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Cubs Exercise Jose Quintana’s Option, Claim Jerry Vasto From Royals

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The Cubs announced Wednesday that they’ve exercised their $10.5MM club option over left-hander Jose Quintana and claimed left-handed reliever Jerry Vasto off waivers from the Royals organization. It’s the first of two options that the Cubs hold on Quintana, who’ll turn 30 in January. Chicago also has an $11.5MM option on the lefty for the 2020 season.

While Quintana may not have performed at quite the level the Cubs had hoped, picking up his option was a flat no-brainer, as even in a “down” season (by his standards), he turned in 174 1/3 innings of 4.03 ERA ball with 8.2 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and 1.29 HR/9 with a 43.2 percent ground-ball rate. Durable and largely consistent year over year, Quintana took the ball on 32 occasion for the Cubs, marking his sixth consecutive season with 32 or more games started. Even if he doesn’t return to the peak form he showed with the White Sox, having Quintana on a one-year deal with an affordable club option for the 2020 season is still quite a nice value for the Cubs.

Vasto, 26, made his MLB debut with the Rockies in 2018 but appeared in just one game and tossed only two-thirds of an inning before being traded to Kansas City in exchange for backup catcher Drew Butera. Vasto was hit hard in his first season of Triple-A duty in 2017 but has turned in considerably more promising results with Colorado’s top affiliate in 2018: a 3.16 ERA, 10.7 K/9, 4.4 BB/9, 0.73 HR/9 and a 43.5 percent ground-ball rate in 37 innings. The southpaw tossed just one scoreless inning with Kansas City’s Triple-A club before joining the Major League bullpen, where he allowed one earned run with three strikeouts and one walk in 3 2/3 innings of work.

Diamondbacks Name Darnell Coles Hitting Coach

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The D-backs have announced that Darnell Coles, who recently stepped down as the Brewers’ hitting coach, has been hired as the new hitting coach in Arizona. He’ll replace the recently dismissed Dave Magadan. The Athletic’s Robert Murray had previously reported that Coles was the “leading candidate” to take over for Magadan in Phoenix (Twitter link). Tim Laker is sticking around as the Diamondbacks’ assistant hitting coach, per the press release announcing Coles’ hiring.

“We’re excited to add a person of Darnell Coles’ caliber to our Major League coaching staff,” said manager Torey Lovullo in a statement accompanying the announcement. “He is an exceptional communicator that values building relationships. As a teacher, his dynamic approach has proven to help players develop.”

Coles, 56, enjoyed a 14-year career as an infielder and outfielder before beginning his coaching career as the Mariners’ minor league hitting coordinator in 2000. Since then he’s served as a minor league hitting coordinator, hitting coach and manager in the Nationals and Brewers farm systems, served as the Tigers’ assistant hitting coach and spent the past four seasons as the Brewers’ Major League hitting coach.

Pirates To Decline Option Over Josh Harrison, Jung Ho Kang

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The Pirates will decline their club option over infielder Josh Harrison, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link). Likewise, infielder Jung Ho Kang is heading to free agency, MLB.com’s Adam Berry tweets.

Rather than a $10.5MM payday, Harrison will take a $1MM buyout and head onto the open market. Kang, meanwhile, receive $250K on his way out the door after the team passed on a chance to keep him for $5.5MM.

The 31-year-old Harrison is renowned for his versatility and at his best can deliver value in all facets of the game. Unfortunately, his hitting has never returned to the levels he showed in a breakout 2014 season. Last year, he carried only a .250/.293/.363 slash. While he’s sure to secure a MLB job somewhere, the $10.5MM price tag was clearly too steep.

As for Kang, also 31, it seems there’s still a possibility of a reunion with the Pittsburgh organization. Otherwise, his outlook is murky. He has done nothing but hit in the majors, but also hasn’t seen substantial playing time since the 2016 campaign owing to a DUI conviction and resulting inability to secure a visa. While he returned late in the 2018 season, Kang did not have a chance to reestablish himself and remains a bit of a wild card on the present market.

Braves Outright Lindgren, Ramirez, Adams, Tucker

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The Braves announced a variety of 40-man roster moves today. In addition to losing outfielder Michael Reed to the Twins via waivers, the team outrighted lefty Jacob Lindgren, righty Jose Ramirez, and outfielders Lane Adams and Preston Tucker after that quartet went unclaimed.

Each of those players will remain with the organization, having cleared waivers, though Adams has the right to declare free agency since he has previously been outrighted. With four other players returning from the 60-day DL and taking up posts on the 40-man, the Atlanta organization now has nine openings left to work with as the offseason gets underway.

The 25-year-old Lindgren was a second-round pick of the Yankees in 2014 and quickly rose to the Majors, debuting in 2015. However, his promising career has been derailed by a pair of Tommy John surgeries — the most recent of which cost him the 2018 season. Because of all the time he’s spent on the big league 60-day DL, he’d have been arbitration-eligible this winter despite only having tallied seven MLB innings. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected him to earn only a modest $600K salary through that arbitration process, though.

Ramirez, meanwhile, missed most of the 2018 season owing to shoulder troubles. He tossed just 6 1/3 innings at the big league level with the Braves this year, though he’s previously functioned as a quality middle reliever under manager Brian Snitker. From 2016-17, Ramirez totaled 94 2/3 frames of 3.33 ERA ball with 8.5 K/9, though he’s also struggled with his control (4.5 BB/9, nine hit batters).

Adams, 29 next month, hit .240/.345/.520 in a tiny sample of 29 plate appearances as a reserve outfielder this season. He tallied 122 PAs with Atlanta in 2017 and batted .275/.339/.468 with five homers and 10 steals in that time. Adams has a solid track record in Double-A but has struggled in Triple-A. He’s shown glimpses of talent in the big leagues, however, and is capable of playing all three outfield spots, so he should latch on elsewhere on a minor league pact as a quality depth piece with a very viable chance of returning to the Majors next year.

As for Tucker, the 28-year-old turned some heads with an early-season showing that saw him hit .288/.333/.538 with three homers in 57 plate appearances. But Tucker had never managed to hit at that level in the past, and his bat quickly deteriorated (as did his playing time). Over his next 70 PAs, Tucker hit only .231/.286/.369. Atlanta traded him to the Reds in the summer’s lackluster Adam Duvall swap, and after a similarly uninspiring stint in Cincinnati, Tucker landed back with the Braves to close out the season. In all, after that fast start to the season, he hit only .202/.283/.342.

Twins Claim Michael Reed

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The Twins have claimed outfielder Michael Reed off waivers from the Braves, per MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger (via Twitter). He was one of several 40-man casualties of the Atlanta organization.

Reed, 26 in November, was a fifth-round pick by the Brewers in 2011 and at times rated as one of the better farmhands in the Milwaukee system. His bat seemed to stall upon reaching Triple-A as a 23-year-old in 2016, though, and he took another step back at Double-A in 2017 — prompting his exit from the organization.

Reed latched on with the Braves on a minor league deal last winter though and absolutely erupted in Double-A and Triple-A, raking at a combined .342/.453/.520 pace with 11 homers, 26 doubles and 10 steals in 401 plate appearances (with better performance in Triple-A than in Double-A). He appeared in seven games over a pair of big league stints with the Braves but never got much of a look at the MLB level in Atlanta.

Reed’s minor league output, though, was fueled by ludicrously high BABIP marks (.426 in Double-A, .477 in Triple-A), so it’s no wonder that the Braves organization wasn’t fully enamored of his gaudy numbers. Still, he showed a keen eye at the plate (15.3 percent walk rate), didn’t post alarming strikeout totals (24.3 percent) and is capable of lining up in all three outfield spots. The right-handed-hitting Reed is out of minor league options, so he’ll have to stick on the 40-man roster all winter and break camp with the team or else be exposed to waivers once again. That, it should be noted, is far from a certain outcome.

 

Indians Agree To Avoid Arbitration With Leonys Martin

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The Indians have agreed with outfielder Leonys Martin on an arbitration deal for the 2019 season, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links). He’ll earn $3MM under the contract, though as with most arb deals it is not fully guaranteed at this time.

Martin, 30, was acquired in the middle of the 2018 season to be a key contributor down the stretch. After six productive games in Cleveland, though, he was sidelined by a terrifying bacterial infection that cost him the remainder of the season — and nearly much more. While there are surely still some roadblocks left to hurdle, it’s immensely promising to hear that the Cleveland organization has cause to believe Martin will be able to play in the coming season.

Once a regular with the Rangers and Mariners, Martin had a disappointing 2017 campaign. Still, he secured a $1.75MM contract with the Tigers, who placed a bet that Martin’s bat could catch back up somewhat to his productive glove and legs.

That’s just what happened, as Martin turned in a .255/.323/.425 slash with 11 long balls in 353 plate appearances before he hit the shelf. Based on those numbers, MLBTR and contributor Matt Swartz had projected Martin to command a $2.8MM salary in his final trip through the arb process. Notably, Martin’s case included some unusual factors, including his initial guarantee as an international free agent and the fact that he had previously played for a higher arbitration salary before signing for less as a free agent.

Mariners Claim John Andreoli, Select Joey Curletta

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The Mariners have claimed outfielder John Andreoli off waivers from the Orioles, per club announcements. Seattle also added first baseman/outfielder Joey Curletta to its 40-man roster.

Andreoli, 28, debuted in the bigs last year with the Seattle organization before landing with the O’s via waiver claim. That’s now reversed, though it remains to be seen whether he’ll keep his roster spot throughout the winter. Andreoli did not hit much in limited MLB opportunities, but posted a .287/.397/.401 slash in 388 Triple-A plate appearances last year.

As for Curletta, 24, the move will prevent him from achieving minor-league free agency. Primarily a right fielder during his prior minor-league campaigns, Curletta appeared mostly at first base last year at the Double-A level. He ended up posting a career-best output, with a .282/.383/.482 batting line and 23 long balls over 556 plate appearances.

Brewers Exercise Club Option Over Jeremy Jeffress, Buy Out Jordan Lyles

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The Brewers made the easy call today to pick up their club option over righty Jeremy Jeffress, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy tweets. He stands to earn $3.175MM for the 2019 season.

Meanwhile, the team declined a $3.5MM option over fellow right-hander Jordan Lyles, per Robert Murray of The Athletic (via Twitter). He’ll receive a $250K buyout.

Jeffress, 31, would have been eligible for arbitration for a final time, but agreed to a contract last winter that gave the team a pair of options. It was quite an unusual deal, evidently occasioned by the fact that Jeffress has struggled with substance abuse in the past and had thrived in the environment provided by the Milwaukee organization.

As it turns out, Jeffress reached $550K in incentive pay by virtue of throwing over seventy innings and finishing over twenty games. Added to his $1.75MM base salary, he earned $2.3MM — just a bit less than the $2.6MM he was projected for in arbitration.

Jeffress can reach up to $2.2MM in incentives for each of the following two seasons, though achieving all would mean reaching not only 55 games finished but also throwing over ninety frames. In addition to the $3.175MM he’ll earn for 2019, the final club option comes with a $4.3MM price tag.

To this point, the deal has worked out on the field — tremendously so, in fact. Jeffress worked to a minuscule 1.29 ERA in 76 2/3 innings in 2018, surrendering only 49 hits while compiling 10.4 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 along with a typically excellent 56.4% groundball rate. The strikeouts came as a pleasant surprise; Jeffress ended the season with a 13.5% swinging-strike rate that easily topped his prior high.

As for Lyles, the 28-year-old gave the Brewers 16 1/3 effective innings after coming over from the Padres via trade. He allowed only six earned on a dozen hits in that span, racking up 22 strikeouts against nine walks.

Obviously, the Brewers did not seen enough to think that was a sign of things to come. Lyles has thrown 768 2/3 major-league frames, after all, with only a 5.28 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 on his overall ledger.

Royals Agree To New Deal With Wily Peralta

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The Royals have struck a “reworked” deal with righty Wily Peralta, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). He had been controllable pursuant to a $3MM club option.

This new deal seems to tweak things only slightly, perhaps simply as a means of delaying part of Peralta’s 2019 salary obligation. He’ll now take home $2.25MM for the season to come, per the report. In 2020, the deal calls for a $7MM mutual option with a $1MM buyout.

In addition to adding a bit of extra guaranteed money, Peralta can now earn a bit more if he remains in the closer’s role for the Royals. The deal will provide him another million dollars if he finishes 55 games, per MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan (via Twitter).

Peralta, 29, ended up sliding into the ninth inning in K.C. after joining the organization on a minors deal and opening the year at Triple-A. In his 34 1/3 MLB frames, he worked to a 3.67 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and ended up recording 14 saves.

That said, Peralta also allowed a disconcerting number of walks — just over six per nine innings, in fact. The former Brewers starter did throw his four- and two-seam fastballs as hard as ever before, averaging over 96 mph on each, and reached a double-digit swinging-strike rate (an even 10.0%) for the first time.

Brandon Kintzler To Exercise Player Option

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Righty Brandon Kintzler will exercise a player option to remain with the Cubs, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com (via Twitter). That had been the expected outcome for the veteran reliever.

Kintzler’s contract, signed last winter with the Nationals and traded to the Cubs at the 2018 trade deadline, included successive option clauses. The club first had a shot at a $10MM option. If that was declined — as it was, by the Chicago organization — then Kintzler got a chance to take a guaranteed $5MM salary rather than returning to free agency.

Given his struggles down the stretch, it’s no surprise that Kintzler elected to keep the money in hand. In 18 frames over 25 appearances, he coughed up 14 earned runs on 27 hits while managing just a dozen strikeouts against nine walks.

That’s not to say that there isn’t any hope of a rebound. After emerging as a late-inning presence with the Twins, Kintzler had been productive with the Nats. In his 68 2/3 frames in D.C., between the trade deadlines of the 2017 and 2018 campaigns, he worked to a 3.54 ERA. In spite of consistently marginal strikeout numbers, Kintzler’s heavy sinker has typically produced excellent groundball numbers and allowed him to avoid the long ball.

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