Tigers Notes: Kinsler, Zimmermann, Center Field, Gose
Ian Kinsler‘s stance on his limited no-trade clause — that he’d want an extension to waive it, per his agent — seemed to complicate potential trade talks between the Dodgers and Tigers. But it was never known just what kind of new contract he’d have sought, and the veteran second baseman suggested today that the trade protection wouldn’t have posed a major barrier, as MLB.com’s Jason Beck reports. “I don’t think that was going to stand in the way of a trade,” said Kinsler, who seems likely to open the season with Detroit. It wouldn’t have been preferable to veto a deal and end up back with the Tigers, he noted, explaining that “it’s just kind of awkward to have a trade in place and then have it fall through.” After praising GM Al Avila for his handling of the matter, Kinsler said of the no-trade clause: “[W]hen you have protection, you need to use it. That’s what it’s built in for. That’s how I was going to go about it.” The organization has largely held pat with its veterans, despite prior suggestions that some kind of sell-off might occur this offseason, and Beck writes that the core players seem relieved and excited at the prospect of at least one more run together.
Here’s more from Motown:
- A return to form from a few key players could certainly turn the tide for the Tigers, with righty Jordan Zimmermann certainly representing an important part of the equation. As Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports, Zimmermann set out to solve his neck issues. He has undergone treatments and says he feels good, though it seems that he’s still dealing with some tightness.
- After acquiring Mikie Mahtook, the Tigers now have an interesting camp battle lined up for time in center field, as Evan Woodberry of MLive.com explores. He’ll likely be competing with former LSU teammate JaCoby Jones to take the right-handed side of a platoon situation. Things are looking good for the left-handed-hitting Tyler Collins, Woodberry notes, since the organization designated Anthony Gose to make roster space for Mahtook. Alex Presley appears to be the most likely alternative as a lefty platoon piece.
- Speaking of Gose, former Triple-A manager Lloyd McClendon says that the highly publicized argument between the two is water under the bridge. As George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press writes, McClendon (who is now the big league hitting coach in Detroit) says that he wishes the 26-year-old the best, wherever he ends up. Attributing the spat to the rigors of the working environment, McClendon noted that he and Gose have “had great conversations since then.” As for the still-youthful player’s future? “He’s got a lot of talent,” said McClendon. “Anthony Gose will land on his feet. He’s not the first kid, won’t be the last, that runs out of time with a certain organization. That’s just the nature of our business.”
Rangers To Sign James Loney
The Rangers have agreed to a minor-league deal with first baseman James Loney, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). The veteran will make $1MM if he can break onto the MLB roster.
Loney, 32, played an even 100 games last year for the Mets, who acquired him in May from the Padres after losing Lucas Duda for a lengthy stretch. (San Diego had added Loney over the winter on a minor-league deal.) In his 366 MLB plate appearances in 2016, Loney slashed .265/.307/.397 and hit nine home runs.
Clearly, that wasn’t quite as much production as most teams would like to see out of the first base position. It was the second straight year in which Loney had checked in with below-average overall offensive results. He was much better over the 2013-14 campaigns, however, when he provided the Rays with 1,249 plate appearances of .294/.342/.404 batting.
There are some other limitations, too. Loney has long carried rather drastic platoon splits, though perhaps that makes him a relatively appealing option as a bench bat to face righties. And though he has long been considered a quality defender at first, Loney hasn’t rated quite as well with the glove in recent years — though he still draws average metrics.
For Texas, Loney could compete with prospect Joey Gallo and perhaps also veteran Josh Hamilton for a left-handed-hitting role in the team’s first base/DH mix. Both of those players could conceivably also spend time in the outfield, though neither would likely be a preferable option there and the Rangers aren’t much in need of southpaw-swinging corner outfielders anyway.
Padres Designate Jabari Blash
The Padres have designated outfielder Jabari Blash for assignment, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (Twitter links). His roster spot will go to righty Trevor Cahill, whose previously reported signing is now official.
Blash, 27, has long been an intriguing talent. He struggled in limited MLB opportunities last year, though he has continued to thrive in the upper minors. In 646 total plate appearances at the Triple-A level, he owns a .246/.364/.550 batting line with 45 home runs.
San Diego had taken Blash in the Rule 5 draft, but couldn’t hold him on the major league roster after his tepid start to the year. The club ultimately acquired his rights permanently via trade, but evidently doesn’t see him as a likely part of the 2017 outfield mix. The Friars have a host of other interesting, largely inexperienced players set to vie for playing time this spring.
[RELATED: Updated Padres Depth Chart]
As for Cahill, you can read more about his deal here. It’s for $1.75MM, and Lin notes that there are also incentives. The particular bonuses available depend upon whether he is utilized as a starter or a reliever, which will presumably be sorted out this spring (and as the season progresses).
Cubs To Sign Jim Henderson
The Cubs have agreed to a minor-league deal with righty Jim Henderson, according to Chris Cotillo of SB Nation (Twitter links). He’ll join a fairly well-stocked pen mix in Cubs’ camp this spring, where he’ll presumably have a chance to battle for a job. If things don’t go as hoped, Henderson will have two opt-out opportunities, first on March 29th and later on June 1st, Cotillo adds on Twitter.
Henderson, 34, had a solid bounceback season in 2016 with the Mets, who signed him to a minor-league deal last offseason. Once the Brewers’ closer, he had succumbed to shoulder issues in 2014 and failed to crack the majors in the following season.
Over the course of the 2016 campaign, Henderson provided New York with 35 innings of 4.11 ERA ball and compiled 10.3 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9. Despite showing that he could still generate some strikeouts, averaging better than 93 mph on his fastball, and coming with three years of control available via arbitration, Henderson was outrighted after the season.
Of course, it wasn’t all roses. Henderson missed a good bit of time with a biceps issue and struggled to keep opposing hitters in the yard — allowing 1.8 dingers per nine innings pitched, well above the league average. Though Henderson coughed up homers on just 13.2% of the flies put in play against against him last year, right near the league-average mark, he was also among the most flyball-prone hurlers in baseball. And despite his healthy K tallies, Henderson’s swinging-strike rate of 9.9% was nowhere near his prior levels.
Marlins Have Discussed Chris Carter, Mark Reynolds
The Marlins would still like to add a right-handed bat to pair with Justin Bour at first base and have had discussions about sluggers Chris Carter and Mark Reynolds, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter links). However, the Fish don’t have much in the way of extra financial resources at the moment and may need to get the right-handed bat they’re seeking on a non-roster invite. That would certainly seem to eliminate Carter from their list of possibilities, and it might make Reynolds difficult to lure in as well. The Marlins currently project to open the year with a $115MM payroll.
Carter, 30, was non-tendered to the surprise of some back in December despite the fact that he finished the 2016 season tied for the National League lead with 41 home runs. (Carter also led the NL in a much less flattering category, striking out 206 times in 644 plate appearances.) The role that Miami is seeking, from my vantage point, would be a tough sell for Carter anyhow, as he’d surely prefer more playing time than the short side of a platoon could offer. Despite his penchant for striking out and his unsightly .222 batting average, Carter did post a .321 on-base percentage and a .499 slugging percentage last year. His overall contributions at the plate were decidedly above the league average, as they have been on the whole dating back to the 2012 season.
The 33-year-old Reynolds is fresh off an impressive-looking .282/.356/.450 batting line, though he did post those numbers while playing his home games at Coors Field. The production was strong nonetheless, however, and Reynolds can also point to the fact that the 25.4 percent strikeout rate he posted last year was the lowest of his career. He did suffer a broken hamate bone which ended his season prematurely, though the injury didn’t require surgery. Reynolds had some uncharacteristic struggles against left-handed pitching in 2016 with the Rox, and isn’t a true lefty masher; rather, he’s had roughly even splits over the course of his big league career. Still, Reynolds’ lifetime .233/.346/.445 batting line against lefties would be an improvement over what the team can realistically expect for Bour, who has batted .223/.273/.291 in 110 career PAs against lefties.
If neither Carter nor Reynolds is in the Marlins’ financial wheelhouse, the team could look to potentially cheaper options that remain on the open market such as Dae-ho Lee and Jerry Sands. The 34-year-old Lee batted .261/.329/.446 in 173 PAs against southpaws last season, while Sands is a career .285/.335/.477 hitter when holding the platoon advantage.
Athletics Sign Alejandro De Aza To Minor League Deal
The Athletics have signed veteran outfielder Alejandro De Aza to a minor league contract and invited him to Major League Spring Training, the team announced on Friday. De Aza can earn at a $1.75MM rate if he cracks the MLB roster, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (Twitter links), with another $1MM in available incentives.
De Aza, 33 in April, posted underwhelming numbers with the Mets after signing a one-year deal last winter, though he finished the year considerably better than he began. After batting a woeful .158/.216/.232 through the end of June, De Aza turned a corner and slashed a respectable .237/.348/.381 from July 1 through season’s end (164 plate appearances). He’s also just one season removed from a solid .262/.333/.422 batting line in 365 plate appearances split between the Orioles, Red Sox and Giants.
The A’s currently figure to have Khris Davis, Rajai Davis, Matt Joyce and Jake Smolinski see plenty of time in the outfield now that Brett Eibner has been designated for assignment. De Aza will compete for a bench spot and could serve as a left-handed complement to either Davis (both hit right-handed), though he’s spent considerably more time in the corner outfield than he has in center in recent years. De Aza did log nearly 300 innings in center for the Mets last season and receive roughly average rankings from Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating, but his overall marks since 2012 aren’t encouraging and, at age 33, it’s tough to reasonably expect a dramatic rebound.
A’s Designate Brett Eibner For Assignment
The Athletics announced on Friday that they’ve designated outfielder Brett Eibner for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander Santiago Casilla, whose two-year deal with the club is now official.
The 28-year-old Eibner’s stay with Oakland proved to be short-lived, as he was acquired from the Royals this past July in a straight-up swap for fellow outfielder Billy Burns. Eibner made his Major League debut with the Royals this season and also logged 123 plate appearances with Oakland, though he didn’t produce at the plate with either club. In a total of 208 trips to the plate, Eibner batted just .193/.266/.353.
Eibner, though, can play all three outfield positions and has a quite productive track record in Triple-A, where he’s spent parts of three seasons. At the top minor league level, Eibner’s a .280/.356/.474 hitter with 38 homers and 20 steals in 979 plate appearances. While he’s never rated as an elite prospect, he was a mainstay on Baseball America’s top 30 Royals prospect lists from 2010-15, ranking 17th as recently as two winters ago. BA noted that Eibner is a plus defender in center and an above-average runner with 15-homer pop. However, he’s also extremely streaky and prone to prolonged slumps, per their most recent report.
Eibner does have minor league options remaining, so any team that picks him up could send him to the minors without exposing him to waivers and utilize him as a depth piece even if there’s no immediately available place on the 25-man roster.
Athletics Sign Santiago Casilla
Right-hander Santiago Casilla has spent his entire career calling the Bay Area home, and that trend will continue in 2017, as he’s signed a two-year deal with the Athletics, the team announced on Friday. Casilla will reportedly be guaranteed a total of $11MM and can earn up to $3MM ($1.5MM each season) worth of incentives based on the number of games he finishes.
[Related: Updated Oakland A’s Depth Chart and A’s Payroll Info]
The 36-year-old Casilla, who is represented by the Legacy Agency, has spent the past seven seasons pitching for the Giants, and prior to that, he spent parts of six seasons pitching for the A’s (two of those years under the name Jairo Garcia).
Casilla spent parts of four seasons serving as the closer in San Francisco, and he’ll add another intriguing arm to a crowded ninth-inning scene in Oakland. Left-hander Sean Doolittle and right-hander Ryan Madson each has recent experience closing out games for manager Bob Melvin, while righty John Axford is just a season removed from picking up 25 saves for the Rockies. Right-hander Ryan Dull also enjoyed a dominant rookie campaign, posting a 2.42 ERA with 8.8 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and a 33.2 percent ground-ball rate in 74 1/3 innings across 70 relief appearances. Casilla now joins that mix and gives Melvin another late-inning option with a strong track record.
In his seven seasons with the Giants, Casilla has logged a pristine 2.42 ERA with 8.3 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 51.7 percent ground-ball rate. He’s saved 123 games for the Giants in that time and, of course, been a part of three World Series victories as well. The 2016 season, though, represented somewhat of a struggle. While he finished the year with a respectable 3.57 ERA, Casilla also suffered nine blown saves and ultimately lost his grip on the closer’s role in San Francisco. Casilla has seen his ground-ball rate decline over the past two years, and perhaps unsurprisingly his home-run rate has spiked as well.
The 2016 season came with plenty of positives as well, however, as Casilla’s 10.1 K/9 rate was the best of his career, and his 93.6 mph average fastball perfectly matched his average velocity from the 2011 campaign — his age-30 season. Casilla’s 2.95 BB/9 rate was also the second-best mark of his career. If Casilla can rein in the home runs to which he’s suddenly become susceptible, his mid-3.00s ERA could trend more closely to its previous levels, as the majority of his secondary stats remain strong.
Of course, the addition of another late-inning arm to the Oakland relief corps could also allow president of baseball operations Billy Beane, GM David Forst and the rest of the Athletics’ front office explore the possibility of trading from its bullpen to address other areas of need on the roster (or simply to bolster the team’s farm system).
It’s been a busy week for the Oakland front office, as Casilla represents the third free agent signed by the A’s in that stretch. Oakland has also picked up veteran outfielder Rajai Davis (another former Athletic) and infielder Trevor Plouffe on a pair of one-year deals in recent days.
Robert Murray of FanRag Sports first reported that the two sides were closing in on a two-year deal (on Twitter). Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that an agreement was in place (Twitter link). MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reported the financial terms (on Twitter), and Slusser tweeted further details on the incentives.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rangers Notes: Ross, First Base, Andrus, Choo
Tyson Ross has already found a new home as a member of the Rangers, officially signing a one-year deal worth a guaranteed $6MM with another $3MM available via incentives earlier this week. With the matter of where he’ll be pitching in 2017 now answered, the question on the minds of many Rangers fans turns to when he’ll be pitching for the team in 2017. Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes that the Rangers and Ross are taking a conservative route in his rehab. One Rangers exec told Wilson that he’s not expecting Ross to pitch in the Majors until May or June. GM Jon Daniels suggested as much as well, Wilson adds. “We would rather err on a little extra time up front with the goal being to finish strong, pitching in big spots, meaningful games down the stretch and hopefully past 162,” said Daniels. Entering the season, then, the Rangers figure to have a competition for the fifth slot in the rotation, with A.J. Griffin, Chi Chi Gonzalez, Dillon Gee and Nick Martinez among the candidates. Top prospect Yohander Mendez will open the year in Triple-A, according to Wilson.
More on the Rangers…
- Texas has long been connected to various first base options on the market, most prominently Mike Napoli, and ESPN’s Jim Bowden writes that the Rangers are waiting to see which of Napoli or Chris Carter can be had on a one-year “pillow” type of contract. A one-year pact for Carter has looked likely for awhile after he was non-tendered by the Brewers, though the Rangers were said to at least be discussing a two-year deal with Napoli earlier this month. It’s possible that Mark Trumbo‘s new deal with the Orioles will help to accelerate the market for the remaining two right-handed 30-homer bats on the market.
- Wilson also writes that shortstop Elvis Andrus, who underwent sports hernia surgery two months ago, expects to be a bit limited early in Spring Training and will likely miss the World Baseball Classic due to his recovery process. However, Andrus expects to be up to full speed by the end of Spring Training and feels confident he’ll be in the Opening Day lineup. The 28-year-old Andrus said he first began feeling the effects of the injury last May. While he was comfortable at the plate, Andrus did note that the injury impacted him on the bases and in the field.
- Shin-Soo Choo tells MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan that he doesn’t feel he’s at the point in his career where he needs to be a designated hitter on a full-time basis. The 34-year-old had four separate stints on the disabled list in 2016 and played in just 48 games, but he says he’s fully healthy and ready for Spring Training. Choo is open to the idea of DHing two to three times per week, the outfielder said, but his preference is to remain in the field in the majority of his games. As Sullivan notes, spring performances from Josh Hamilton and Delino DeShields could impact Choo’s role. DeShields, specifically, could cut into Choo’s time in the outfield if he looks capable of returning to center field on a near-everyday basis. In that scenario, Carlos Gomez would slide over to right field, pushing Choo primarily into a DH role.
Orioles Re-Sign Mark Trumbo
11:20am: Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun reports that Trumbo will earn $11MM per season on the deal, and he’ll also receive annual payments of $1.5MM from 2020-22 in the three years immediately following the completion of his contract.
10:05am: Mark Trumbo had a fairly lengthy saga in free agency, but he won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. The Orioles announced on Friday that they’ve re-signed the 2016 MLB home run leader to a new three-year contract that will reportedly guarantee him $37.5MM (with some deferred money). Trumbo, a Wasserman client, also reportedly picks up a partial no-trade clause that will allow him to block deals to seven clubs.
By signing Trumbo, the O’s will lose a chance to recoup a draft pick, as he had declined a qualifying offer from the team at the outset of the offseason. It’s hardly a surprise to see the sides link up for a return, as Baltimore has long been seen as the most aggressive suitor for Trumbo, who just turned 31. Though earlier talks did not progress, Trumbo never seemingly gained much traction with other organizations, likely due to a market filled with power bats and to the rejected qualifying offer.
Baltimore acquired Trumbo last offseason from the Mariners in a deal that worked out excellently for the O’s. He ultimately provided the club with 667 plate appearances of .256/.316/.533 hitting and an MLB-best 47 home runs.
Though that represented a notable step forward in terms of the number of long balls that Trumbo launched — he was a 30-homer threat earlier in his career but had hit just 36 over the past two seasons — his overall output mostly fit within his career norms. Trumbo has long delivered well-above-average pop combined with anemic on-base numbers (.303 lifetime). In 2016, he struck out in 25.5 of his plate appearances while walking 7.6% of the time, right at his career norms.
In the aggregate, Trumbo is more an above-average offensive producer than a true force in the lineup. But there’s no doubt he’s a quality major league hitter, at least so long as he is able to continue squaring up enough balls to post .200+ isolated slugging marks.
The question, though, is just where Trumbo can play in the field. He has consistently rated as one of the game’s worst corner outfielders, no longer plays third, and is blocked at first in Baltimore by fellow slugger Chris Davis. With Hyun Soo Kim and Seth Smith providing left-handed-hitting options for the O’s, though, perhaps Trumbo will only be exposed to the outfield when southpaws take the hill for the opposition. If that’s the team’s approach, then Trumbo will presumably take most of his plate appearances in the DH slot.
Trumbo’s defensive limitations no doubt played a role in the relatively underwhelming interest he seemingly received on the open market. It also surely mattered that several other major power bats were (and are) floating around. Jose Bautista only just signed, receiving less than most expected. Chris Carter was non-tendered by the Brewers despite popping 41 homers in 2016, and is a rather comparable hitter to Trumbo. He has yet to sign; neither have Brandon Moss, Pedro Alvarez, Adam Lind, and Ryan Howard, all of whom hit at least twenty long balls in their most recent seasons.
Though he’ll ultimately fall a fair sight shy of the four-year, $60MM deal that MLBTR predicted, we did note that his limitations as a player and the presence of the qualifying offer could drive his market downward. That’s just what happened here. While Trumbo reportedly turned down more money earlier in the winter from the O’s — reports have variously suggested that the team made a three or four-year offer of around $14MM per season — it’s not clear that he ever had a chance to make substantially more than he’ll end up with.
Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports was the first to report that the two sides had resumed negotiations and were nearing a deal. He also tweeted that a deal was “all but done,” and Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun tweeted that an agreement had been reached, pending a physical. Yahoo’s Jeff Passan (Twitter link) and Heyman (Twitter link) reported the terms of the agreement. Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM reported that Trumbo received a partial no-trade clause (via Twitter).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.