Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Minor MLB Transactions: 12-15-2015

By | at

We’ll track the day’s minor moves right here:

  • The Red Sox announced that they’ve re-signed right-hander Anthony Varvaro to a minor league contract. Additionally, they announced the signings of outfielder Ryan LaMarre (as WEEI’s Rob Bradford first reported), catcher Ali Solis, infielder Chris Dominguez and right-hander William Cuevas to minor league deals. Of that group, Varvaro, LaMarre and Dominguez played in the Majors last season, with Varvaro logging 11 innings in the Boston bullpen. The 31-year-old Varvaro has seen Major League action in each season dating back to 2010, highlighted by 128 innings of 2.74 ERA ball for the Braves from 2013-14. LaMarre, 27, made his big league debut with the Reds last season and appeared in 21 games but recorded just 26 plate appearances. Dominguez, 29, also received a brief look from Cincinnati in 2015 and got a similar cup of coffee with the 2014 Giants. Boston also confirmed its previously reported signing of veteran right-hander Sean O’Sullivan on a minors pact.

Earlier Updates

  • Among the Twins’ recent minor league signees are outfielder Darin Mastroianni, shortstop Wilfredo Tovar, and righty Brandon Kintzler, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger tweets. The 30-year-old Mastroianni failed to crack the majors last year for the first time in four seasons, and slashed just .257/.308/.345 in 484 Triple-A plate appearances. Tovar, 24, had spent his entire career in the Mets organization and put up a .283/.327/.356 batting line last year over 388 turns at bat in his first run at the highest level of the minors. Injuries have limited Kintzler, who is 31. He only threw 29 1/3 innings at all levels last year after contributing 135 1/3 major league innings of 2.93 ERA pitching over 2013-14.
  • The Padres have signed backstop Erik Kratz to a minor league deal, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune recently reported on Twitter. Kratz, 35, only saw 28 MLB plate appearances last year but provides another depth piece for a San Diego club that has numerous options behind the dish.

AL Central Notes: Frazier, Indians, Cespedes, Rondon, Ramos

By | at

Todd Frazier is reportedly being shopped “heavily” by the Reds, and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that the most extensive interest in Cincinnati’s third baseman is coming from the American League Central. The Indians, White Sox and Royals are all in the mix for Frazier, Nightengale hears, which aligns with previous reports connecting the three clubs to the All-Star third baseman. Both Cleveland and Chicago could use upgrades at the hot corner, while Frazier would most likely be deployed in left field were the Royals to line up with the Reds on a trade.

Elsewhere in the AL Central…

  • Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that while the Indians may have lost a pair of trade partners when the D-backs (Zack Greinke, Shelby Miller) and Giants (Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija) each added a pair of high-profile starting pitchers, there are still plenty of clubs with interest in Cleveland’s stockpile of young, controllable pitching. Hoynes feels that the Cubs (John Lackey signing notwithstanding), Rockies, Astros, Cardinals, Marlins and rebuilding Reds are all teams that could line up as trade partners. Cleveland is looking to bolster its offense and is interested in names like Jorge Soler, Javier Baez, Marcell Ozuna and Frazier. A one-for-one trade of Frazier for either Carlos Carrasco or Danny Salazar won’t be happening, he notes, as each has five years of club control compared to Frazier’s two. But, further pieces could make the deal more appealing. Failing a trade, the Indians could turn to relatively inexpensive names on the free agent market, where they’ve been linked to Rajai Davis, Shane Victorino and Steve Pearce.
  • Although Tigers GM Al Avila ruled out a run at top-of-the-market outfielders like Yoenis Cespedes at last week’s Winter Meetings, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press notes that owner Mike Ilitch made no such claim. Fenech writes that while the Tigers aren’t seen as a major player for Cespedes now, that could change if he lingers on the open market and his price tag drops. Ilitch bluntly stated that “[doesn’t] care about money” after signing Jordan Zimmermann, and there’s certainly the case that Cespedes’ agents at Roc Nation Sports could pitch directly to Ilitch, as Scott Boras reportedly did with Prince Fielder four years ago.
  • Also from Fenech, Tigers righty Bruce Rondon instigated a benches-clearing brawl at a game in the Venezuelan Winter League over the weekend. Fenech notes that manager Brad Ausmus had said just days prior that Rondon could work his way back into the bullpen picture by showing up to Spring Training with improved focus. The Tigers abruptly sent Rondon home with just under two weeks left in the season, citing his “effort level” as the driving factor behind the decision.
  • The Twins met with Cesar Ramos’ agents and listened to a pitch on the lefty reliever in Nashville, reports 1500 ESPN’s Darren Wolfson (via Twitter). However, Wolfson doesn’t get the sense that there’s any real movement on that front. Increasingly, it seems like the Twins will trade for the lefty reliever(s) they’re seeking.

Nationals, Reds Discussing Brandon Phillips Trade

By | at

The Nationals are known to be eyeing second base upgrades, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that they’re currently discussing a potential Brandon Phillips trade with the Reds. As a player with 10+ years of Major League service time and five straight with his most recent club, Phillips has the ability to veto any trade, so he would need to approve of the deal. Cincinnati would receive prospects in the deal that is currently being discussed, sources tell Rosenthal.

Phillips, 34, had a strong season with the Reds in 2015, hitting .294/.328/.395 with a dozen homers and 23 stolen bases. The 23 steals were his highest single-season total since 2009, and Phillips’ 10.9 percent strikeout rate was easily the lowest of his career. Additionally, he continued to post strong defensive marks (+2.0 UZR, +5 DRS) in spite of his relatively advanced age.

Of course, the Nationals already have a quality defensive option at second base: Danny Espinosa. The Nats, though, reportedly would like to add a left-handed bat to complement the switch-hitting Espinosa at second base, given his history of troubles against right-handed pitching. Phillips, obviously, doesn’t meet that criteria, but he could provide an everyday option instead, freeing up Espinosa for a utility role and allowing him to start the season at shortstop while prospect Trea Turner gets some additional development time at the Triple-A level.

Phillips has a reasonable $27MM owed to him in total over the next two seasons ($13MM in 2016 and $14MM in 2017), so the Nats certainly have the financial means to add him to the fold, assuming he signs off on a potential trade. There are certainly reasons to believe that Phillips would be open to the idea; the Nationals are assuredly a better bet to contend in 2016 than the rebuilding Reds, and a trade would reunite Phillips with recently hired manager Dusty Baker — his skipper with the Reds from 2008-13.

From the Reds’ point of view, the trade would clear playing time for promising young infielder Eugenio Suarez, who impressed while filling in for the injured Zack Cozart over the final few months of the season. Cozart, though, will be healthy in 2016, leaving Suarez without a regular playing spot as things currently stand in Cincinnati.

NL East Notes: Nats, Clippard, Inciarte, Albers, Giles

By | at

The Nationals would like to add a left-handed bat that can play second base, and Kelly Johnson is one possibility for them, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Per Rosenthal, the Nats plan to open next season with Danny Espinosa at shortstop while Trea Turner continues to develop. Once Turner is ready, Johnson (or another lefty batter) could slide over to second base and platoon with Espinosa, who is a stronger batter from the right side of the dish.

A few more notes from the division…

  • The Mets haven’t ruled out bringing back Tyler Clippard, tweets ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, though the Twins, Blue Jays and Dodgers are among the clubs also in the market for setup help, he notes. Crasnick wonders if Clippard’s high workload is causing clubs to shy away, though one exec said of the durable right-hander (Twitter link): “Considering the terrible contracts being given to relievers, he’ll get his money. He’s too good not to.”
  • Crasnick also notes that the Braves have received steady interest in Ender Inciarte since acquiring him (links to Twitter). Atlanta is willing to listen on anyone but Freddie Freeman, but the club’s plan is to keep Inciarte in the organization and use him as a leadoff hitter and center fielder for the foreseeable future.
  • The Mets are expected to show interest in free-agent right-hander Matt Albers as they look to upgrade the bullpen, reports ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin. Albers, 32, missed half of last season with a broken finger in his hand but didn’t allow a run across the final two months of the season. He’s been a Mets target in the past, Rubin notes.
  • Phillies GM Matt Klentak told reporters, including MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, that the Ken Giles trade was an opportunity that was “too good to pass up.” Klentak maintains that he never wanted to trade Giles, but adding a slew of starting pitching candidates, headlined by Mark Appel and Vincent Velasquez, improves the club’s outlook in both the short and long term. Klentak also discussed the importance of the depth that veterans Charlie Morton and Jeremy Hellickson give to the club and called Brett Oberholtzer (also acquired in the Giles deal) a “stabilizer.” As Zolecki notes, Oberholtzer is out of minor league options, so he’s well-positioned to make the rotation in 2016.

Jeff Francis Retires

By | at

Veteran lefty Jeff Francis will retire after parts of 11 seasons in the Major Leagues, he tells MLB.com’s Thomas Harding.

Selected ninth overall by the Rockies in the 2002 draft, Francis, now 34 years old, would make his Major League debut just over two years later in 2004. While the 4.77 ERA that Francis logged in his first stint with the Rockies (882 2/3 inning from 2004-10) doesn’t necessarily look impressive, that translated to league-average production (100 ERA+) when adjusted for the fact that Francis’ home games in that time came at Coors Field and in a much greater offensive environment than that of today’s game.

Francis tossed 183 innings for the Royals in 2011 before returning to the Rockies in 2012-13 and ultimately splitting the 2014-15 campaigns between the Reds, Yankees, Athletics and Blue Jays. Though he played for several clubs over the course of his career, Colorado holds a special place in his heart, Francis explains to Harding. He spoke particularly highly of the 2007 Rockies that rode an incredible streak — 21 wins in 22 games — to a Game 163 tiebreaker, an NLDS victory and a National League Championship.

“It was special to be able to be a champion,” said Francis. “I know we didn’t win it all, but that was a team that came together, even though I don’t know what was expected of us. We did special things in dramatic fashion. We felt unstoppable. It was almost as if the drama was too much to think about. Looking back, I’m sure there was a lot of pressure, but I don’t think we felt it. We just rode a wave and took it as far as we could.”

Francis will bring his career to a close with a 72-82 record, a 4.97 ERA, 869 strikeouts and 384 walks in 1291 innings. All told, Francis took home more than $20MM between his yearly salaries and hefty $1.85MM signing bonus out of the draft. MLBTR extends its best wishes to Francis in his post-playing days.

Cubs Sign Jason Heyward

By | at

3:43pm: Heyward receives full no-trade protection from 2016-18 and limited no-trade protection in 2019-20, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. (Heyward will have 10-and-5 rights after that point, assuming he remains with the Cubs.) Heyman also reports that Heyward receives a $20MM signing bonus that is fully deferred, adding that the he’ll earn $15MM in 2016, $21.5MM in 2017-18, $20MM in 2019, $21MM in 2020-21 and $22MM in 2022-23 (links to Twitter).

Heyward can opt out after the 2018 season, and, if he chooses not to do so, will trigger a second opt-out clause following the 2019 season by reaching 550 plate appearances in 2019, Heyman adds.

DECEMBER 15, 2:34pm: The Cubs have announced the signing and are introducing Heyward today.

DECEMBER 11, 2:29pm: FOX’s Ken Rosenthal tweets that Heyward can opt out after the third year or fourth year if he meets certain plate appearance thresholds.

1:47pm: Heyward’s contract does indeed contain the option to opt out early, reports MLB Network’s Peter Gammons (Twitter link). However, he can opt out not only once, but twice, per Gammons. ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers reports (also on Twitter) that the first opt-out clause comes three years into the contract, meaning Heyward can hit the open market entering his age-29 season if he chooses.

1:35pm: Bob Nightengale of USA Today hears it’s an eight-year, $184MM deal for Heyward (Twitter link) — an annual value of $23MM.

1:04pm: Heyward’s contract guarantees him less than $185MM and is believed to be for eight years, reports Wittenmyer (Twitter link).

12:12pm: Jason Heyward has chosen to sign with the Cubs, multiple sources tell Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link). Exact financial terms aren’t known, but Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets that the Cubs landed Heyward for less than $200MM despite the fact that the Nationals are said to have offered around, or exactly $200MM. An opt-out clause in the contract would certainly make some sense, though reports haven’t indicated that to be the case just yet. Still, Heyward’s agent, Casey Close of Excel Sports Management, has previously negotiated such clauses for clients Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Masahiro Tanaka.

Jason Heyward

Heyward, 26, adds to an exciting class of free-agent additions for the Cubs this offseason (really, in the past week or so), as the team has already agreed to a four-year, $56MM pact with Ben Zobrist and a two-year, $32MM contract with John Lackey (to say nothing of a one-year deal to bring back Trevor Cahill, who had a relatively quiet resurgence in the Chicago bullpen).

Like Lackey, Heyward rejected a qualifying offer at the beginning of the offseason, meaning he’ll cost Chicago a draft pick. The Cubs, then, will be forfeiting the No. 28 pick in the draft as well as their second-round pick, which would’ve fallen in the early 70s when factoring in the first Competitive Balance Round and compensation picks for teams losing free agents that rejected the qualifying offer.

The question following this addition, of course, will be how Heyward slots into the outfield. The three-time Gold Glove winner is known as one of the game’s premier defensive players but has been almost exclusively a right fielder. Consensus seems to be that he can handle center field if need be, but with a pair of highly controllable assets flanking him in the form of Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler, it’s conceivable that the team will make a move to flip a young outfielder (Soler has been mentioned in rumors far more than his young counterpart, Schwarber) in order to further strengthen the rotation. Of course, that would again leave the Cubs with a hole in center field that needs to be addressed.

Defensive metrics are, of course, imperfect, but it’s still notable that since debuting in 2010, Heyward leads all Major Leaguers, at any position, with 119 Defensive Runs Saved. He’s also the runaway leader in cumulative Ultimate Zone Rating in that time (+94.4), and his prorated UZR/150 of +18.4 trails only Juan Lagares and Andrelton Simmons among qualified fielders. Those rankings hold weight even when shortening the sample size to the past three years, as each metric agrees that Heyward is the best defensive player in the game aside from his former Atlanta teammate, Simmons.

Wherever he fits onto the diamond or into the lineup, Heyward will strengthen the Cubs not only defensively but on offense as well. Though many point to his lack of home run power in recent years — he’s averaged 13 per season since 2013 — Heyward has continually whittled away at his strikeout rate and posted consistently strong on-base percentage marks (especially relative to the declining league average in that regard). In his lone season with the division-rival Cardinals, Heyward batted .293/.359/.439 with 13 homers and 23 steals (in 26 attempts). His offensive output was 16 percent better than that of a league-average hitter when adjusting for park, by measure of OPS+, while a similar metric, wRC+, rated his park-adjusted offense to be 21 percent better than the league average.

That the Cubs will effectively be signing Heyward away from the Cardinals only sweetens the deal for the club. Much in the way that the D-backs felt extra value by keeping Zack Greinke away from the Dodgers and Giants in signing him, Heyward will not only strengthen the Cubs — his departure will weaken one of their two biggest rivals. The same can be said of Lackey, who will also jump from St. Louis to the other side of the storied rivalry between the two franchises.

The Heyward market was quiet for a good portion of the offseason, but in recent days, the finalists were said to be the Cubs, Cardinals, Nationals and possibly the Angels, while the Giants also reportedly had interest but didn’t progress to the point of making an offer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2016 MLB Arbitration Tracker Now Available

By | at

20 of the 183 arbitration eligible MLB players have agreed upon contracts for 2016, so there’s plenty of work left to be done.  Star players such as Josh Donaldson, Jake Arrieta, Nolan Arenado, Dallas Keuchel, Manny Machado, Matt Harvey, and A.J. Pollock are among those eligible for the arbitration process for 2016.  Keep track of all arbitration eligible players with MLBTR’s Arbitration Tracker!  The tracker allows you to filter by signing status, team, and service time, and also contains information on Super Two players, filing numbers, and hearings.  Bookmark the 2016 Arbitration Tracker today!  You can also find the link under the Tools menu up top and under MLBTR Features on the sidebar.

Players will file for salary arbitration on January 12th, figures will be exchanged on January 15th, and hearings will take place during the first three weeks of February.  MLBTR’s world-famous arbitration salary projections can be found here.

Mets Re-Sign Jerry Blevins

By | at

The Mets have reached agreement with free agent lefty Jerry Blevins on a deal that will bring him back to New York, MLB Network’s Matt Yallof reports on Twitter and Blevins himself confirms in a tweet. Per Yallof, the veteran southpaw will earn $4MM and can tack on another $1MM through incentives.

Blevins, 32, came to New York from the Nationals last winter via trade and posted five hitless frames to open the year. But successive arm fractures ended his season at that early juncture, breaking up a three-year run in which he averaged 61 frames annually.

The Nats shipped Blevins to their division rivals after he put up an ugly 4.87  ERA in 2014. But by some measures, that was actually the most productive season of his career. He put up career bests that year in strikeouts (10.4 K/9), FIP (2.77), xFIP (3.25), and SIERA (2.93).

Obviously, the Mets like the outlook for Blevins, both in terms of his ability and his health. He certainly has put up strong run prevention numbers in the past — including a 2.80 ERA over 125 1/3 innings from 2013-14 — and has dominated left-handed hitters to the tune of a career .206/.257/.322 slash.

While the arm troubles are concerning, it isn’t as if they were the typical elbow/shoulder problems that could prove persistent. Blevins was simply unlucky, first taking a line drive to the forearm and then re-fracturing it in an ill-timed fall.

MLBTR Poll: Best $100MM+ Pitching Contract

By | at

We expected a lot of competition at the top of the free agent market for starting pitching, and the results have not disappointed. There was plenty of discussion heading into the winter as to which top arm would make the most sensible investment, and now we can begin to assess that with the knowledge of the deals they’ve signed.

While all of the top four starters have landed guarantees of over $100MM, as expected, there have been some creative contract structures that make it impossible to assess the deals simply by comparing total value. Let’s take a closer look (in order of lowest to highest guarantee; links to posts on signings):

Jordan Zimmermann, Tigers: Five years, $110MM. Full no-trade for three seasons, then 19-team no-trade list for final two seasons. Backloaded annual salary structure. Guarantees age 30 through 34 campaigns.

Johnny Cueto, Giants: Six years, $130MM. Opt-out rights after two seasons; also includes club option if opt-out isn’t triggered. Slightly front-loaded structure in which $46MM of guarantee is payable in first two years. Guarantees age 30 through 35 campaigns.

Zack Greinke, Diamondbacks: Six years, $206.5MM. Significant deferrals ($60MM total) reduce present value to around $194MM. Limited no-trade protection. Guarantees age 32 through 37 campaigns.

David Price, Red Sox: Seven years, $217MM. Opt-out rights after three seasons. Guarantees age 30 through 36 campaigns.

The Zimmermann contract looks relatively affordable, but Detroit won’t easily be able to trade him. Cueto could give San Francisco two good seasons at a good price and then leave, but is the risk worth it? The D-backs get one of the best pitchers in the game in Greinke, but it took a huge AAV to buy up his mid thirties. And then there’s Price, who is an in-prime ace but required Boston to promise the highest-ever total guarantee for a pitcher.

So, which of these contracts looks like the best bet to work out?

Rangers Re-Sign Bobby Wilson

By | at

The Rangers have announced the re-signing of catcher Bobby Wilson to a minor league deal. Texas also announced a previously-reported two-year pact with reliever Tony Barnette.

Wilson, 32, slashed just .189/.255/.250 over 147 plate appearances last season, splitting his time between the Rangers and Rays. Though he’s seen action in parts of seven MLB campaigns, he has not quite reached 600 plate appearances in the majors. Wilson’s calling card is his glove; he continued to draw strong framing ratings last year.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top