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Blue Jays Re-Sign Darwin Barney

By Steve Adams | December 11, 2015 at 9:25am CDT

The Blue Jays announced that they’ve re-signed second baseman Darwin Barney to a one-year, Major League deal worth $1.05MM.

Barney, 30, spent most of the 2015 season in the minors with the Dodgers but wound up in Toronto in September to fill in for the injured Devon Travis. Barney batted .304/.333/.609 in a tiny sample of 26 plate appearances but is a career .246/.294/.339 hitter in parts of six big league seasons (2091 plate appearances). Most of Barney’s value is derived from his glove, where he’s drawn strong reviews from defensive metrics and won an NL Gold Glove Award (2012) over the course of his career. With Travis set to miss the beginning of next season following shoulder surgery, Barney will serve as a depth piece and a likely option at second base early in the season for manager John Gibbons.

Shi Davidi of Sportsnet first reported the deal (Twitter link).

Minor MLB Transactions: 12-11-15

By Steve Adams | December 11, 2015 at 8:44am CDT

The 2015 Winter Meetings are officially in the books. As the baseball world winds back down, here are some of the recent minor transactions from around the game…

The Rangers announced a pair of minor moves yesterday: the re-signing of outfielder James Jones to a minor league deal and the trade of left-hander Will Lamb to the White Sox in exchange for right-hander Myles Jaye. Texas somewhat surprisingly non-tendered Jones earlier this month not long after acquiring him as part of the Leonys Martin trade, but he’ll return to the Rangers, who freed up a 40-man roster spot with the sequence. Jones, a fleet-footed 27-year-old center fielder, saw quite a bit of action with the 2014 Mariners but just 31 plate appearances in 2015. He’s a career .238/.268/.296 hitter in 359 plate appearances, though he boasts an impressive 28 steals (in 30 tries) in that small sample of PAs. Jones is a .278/.358/.390 hitter in an even 500 Triple-A plate appearances.
As for the trade, the Rangers pick up a soon-to-be 24-year-old in Jaye, who started 26 games for Chicago’s Double-A affiliate in 2015 and posted a 3.29 ERA with a 104-to-47 K/BB ratio in 147 2/3 innings. He rated as Chicago’s No. 23 prospect following the 2013 season, per Baseball America, but fell shy of their Top 30 last winter. In exchange, they’ll part with a 24-year-old lefty, Lamb, that pitched to a 4.42 ERA with 8.1 K/9 against 4.1 BB/9 in 57 innings of relief work between Double-A and Triple-A last season. Lamb held lefties to a .210/.319/.247 batting line in the minors last year.
MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez tweets that the Angels have inked outfielder Nick Buss to a minor league deal. The 28-year-old Buss batted .296/.352/.408 in 322 plate appearances with the D-backs’ Triple-A affiliate in 2015. Buss received a brief big league look with the A’s in 2013 but hasn’t returned to the Majors since.
Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reported a slew of minor moves on Twitter yesterday, including the White Sox’ signings of left-hander/former top prospect Matt Purke and shortstop Andy Parrino; the Padres’ signings of veteran right-hander Phil Humber and lefty reliever Ryan Buchter; and the re-signings of Rosell Herrera and Frank Garces by the Rockies, and Padres, respectively.

International Notes And Signings: Hacker, Brigham, Morel, Cordier, Matsuda

By Jeff Todd | December 10, 2015 at 11:15pm CDT

We’ve heard a lot about N.C. Dinos slugger Eric Thames, who was just crowned the MVP of the Korea Baseball Organization. He continued to rack up awards, but was joined in the trophy room by teammate Eric Hacker, who picked up the KBO’s “Golden Glove” for pitching. As Yonhap’s Jee-Ho Yoo explains, it goes to the best player at each position, unlike the more familiar precious metal-and-leather award utilized in the majors. Hacker, 32, has logged 18 MLB innings but has been a fixture in the Dinos’ rotation for the last three campaigns. He worked to a strong 3.13 EAR with 7.2 K/9 against 1.6 BB/9 over 204 innings — quite an impressive feat in the hitter-friendly KBO.

Here’s more on the international market, including some recent player movement from the U.S. to Asia:

Righty Jake Brigham is headed to Japan’s Rakuten Golden Eagles, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports on Twitter. The 27-year-old cracked the big leagues for the first time last year with the Braves, but was hit hard in a doze appearances. He did, however, put up a solid 3.46 ERA with 6.8 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9 in his 91 Triple-A frames (including 15 starts).
In addition to adding Brian Bogusevic, the NPB’s Orix Buffaloes have inked deals with Brent Morel and Erik Cordier, NPB Tracker’s Patrick Newman tweets. Morel, a 28-year-old third baseman, has seen action in each of the last six MLB seasons but hasn’t exceeded 35 games played since back in 2011. He slashed .286/.337/.448 over 472 Triple-A plate appearances last year with the Pirates and Athletics organizations. Cordier, a fireballing righty who’ll soon turn 30, has thrown 18 1/3 frames with the Giants and Marlins but has never harnessed his big heater enough to be seen as a consistent MLB pen piece. He was, however, rather dominant last year in the highest level of the minors.
The Padres have long been said to be among the teams with the strongest interest in Japanese third baseman Nobuhiro Matsuda, and Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets that the club could be weighing a multi-year offer. Though Matsuda may be interested in seeing how his market develops, Lin suggests that the Pads might be willing to make a two-year commitment — or, at least, one guaranteed year plus an option.

West Notes: Cueto, Puig, Rangers, D’Backs, Phillips, Padres

By Jeff Todd | December 10, 2015 at 10:05pm CDT

The Dodgers have “joined the fray” on free agent righty Johnny Cueto, per Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. It’s not immediately clear whether that indicates any stepped-up interest on the part of the Dodgers, who were previously said to have reached out to Cueto’s representatives recently. Indeed, agent Bryce Dixon told MLBTR’s Zach Links yesterday that he saw L.A. as a good fit. As Heyman adds, there are “a couple other” unnamed organizations also “in the mix” for Cueto at present.

Here are a few more notes from the game’s western divisions:

Scott Miller of Bleacher Report takes a close look at Yasiel Puig’s standing in the Dodgers organization. He speaks extensively with both Adrian Gonzalez and A.J. Ellis (among others), who provide fascinating insight into the strained (but, perhaps, not-yet broken) relationship between Puig and his teammates.
With the Rangers reportedly adding reliever Tony Barnette, there’s yet more reason to believe the club could strike a deal involving one of its young pen assets, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes. The Diamondbacks have widely been tabbed as one pursuer, and Grant says that Arizona is eyeing late-inning hurlers Shawn Tolleson and Keone Kela. Though the D’Backs are said to be hesitant to part with young righty Archie Bradley, Grant says that exactly who Texas is eyeing in trade talks.
The Diamondbacks have talked to the Reds on multiple occasions about second baseman Brandon Phillips, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports on Twitter. Arizona’s win-now moves could help persuade Phillips to authorize a deal there, suggests Rosenthal, though MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon tweets that the veteran has not been approached to discuss his no-trade rights.
As with the Barnette signing, bringing in Christian Bethancourt isn’t necessarily just an isolated move for the Padres, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune explains. The move leaves the club with four catchers on its 40-man roster, and the two most recent additions — Betancourt and Josmil Pinto — are out of options. San Diego was “shopping” both Derek Norris and Austin Hedges over the week, per Lin, who suggests that it wouldn’t be terribly surprising to see one of them dealt.

Nationals “Serious Threat” To Land Heyward, Who Has $200MM Offer In Hand

By Jeff Todd | December 10, 2015 at 9:49pm CDT

9:46pm: A source tells MLB.com’s Bill Ladson that the Nats are “heavily involved” and are making a “legit” effort to sign the young outfielder. He adds, interestingly, that Taylor “would become expendable” if a deal is struck.

From an analytical perspective, it seems plenty plausible that the team could add Heyward (or another outfielder) and keep Taylor. For one thing, there’s plenty of justification to give him further developmental time at Triple-A. For another, he’d still be an important depth piece in the near term and would have plenty of possibilities for increased playing time with the clock ticking on Werth’s contract (and perhaps also his time as a full-time regular).

7:24pm: Washington is a “serious threat” to land Heyward, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com reports on Twitter.

3:45pm: The Nationals are the “mystery team” pursuing free agent outfielder Jason Heyward, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports on Twitter. They are joined in the chase for Heyward by the Cubs and Cardinals, per the report.

It’s not known which of those clubs — if not another — is in the lead, but Heyman adds in another tweet that Heyward has at least one offer at or over $200MM on the table. That’s not exactly surprising, as MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicted Heyward would reach the double-century mark, but does appear to suggest that he’ll be in position to maximize his potential market value.

Heyward’s youth and broad skillset make him a tantalizing target even for clubs that otherwise seem set in the outfield, as I explained in breaking down Heyward’s free agent case in late October. He’s a very good, but not great, hitter who has never returned to the power ceiling he showed earlier in his career. But he’s at the top of the class in basically every other area.

It’s possible that Washington would utilize Heyward in center field were he to land there, Heyman suggests. While the team has youngster Michael A. Taylor lined up to take over there, he’s still raw. It’s worth bearing in mind, too, that veteran Jayson Werth has only two years left on his deal and could ultimately stand to receive added rest given his nagging injuries over the years. While trades could be considered in the wake of a signing, it’s also possible to imagine Heyward splitting his time up the middle and in the corner for some time as the teams waits to see what happens with its other options.

Padres Acquire Christian Bethancourt

By Steve Adams | December 10, 2015 at 7:46pm CDT

The Braves and Padres have announced a trade that will send catcher Christian Bethancourt to San Diego. Going back to Atlanta in the trade are right-hander Casey Kelly and young backstop Ricardo Rodriguez.

Bethancourt, 24, seemed likely to hit the block after the Braves added both A.J. Pierzynski and Tyler Flowers in free agency. But it wasn’t long ago that he looked to be a long-term answer behind the dish in Atlanta.

The now-former Braves backstop recently ranked among the game’s top 100 prospects but has had some offensive struggles in his exposure to the Majors and, perhaps more troubling, significant difficulties with passed balls. Scouts have given his arm an 80 (on the 20-80 scale) when evaluating him, so there aren’t major concerns about his throwing. In 278 plate appearances with Atlanta, however, Bethancourt has batted just .219/.245/.283. At the Triple-A level, he’s been far more impressive, hitting .299/.327/.435 in 583 plate appearances across the past two seasons.

Bethancourt further deepens the Padres’ stock of MLB-ready catchers, as the team also has Derek Norris and Austin Hedges in house. All three have been, at times, believed to be starting caliber catching options in the Majors, although only Norris has any sort of track record at the big league level. Hedges, like Bethancourt, is a much-ballyhooed prospect and has drawn rave reviews for his glove but didn’t hit at all in his 2015 debut, slashing .168/.215/.248 in 152 trips to the plate with San Diego. Bethancourt, though, is out of minor league options, which could give him the inside track on Hedges for making the roster in 2016.

Turning to the Braves’ return, the 26-year-old Kelly is a former Top 100 prospect himself, from 2010-13, who has seen his once-promising career slowed dramatically by injuries (including Tommy John surgery). He’ll join a stable of young, at-or-near MLB arms in the Atlanta organization.

Kelly cracked the majors last year for the first time since 2012, but spent most of the season in the high minors. All told, he permitted 5.16 earned runs per nine with 6.8 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 over 97 2/3 innings. More importantly, though, he made it through the full season and set himself up to “compete for a spot” on the Braves’ major league roster this spring, per GM John Coppolella.

Rodriguez is a 17-year-old from Venezuela who played last year at the Rookie ball level. He checked in as MLB.com’s 30th-ranked July 2 prospect in the 2014-15 international signing period and rated even higher (#21) on the Baseball America board (subscription required). Obviously he’s a long ways from the majors, but Rodriguez seems at least to have some promise as a player.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported the deal was in the works (Twitter link). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweeted it was nearing completion. Sherman tweeted that Kelly had been discussed. ESPN’s Jayson Stark previously reported (Twitter link) that the Padres had interest in Bethancourt.

Nationals, Angels Swap Yunel Escobar, Trevor Gott

By Steve Adams | December 10, 2015 at 6:53pm CDT

6:52pm: Around $1.5MM is headed to head to L.A., per DiGiovanna (via Twitter).

5:47pm: The teams have announced the swap, with the Nats saying an undisclosed amount of cash will go with Escobar to Los Angeles.

4:25pm: Gott tweets that he’s been informed of the deal and is indeed joining the Nationals.

Righty Michael Brady is the other player going to Washington, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports on Twitter. Though he’s closing in on 29 years of age and was hit hard in a 17-appearance run at Triple-A in 2014, Brady is coming off of an impressive 2015 campaign at the Double-A level. He made 19 starts after working almost exclusively as a reliever in prior years, and ended up throwing 119 1/3 innings of 3.77 ERA ball while logging 8.5 K/9 against 0.9 BB/9.

2:56pm: The Winter Meetings are wrapping up, but clubs still aren’t done dealing. The Angels and Nationals have reportedly agreed to a swap that will send versatile infielder Yunel Escobar to the Angels in exchange for hard-throwing young righty Trevor Gott and a second, yet-unnamed minor leaguer.

The 33-year-old Escobar will fill a significant need for the Angels while also allowing general manager Billy Eppler and his staff to remain flexible. Escobar is a capable defender at second base or third base — both positions of need to the Halos — freeing Eppler to pursue upgrades at either spot despite effectively already having filled one of the voids.

Escobar batted .314/.375/.415 with the Nats last season and saw all of his time on the field at third base, though there was also talk of playing him at second base before Anthony Rendon was sidelined for most of the season due to injury. Escobar hasn’t played second base since 2007 but has worked extensively at shortstop in recent seasons, though defensive metrics were down on his work there in 2014 with the Rays.

Escobar gives the Angels an affordable option in the infield, as he’s slated to earn $7MM this season and has a $7MM club option for the 2017 season as well. That should keep the Angels well below the luxury tax threshold, especially since the average annual value of his two-year, $13MM contract is a slightly lower $6.5MM.

The Angels were said last week to be in talks with David Freese about a reunion at third base, and while this doesn’t preclude that from happening due to Escobar’s stated versatility, he does have more experience at the hot corner. Additionally, he brings another right-handed bat to an Angels team that has, over the past six months, been said to be seeking some balance in the lineup, perhaps indicating that a left-handed second baseman would be a better fit than a right-handed third baseman. Indeed, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Angels’ plan is to use Escobar at third base, though he notes that the newest Halos acquisition could be moved to second base in the event of a Freese return.

For the Nationals, the deal continues president/GM Mike Rizzo’s efforts to revamp a bullpen that proved problematic throughout the 2015 season. Gott, 23, debuted with the Halos in 2015 and recorded a strong 3.02 ERA in 47 2/3 innings while averaging a blistering 96.2 mph on his fastball. However, in spite of that plus heat, Gott averaged just 5.1 K/9 while also averaging 3.0 walks per nine. Gott also averaged better than a strikeout per inning over the course of his minor league career, though, so there’s hope for additional missed bats as he gains more experience in the Majors. And, the Nationals have to be intrigued by his excellent 57.2 percent ground-ball rate.

Washington will control Gott for a full six seasons, as he fell shy of a full year of service in 2015. Not only that, but he finished the year with 114 days of big league service time, which should leave him shy of Super Two designation, meaning he’ll only be arbitration eligible three times. Gott will be one of several new faces in a re-worked Nats bullpen, joining lefty Oliver Perez and, presumably, right-hander Shawn Kelley (if his much-debated contract is ultimately finalized). Righty Yusmeiro Petit figures to see action in the bullpen as well, although he could also see some work in the rotation, depending on how the rest of the offseason shakes out.

Jon Morosi of FOX Sports first reported that the two sides were discussing a deal. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported that the agreement was in place (on Twitter). Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reported Gott’s inclusion in the deal (links to Twitter). Heyman tweeted that another minor leaguer was headed to the Nats.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Phillies To Sign Ernesto Frieri To Minors Deal

By Jeff Todd | December 10, 2015 at 6:02pm CDT

The Phillies have agreed to sign free agent righty Ernesto Frieri to a minor league pact, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports on Twitter. He can earn a $850K salary if he makes the MLB roster.

Frieri, 30, threw 23 1/3 frames for the Rays last year as he looked to bounce back from an awful 2014 campaign. The results weren’t quite as bad, but he still managed only a 4.63 ERA with 7.3 K/9 against 4.2 BB/9 and looked nothing like the quality reliever he used to be with the Padres and Angels.

That strikeout rate, in particular, is a far cry from the double-digit K/9 numbers that Frieri ran up repeatedly in prior campaigns. His swinging strike numbers have unsurprisingly also plummeted, landing in the single digits for the first time ever last year. A drop-off in velocity may have played a role, as Frieri worked in the 91 to 92 mph after sitting at or over 94 mph in recent years.

Royals Sign Joakim Soria

By Mark Polishuk | December 10, 2015 at 5:36pm CDT

DECEMBER 10: The deal is official, with Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com (via Twitter) and Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star (Twitter links) providing details.

Soria will earn $7MM next year and receive successive $1MM raises for the next two campaigns. The mutual option is priced at $10MM and comes with a $1MM buyout. Soria’s incentive package tops out at $4MM annually and can be met through games finished or games started.

Needless to say, it’s a shock to hear that the sides have contemplated the use of Soria in a starting capacity, but that has indeed made its way into the contract as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported (via Twitter) would likely be the case. Entering his age-32 season, Soria has never started a big league game and made only 18 in the minors (excluding a one-inning rehab start in 2013).

DECEMBER 7: The Royals have a major new partner in their “law firm” of a bullpen, as the World Series champs are finalizing a three-year contract with right-hander Joakim Soria, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reports (Twitter link). The deal will pay Soria $25MM in guaranteed money over the three seasons, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets, plus performance bonuses are available. Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports that there is also a mutual option for a fourth season. The contract will be official once Soria passes a physical, according to MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan. Soria is represented by Oscar Suarez.

Kansas City’s lockdown bullpen was one of the biggest factors behind its World Series championship, and adding Soria helps keep the pen strong after some recent personnel losses. Greg Holland will miss most of 2016 due to Tommy John surgery and was non-tendered, Ryan Madson agreed to a deal with the A’s earlier today and Franklin Morales is also a free agent.

Soria, of course, is a familiar face in K.C. as he spent his first five Major League seasons as a Royal after being selected in the 2006 Rule 5 draft. He blossomed into a star closer and recorded 160 saves from 2007-11 but then missed a season due to Tommy John surgery and hit the open market after the Royals declined their club option on his services.

Post-surgery, Soria has returned to being a strong relief arm, recording a 2.99 ERA, 9.3 K/9 and 3.59 K/BB rate over 135 2/3 innings with the Rangers, Tigers and Pirates. Soria actually posted his highest-ever average fastball speed (92.2 mph) just last year, so his arm certainly appears to be fully recovered. He’s been in demand at the last two July trade deadlines, first going from Texas to Detroit in 2014 and then last July to become a setup man for the Pirates.

With Wade Davis stepping in so brilliantly as the Royals’ closer after Holland went down, it’s probable that Soria (who turns 32 in May) will again take a setup role with his new team. The combination of Davis, Soria and Kelvin Herrera is as scary a 7th-8th-9th combination as there is in baseball, and Luke Hochevar has also emerged as a force since converting to relief work in 2013.

The $25MM guarantee doesn’t quite match the $27MM Soria was reportedly looking for, though the performance bonuses will likely give him a good shot at matching or even surpassing that total (and he’ll obviously far surpass it if he and Royals both exercise that option for 2019). As FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal wrote earlier today, Soria was looking for incentive clauses that would pay him extra if he did become a closer, so it’s fair to speculate that the bonuses in his Royals deal could address that possibility. As the only pitcher with recent and significant closing experience on the open market, it’s interesting that Soria chose a club that doesn’t have a clear path to a closing job — that could be a response to the glut of star closers that have been available in trade talks this offseason.

The Royals have never given $25MM to a reliever before, and they’ve topped that mark for very few pitchers in general over Dayton Moore’s tenure as general manager. Clearly they were open to spend to keep their bullpen at an elite level, and the extra revenue generated by the last two years of postseason baseball surely didn’t hurt in that respect. The Tigers, Rangers, Blue Jays and Giants are a few of the other teams known to have interest in Soria this offseason.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry/USA Today Sports Images

Orioles Claim Edgar Olmos, Designate Junior Lake

By Jeff Todd | December 10, 2015 at 4:03pm CDT

The Orioles announced that they have claimed lefty Edgar Olmos off waivers from the Cubs. Baltimore designated outfielder Junior Lake for assignment to clear roster space.

Olmos, 25, has bounced around via the waiver wire quite a bit in recent years. In fact, Chicago claimed him less than a week ago and obviously sought to stash him with a well-timed outright. Olmos has spent little time in the majors, but has shown an average fastball velocity of over 93 mph and put up a solid 3.55 ERA with 9.3 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 at Triple-A last year.

Baltimore had acquired Lake last summer in the trade that sent Tommy Hunter to the Cubs. He saw minimal MLB action in 2015 after having factored as a frequent contributor in 2013-14. Lake slashed .298/.397/.431 in his 355 Triple-A plate appearances last year, but has done little at the major league level since a strong debut season.

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