Cubs Close To Trading Jorge Soler To Royals For Wade Davis
8:41am: If completed, the trade will be Soler for Davis straight up, tweets Rosenthal.
DEC. 7, 12:58am: The teams are reviewing physicals and an official announcement could come in the morning, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets.
DEC. 6, 9:32pm: The Cubs are close to acquiring Davis from the Royals for Soler, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets. The deal is not expected to be done tonight, however, Passan tweets. Soler is still just 24 and retains tremendous power potential, although he has struggled to harness that potential at the big-league level and isn’t likely to get much playing time on a Cubs team loaded with outfielders. Soler hit .238/.333/.436 with 12 home runs in 264 plate appearances with the Cubs last season. Both Baseball America and MLB.com rated him among the top 50 prospects in the game prior to the 2013, 2014 and 2015 seasons.
8:07pm: The source of the snag is that the Nationals have made a late bid to acquire Davis, ESPN’s Jayson Stark writes.
7:44pm: There could be a “snag,” and the deal is not a sure thing, Passan tweets.
7:20pm: The Cubs are close to a trade that would land Royals closer Wade Davis, Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan tweets. Passan wrote earlier today that the Royals might soon deal Davis.
Davis, like several other key Royals, is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, and it appears the Royals are getting a jump on potentially big changes to their team by swinging a deal now. They reportedly like Cubs outfielder Jorge Soler, although it’s not clear that he’s involved in a deal at this time. Kelvin Herrera seems likely to take over Royals closing duties next season.
The Cubs, who are losing Aroldis Chapman to free agency, have had interest in top relievers throughout the offseason, and have already been specifically linked to Davis. Davis offers a potentially lower-cost and short-term alternative to big-name free agents to Chapman and Kenley Jansen, while still being plenty dominant himself — he’s had three straight terrific seasons in Kansas City, including a 1.87 ERA, 9.8 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 43 1/3 innings last season.
Nationals Not Interested In Starting Pitching
Chris Sale was the only starting pitcher that drew the Nationals’ interest, and after missing out on the southpaw, Washington won’t pursue any other rotation options, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports. That includes Sale’s former teammate Jose Quintana, who was reported yesterday by FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman as a Nats target.
Starting pitching, of course, wasn’t a major need for the Nationals anyway this offseason. They’ll head into 2017 with a very strong projected rotation of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Tanner Roark, Gio Gonzalez and Joe Ross, plus an enviable amount of young starting depth with the likes of Lucas Giolito, A.J. Cole, Reynaldo Lopez. Clearly, the Nats saw Sale as a unique case, and they were willing to give up an incredible amount of young talent for a top ace who is controllable through 2019 on a team-friendly contract.
If rotation help is no longer a priority, the question now becomes where the Nationals will go next for roster upgrades. With Mark Melancon signed by the Giants and Wade Davis perhaps on the verge of becoming a Cub, closer would be the next logical avenue. Rosenthal reports that the Nationals “consider themselves a longshot” to sign Aroldis Chapman due to a price tag that will likely be out of their comfort zone, and the same will probably be true of Kenley Jansen, the other ace closer remaining on the market.
If the big three free agent closers and Davis are all off the board, the Nats could look to sign one or two lower-tier relievers with closing experience rather than splurge on one star closer (the Marlins and Yankees are exploring similar “backup plans” if they can’t sign Chapman or Jansen). Washington could then address its other major need in center field, though with Bryce Harper‘s ability to handle center, the Nats could also continue to pursue short-term right field options as well.
Orioles Show Interest In Chris Carter
The Orioles have been in contact with Chris Carter‘s representatives, according to FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman (Twitter link). The O’s also had interest in Carter last offseason before the slugger signed with the Brewers.
Since being non-tendered by the Brewers last week, Carter has drawn interest from the Indians and Rockies, so it makes sense that another team in need of some first base/DH-type power has gotten in touch. As Heyman notes, Carter would essentially replace Mark Trumbo‘s power bat, and at a fraction of Trumbo’s reported asking price. Pursuing Carter would also fit Orioles executive VP Dan Duquette’s recent strategy of not overpaying for power hitting; Baltimore has gotten quite a bit of pop from Nelson Cruz, Pedro Alvarez and Trumbo himself in recent years at relatively low costs.
Carter hit .222/.321/.499 in his lone season in Milwaukee, leading the NL in both homers (41) and strikeouts (206). Despite all of Carter’s power, his lack of a well-rounded hitting game and below-average fielding and baserunning contributed to a value of just 0.9 fWAR in 2016.
Despite these drawbacks, Baltimore is a good fit on paper for Carter’s game. He should provide as much home run power as ever in hitter-friendly Camden Yards, and his defensive shortcomings wouldn’t be an issue since thanks to Chris Davis‘ presence, Carter would primarily be a designated hitter. Over his career, Carter has been a notably better hitter as a DH ( 130 wRC+ in 764 PA) than as a first baseman (105 wRC+ in 1575 PA), so a case could be made that he could still unlock some greater hitting potential if freed from a regular defensive assignment.
The Orioles’ lineup already tilts heavily to the right side, however, and the O’s may be more interested in seeing what they have in young DH candidate Trey Mancini. Baltimore could prefer to save its DH spot for Mancini and a rotation of veterans on rest days and instead direct its funds towards landing an everyday right fielder.
Latest On Cardinals’ Outfielder Search
The Cardinals are exploring several options as they look to the outfield market, with Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporting that the club is thought to have spoken to the White Sox about a trade for Adam Eaton. The Rockies are also open to the idea of swapping Charlie Blackmon for “a high return” and Goold notes that the Cards and Rox have held discussions in the past. Goold also notes previously-reported Cardinals targets as Lorenzo Cain and Jarrod Dyson of the Royals and free agent Dexter Fowler, plus another notable free agent name in Ian Desmond. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported yesterday that the Cards had held some internal discussions about pursuing Desmond’s services.
All of these players would fit the Cardinals’ stated goal of upgrading their defense and athleticism and all play center field, which would allow the Cards to keep Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty in corner outfield roles (though Eaton and Blackmon bring more defensive value in corner spots than as center fielders.) It doesn’t appear that St. Louis is necessarily close to a move, however, as GM John Mozeliak said Tuesday that he didn’t feel he was “a phone call away” from completing an acquisition, though he was in talks about at least five potential moves.
Now that Chris Sale has been traded, it would seem that the White Sox are at least open to discussing a deal for any player, though Eaton would come at a high cost. The outfielder signed a contract extension in March 2015 that keeps him under team control through 2019 at the earliest, and potentially through 2012 via club options. While Chicago may be in rebuild mode, the team surely hopes to be on track quickly enough that Eaton could be part of the next White Sox contender.
Blackmon comes with two years of control via his arbitration years, and while the Rockies plan on contending in 2017, they could look at a Blackmon deal as an opportunity to solve an outfield logjam (to find a spot for Gerardo Parra) while also addressing other roster holes. Starting or relief pitching are the most obvious needs for Colorado, and while the Cards have some arms to spare, they’ve already dealt perhaps their clearest pitching trade chip in Jaime Garcia. The Rox also have an open spot at first base, so perhaps Matt Adams could factor into a potential trade package, though it would certainly take more than just Adams to land Blackmon. Blackmon also has some questions marks due to his ordinary career numbers away from Coors Field.
Rather than sacrifice prospects or roster depth in a trade, the Cards could instead just sign Fowler or Desmond, though either of those signings would cost St. Louis a draft pick (both outfielders are qualifying offer free agents) and a significant cash outlay. Given that the Cardinals have been so heavily linked to Fowler this winter, it makes sense that they’d also be considering Desmond, who can similarly be an option in both center and left. Desmond has received interest from the Nationals, Orioles and Blue Jays this offseason, and while he had talks with his former team in Texas, the Rangers’ re-signing of Carlos Gomez doesn’t help Desmond’s chances at a return.
AL News: Richard, Twins, Tejada, Yankees, A’s
Some buzz from around the American League…
- The Twins are looking at low-cost pitching help and have some interest in Clayton Richard, 1500 ESPN’s Darren Wolfson reports (Twitter link). After a rough 25-game/14-inning stint with the Cubs last season, Richard was released but posted much better results after signing on with the Padres. The lefty posted a 2.52 ERA over 53 2/3 innings for San Diego, starting nine of his 11 outings for the team.
- The Yankees have interest in signing infielder Ruben Tejada to a minor league deal, George A. King III of the New York Post reports. The former Mets regular hit just .167/.247/.242 over 78 plate appearances with the Cardinals and Giants last season.
- The renewed momentum towards getting a new ballpark in Oakland has shifted the Athletics‘ focus, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. While Billy Beane has always hesitated to embark on a full rebuilding process, the longtime A’s executive notes that “it still has to be in the back of your mind that if you’re going to have a venue, make sure you’re going to have a good young team that’s sustainable. Finding players has never been a challenge for us. We’ve found good players. It’s retaining them, and we’re operating with the idea we’re going to be able to retain them.” Beane said the A’s will hiring additional staff for the scouting and international operations departments in order to help the club’s player development process.
Quick Hits: Int’l Pools, Verlander, Tigers, Brewers, Rule 5, Victorino
The details of the new bonus pool system for the 2017-18 July 2 class of international prospects has been reported by Baseball America’s Ben Badler, who provides a recap of how the July 2 market has been altered under the new collective bargaining agreement. All teams have been assigned bonus pools of either $5.75MM, $5.25MM or $4.75MM, based on their revenues and market size. Here’s more from around the game as news continues to pour in from the Winter Meetings…
- Tigers GM Al Avila doesn’t expect Chris Sale‘s departure from the trade market to have any impact on Justin Verlander‘s status, he told reporters including MLB.com’s Jason Beck. “I would assume there will be a domino effect, because that’s one more guy that gets taken up and maybe some teams now move on. But I don’t believe it’s going to affect our situation at all,” Avila said. While the Tigers are looking to be more cost-effective than usual this winter and are open to discussing deals of Verlander and other high-salaried players, the ace’s salary and no-trade protection are obstacles to a deal, not to mention the fact that Verlander is a necessary component since Detroit obviously still wants to compete in 2017.
- Along those same lines, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus told Beck and other reporters that he doesn’t “think there’s going to be a ton of change” to his team’s roster give the difficulty involved in trading the high-priced stars. “It’s so much easier to talk about trading people, and a lot [tougher] to actually trade them, especially when you’re talking about guys that have some sizable contracts….Quite frankly, even talking about being more responsible fiscally, we don’t want to trade,” Ausmus said. “We like them, especially some of the names mentioned earlier in the season. Miguel [Cabrera], Justin, I don’t want those guys traded. Are you kidding me? That’s the last thing I want. I just think it’s easy to talk about and harder to do.” Ausmus believes his team can contend if they get better health next year, and he said he wouldn’t be surprised if the Tigers bring in an external candidate for their vacancy in center field.
- With Tyler Thornburg off to the Red Sox, Brewers GM David Stearns told media (including MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy) that the team could possibly have a need in the bullpen. Stearns said he has had preliminary discussions with the agents of various free agent relievers.
- The minor league portion of this Thursday’s Rule 5 Draft will no longer have a distinction between Triple-A and Double-A levels, Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper writes. The change probably won’t have impact on how the draft operates, as Cooper notes that the distinction between the two minor league phases “has been archaic for years.”
- Veteran outfielder Shane Victorino is working out in Las Vegas in case he decides to pursue a comeback in 2017, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick tweets. Victorino said in October that he could still consider returning to the sport. His 2016 season was limited to just nine games for the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate, as Chicago released Victorino from their minor league contract in May and the “Flyin’ Hawaiian” turned down minor league offers from other teams later in the season.
Giants To Sign Bryan Morris To Minors Contract
The Giants are “finalizing” a minor league contract with right-hander Bryan Morris, GM Bobby Evans told reporters (including Janie McCauley of the Associated Press). Amusingly, the news was officially broken by Mark Melancon, as the new Giants closer off-handedly mentioned Morris being part of the club during a conference call with the media on Tuesday. Morris’ contract contains an invitation to the Giants’ big league spring camp, and SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reports that Morris will earn $1.25MM if he reaches the majors, plus up to $750K in further incentives.
Morris, who turns 30 in March, had a 3.06 ERA over his first 17 2/3 innings of the 2016 campaign before undergoing season-ending back surgery in June. The Marlins outrighted Morris off their 40-man roster in late September and he chose to become a free agent.
Over five seasons and 215 career relief innings with the Marlins and Pirates, Morris has posted a 2.80 ERA and a whopping 58.6% ground ball rate that has helped outweigh his rather pedestrian strikeout (6.4 K/9) and walk (3.77 BB/9) totals. ERA predictors haven’t been so high on Morris, though he shown a knack for inducing soft-to-medium contact on all those balls put into play. If he regains his old form in the wake of his back surgery, Morris could be a nice bargain signing for the Giants, particularly since their outstanding defense is a particularly good fit for Morris’ grounder-heavy game.
Minor MLB Transactions: 12/7/16
Amidst all of the big headlines from the Winter Meetings, here are some minor moves from around the game, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…
- The Twins have re-signed right-hander Yorman Landa to a minor league deal with an invite to the team’s big league Spring Training camp, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports (Twitter link). Landa was non-tendered to create 40-man roster space last week. The 22-year-old righty worked mostly as a reliever in his 223 career IP in Minnesota’s system, posting an 2.66 ERA and 8.6 K/9 but he has battled control issues to the tune of a 5.1 BB/9.
- The Astros signed southpaw C.J. Riefenhauser to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports. Riefenhauser was traded from the Rays to the Mariners to the Orioles last winter before being claimed off waivers by the Cubs in February, and he posted a 4.55 ERA over 27 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level. Chicago released him in August. In 20 career MLB innings with the Rays in 2014-15, Riefenhauser posted a 6.30 ERA, nine strikeouts and nine non-intentional walks.
- The Giants are “set to sign” catcher Tim Federowicz, 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine reports (Twitter link). The deal is presumably of the minor league variety, though Federowicz could provide some veteran competition for Trevor Brown for the backup role behind Buster Posey. Federowicz spent 2016 with the Cubs, getting outrighted off their 40-man roster twice, appearing in 17 big league games, and hitting .293/.352/.450 in 253 Triple-A plate appearances.
Pirates Notes: Hudson, De La Rosa, Fister, Pitching
Andrew McCutchen trade rumors have understandably dominated much of the offseason talk in Pittsburgh, though here’s some more buzz on other potential Pirates moves…
- The Pirates are one of several teams who have shown interest in reliever Daniel Hudson, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets. As many as 16 teams have checked in on Hudson, including his former team in Arizona. Hudson posted a 5.22 ERA over 60 1/3 IP with the Diamondbacks last season, though advanced metrics (3.81 FIP, 4.12 xFIP, 3.84 SIERA, 8.65 K/9, 2.64 K/BB rate) hint that the hard-throwing righty had a better season than his ERA would indicate.
- Jorge De La Rosa and Doug Fister have received some “due diligence” check-ins from the Pirates, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports (via Twitter). Nothing appears to be in the works between the team and either pitcher at the moment.
- The Pirates have been very successful at turning reclamation projects into successful arms in recent years, though finding such pitchers is becoming more difficult, GM Neal Huntington tells Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and other reporters. “There doesn’t seem to be as many (pitchers) that we’ve been able to identify,” Huntington said. “The traits we’ve liked in the past, they’ve been more difficult to acquire because teams are paying for them. They recognize we’ve had some ability to return some value on some guys coming off down years or injuries. There is a higher competition level, and supply is down, and as a result cost goes up.” Huntington hinted that the Bucs may have to acquire something other than its preferred target of a ground-ball pitcher in order to land a veteran arm, though the GM said that adding a veteran isn’t a must. “We’d be comfortable adding nobody if it’s just not there,” he said.
NL West Notes: Turner, Rockies, Bridich, Bumgarner, Giants
Justin Turner is “still the favorite” to return as the Dodgers third baseman, but the team is also exploring some other options, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times writes (Twitter links). The Dodgers have checked in on White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier, and McCullough figures L.A. would also explore such Sox options as Jose Quintana or David Robertson if Chicago went into rebuild mode. Given that the Sox dealt Chris Sale earlier today, it stands to reason that more moves could be on the way for the Pale Hose, and the Dodgers stand out as a logical trade partner. Here’s more from around the NL West…
- Rockies GM Jeff Bridich confirmed reports that his team had spoken to the White Sox about first baseman Jose Abreu, speaking with MLB.com’s Thomas Harding and other reporters on Tuesday. “We have been paying attention to any and all avenues of trying to upgrade ourselves at first base, and just like we’re in touch with a lot of teams, we have been in touch with the White Sox about, not just Abreu, but also a variety of their players, because they have expressed an interest in seeing what they can get,” Bridich said. This is just my speculation, but with the Rockies looking for both back-end relief help and starting pitching, Robertson and Quintana would stand out as obvious players of interest on the Sox roster. Bridich also said he had talked with the Royals “about a number of different things a number of times,” with Harding reporting that Wade Davis was one player under discussion.
- Rockies owner Dick Monfort spoke of a payroll increase earlier this offseason, and Bridich confirmed that the team is still prepared to spend in the right circumstance. Given that Colorado has been linked to such pricey names as Edwin Encarnacion and Mark Trumbo, it would indeed seem like the Rox have some money to spend.
- The Giants aren’t in ongoing negotiations with Madison Bumgarner about a contract extension, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. In October, Giants CEO Larry Baer cited a desire to keep Bumgarner in the fold well past 2019 (the star lefty’s last year of control under his current contract), though the lack of talks shouldn’t necessarily indicate a change in the team’s thinking, as most teams often wait until offseason business is concluded before focusing on extensions.
- In another tweet from Schulman, he reports that the Giants are exploring possible trades for left field help, with free agency a less likely avenue. San Francisco’s “plan A” for left field, however, is a platoon of youngsters Mac Williamson and Jarrett Parker.