Diamondbacks Sign Kevin Jepsen To Minor League Deal
FEB. 16: FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets that Jepsen’s deal comes with a $2.25MM base salary upon making the Major League roster.
FEB. 13: The Diamondbacks announced that they’ve signed veteran right-hander Kevin Jepsen to a minor league deal. Arizona also announced its previously reportedly minors deal with Brian Matusz this morning as well, giving them a pair of experienced arms to add to their Spring Training mix. Jepsen is represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council.
Now 32 years of age, Jepsen enjoyed a career year in 2015 with the Rays and Twins, but he split the 2016 season between the same two clubs and struggled through the worst full season of his career. Traded from the Angels to the Rays in the 2014-15 offseason, Jepsen opened the year with 41 2/3 innings of 2.81 ERA ball for Tampa Bay that season. The Twins, who were surprising contenders in 2015, traded a pair of minor league arms (Chih-Wei Hu and Alexis Tapia) to the Rays to get Jepsen at the deadline, and he pitched brilliantly in Minnesota down the stretch. In 28 inning for the Twins, Jepsen logged a pristine 1.61 ERA with a 25-to-7 K/BB ratio, and he ultimately picked up 10 saves after Glen Perkins was injured late in the year.
A second Perkins injury early in the 2016 season again put Jepsen back into the ninth inning in Minnesota, but he faltered the second time around. Jepsen saw his strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates all take significant steps in the wrong direction in 2016, and the Twins eventually released him after 30 2/3 innings of 6.16 ERA ball. Jepsen latched back on with the Rays but wasn’t able to right the ship, as he logged a 5.68 ERA in 19 innings during his second stint with the Rays.
While the 2016 campaign was obviously a disaster for Jepsen, he posted a combined 2.47 ERA in 134 2/3 innings from 2014-15 and a cumulative 2.93 ERA in 215 1/3 innings from 2012-15. Jepsen’s heated no longer averages the 95-96 mph that it did in its peak, and his average fastball velocity did dip to a career-low 92.8 mph with the Rays last season. He averaged 93.6 mph on the season as a whole, though, and his 94.4 mph average velocity in his excellent 2015 campaign suggests that he doesn’t need to regain all of his heat to experience success.
MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert first reported the deal (via Twitter).
Dodgers Sign Sergio Romo
FEB. 16: FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets that Romo would also earn $125K for making each his 50th and 60th appearance of the season.
FEB. 15: The Dodgers have added some experience to the back of their bullpen, announcing a one-year deal with veteran right-hander and longtime division rival Sergio Romo. The contract reportedly guarantees Romo, a client of Meister Sports, $3MM and affords him a chance to add to that total via incentives. To make room for Romo, right-hander Yimi Garcia was placed on the 60-day disabled list. Garcia is recovering from Tommy John surgery last October.
Romo, 33, is no stranger to Los Angeles; he has been a mainstay of the NL West-rival Giants for the past nine seasons. The right-hander’s familiarity with the NL West and his southern California roots seems to have impacted his decision, as the Nationals and others were said to be interested, but he took a reportedly smaller guarantee than other clubs had offered in order to pitch for the Dodgers.
In over 400 career innings with San Francisco, Romo has compiled an excellent 2.58 ERA with a sparkling 10.2 K/9 against 1.8 BB/9. Though he’s a soft-tosser, he has long beguiled hitters with his slider, helping to produce a lifetime 14.2% swinging-strike rate.
It was much the same in 2016, even as Romo lost about 1.5 mph on his fastball offerings as well as the vaunted slider. He also goes to a change-up at times, though it’s a little-used pitch. While the Giants’ 2016 club will long be remembered for its inability to finish out close games, Romo steadily produced results and did not actually record any of the team’s league-leading thirty blown saves. (Of course, he went on to have two unsuccessful appearances in the NLCS, including one in which he did record a blown save.)
The loss of velocity represents one area of potential concern moving forward. And Romo did spend some time on the DL in 2016, with a flexor tendon strain limiting him to forty total appearances — breaking a run of six-straight seasons in which he had made taken the ball at least 64 times. He also benefited from a lofty 92.3% strand rate and coughed up 1.47 home runs per nine innings, providing some context for his excellent results.
[RELATED: Updated Dodgers Depth Chart]
Still, it seems that Los Angeles did well to land Romo on a one-year commitment. Last time he hit the market, he landed back with the Giants for two years and $15MM. MLBTR had predicted much the same this winter, pegging Romo for another two year pact at a $7MM annual rate. (While that appears to have been off, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes did correctly guess the landing spot.)
Romo presumably slot in with Pedro Baez as part of the righty setup unit in front of closer Kenley Jansen. The move deepens a unit that could also be bolstered by whatever pitchers fail to crack a rotation that’s exceedingly deep — albeit also filled with a number of pitchers who come with health questions.
Jon Morosi of MLB Network first reported the agreement (via Twitter). MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reported that it’d be a one-year pact (via Twitter). FanRag’s Jon Heyman reported the guarantee and said Romo turned down larger offers (Twitter link).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Potential Loria Ambassadorship Could Compromise Marlins Sale Negotiations
Last week, Mike Ozanian of Forbes reported that Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria had a “handshake agreement” in place to sell the team to a New York-based real estate developer, which was later reported (by Steven Wine of the Associated Press) to be Joshua Kushner — the brother of Jared Kushner, who serves as a senior advisor to his father-in-law, president Donald Trump.
In a new and fairly astonishing wrinkle to the story, Daniel Halper of the New York Post reports that White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus pushed for and received sign-off to name Loria the United States ambassador to France. The decisions were made without the approval of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, sources tell Halper, despite the fact that Tillerson was promised a say in the appointment of ambassadors.
In response to this story, the the Kushner group issued a statement to the press suggesting that it will not pursue the purchase of the Marlins if Loria is indeed a nominee or appointee to that post. Via Maggie Haberman of the New York Times (on Twitter):
“Our family has been friends with Jeff Loria for over 30 years, been in business together, and even owned an AAA baseball team together. Although the Kushners have made substantial progress in discussions for us to purchase the Marlins, recent reports suggest that Mr. Loria will soon be nominated by the President to be Ambassador to France. If that is true, we do not want this unrelated transaction to complicate that process and will not pursue it. The Kushners remain interested in purchasing a team and would love to buy the Marlins at another time.”
The potential appointment of Loria is just the latest complication in the potential sale. The initial report of the agreement noted that the Kushner group does not currently have enough liquid assets to meet the $1.6 billion price point that the two sides have reportedly agreed upon. Beyond that, Charles Kushner — Joshua’s father — served a two-year prison sentence last decade, which could have proved problematic when the Kushner group sought ownership approval from the office of Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred. Furthermore, the commissioner’s office released a statement shortly after the initial wave of reports which indicated that it had “not heard directly or indirectly of any conversation involving Charles Kushner.”
Wine’s report indicated that the deal between Loria and Joshua Kushner was made independently of Charles or Jared Kushner, though certainly one would imagine that the Manfred’s approval process would’ve nonetheless been extensive given the circumstances.
Latest On Mets’ Extension Candidates
9:10pm: While a long-term deal with Walker remains possible, it doesn’t seem likely that the Mets will pursue extensions with any of their young starters, Carig reports in a full column. None of Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz or Matt Harvey has approached the team about a long-term deal, and the Mets haven’t been especially proactive in initiating talks given recent injury issues for most of their young arms.
With the exception of Syndergaard, who reportedly pitched much of 2016 with a small bone spur in his right elbow, each of the other three arms is fewer than nine months removed from notable surgery.
Harvey underwent an operation to remove a rib in order to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome last summer, while deGrom had his ulnar nerve repaired shortly thereafter. Matz went under the knife to remove more significant bone spurs than the one that briefly troubled Syndergaard, and he had shoulder issues late in the 2016 season as well.
10:54am: When he accepted the Mets’ $17.2MM qualifying offer last fall, second baseman Neil Walker resolved his status for the coming season, but both he and the club left open the possibility of reaching a longer-term accommodation. While there’s no agreement as yet, the sides have continued to discuss a new contract in the ensuing months, Walker told reporters including MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (Twitter links).
Citing the “potential” for a long-term accord, the 31-year-old switch hitter seemingly suggested that there will be an ongoing effort over the course of the spring to pursue a deal. As Marc Carig of Newsday notes on Twitter, it appears that the “situation looks favorable” for the sides to come together and once again keep Walker from reaching the open market. Indeed they almost reached a three-year pact when Walker was weighing the qualifying offer, according to a report from Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News. And the sides continued talking later in the offseason, Carig adds via Twitter. Both reporters peg the general contract chatter in the three-year, $40MM range.
The veteran second baseman also noted that he’s preparing to try out some other infield positions this spring. He’ll spend at least some time at both third and first base, it seems, which could expand his and the organization’s options in the near term and beyond. With David Wright‘s health still a question mark moving forward and Lucas Duda set to hit the open market after the 2017 campaign, Walker could conceivably become a factor in the corner infield at some point.
Beyond those two spots, the Mets are largely unsettled in the middle infield beyond the coming season. The club holds an option over shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and will hope to see continued strides from prospects Amed Rosario and Gavin Cecchini, though it’s still possible to imagine a need at that position in 2018. Both Walker and Jose Reyes are slated for free agency next fall, and the club dealt away one possible replacement in Dilson Herrera. Though Wilmer Flores remains an option around the infield, he has mostly been utilized in a part-time role, and it’s likely that the organization sees other possibilities such as T.J. Rivera and Matt Reynolds in a similar light.
Given that mix, it’s not surprising to hear that New York has interest in retaining Walker for the future. He has a lengthy track record of steadily above-average offensive production, drew some of the best grades of his career for his fielding in 2016, and says he’s feeling better than he has in quite some time since undergoing season-ending back surgery late last season. Of course, the sides will need to settle on a price and term of years; the single-season QO value is a lofty target for an average payout, though perhaps Walker could command something approaching that level over three or (much less likely) four years. Recent deals that could provide guidance include those reached between Justin Turner and the Dodgers (four years, $64MM), Daniel Murphy and the Nationals (three years, $37.5MM), and Ben Zobrist and the Cubs (four years, $56MM).
Cardinals Not Expected To Pursue Pitching Additions Following Reyes Injury
The Cardinals took a significant hit this week with the news that Alex Reyes will require Tommy John surgery, but the team doesn’t expect to pursue remaining free-agent arms to replace the touted 22-year-old, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com offers a similar take, noting that the organization will utilize Spring Training to evaluate right-handers Michael Wacha, Luke Weaver and Trevor Rosenthal (formerly the team’s closer, though Seung-hwan Oh now owns that title) as options.
Certainly, the free-agent market still bears a number of alternatives, though the majority of arms that are still available at this juncture of the offseason come with perhaps as many questions as any of St. Louis’ internal candidates. Doug Fister, Colby Lewis, Jake Peavy and Jered Weaver are among the top right-handed names left on the market, while Jorge De La Rosa and Jon Niese are the two available lefties that have most recently enjoyed big league success. None of the names in that group enjoyed a fully productive or healthy 2016 campaign. The trade market, of course, bears a far more appealing name in White Sox lefty Jose Quintana, but the asking price on the excellent southpaw remains extremely high.
Per Langosch, Wacha appears to be the early front-runner to join Carlos Martinez, Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn and Mike Leake in what will be an all-right-handed rotation. Still just 25 years of age, Wacha has been plagued by shoulder injuries in recent seasons and posted a disheartening 5.09 ERA in 138 innings last year. However, his strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates all remained fairly consistent relative to his more successful 2013-15 seasons, and his average fastball (93.2 mph) was the same as it was in a very solid 2014 campaign.
ERA alternatives pegged Wacha for a mark much closer to 4.00 than his 5.09 mark, with FIP leading the charge at a solid 3.91. Wacha did experience a stark increase in BABIP last season, as his average on balls in play rose from .272 in 2015 to .334 last year. Also working against him was a strand rate (64.7 percent) that sat six percent below his career mark. Wacha logged a 3.21 ERA in 353 innings from 2013-15, so it’s certainly plausible that he can return to form if his shoulder holds up.
As for Weaver (Luke, not Jered), the young right-hander was the Cardinals’ first-round pick in 2014 and has received some Top 100 prospect fanfare from pundits around the game. He posted a sensational 1.30 ERA in 83 innings between Double-A and Triple-A last season, averaging 10.0 K/9 against 1.3 BB/9 before struggling in his MLB debut. The 23-year-old was charged with 23 earned runs on the strength of 46 hits and a dozen walks in 36 1/3 big league innings, resulting in a dismal 5.70 ERA. Weaver threw just six innings in Triple-A last season — his only experience at that level — so it’d hardly be a surprise if the preference among St. Louis decision-makers was for him to get a bit more minor league seasoning.
Rosenthal was at one point a vaunted starting pitching prospect broke but into the league as a reliever in 2012 and never looked back. He posted a 2.78 ERA with a 25-to-7 K/BB ratio in 22 2/3 innings of relief as a rookie and was entrenched in the ninth inning less than two calendar years later. Rosenthal, though, saw his control dissipate in 2016 (6.5 BB/9) and surrendered considerably more hits (on a rate basis) than he ever has in his career. A .425 average on balls in play against him assuredly didn’t help his cause, but throwing strikes and commanding the ball within the zone were both obvious issues for the former All-Star in 2016. Beyond that, his season was shortened by shoulder inflammation. In his absence, the newly signed Oh (who formerly starred as one of the best closers in KBO and NPB history) seized hold of the Cardinals’ closer role.
Looking past that trio, the Redbirds have options in the form of southpaws Tyler Lyons and Marco Gonzales as well as right-hander John Gant (who came over to the Cards in the Jaime Garcia trade). While the addition of depth on minor league deals should probably never be ruled out for any club, the Cards do seemingly possess enough depth to weather the loss of Reyes. Should further injuries arise in camp, the team could always look to external options, but significant additions don’t seem likely at this point.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Click here to read the transcript for MLBTR Live Chat With Jason Martinez: February 15, 2017
Blue Jays In Talks With Mat Latos
The Blue Jays are “far along” in contract talks with free-agent righty Mat Latos, reports Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. Nicholson-Smith notes that there’s no guarantee that the Jays will finalize a deal with the Bledsoe Agency client, but they’ve been in touch with Latos’ representatives multiple times over the past couple of weeks.
The 29-year-old Latos opened the 2016 season with the White Sox and got off to a strong start, logging a stellar 0.74 ERA through his first 24 1/3 innings with the South Siders. That excellent mark was buoyed by a .167 BABIP, though, and the 13-to-7 K/BB ratio that Latos logged in those four starts also served as a bad omen. Over the next six weeks or so, Latos posted a 7.25 ERA with 18 walks against 19 strikeouts before being released in mid-June. He’d later hook on with the Nationals and toss 9 2/3 innings, during which he yielded seven runs on 11 hits and five walks with 10 strikeouts.
Latos now sports an unsightly 4.93 ERA in 186 1/3 innings across the past two big league seasons, and he’s seen his average fastball velocity dip from 92.6 mph to 90.2 mph in the wake of knee 2014 knee surgery. However, he did enjoy a nice run of 15 starts in the middle of the 2015 season, and prior to that campaign, he was an excellent young arm for the Padres and Reds. Latos posted an ERA better than 3.50 each season from 2010-14, averaging 8.2 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in that time while making a smooth transition from the pitcher-friendly Petco Park to the hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park. Certainly the diminished velocity and poor results in late 2015 and in 2016 are red flags, but Latos would be more of a depth option for Toronto than an expected contributor.
The Blue Jays are set in the rotation with Aaron Sanchez, J.A. Happ, Marcus Stroman, Marco Estrada and Francisco Liriano. The bullpen picture is a bit murkier even after the signings of veteran free agents J.P. Howell and Joe Smith. That duo will join closer Roberto Osuna, setup man Jason Grilli and sophomore Joe Biagini. Latos could conceivably fight for a spot alongside that quintet or head to Triple-A to open the season — assuming a minor league deal is the ultimate outcome — where he’d look to get back on track and await an opportunity at the Major League level.
Sean Rodriguez Likely To Miss 2017 Season After Shoulder Surgery
Braves infielder Sean Rodriguez underwent a procedure to repair the rotator cuff in his left shoulder, per a club announcement. Though the team did not provide a timetable, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets that it’s likely Rodriguez will miss the entire 2017 campaign after suffering what MLB.com’s Mark Bowman describes (via Twitter) as a complete tear.
Rodriguez, 31, suffered the injury when he and his family endured a terrifying auto accident that left the driver of another vehicle dead. He had signed on with the Atlanta organization on a two-year deal that promised him $11MM. Upon learning of the injury, the Braves went on to acquire veteran Brandon Phillips to help account for Rodriguez’s absence.
What’s most important here, of course, is the health of Rodriguez and his family. But it’s surely disappointing for him to endure this now, after turning in a career-best 2016 campaign for the Pirates. Soon to turn 32, Rodriguez put up a .270/.349/.510 batting line and swatted 18 home runs in 342 plate appearances. The versatile defender saw time all over the infield and in the corner outfield in Pittsburgh.
Though Rodriguez had been expected to spend most of his time at second base upon arriving in Atlanta, his flexibility could well still come into play for the organization. When he’s able to return, even if it’s not until next season, Rodriguez may find a role as a utility player — at least, that is, assuming that prospect Ozzie Albies makes the progress that the Braves organization surely hopes and expects in the interim.
Minor MLB Transactions: 2/15/17
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- Two players are joining the Orioles on minor-league deals, per a club announcement. Outfielder Michael Choice and corner infielder Juan Francisco both signed on, though it’s not clear whether either has received an invitation to MLB camp. Choice, 27, is a former top prospect who has struggled in his limited chances at the MLB level and hit .246/.304/.456 in 276 Triple-A plate appearances last year. Meanwhile, it’s a return to the affiliated ranks for Francisco, who’s still just 29 years old. He hasn’t seen the majors since 2014, when he did manage above-average overall production despite a typically subpar on-base percentage, and did not play in 2016 after a brief stint in Japan during the prior season. (Note: Francisco’s signing was first reported yesterday, as we covered here.)
- The Orioles also outrighted catcher Francisco Pena after he cleared waivers, as Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com first reported on Twitter. Pena, 27, scuffled in limited MLB action but will still enter camp with at least a shot at winning a reserve role on the Opening Day roster. The out-of-options backstop owns a .248/.294/.453 batting line in extensive Triple-A action and is regarded as a solid defender.
- Also outrighted was right-hander Deolis Guerra, who’ll head to Triple-A for the Angels (though as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register notes on Twitter, he can still reject the assignment). The 27-year-old was recently dropped from the 40-man in favor of another reliever, but the club will get to keep both options on hand. Last year, Guerra contributed 53 1/3 frames of 3.21 ERA ball with 6.1 K/9 and an excellent 1.2 BB/9 for Los Angeles, but the soft-tossing control artist doesn’t seem to have generated much interest from other organizations.
- Finally, the Blue Jays have outrighted lefty Chad Girodo after he cleared waivers, per a club announcement. Recently designated, the 26-year-old will hope to earn his way back to the majors after making his debut in 2016. He did generate grounders at a healthy clip last year, but struggled in his 10 1/3 MLB frames and managed only a 3.79 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in his 35 2/3 innings at Triple-A.
AL Notes: Rodriguez, A’s Closer, Phegley, Adcock, O’s, Wood
Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez was cleared for his first pen session of the spring after suffering a minor knee injury in winter ball action, as Jen McCaffrey of MassLive.com reports. There was added concern given the trouble Rodriguez experienced with the same joint last year, but he was able to throw 40 pitches without incident today. Boston has some depth in the staff, with Rodriguez slated to compete with Drew Pomeranz and Steven Wright for the final two rotation jobs, though maintaining that depth will hinge in no small part upon the ability of the 24-year-old to stay healthy throughout the coming season.
Here are a few more notes from the American League:
- The Athletics may not go with a single closer in 2017, skipper Bob Melvin told reporters including MLB.com’s Jane Lee (Twitter link). Lefty Sean Doolittle and righty Ryan Madson have both handled the job in the recent past for Oakland, while the just-signed Santiago Casilla did the same for the cross-town Giants in recent years and John Axford also has spent plenty of time in the late innings. It’s perhaps imaginable that the less-experienced Ryan Dull could see some chances after a strong 2016.
- There was some good health news out of Athletics camp, as catcher Josh Phegley was cleared for full duty behind the plate, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Phegley had struggled with knee inflammation after undergoing surgery, causing him to miss the second half of the 2016 season, but a change in his stance will hopefully resolve that issue. Oakland is counting on a bounceback campaign from the 29-year-old.
- Righty Nate Adcock will not join Orioles camp as expected, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com was among those to report on Twitter. The 28-year-old righty was hoping to make it back from Tommy John surgery, but now it’s unclear what his next steps will be.
- Meanwhile, the Orioles are still on the market for lefty relief help, Kubatko also tweets. At present, the team’s top two southpaw relievers (outside of closer Zach Britton) are Donnie Hart and T.J. McFarland. With the best remaining free agents all recently leaving the board, only two southpaws (Chris Capuano and Charlie Furbush) remain available among players who qualified for MLBTR’s list of available free agents.
- The Royals‘ signing of lefty Travis Wood was due in part to the unfortunate injury suffered by southpaw Brian Flynn, with GM Dayton Moore telling Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link) that club owner Dan Glass authorizing a payroll bump to make it happen. From Wood’s perspective, the chance to compete for a starting job played a big role in his decision to sign with Kansas City, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan reports via Twitter.