East Notes: Red Sox, Nationals, Yankees, Braves
At least one team has shown interest in left-hander Drew Pomeranz this offseason, but the Red Sox haven’t made him available, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI (Twitter link). Boston subtracted from its starting depth by trading Clay Buchholz to the Phillies on Tuesday, though it still has six quality options in Chris Sale, David Price, AL Cy Young winner Rick Porcello, Pomeranz, Eduardo Rodriguez and Steven Wright. It’s unclear which member of the Pomeranz-Rodriguez-Wright trio will be the odd man out of the rotation to begin next season. While Pomeranz has plenty of relief experience, he was also among the majors’ top starters as a member of the Padres during the first half of 2016. That led the Red Sox to send highly regarded pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza to San Diego in July, but the deal hasn’t yet gone as planned for Boston. Pomeranz wasn’t healthy down the stretch, which caused plenty of controversy, and logged a 4.59 ERA despite a 9.36 K/9 and 3.15 BB/9 in 68 2/3 innings with the Sox.
More from the majors’ East divisions:
- Free agent right-hander Aaron Barrett is drawing interest, including from the Nationals, per Chris Cotillo of SB Nation (Twitter link). The 28-year-old reliever has thus far spent his entire career with Washington, which chose him in the ninth round of the 2009 draft, and has posted a 3.47 ERA, 10.8 K/9 and 3.47 BB/9 in 70 major league innings. Injuries have derailed Barrett of late, unfortunately, as he missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2015. He then fractured his elbow last July and needed a second surgery.
- Yankees right-hander Michael Pineda‘s numbers were “mind-boggling” last season, manager Joe Girardi told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Although he finished seventh among starters in K-BB percentage (20.4), Pineda recorded the majors’ seventh-worst ERA (4.82) across a career-high 175 2/3 innings. Along with the sport’s fourth-highest home run-to-fly ball ratio (17 percent), Pineda surrendered a .339 batting average on balls in play and a bloated .406 mark with two outs. “The average of batted balls in play off of him with two outs [.406] — it just doesn’t make sense,” said Girardi. “You look for reasons. Believe me, we’ll look; I’m sure we’ll look a long time this winter.” Pineda’s issues in 2016 weren’t a first-time occurrence – despite a 20.2 K-BB percentage, he also underwhelmed in run prevention (4.37 ERA), BABIP (.332) and homers (14.7 percent HR/FB ratio) in 2015. He’s now entering a contract year and, along with Masahiro Tanaka and C.C. Sabathia, is one of just three Yankees with significant major league experience from the rotation.
- With outfielders Ender Inciarte, Matt Kemp and Nick Markakis in possession of starting spots, the Braves are leaning toward having Mallex Smith begin 2017 with Triple-A Gwinnett, writes Mark Bowman of MLB.com. “[Smith] is a talented player, but he still needs more development,” president of baseball operations John Hart said. “At the same point, Mallex is interesting because he can do a lot of things for you. He can [play] all three outfield positions and he can run. But the question we are asking ourselves is, ‘Are we doing him a disservice and ultimately ourselves a disservice by making him a role or bench player?'” The 23-year-old Smith factored heavily into Atlanta’s lineup during the first half of last season, but he fractured his left thumb in June and didn’t return until September. All told, the speedy Smith hit .238/.316/.365 with three home runs and 16 steals in 215 plate appearances as a rookie. The Orioles reportedly asked for Smith in exchange for reliever Brad Brach earlier this month, but the Braves turned them down.
Minor MLB Transactions: 12/20/16
The latest minor moves from around baseball:
- Outfielder Juan Perez, third baseman Zack Cox and right-handed reliever Waldis Joaquin have joined the Tigers on minor league deals. Perez’s only major league experience came as a member of the Giants, with whom he batted .224/.267/.316 in 246 plate appearances from 2013-15. All of his time in 2016 was spent with the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate in Iowa, where he slashed .276/.310/.444 with nine home runs and 16 steals in 412 trips to the plate. Cox went to the Cardinals in the first round of the 2010 draft (25th overall), but he didn’t get to the majors with either them or his second organization, the Marlins. The 27-year-old hit .290/.348/.452 in 460 PAs with Wichita of the independent American Association last season. Joaquin, who spent the past few seasons pitching in Mexico and his native Dominican Republic, was with the Giants from 2007-11. He notched 21 2/3 big league innings of 5.40 ERA ball during that period, also adding matching strikeout and walk rates of 7.06 per nine.
- The Reds have signed righty reliever Rob Wooten to a minor league contract, tweets Chris Cotillo of SB Nation. Wooten last pitched in the majors in 2015, when he totaled six innings as a member of the Brewers. Overall, he has registered a 5.03 ERA, 7.01 K/9, 2.91 BB/9 and 48.1 ground-ball rate in 68 major league innings – all of which have come with the Brewers, who selected him in the 13th round of the 2008 draft. The 31-year-old spent last season with the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate and recorded a 3.58 ERA, 7.4 K/9 and 1.36 BB/9 in 73 frames.
- The Diamondbacks have added righty swingman Brooks Hall on a minors deal. Hall, 26, went to Milwaukee in the fourth round of the 2009 draft and stayed with the organization through last season, but he hasn’t yet cracked the majors. He saw his first action at the Triple-A level in 2016 and struggled with a 6.94 ERA, 4.24 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 23 1/3 frames. Most of Hall’s recent work has come at the Double-A level, where he has logged a 3.90 ERA with 6.5 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 across 267 2/3 innings since 2013.
- To continue the theme of ex-Brewers catching on elsewhere, third baseman Garin Cecchini has signed a minor league deal with the Royals. Cecchini, whom the Brewers designated for assignment in October, hit .271/.325/.380 over 469 Triple-A plate appearances last season. The 25-year-old was previously a high-end prospect with Boston, and even slashed a terrific .258/.361/.452 in a small sample of 36 major league PAs in 2014, but the shine truly wore off in 2015. That year, Cecchini batted just .213/.286/.296 in 496 Triple-A plate appearances.
- Righty Jon Edwards has re-signed with the Padres on a minors pact, per Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). The 28-year-old reliever missed all of last season after suffering a flexor strain in spring training. He previously totaled 25 innings with the Rangers and Padres from 2014-15.
- The Cubs have reached a minors agreement with middle infielder Elliott Soto, who was previously with the organization from the 2010 draft (15th round) through the 2015 campaign. All of Soto’s action last season came with the Marlins’ Triple-A affiliate, with which he hit .241/.358/.297 in 190 plate appearances. In 2,202 minor league PAs, Soto has batted .249/.329/.299.
Roughly 20 Teams Interested In Tyson Ross
Although free agent right-hander Tyson Ross threw just 5 1/3 innings last season and is on the mend from October thoracic outlet surgery, the vast majority of major league teams are interested in his services. Roughly 20 clubs are in on Ross, tweets FanRag’s Jon Heyman, who specifically names his previous team – the Padres – along with the Cubs, Rangers, Pirates and Indians as suitors.
The Padres non-tendered Ross at the outset of this month, but general manager A.J. Preller then revealed there’s “mutual interest” in a reunion between the two sides. However, Ross is reportedly seeking $9MM or more in guarantees, and the Padres were already unwilling to pay him a similar amount in arbitration (an estimated $9.6MM).
Since the Padres cut Ross, no team has been connected to the 29-year-old more than the Cubs. Chicago – which Heyman indicates has visited with Ross – nearly acquired him via trade in July 2015, when he was amid a three-year run as a front-line starter. From 2013-15, Ross posted a 3.07 ERA, 9.16 K/9, 3.48 BB/9 and 58.2 ground-ball rate over 516 2/3 frames, but San Diego elected against dealing him. That proved to be a mistake in hindsight, as Ross’ shoulder troubles kept him off the field last season after a truncated Opening Day start and ultimately led to the end of his Padres career (temporarily at least).
If healthy, Ross would slot into a Cubs rotation that’s currently set to feature Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jake Arrieta, John Lackey and Mike Montgomery. The reigning World Series champions could use another left-hander in their righty-packed bullpen, and adding Ross would perhaps enable them to shift Montgomery, a southpaw, to a relief role. Ross would have to recover first, of course, and Peter Gammons tweeted earlier this month that he should be OK by April.
The Rangers and Pirates have also been in the Ross chase since the Padres non-tendered him, though it’s difficult to imagine low-payroll Pittsburgh approaching his asking price. The Indians, whom FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal previously named as a possible landing spot for Ross, also aren’t known for spending. The Tribe’s run to the World Series proved lucrative, though, which could help them secure Ross.
Rockies “Keeping Track” Of Edwin Encarnacion, Mark Trumbo
The Rockies have a full cast of position players on their hands after signing Ian Desmond, but they’re continuing to keep an eye on high-profile free agent sluggers Edwin Encarnacion and Mark Trumbo, according to general manager Jeff Bridich.
“It would be stupid of us not to keep track,” Bridich told MLB Network Radio on Tuesday (Twitter link).
Encarnacion and Trumbo have been connected to the Rockies throughout the offseason, but their odds of signing either seemingly decreased significantly with the addition of Desmond. Although the 31-year-old Desmond has spent his entire career in either the middle infield or the outfield, Colorado handed him a five-year, $70MM deal with the intention of deploying him at first base. The Rockies would presumably send Desmond to the outfield if they were to further increase their payroll by inking either Encarnacion or Trumbo, the former of whom would be a first base-only option in the National League. Trumbo has experience in the outfield, where he spent most of 2016 as a member of the Orioles, though he’s clearly better suited at first.
The Rockies already have a full complement of starting outfielders in Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez and David Dahl, and an expensive reserve in $8MM man Gerardo Parra. Blackmon’s name has been especially popular in the rumor mill since the club picked up Desmond; however, if the Rockies were to trade him, they would reportedly require a return similar to the haul the Nationals sent the White Sox for fellow outielder Adam Eaton earlier this month. While Blackmon is coming off a career year, having slashed .324/.381/.552 with 29 home runs, 17 steals and a personal-best 3.9 fWAR across 641 plate appearances, expecting him to bring back an Eaton-type package would likely be unrealistic. Blackmon is a couple years older (30 to 28), for starters, and is only under team control for two more seasons. He’ll make an estimated $9MM in 2017, his penultimate year of arbitration, while Eaton is controllable through 2021 (including two club options) at just $38.4MM.
Regardless of what it would mean for Blackmon or Gonzalez, who’s due $20MM in the final year of his contract and doesn’t seem likely to land an extension, pairing Encarnacion or Trumbo with hitter-friendly Coors Field would be an enticing proposition. It would also only cost the Rockies a second-round pick instead of a first, which they surrendered when they signed Desmond.
Trumbo, who will turn 31 in January, led the majors with 47 home runs last season, though his track record pales in comparison to Encarnacion’s. Since his 2012 breakout, Encarnacion is second in the majors in homers (193) and third in ISO (.273). The soon-to-be 34-year-old has also posted a .272/.367/.544 line, good for a robust 146 wRC+, along with an impressive BB/K ratio of .83. The longtime Blue Jay’s overall production took a step backward last season (.263/.357/.529 in 702 PAs), but he remained among the majors’ top hitters and tied a career high with 42 long balls.
Trumbo’s plate discipline is nowhere near that of Encarnacion, evidenced by both the subpar BB/K ratio (.27) and below-average on-base percentage (.303) he has put up in his career. Trumbo should cost less than Encarnacion as a result, which could make him a likelier target for Colorado. At last check, Trumbo’s best offer was from the Orioles – four years, $52MM – but they pulled that proposal off the table over the weekend. Encarnacion, meanwhile, is in long-term discussions with several teams, agent Paul Kinzer revealed last week.
Jason Hammel To Change Agents
Free agent right-hander Jason Hammel is leaving Octagon and will likely join ACES, major league sources told FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.
Hammel’s agency switch comes at a time when he’s clearly among the best starters remaining on the open market. The 34-year-old became available Nov. 6, when the World Series champion Cubs surprisingly declined his $12MM option for 2017 in favor of a $2MM buyout. Hammel surely would have had value as a trade chip, but Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein decided to give the 11-year veteran a chance to cash in as a free agent.
Hammel has had two stints with the Cubs, the first of which lasted for part of the 2014 season and ended when they traded him and fellow righty Jeff Samardzija to the Athletics that July in exchange for shortstop Addison Russell, who’s now a franchise cornerstone. Hammel, who was also previously with the Rays, Rockies and Orioles, then rejoined the Cubs the next winter on a three-year, $30MM pact. Thanks to Chicago’s decision to buy him out, Hammel ultimately collected $20MM of that sum.
Over the past three seasons, including his short stint in Oakland, Hammel has recorded a 3.68 ERA, 8.3 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and 40 percent ground-ball rate over 513 2/3 innings. Hammel logged a 3.83 ERA with 7.78 K/9, 2.86 BB/9 and a 42.1 grounder mark in 166 2/3 frames in 2016. He also posted a double-digit swinging-strike rate (10.2 percent) for the second straight year and maintained his typical velocity. However, late-season elbow tightness helped lead the Cubs to keep Hammel off their roster for all three of their playoff series.
There are no indications that Hammel’s elbow will be an issue going forward, though, and several teams have shown interest in him this offseason. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicts a three-year, $42MM deal for the potential ACES client. MLBTR will include Hammel’s defection from Octagon in its Agency Database, which contains agent information on more than 2,500 major league and minor league players. If you see any notable errors or omissions, please let us know via email: mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.
Padres Re-Sign Clayton Richard
4:07pm: The Padres have announced both Richard’s deal and the signing of Jhoulys Chacin.
3:26pm: Richard’s pact also features $1MM in incentives, including a $250K assignment bonus if the Padres trade him, reports Heyman (Twitter links).
12:35pm: The Padres have agreed to re-sign lefty Clayton Richard to a one-year deal, according to Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. He’ll earn $1.75MM, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter).
Richard and the Padres have already had their formal reunion, so this move represents a continuation of a revived partnership that began way back at the 2009 trade deadline. San Diego picked up Richard as a big part of the swap that sent righty Jake Peavy to the White Sox.
Long a member of the Padres rotation, Richard turned in some quality seasons but left the organization after his shoulder issues resurfaced in 2013. After a brief 2014 appearance in the minors with the Diamondbacks, he joined the Pirates in advance of the 2015 season. With Richard showing well at Triple-A, he was able to make use of an “upward mobility” clause in his contract; when the Cubs showed interest in adding him to their MLB roster, he was back in the bigs.
That 2015 campaign was a good one for the veteran, though he returned primarily in a long relief role. Over his 42 1/3 innings, Richard worked to a 3.83 ERA with 4.7 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9. That led to a $2MM major-league contract in the ensuing winter. But things didn’t work out quite as well the second time around in Chicago; over his 14 frames in 25 appearances, he managed only a 6.43 ERA with as many walks as strikeouts (seven apiece).
Cut loose by the Cubs, Richard headed back to San Diego and turned things around — at least in terms of the bottom-line results. Over nine starts and a pair of relief appearances, he turned in 53 2/3 innings of 2.52 ERA ball. Of course, it’s important to bear in mind that he still managed only 5.7 K/9 to go with 4.0 BB/9, though Richard also ended the year with a career-best 65.1% groundball rate over his 67 2/3 total frames.
[RELATED: Updated Padres Depth Chart]
With opportunity aplenty in the Padres’ rotation, it seems likely that Richard will enter camp with the expectation of securing a starting job. But if that doesn’t work out, or if he falters during the season, it’s certainly possible that he could end up spending time in the pen as well. Despite the middling K/BB numbers last year, Richard did show signs of hope for the coming season. Beyond the groundball advances, Richard also sported an average fastball velocity in his typical career range (91.2 mph) and boasted a personal-best swinging-strike rate of 8.5%, due in part to the fact that he got hitters to chase and whiff even as he worked out of the zone at by far the lowest levels of his career (42.6%).
Diamondbacks To Sign Oswaldo Arcia
3:15pm: It’s a minor-league contract, tweets Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.
2:38pm: The Diamondbacks have agreed to a deal with free-agent outfielder Oswaldo Arcia, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). Terms — including whether it’s of the major or minor-league variety — remain unreported.
Arcia, 25, ended up spending time with four organizations — reaching the bigs will all of them — during the 2016 season. Over 222 plate appearances split between the Twins, Rays, Marlins, and Padres, he slashed just .203/.270/.366 with eight home runs. While the constant movement probably didn’t help, that represented a continued decline for the still-youthful Venezuelan.
Never regarded as a good defender, Arcia blasted his way through the minors and posted just-above-average batting numbers during his first two years in the majors with Minnesota. But his on-base abilities have lagged his power at the game’s highest level. Even as he posted a strong .220 ISO over 410 plate appearances in 2014, Arcia went down on strikes in 31.0% of his trips to the dish while walking 7.6% of the time.
Still, there’s reason to hope that Arcia can turn the corner. He carried much more palatable K/BB numbers before his initial promotion, though he struggled at Triple-A in 2015 after a demotion, and he could perhaps have some development left given the rapidity with which he initially ascended the ladder. (Arcia played in only 107 games in the upper minors before his first call-up.) He does carry pronounced platoon splits, limiting his appeal, though his career 110 wRC+ against righties could make him a useful platoon/bench piece.
Earning playing time in the majors with the D-Backs likely won’t be straightforward, though it certainly seems there’s a path to opportunity in Arizona. Other left-handed corner options include David Peralta, Jeremy Hazelbaker, Socrates Brito, Zach Borenstein, and minor-league signees Reymond Fuentes and Jason Pridie.
Dombrowski, Klentak On Clay Buchholz Trade
Following today’s deal that sent veteran righty Clay Buchholz from the Red Sox to the Phillies, general managers Dave Dombrowski and Matt Klentak addressed the media about the swap from their teams’ respective points of view. Here are some of the highlights:
- For Boston, the move came now in large part because the organization wasn’t sure whether there would be a market for Buchholz (and his $13.5MM salary) if it waited until the spring, as Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald was among those to report. While holding onto the depth or seeking a greater return could’ve been pursued, Dombrowski explains that the team “had to be a little bit conservative.” With what he views as adequate depth in the potential MLB rotation and upper levels of the minors, he felt comfortable striking a deal. The organization intends to “sort through” its final back-of-the-rotation mix this spring, per Dombrowski (via Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald, on Twitter).
- While Dombrowski said that the club likes the hitting ability of the prospect acquired — 24-year-old second baseman Josh Tobias, who recently became a switch-hitter — he did also acknowledge that the luxury tax was a consideration. By shedding Buchholz’s salary, the Sox now sit comfortably below the $195MM tax line, which would allow for a re-set of the luxury tax payout scheme (which heavily penalizes teams that repeatedly exceed the threshold). While it wasn’t a “driving force” in the decision, per Dombrowski, he noted that the organization now has some added breathing room — both now and during the season — though he stressed that he does not anticipate further modifying the major-league mix over the rest of the winter.
- Further to that last point, the veteran executive made clear that the swap was not pursued to set up another acquisition, as Tim Britton of the Providence Journal tweets. “The move was not made to create the flexibility to pursue individuals that are perceived as the big names out there,” said Dombrowski. While some had posited that clearing payroll space might enable a move for star free agent Edwin Encarnacion, that doesn’t appear to be in the plans. In any event, signing him at his anticipated rate would likely push Boston right back over the tax line.
- For the Phils, adding Buchholz was actually under consideration for some time. Klentak noted that his organization had engaged the Red Sox on Buchholz as far back as last year’s trade deadline, as Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports. The righty’s late-season improvements and the presence of Philadelphia pitching coach Bob McClure (who tutored Buchholz when he held the same role in Boston) were factors in the move. “We’re hoping that a lot of the adjustments that Clay made toward the end of this last season, he’ll be able to maintain those here working with Bob,” Klentak explained.
Padres Have Held Talks With Jake Peavy
The Padres have held discussions with free-agent righty Jake Peavy about a possible reunion, according to Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Peavy, 35, last played with San Diego in 2009, when he was shipped to the White Sox in a mid-season deal that landed fellow hurler Clayton Richard — whose own return to the Pads was just extended with a one-year deal.
Peavy established himself as a dominant starter with San Diego, the organization that drafted him in the 15th round of the 1999 draft. He was a key part of the team’s last two postseason entrants (in 2005 and 2006) and won the Cy Young award with the club back in 2007.
Since that time, Peavy has gone from the White Sox to the Red Sox (by way of trade) and then on to the Giants (via trade and a subsequent free-agent contract). While he has never again been quite a dominant as he was with the Friars for a full season, Peavy has continued to provide solid innings for the vast bulk of a 15-year career.
Last year didn’t go quite as hoped, however, as Peavy managed only 118 2/3 innings of 5.54 ERA ball with San Francisco. A demotion to the pen and back issues marred his final season with the Giants, but Peavy still managed 7.7 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9. He coughed up a .320 BABIP that sat well above his career .285 mark (though that’s partially attributable to a career-worst 37.1% hard-contact rate), and also posted a low strand rate of 65.4%, so there’s some cause to see poor fortune as a driver of the results. Indeed, metrics such as FIP (4.36), xFIP (4.70), and SIERA (4.41) all suggested that Peavy performed about as well as he had in prior recent years.
While a return to his 3.58 ERA from the 2015 season may be hoping for too much, then, there’s still reason to believe that Peavy can be a useful back-of-the-rotation arm. Though he sat at a personal low of 88.9 mph with his average fastball, Peavy’s swinging-strike rate rebounded to double digits (10.5%) for the first time since 2009. And as Lin notes, Peavy still generates excellent spin rates compared to the rest of the league.
San Diego’s interest would be on a one-year arrangement, Lin suggests, which would meet with expectations heading into the winter. It’s not clear how much longer Peavy will continue to ply his trade, and certainly there are enough red flags to make a lengthier commitment suspect from any team’s perspective.
Indians Acquire Nick Goody
The Indians have acquired righty Nick Goody from the Yankees, both clubs announced. New York will receive a player to be named later or cash considerations.
Goody, 25, had been designated for assignment by the Yanks to make way for the addition of Aroldis Chapman. Now, he’ll occupy the final open spot on Cleveland’s 40-man roster.
The slider-heavy reliever struggled with the long ball last year, allowing seven dingers in 29 innings while working to a 4.66 ERA. But he did produce 10.6 K/9, with a robust 15.0% swinging-strike rate, along with 3.7 BB/9. Goody has also posted some rather notable figures in the upper minors of late. In parts of two years at the Triple-A level, he owns a 1.64 ERA with 12.3 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9.