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Minor MLB Transactions: 12/15/16

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Here are some minor moves to start the day:

  • The Tigers added southpaw Anthony Vasquez on a minors pact, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network (via Twitter). Vasquez, 30, made seven rough starts for the Mariners back in 2011 but hasn’t returned to the majors since. He was rather effective in the upper minors last year in the Phillies organization, throwing 172 1/3 innings of 3.08 ERA ball with 6.2 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9.
  • Righty Matt Carasiti and outfielder Stephen Cardullo will each return to the Rockies on minor-league deals that include Spring Training invites, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding tweets. Both were non-tendered recently (though neither was eligible for arbitration) to clear 40-man spots. The 25-year-old Carasiti had an outstanding year at Triple-A, allowing just ten earned runs on thirty hits over 46 innings and carrying a sparkling 48:9 K/BB ratio, but was knocked around in his 19-game MLB debut. As for the 29-year-old Cardullo, who the Rox plucked from indy ball last year, a big showing at Triple-A (.308/.367/.522) earned him a surprise call to the majors. But he struggled in his 59 trips to the plate, logging a .214/.254/.411 slash with two homers.
  • The Athletics have sold the contract of righty Ryan Brasier to the NPB’s Hiroshima Carp, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. Now 29, Brasier reached the majors briefly back in 2013 — and also showed nice peripherals at Triple-A that year — but ended up going under the knife for a Tommy John procedure. Last year, he worked at the highest level of the Oakland farm, throwing 60 2/3 innings of 3.56 ERA ball and posting an impressive 10.4 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9.

NL West Notes: Blackmon, Desmond, Hedges, Dodgers

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Rockies GM Jeff Bridich has told center fielder Charlie Blackmon to take any trade rumors involving his name with a “huge grain of salt,” he told reporters, including MLB.com’s Thomas Harding, yesterday. “As the situation was with [Carlos Gonzalez] over the past few years, there are teams that are doing their jobs and doing their due diligence and calling on our guys,” Bridich explained. “But we have never come out and said, ’We want or need to trade Charlie Blackmon.’ I felt like he needed to hear it from me.” The addition of Ian Desmond to the Rockies’ roster only increased speculation that Bridich would look to move one of his left-handed-hitting outfielders, but the Rockies maintain that Desmond will be utilized at first base and no outfield move is on the horizon.

Here’s more on the Rox and more from the NL West…

  • At his introductory press conference with the Rockies, Desmond spoke with confidence about his ability to learn first base despite never having played there in the past, as Harding writes in a separate piece. Desmond, of course, made a pretty smooth transition from shortstop to the outfield last year, and the athleticism that allowed him to do so was a big factor in the Rockies signing him, Bridich explained. “A couple of years ago, we started talking about versatility and athleticism becoming a priority for this organization, along with getting veterans of character,” the GM said. “[Desmond] represents all of that, and that is the exciting thing.” Bridich added that there’s been “way too much” talking and planning that has gone into the decision to deploy Desmond at first base for the Rockies change course. Bridich added that his focus will now shift to improving the team’s bullpen, Harding notes.
  • Austin Hedges is “obviously … the clear frontrunner” to serve as the Padres’ primary catcher in 2017, manager Andy Green tells Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The 24-year-old Hedges was rushed to the Majors out of necessity two years ago and struggled in his brief time with San Diego, but he laid waste to Triple-A pitching last season and has always had a reputation for tremendous glovework among scouts. “I think what he needs to do is take command of the team from a leadership perspective, and I know that’s very difficult when you’re short on time served in the major leagues,” said Green. “But when you’re in the catching position, the shortstop position, those are positions of authority on the baseball field where you’ve got to come in and help pitchers … and not worry about how much time you have on a major league field right now.” As Lin notes, Christian Bethancourt is the presumptive backup to Hedges, but the Friars still have plenty uncertainty permeating their pitching staff, with as many as three open rotation spots yet to be filled.
  • Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times examines the upcoming luxury tax penalties that the Dodgers will incur following the re-signing of Rich Hill, Kenley Jansen and Justin Turner for a combined $192MM. As Shaikin points out, the new luxury tax penalties laid out in the collective bargaining agreement don’t kick in until next offseason, at which point the Dodgers will see Carl Crawford, Alex Guerrero and Andre Ethier come off the books. Those savings, plus the fact that the first wave of luxury tax increases will be gradually phased into effect, allowed Los Angeles to spend heavily without much fear of significant luxury tax penalization in the next calendar year. However, the Dodgers still are aiming to significantly decrease their payroll by the time the 2018 season concludes in order to avoid harsher draft-pick penalties that are tied to the luxury tax threshold. Shaikin’s piece is well worth a look for those wondering about some of the specifics surrounding the Dodgers’ spending habits.
  • ESPN’s Keith Law opines (ESPN Insider subscription required and highly recommended) that the Dodgers look to have gotten a tremendous bargain on their four-year, $64MM deal for Justin Turner, though he’s less bullish on the notion of giving a five-year deal to any reliever — even one as dominant as Kenley Jansen. Law notes that he had Turner pegged for a $20MM annual value over the life of his free-agent contract this winter given the elite level of play he’s turned in since signing with L.A., and the $64MM figure offers plenty of opportunity for surplus value. As for Jansen, Law writes that he’s the only reliever for whom he’d have considered a four-year deal this winter, but the attrition rate of relievers simply makes it unlikely that Los Angeles will receive more than three top-notch years from the deal. Then again, if Jansen performs at an elite level — or anything close to it — for another three seasons, he could opt out of the deal and potentially land elsewhere for his decline phase.

Josh Hamilton To Work Out For Rangers Soon

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The Rangers are planning to watch free-agent outfielder Josh Hamilton work out prior to Christmas, reports Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. If everything checks out, Texas will consider signing Hamilton to a minor league pact, GM Jon Daniels tells Wilson.

The Rangers released Hamilton back in late August, although at the time reporters (including Wilson) explained that the decision was largely procedural. Texas released Hamilton to free up a 40-man roster spot and also to create the opportunity for Hamilton to be re-signed and play with the team early in the 2017 season.

[Related: Texas Rangers Depth Chart]

Hamilton still has one year remaining on the five-year, $125MM contract he signed prior to the 2013 season (the Angels are on the hook for nearly all of his 2017 salary), and if Texas had waited to release him until after the season and then re-signed him to a minor league deal, Hamilton would’ve been ineligible to play in the Majors with Texas until May 15 of next year. Releasing him in August created some needed 40-man move and also allowed for the possibility that Hamilton is healthy enough to contribute in a part-time role early next year. It’s been expected that the Rangers would ink Hamilton to a minor league deal for quite some time, as the player himself even told Wilson that he was expecting as much prior to his initial release.

Now 35 years of age, Hamilton underwent a pair of knee surgeries last season that proved to be more serious than initially expected. Hamilton underwent surgery to repair some meniscus damage in early June last year, but upon beginning the operation, Dr. Walt Lowe discovered enough damage to the anterior cruciate ligament that an ACL repair was also required. That surgery effectively ended Hamilton’s 2016 campaign — a season in which he was never able to take the field in the Majors.

Once one of the game’s most feared sluggers, Hamilton’s tumultuous career has been in a downward spiral since he signed in Anaheim four years ago. While he delivered respectable production in his first two years with the Halos — .255/.316/.426 — Hamilton never came close to the heights he reached with the Rangers, for whom he batted .305/.363/.549 from 2008-12. He was traded back to Texas in 2015 after a relapse into substance abuse seemingly fractured his relationship with Angels management. The Rangers are on the hook for just $2MM of Hamilton’s 2017 salary, while the Angels are paying him more than $26MM in the final season of his deal.

If Hamilton does land with the Rangers, he certainly won’t be counted on for any kind of regular role with the team. Rather he’d have to earn a roster spot with the club come Spring Training, and even if he were to make the team, it’d likely be as a part-time outfielder and designated hitter. The Rangers currently have Shin-Soo Choo, Carlos Gomez and Nomar Mazara lined up in the outfield, but the DH situation is a bit murkier. Joey Gallo could potentially fill that role, though it’s been reported this winter that the team would ideally like Gallo to open the season in the minors. Choo could also line up as the team’s DH next year and beyond, though they’d need to bring in some additional corner outfield help in that scenario.

New York Notes: Figueredo, Payrolls, Headley, Harvey

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George A. King III of the New York Post relays the tragic news that Yankees prospect Alexander Figueredo, a 20-year-old left-handed pitcher, was shot to death in his native Venezuela. Figueredo missed the 2016 season on the suspended/restricted list for unknown reasons, though the circumstances that led to his suspension seem wholly unimportant in the wake of King’s report. We at MLBTR would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends, loved ones and teammates of Figueredo as well as the entire Yankees organization in light of the talented youngster’s untimely passing.

As we all keep Figueredo’s family and friends in our thoughts, a few items pertaining to New York’s two teams…

  • Both the Yankees and Mets are telling agents that they need to move some veteran pieces in trades before they can sign additional talent this winter, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Yankees have been fielding calls on both Chase Headley and Brett Gardner, while the Mets have been listening on Jay Bruce and Curtis Granderson (with a strong preference to deal the former rather than the latter). The Mets and Yankees both have interest in relievers Boone Logan and Brad Ziegler, but neither is likely to head to the Big Apple barring a preceding trade of a notable veteran.
  • Trading Headley is likely more difficult for the Yankees than many realize, and not solely due to the remaining $26MM on his contract, writes Sherman in a second piece. While it’s true that Headley is a roughly average player earning $13MM annually, the Yankees are also short on MLB-ready replacements, Sherman notes. Ronald Torreyes is more of a utility option than a candidate to replace Headley as an everyday option. Trading for someone like Todd Frazier would fill the void, but only for one year, and Frazier comes with a similar salary plus the loss of minor league talent that would need to be sent to the White Sox. The free-agent market presents options like Luis Valbuena and Trevor Plouffe, which could leave the Yankees enough money to add a setup man in free agency, but each of those scenarios is contingent on multiple moves coming together, making it difficult to bank on them.
  • Mets right-hander Matt Harvey started up a throwing program last month and is progressing well in his recovery from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, he tells Newsday’s Marc Carig. “That’s all gone,” Harvey said of the tingling and numbness he was experiencing in his fingertips due to the nerve issue near his shoulder that necessitated the operation. “My hand was really cold all the time. So, I’ve got some warmth back. No more tingling. And the ball’s really coming out really good right now, especially for December.” Harvey was brilliant in his 2015 return from Tommy John surgery, but TOS limited him to 92 2/3 innings in 2016. In that time, he logged a highly uncharacteristic 4.86 ERA with a diminished strikeout rate and increased walk rate. A healthy Harvey would go a long way toward helping the Mets back to the postseason for the third straight year, though he’s one of many arms that will enter 2017 with some injury question marks. Steven Matz had surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow and also battled shoulder problems this year, while Jacob deGrom underwent ulnar nerve surgery a few months back and Zack Wheeler never pitched in the Majors due to lingering problems in his recovery from 2015 Tommy John surgery.

Cubs Sign Koji Uehara

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After announcing the acquisition of Wade Davis from the Royals last week, the Cubs have struck again to further bolster their bullpen, announcing on Tuesday the signing of right-hander Koji Uehara to a one-year deal. Uehara, a client of ISE Baseball, will reportedly be guaranteed a total of $6MM with his new team. The Cubs had open space on their 40-man roster, which now stands at 37 players, so no corresponding 40-man move is necessary to finalize the latest addition.

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Uehara will join the Cubs after a strong four-year run at the back of Boston’s bullpen. At last check, the Red Sox looked likely to move on from Uehara — Alex Speier of WEEI.com tweeted last week that the Red Sox had made an offer, but Uehara wasn’t ready to respond, so the team acquired Tyler Thornburg instead — and Uehara now indeed lands with his fourth big league organization. The Cubs have been known to be looking for bullpen help even after their trade for Davis, and Uehara will deepen their relief corps and bring a highly experienced arm to manager Joe Maddon’s staff.

With Davis in tow, Uehara almost certainly won’t close for the Cubs, as he did for Boston in 2012-2014. But his presence provides some added peace of mind for the defending World Series champs, particularly since Davis dealt with forearm issues in 2016. Chicago now features a rather robust assortment of experienced, high-leverage righties in the pen. Both Hector Rondon and Pedro Strop — who spent much of 2016 as the team’s closer and top set-up option, respectively — remain on hand.

[Related: Updated Chicago Cubs Depth Chart]

As for Uehara, there’s a reason a pitcher of his repute was available on a modest contract. Most importantly, he’ll turn 42 near the start of the season. His fastball velocity also continued to dip in 2016, falling to an average of 86.7 MPH, generally dangerous territory for a righty. He also became incredibly fly-ball-prone, with a minuscule 21.4 GB%, and coughed up 1.53 homers per nine innings. Also, Uehara missed time in 2016 due to a pectoral injury, interrupting what had been a strong run of durability.

Still, Uehara remained very effective last season, posting a 3.45 ERA, 12.1 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 over 47 innings. If the contract does turn out to be for $4.5MM, the Cubs’ risk is minimal, particularly for a pitcher who hasn’t yet had a bad season in eight years since arriving from Japan. For his U.S. career, Uehara has a terrific 2.53 ERA, 10.7 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 over 437 2/3 innings.

Notably, too, Uehara has long dominated opposing hitters on both sides of the plate. While lefty hitters have been ever so slightly better in terms of strikeouts and walks when facing Uehara, they have produced less offensive than have righties. Since the ace reliever landed in the majors, 863 southpaw swingers have combined to hit an anemic .181/.220/.335 against him.

Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald first tweeted the connection between Uehara and the Red Sox. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports tweeted that a deal was done. ESPNChicago.com’s Jesse Rogers reported the salary details (via Twitter).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Blue Jays Sign T.J. House To Minor League Deal

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The Blue Jays announced on Wednesday that they’ve signed former Indians left-hander T.J. House to a minor league contract and invited him to Major League Spring Training.

[Related: Updated Toronto Blue Jays Depth Chart]

Back in 2014, House looked to have emerged as a viable back-of-the-rotation option in Cleveland after tossing 102 innings of 3.35 ERA ball and averaging 7.1 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 to go along with a hefty 60.9 percent ground-ball rate as a 25-year-old rookie. However, House spent a pair of stints on the disabled list with shoulder problems in 2015, the latter of which sidelined him for the final four months of the season. In the two years since that promising debut, he’s pitched just 15 2/3 innings in the Majors and allowed 20 runs on 27 hits and 12 walks with nine strikeouts. Now 27 years of age, House did manage a 3.98 ERA in 72 1/3 innings with Triple-A Columbus last season, but his 6.2 K/9 rate and 5.4 BB/9 rate were hardly encouraging.

For the Blue Jays, left-handed depth is an area of clear need on their pitching staff, though. Toronto lost Brett Cecil to a four-year deal with the Cardinals earlier this offseason and has yet to bring in a proven southpaw to take his place. The Jays’ top left-handed options in the ’pen are Aaron Loup, Chad Girodo, Matt Dermody and Ryan Borucki, plus non-roster invitee Brett Oberholtzer.

Diamondbacks Sign Jeff Mathis

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DEC. 14: Mathis will earn $2MM in both 2017 and 2018, tweets Jack Magruder of FanRag Sports.

DEC. 2, 6:44pm: It’s a two-year, $4MM deal, according to reports from SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (via Twitter) and Piecoro (Twitter link).

6:35pm: The Diamondbacks have agreed to a deal with free agent catcher Jeff Mathis, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reports on Twitter. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic had just tweeted the connection between player and team.

Mathis will step into the fold as Welington Castillo departs, with the Diamondbacks electing to go with a less-costly, more defensively proficient option behind the dish. He’ll presumably share time in some manner with Chris Herrmann, who posted a big offensive season (albeit in a short sample) in 2016. Oscar Hernandez also remains an option on the 40-man.

Unlike Castillo, who is a shaky framer, Mathis has long been viewed as a strong gloveman. Both StatCorner and Baseball Prospectus rate him as one of the game’s better receivers at winning borderline strike calls for his pitchers.

Of course, Mathis also brings little to the table offensively. He’s a lifetime .197/.254/.308 hitter over his dozen seasons in the majors. Though his 63 OPS+ last year was his best mark since 2012, Arizona won’t expect much at the plate.

White Sox Sign Derek Holland

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The White Sox have officially agreed to a one-year deal with free-agent starter Derek Holland that pays him a reported $6MM. The 30-year-old southpaw, a client of Martini Sports Management, can also earn $2MM in incentives, $1MM apiece upon reaching 150 and 200 innings pitched.

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Holland hit the open market when the Rangers declined an $11MM club option, preferring instead to pay a $1.5MM buyout when trade talks did not result in a taker. Now, he’ll head to Chicago to function as a near-term rotation piece to step into the opening created when the team dealt ace Chris Sale to the Red Sox.

Certainly, Holland won’t be expected to produce anything like the output of Sale, one of the game’s best starters, but he offers a bit of upside in his own right. He’ll ultimately land the exact guarantee predicted by MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes, who listed Holland 50th in his pre-offseason ranking of free agents in terms of earning power.

It has been a tough and injury-riddled three-year run for Holland, who has managed to provide only 203 innings since the start of 2014. He hasn’t exactly been dominant when healthy, either, posting a 4.30 ERA with 5.9 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 in that span.

That was certainly not what he or the Rangers hoped for when the sides came together on a five-year, $28.5MM deal in the spring of 2012. After a tough first campaign under the new pact, Holland came through in 2013 with a 213-inning, 3.42 ERA gem of a year in which he compiled 8.0 strikeouts against 2.7 free passes per nine innings pitched.

Things began to turn south in the following season, however, as knee and shoulder issues intervened. While Chicago can certainly hope for a bounceback, it will most likely be expecting some solid frames from the veteran hurler. In 2016, he sat nearly three full ticks below his peak average velocity (93.4 mph, in 2013), with a 7.8% swinging-strike rate that fell well below the ~10% mark he carried when at his best.

Given the limited commitment, and Holland’s positive clubhouse reputation, it seems to be a sensible acquisition for a White Sox organization that is hoping to remain somewhat competitive even as it deals away some of its best assets for upper-level prospects. If Holland can stay healthy and restore some of his prior luster on the hill, it’s conceivable that he could turn into a deadline trade piece or even a qualifying-offer candidate next fall.

MLB.com’s Scott Merkin reported that the deal was nearing finalization. MLB.com’s TR Sullivan reported that the deal was done (via Twitter). Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News had the terms (links via Twitter), with Jon Heyman of Fan Rag adding the incentives breakdown on Twitter. 

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

White Sox Designate Matt Purke

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The White Sox have designated lefty Matt Purke for assignment, per a team announcement. His roster spot will go to just-signed southpaw Derek Holland.

Purke, 26, finally made it to the big leagues last year, throwing 18 relief innings in a dozen appearances. It didn’t go quite as hoped, as Purke allowed 11 earned runs on twenty hits, with 15 strikeouts and 12 walks. He did manage a 3.52 ERA in his 38 1/3 Triple-A frames, though his 8.9 strikeouts were accompanied by 5.4 walks per nine innings at Charlotte.

Still, it was an accomplishment to make it that far for a talented southpaw who had dealt with shoulder problems throughout his career. Given a significant bonus as a third-round pick by the Nationals back in 2011, Purke never developed quite as hoped. While he did average better than 92 mph with his fastball in his brief MLB stint, he obviously has continued to struggle with control — a problem that has reared its head at several points in his minor-league career.

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