 plate appearances). Nevertheless, Cruz’s age and lack of defensive value as a full-time designated hitter limited him to a single year guarantee.
After a surprising Wild Card berth in 2017, the Twins slumped to a 78-84 season in 2018. Surely, the front office hoped that signing Cruz would install an elite bat into the middle of the order and help Minnesota’s lineup emerge as one of the best in the league. That’s precisely how things played out.
If anything, the already-great Cruz took his offensive game to another level in 2019. He hit a career-best .311/.392/.639 with 41 home runs in just 521 plate appearances. As a team, Minnesota slugged a record 307 homers that year en route to an AL Central title. That made exercising the 2020 option a no-brainer. Cruz again mashed at an elite level and helped the Twins to their second consecutive division championship this past season.
Now 40 years old, Cruz is again a free agent, facing the same questions he faced last time he was on the open market (and the time before that). He offers nothing defensively and is among the oldest players in the sport. Yet Cruz has shown no signs of decline at the plate; on the contrary, he’s coming off arguably the two best offensive seasons of his career.
Another deal between the Twins and Cruz makes plenty of sense. Minnesota again looks like one of the best teams in the American League, although the pursuit of another division title looks more difficult than ever thanks to the White Sox’s emergence as a legitimate contender. The past two division crowns haven’t led to any postseason success, which the Twins no doubt hope to change in 2021. The parties have remained in contact this winter. No deal has come together to this point amidst uncertainty about whether the DH will expand to the National League, which would obviously open up Cruz’s market.
Marlins Seeking Corner Outfield Help
The Marlins are looking to add to their corner outfield mix, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). Ideally, that would take the form of a left-handed hitter capable of playing right field, per Heyman.
Miami hasn’t been tied to any specific outfielders this offseason, but a look at the free agent options offers a handful of speculative possibilities. Marcell Ozuna tops the market, but it’d be quite a surprise if the Marlins were willing to spend at the level it’d take to bring the slugger back. Michael Brantley and Joc Pederson would each be significant upgrades but themselves seem likely to land solid multi-year deals the Marlins may not want to match.
The third tier of the market offers plenty of potential low-cost corner outfield additions, a few of whom were non-tendered by their former clubs. Kyle Schwarber and Eddie Rosario are left-handed bats who have established themselves as above-average hitters in recent seasons. Both have much more experience in left field (so does Brantley, for that matter) but could theoretically be moved to right if the team were bullish enough on their offensive abilities. Josh Reddick remains a capable lefty hitter with plenty of right field experience. Nomar Mazara also fits the lefty-swinging right field profile and is still just 25. He’s never lived up to his former prospect hype, though, and is coming off a horrible season with the White Sox.
It’s worth noting that Brett Gardner is a free agent after his option was bought out by the Yankees. Garnder isn’t a right fielder, but he hits left-handed and has ties to a handful of Marlins’ executives (most obviously CEO Derek Jeter) from his time in the Bronx. Matt Joyce played for Miami this past season and is also available, although he might be looking at a minor-league deal after hitting .252/.351/.331.
As far as in-house options go, Miami has plenty of names but little certainty on the grass. The team seems set to give regular run to Corey Dickerson in one corner outfield spot (preferably left). Starling Marté is locked in as the everyday center fielder. Garrett Cooper has hit well and comes with a bit of corner outfield experience, but he was solely a first baseman in 2020 and has a rather lengthy injury history. Harold Ramírez missed almost all of last season due to injury. The 40-man roster is otherwise littered with current or former top prospects (Jesús Sánchez, Monte Harrison, Lewis Brinson, Magneuris Sierra among them) with no track record of MLB production.
Trevor Bauer Had Meeting With Blue Jays
In the latest chapter of Trevor Bauer‘s unconventional trip through free agency, the right-hander revealed in a video that he had a call set to talk with the Blue Jays — specifically mentioning that he planned to talk with their pitching coach (Pete Walker) and high performance coach (presumably VP of high performance Angus Mugford).
While many fans have had some fun with the fact that the Blue Jays have been linked to virtually every free agent on the market this winter, Bauer’s meeting with them is still plenty notable. Few clubs are expected to be major spenders this winter, but Toronto is among the likeliest teams to sign a major free agent. The Blue Jays’ current $84MM projected payroll (via FanGraphs/Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez) is about half the franchise-record $163MM, set back in 2017.
Beyond that flexibility, the Toronto front office — headed up by president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins — is quite familiar with Bauer. Both Atkins and Shapiro were in the Indians organization when Cleveland originally acquired Bauer from the Diamondbacks; Shapiro was the team’s president at that point and Atkins the director of player development.
Among top-tier free agents, the Blue Jays have been most prominently linked to outfielder George Springer in recent weeks. The Jays reported to be one of two finalists to sign Springer. The Mets, the other apparent Springer finalist, have been tied to Bauer in their own right, although Springer is said to be New York’s priority at this time.
Toronto’s current rotation features Hyun Jin Ryu, Robbie Ray, Tanner Roark, Ross Stripling and highly touted 24-year-old Nate Pearson. Penciling Bauer into that mix alongside Ryu would give them a formidable one-two punch atop the rotation with plenty of upside behind them. Ryu is coming off consecutive Top 3 finishes in Cy Young voting, while Bauer of course won the National League Cy Young Award in 2020.