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Indians Interested In Retaining Rajai Davis

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The Indians are interested in keeping outfielder and would-be Game 7 hero Rajai Davis, notes MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian. President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti reiterates that the team would also like to retain slugger Mike Napoli.

“[B]oth for Raj and Mike, we expressed our desire to potentially have them back,” Antonetti says. “And we recognize they both have alternatives, based on the years that they had, but we’re certainly open to exploring different ways where both of them could be back here.”

Davis batted a modest .249/.306/.388 in the regular season after signing a one-year, $5.25MM deal last December, but he still managed to produce good value, thanks in part to his AL-leading 43 stolen bases (and only six caught stealings). He also, of course, had that memorable Game 7 homer.

“This is the best season I’ve ever had in my Major League career,” says Davis. “That would be great if we could get us both back, especially with this group of guys.”

Davis would undoubtedly still be a good complementary piece for Cleveland, particularly given his baserunning value. It will be interesting to see whether they keep him, though, given their outfield depth. Tyler Naquin, Lonnie Chisenhall and Brandon Guyer all performed well for the Indians this year and are controllable for 2017, and Guyer could potentially play center against left-handed pitching (although Cleveland used him exclusively at the corners down the stretch). The Indians also hope to have Michael Brantley healthy for next season, although his shoulder was a problem throughout the 2017 season.

Minor MLB Transactions: 11/4/16

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Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league…

  • The Orioles declined the team’s previously unknown option over righty Logan Ondrusek, as BaltimoreBaseball.com’s Dan Connolly was among those to tweet. Ondrusek had signed with the Orioles out of Japan in the middle of the 2016 season, but was outrighted in late August after a brief stint. It was essentially a formality at this point for the team to decline the option (which was for an unknown amount). Baltimore had hoped that adding Ondrusek would represent a creative way to bolster their relief corps in the middle of the season, and brought him back stateside after he continued to produce good results for the NPB’s Yakult Swallows.
  • The Reds announced that utilityman Ivan De Jesus has been outrighted off of the 40-man roster. He has been a fairly significant part of the major league team over the last two years, playing in 180 total games. But his batting output dwindled in 2016: despite a slightly higher batting average and identical .311 OBP in comparison to his 2015 line, De Jesus slugged only .312 in his 243 plate appearances.
  • Two recently outrighted Mariners — lefty Charlie Furbush and catcher Steve Clevenger — have both elected free agency rather than accepting a minor league assignment, per MLB.com’s Greg Johns. The team is still waiting to learn what righty Ryan Cook will do; he, too, was recently cut from the 40-man.
  • Lefty Ricky Romero will remain with the Giants on a minor league deal, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter). Soon to tun 32, Romero is now well removed from his days as an effective major league starter. He only appeared in two games in 2016, both at the Triple-A level, and has thrown just 53 2/3 total innings professionally since 2013 — the last season in which he reached the big leagues.
  • The Yankees selected the contracts of catcher Kyle Higashioka and right-hander Domingo German, adding them to thee 40-man roster in advance of the Rule 5 draft. Though he’s already 26, and has been Rule 5-eligible before, Higashioka is coming off of his most promising season as a professional. Over 416 plate appearances at Double-A and Triple-A, he slashed .276/.337/.511 with 21 home runs. Meanwhile, the 24-year-old German pitched last year at the Class A and High-A level after missing all of 2015 due to Tommy John surgery. He ended up starting ten games and posting a 3.81 ERA over 49 2/3 innings, with 6.9 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9, but will look to get fully back on his promising track next year.

Earlier Updates

  • The Tigers announced that they have selected the contracts of right-hander Myles Jaye and left-hander Chad Bell from Triple-A Toledo. The 24-year-old Jaye split the 2016 season between Detroit’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, working to a combined 3.95 ERA with 7.5 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and a 53.3 percent ground-ball rate in 161 2/3 innings (28 starts). MLB.com ranks Jaye as Detroit’s No. 26 prospect, writing that he has a 91-93 mph and a solid three-pitch mix but also noting that he lacks an out pitch. Their report pegs his ceiling as a fourth or fifth starter and says he’s not far from Major League readiness. Meanwhile, the 27-year-old Bell posted a 3.29 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 3.9 BB/9 and a 52 percent ground-ball rate in 98 1/3 innings at Triple-A between the Rangers and Tigers organizations. Detroit picked him up from Texas in the May trade that sent catcher Bobby Wilson to the Rangers. Bell worked more as a reliever than a starter and held opposing lefties to a .605 OPS, including a .286 slugging percentage. He’ll join Kyle Ryan, Blaine Hardy and Joe Mantiply as options to serve as a second lefty behind Justin Wilson in Detroit’s bullpen next year.

Royals Open Extension Talks With Danny Duffy

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The Royals have opened extension talks with lefty Danny Duffy, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan reports. At this point, it seems that discussions have not moved beyond the preliminary stage, but there is said to be mutual interest in a deal.

While there doesn’t appear to be any particular momentum toward a pact — Flanagan says the sides have yet to exchange “firm details or proposals” — it’s notable that the talks are taking place. Duffy is entering his final season of arbitration eligibility, making him one of several notable Kansas City players who’ll qualify for free agency after the year. While the club is already locked in for longer commitments on several key regulars, there appear to be some payroll pressures and there is plenty of uncertainty as to how things will play out with so many fixtures set to depart.

Contract talks were inevitable, of course; if nothing else, there’s the matter of Duffy’s final arb payday to be sorted out. MLBTR projects him to earn $8.2MM after a strong year in which he racked up 179 2/3 innings despite making 16 relief appearances to go with his 26 starts. He ended the year with a 3.51 ERA and 9.4 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9, while also showing improved fastball velocity, filling up the strike zone more than ever, and registering a career-high 12.4% swinging-strike rate.

GM Dayton Moore declined to comment, noting only that the club hopes to secure its best homegrown players when it’s able. And Duffy said he wasn’t aware of the talks, though he left no doubt that he is hoping for a long-term deal with the team. “I want to stay with the Royals long term,” he said. “One hundred percent. For sure.”

Despite his evident interest, finding a valuation for Duffy that suits the team’s needs will not be an easy task. Duffy will be entering his age-29 season when he qualifies for free agency, so he’ll have prime years to sell, and he showed enough last year to believe he could line up for a rather significant contract with another quality campaign. While his relative youth also enhances his appeal to Kansas City, it means that the team will either need to stretch beyond its typical comfort zone — after doing so already last winter for Ian Kennedy — or try to convince Duffy to take a team-friendly payout.

Mets Outright Justin Ruggiano

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The Mets have outrighted outfielder Justin Ruggiano off of the team’s 40-man roster, ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin reports. Ruggiano elected free agency after clearing waivers.

After a brief stint early in the year with the Rangers, the 34-year-old was added by the Mets in July as the club sought to fill in for a variety of injured players. The hope was that he’d provide a boost from the right side of the plate, but his own maladies kept Ruggiano from playing much of a role (though he did have one rather memorable moment).

Ultimately, Ruggiano ended up taking just 26 plate appearances on the year, breaking a string of five consecutive seasons in which he had topped 100 trips to the plate. He did hit well in that very limited action, though, and also ended the 2015 season on a high note. With a .258/.322/.439 lifetime batting line to support him, Ruggiano figures to have a solid chance to earn a roster spot somewhere next spring.

Diamondbacks Name Torey Lovullo Manager

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4:55pm: Arizona has announced the hiring. Lovullo will receive a three-year deal, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter).

12:03pm: The Diamondbacks will hire Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo as their new manager, reports John Gambodoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM in Phoenix (via Twitter). Lovullo, who obviously has a strong connection with former Red Sox GM and newly minted Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen, has long been rumored to be the favorite for the managerial vacancy that opened when the D-backs fired Chip Hale at season’s end. The D-backs were said as of yesterday to be choosing between Lovullo and their own Triple-A manager, Phil Nevin.

Lovullo has been Boston’s bench coach for the past four seasons and comes with quite a bit of managerial experience, albeit most coming in the minor leagues. Lovullo spent 10 seasons as a minor league skipper between the Indians and Red Sox organizations and also acted as interim manager for the Red Sox while John Farrell underwent treatment for lymphoma late in the 2015 season. Lovullo has long been touted as a managerial prospect and was reportedly one of two finalists for the Twins’ vacancy before the team hired Paul Molitor prior to the 2015 season.

With Lovullo joining the Diamondbacks, the Red Sox have now lost three highly influential organizational figures to Arizona in a span of mere weeks. Hazen left his post as the Red Sox GM to take the same title with the D-backs, and while the move isn’t a promotion in the sense of title, it certainly is in terms of responsibility; Hazen was the clear No. 2 to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski in Boston but is the top decision-maker in his new role with the Snakes. Additionally, now-former Red Sox vice president of international/amateur scouting Amiel Sawdaye followed Hazen to Arizona, where he’ll serve as a senior vice president and assistant general manager.

Diamondbacks Claim Jeremy Hazelbaker

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The Diamondbacks have claimed outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker off waivers from the Cardinals, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). He represents the first player acquisition for new GM Mike Hazen.

[RELATED: Updated Diamondbacks Depth Chart]

Hazelbaker debuted last year in St. Louis at 28 years of age, breaking onto the scene with an unexpectedly hot start. He ultimately came back down to earth, though, and ended the year with a cumulative .235/.295/.480 slash and 12 home runs over 224 plate appearances. Hazelbaker’s sub-par on-base percentage and 28.6% strikeout rate raise questions about whether he can produce consistently at the big league level — particularly if he isn’t able to maintain a lofty .245 isolated power mark.

While there is cause for pessimism in a player who has never really been seen as much of a prospect and wasn’t able to crack the majors until his age-28 campaign, there are also some reasons for hope. Hazelbaker has abused Triple-A pitching since coming to St. Louis in the middle of the 2015 season, and has shown some pop at times in the past. Plus, the lefty hitter was much better against right-handed pitching, suggesting he could have some platoon function.

It’s not yet clear just what Arizona intends to do with Hazelbaker, but he could certainly share time in a corner outfield spot or play off the bench. David Peralta is the team’s only established, southpaw-swinging outfielder, though youngster Socrates Brito also saw a good bit of major league time last year and players like Zach Borenstein may be ready to challenge for an opportunity.

Phillies Acquire Pat Neshek

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The Phillies have struck a deal to acquire reliever Pat Neshek from the Astros, as Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle first reported (via Twitter). Houston will receive a player to be named later or cash in the swap.

Jul 16, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Houston Astros relief pitcher Pat Neshek (37) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the sixth inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Neshek, 36, was controllable for the coming season through a $6.5MM club option. Philadelphia has exercised that option, as it announced along with the trade. The Astros were reportedly considering a trade of the veteran righty with his option decision coming due, and found a willing partner in a Phillies organization that has a need for bullpen depth.

The sidearming Neshek primarily delivers a sinker-slider combo has been rather effective over the past few years. While he hasn’t matched his output from a breakout 2014 stint with the Cardinals, Neshek is fresh off a year in which he contributed 47 innings of 3.06 ERA pitching with 8.2 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9.

Neshek has never carried much velocity, and has maintained his average fastball over recent years, so his age isn’t a significant concern. The biggest issue is his performance against lefties, who torched him for a .250/.321/.646 batting line and four home runs in 55 plate appearances last year. Of course, Neshek was exceedingly stingy when facing righties, who managed an anemic .172/.209/.254 batting line against him in 2016.

Those dramatic splits make Neshek somewhat unlikely to challenge for the Phillies’ somewhat unsettled closer’s role. But he could take an important spot in the pecking order for late-inning setup opportunities. Neshek provides the team with a veteran pen piece to help lock down winnable games as the Phils seek to move back towards contention — just the kind of target posited in our offseason outlook for the organization. He could also turn into a deadline trade chip. With only a single-season commitment required, and very little on the Philadelphia books, it was a fairly easy risk to take.

[RELATED: Updated Phillies Depth Chart]

For the Astros, whose bullpen was one of the game’s very best last year, it obviously made more sense to re-allocate the cash that might otherwise have gone to Neshek. Houston has plenty of options on hand to take over Neshek’s innings, and is already busying itself with building out the rest of its roster as it seeks to return to the postseason following a disappointing 2016 campaign.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rays Promote Erik Neander, Chaim Bloom

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The Rays have announced a restructuring of their front office, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported on Twitter. Erik Neander has been promoted to senior VP of baseball operations and general manager, while Chaim Bloom will also receive a promotion to a senior VP title.

President of baseball operations Matthew Silverman will remain in his position, though it sounds as if there are some changes in the team’s decisionmaking process forthcoming. The organization’s press release says that Neander and Bloom “will directly oversee all functions within baseball operations,” with Neander specifically “focus[ing] on the department’s player evaluation and procurement process.”

Silverman explains in a prepared statement that the move had been envisioned since he took over for Andrew Friedman before the 2015 season. “This evolution is one that we envisioned two years ago,” he said. “I’m proud to work together with Erik and Chaim and empower them to direct the operations of our department.”

At the time of Silverman’s hiring, his primary duties were on the business side of the organization, as Topkin explained at the time. Though he was also involved in significant decision in the operations department, that was primarily Friedman’s domain. With Silverman’s changed role, Brian Auld took over as the team president.

Now, Silverman tells Topkin, he’ll hand off more day-to-day responsibility. “Going forward, the charge is the same with my focus shifting away from daily management and more towards our longer term vision and priorities,” said Silverman. “When it comes to key decisions, we will all work closely together.”

The organization will turn over greater authority to a pair of 33-year-old executives who have long served as key staff members in the organization, with indications being that they’ll work not only as a pair, but also in conjunction with Silverman and newly-anointed VP of baseball ops James Click. “Because of their decade-long working relationship, Erik and Chaim are ideal partners to team up on the daily management of our department,” Silverman explained. “The GM title marks Erik’s focus on our player acquisition process.”

 

Mariners Claim Dean Kiekhefer

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The Mariners have announced the claim of lefty Dean Kiekhefer off waivers from the Cardinals. Seattle now has four open spots remaining on its 40-man roster.

Kiekhefer, 27, debuted last year for the Cardinals, but didn’t impress in his 22 frames. He allowed 13 earned runs with a 14:7 K/BB ratio over that span while averaging just 88 mph with his fastball. Right-handed hitters mashed against the soft-tossing southpaw, though he did limit opposing lefties to a .209/.261/.326 slash. Presumably, Seattle has thoughts of possibly using him in a LOOGY role.

Things do look a lot more promising when you glance at the minor league numbers. Kiekhefer has shown masterful command, permitting just 1.2 walks per nine to fuel a 2.38 ERA through 151 Triple-A innings, though he has never been much of a strikeout pitcher (6.5 K/9 in the highest level of the minors).

Angels Claim Vicente Campos From Diamondbacks

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The Angels announced that they’ve claimed right-hander Vicente Campos off waivers from the Diamondbacks this afternoon. Campos was originally acquired by Arizona in the trade that sent Tyler Clippard to the Yankees over the summer, but ended up undergoing surgery for a fractured ulnar this September that came with an expected eight-month recovery time, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic notes on Twitter.

The 24-year-old Campos made his Major League debut this season, tossing 5 2/3 innings of relief for Arizona (in one appearance) and allowing three runs on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts. He pitched across three minor league levels this season between the D-backs and Yankees systems, ultimately spending most of his time at Double-A. In 142 2/3 minor league innings this year, Campos notched a 3.22 ERA with 7.6 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9.

Originally a Mariners farmhand, Campos went to the Yankees along with Michael Pineda in the now-lopsided Jesus Montero trade. MLB.com rated him 14th among Yankees prospects midway through the season and noted that he has the potential for three average-or-better offerings but also comes with serious durability concerns. That he was able to total a combined 148 1/3 innings between the Majors and minors this year — easily a career-high — bodes well for an Angels team that is in unequivocal need of pitching depth if he can recover from his surgery. Campos may not be ready to open the season on a big league pitching staff, as he has just 6 2/3 total innings at Triple-A in his career and will still be returning to full health, but he could eventually emerge as an option for the Halos next season.

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