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Agent Jeff Borris Joins Ballengee Group

By Steve Adams | December 2, 2015 at 9:05am CDT

Veteran agent Jeff Borris, formerly of the Beverly Hills Sports Council, is now an agent with the Ballengee Group, according to a press release from the agency. That transition has a direct impact on this year’s class of free agents, as Borris is the representative for right-hander Darren O’Day as well as first baseman Mark Reynolds.

The Ballengee Group is still a relatively new agency but has several notable big league (or recent big league) clients within its ranks, including Heath Bell, Jordan Lyles and Brett Oberholtzer, among others. Adding a free agent of O’Day’s stature to its ranks will be a boon, as it would for any agency. And Borris himself brings a wealth of experience, given his lengthy career as a high-profile agent, with Barry Bonds serving as his most notable client.

Unlike other agency switches, the shift doesn’t figure to slow down O’Day’s timeline to sign by all that much, as his primary agent will be changing agencies with him. In some instances, changing agents can either raise or lower contractual expectations, but that doesn’t figure to be an issue here, and Borris of course has been involved in all prior negotiations with interested teams, so the same groundwork for a contract has still been laid.

O’Day is said to be seeking a four-year contract in the $28-36MM range, and many believe it’s possible for him to achieve that goal due to the demand for his services. O’Day is the top relief name on this year’s market, so despite his slightly advanced age (33), a lengthy list of teams has lined up to try to acquire the former Orioles setup ace, who sports a sub-2.00 ERA over his past four seasons.

The Orioles themselves are said to have recently made a competitive offer for O’Day, making them a serious player for his services along with the Nationals, Dodgers and Braves. Other clubs such as the Giants, Mets and Tigers have been tied to O’Day throughout the offseason.

As is the case with all changes of this nature, the switch has been reflected in MLBTR’s Agency Database. If you see an errors or omissions within the database, please let us know via email: mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.

Free Agent Profile: Zack Greinke

By Steve Adams | December 2, 2015 at 8:18am CDT

After exercising an opt-out clause in his previous six-year, $147MM contract and leaving a guaranteed $71MM on the table, Zack Greinke is poised to secure more than double that amount as one of the top free agents of the 2015-16 offseason.

Strengths/Pros

Greinke is coming off a season for the ages. The right-hander’s 1.66 ERA is the lowest single-season mark for a qualified starting pitcher since Greg Maddux’s 1.63 ERA back in 1995. Greinke doesn’t play in the offensive environment that we saw in the late 90s and early 2000s, but the lowest ERA in two decades is nonetheless incredible, and his ERA+ (which adjusts for both park and league, with 100 being average) rates him a staggering 125 percent better than a league-average pitcher in 2015.

Greinke isn’t some one-year wonder, though. He’s a former Cy Young winner (American League, 2009) with a longstanding history as an ace that is coming off a three-year platform with the Dodgers which featured a 2.30 ERA, 8.3 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 602 2/3 innings. I’m not a big subscriber to the importance of postseason stats over regular season stats, but even if you find it critical, Greinke’s work with the Dodgers checks all the right boxes. He’s been to three straight postseasons with L.A. and worked to a 2.38 ERA with a 41-to-5 K/BB ratio in 41 2/3 innings.

While Greinke isn’t as young as most free-agent starters (more on that later), there’s a belief among scouts that he’ll age better than most pitchers because he’s not overly reliant on velocity and because he’s among the most cerebral pitchers in the game. As ESPN’s Keith Law wrote (Insider subscription required and recommended) when ranking Greinke second among free agents this season, “Greinke’s command, control and understanding of how to set up hitters are all at or near the top of the sport, and as much as long-term deals for any pitcher frighten me, I’d probably give Greinke whatever number of years he wants.” Law’s colleague, Jerry Crasnick, polled a number of execs and scouts in the early stages of the offseason, and 19 of the 34 respondents preferred Greinke to David Price, with one scout calling Greinke the closest thing this generation has to Maddux and another saying he’ll age more gracefully than Price (which wasn’t to say Price will age poorly, but rather that Greinke will age abnormally well).

Greinke’s velocity has dipped from its peak of a 94 mph average in 2007, but he still averages a solid 91.8 mph on his heater, and as the velocity has declined, he’s improved in other areas. When he was throwing his hardest, Greinke averaged nearly 2.5 walks per nine innings, but he’s averaged just 1.9 walks per nine since his fastball dipped below an average of 92 mph. He’s become much more of a ground-ball pitcher later in his career as well; Greinke recorded a 40 percent ground-ball rate when he won the Cy Young in 2009 but was at 48 percent in 2015 and has averaged a 47.9 percent rate over the past four seasons. Per Fangraphs, he induced the seventh-most weak contact of any qualified starter in baseball this season.

National League clubs will love the fact that Greinke is a career .220/.261/.337 hitter and that he batted .224/.232/.343 with a pair of homers in 2015. Relative to the rest of the league, of course, those numbers are abysmal, but one also has to keep in mind that the average pitcher batted .131/.158/.168 in 2015. Greinke is a considerably more difficult out at the plate than most pitchers, and he’ll probably chip in a homer or two over the course of a full season.

Weaknesses/Cons

The list of weaknesses for a pitcher coming off the fourth-best ERA in the past 30 years is going to be relatively short, but Greinke’s most significant roadblock to a record contract is his age. Greinke’s velocity has indeed declined in recent seasons, and while the belief that he has the intelligence to succeed with diminished stuff almost certainly has some merit, one still has to assume some form of decline in performance as his repertoire deteriorates.

The other con for teams in the Greinke sweepstakes is that they’re paying for his services as he comes off an almost assuredly unrepeatable season. Greinke benefited from a .229 batting average on balls in play and an 86.5 percent strand rate — both of which were considerably better than the league norm and enormous outliers when compared to his career body of work. Greinke isn’t a consistent 1.66 ERA pitcher (no starter is), but his camp can use the historic season as leverage all the same. It’s been obvious that Greinke would opt out of his contract, barring injury, for more than a year. But, if he’d had a more characteristic season (say a 2.75 ERA in 210 innings) or even a bit of a down year relative to his first two in Los Angeles (3.30 ERA in 200 innings), we’d probably be talking more in the $120-140MM range.

The other con working against Greinke is that he rejected a qualifying offer and will cost a draft pick.

Market

Greinke will reportedly choose between the Dodgers and the Giants this week, with an average annual value topping David Price’s $31MM said to be attainable on a five- and possibly six-year deal.

While those are the two teams most heavily connected to Greinke, it’s not out of the question that a well-funded dark horse could sweep in at the last minute. The Red Sox and Tigers have already made their big free-agent splashes, but the Cardinals reportedly finished as a runner-up to the Sox in the pursuit of Price. Knowing that they were willing to spend at that level on a similarly regarded free agent, it’s at least conceivable that they could make a late entry into the Greinke market.

Of course, St. Louis hasn’t been tied recently to Greinke. Neither, really, have other clubs with significant spending capacity and theoretically plausible interest — such as the Yankees and Cubs, or even the Angels and Nationals. But the Cards operated quietly on Price, and it’s still possible there’s a lurking mystery team that could make a serious run at the new top free agent starter.

Expected Contract

Were Greinke heading into his age-30 or even age-31 season like most of his peers, he’d be in line to challenge Price’s new record-setting contract of $217MM.

Recent contracts of five-plus years for pitchers like Price, Scherzer, Jon Lester, Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia have seen the guaranteed portion of the contract end with a player’s age-35 or age-36 season. The same was true of Justin Verlander’s extension, which runs through age 36. Even Roy Halladay’s three-year, $60MM extension with the Phillies prior to the 2011 season ended in his age-36 campaign.

The challenge for Greinke and agent Casey Close of Excel Sports will be getting a team to commit to him into his age-37. If that happens, Greinke can approach $200MM, even though he’ll probably still fall shy of it. Nonetheless, he’s poised to land a free-agent contract that has, to this point, only ever been exceeded by the likes of Scherzer and Price.

The fact that the two chief suitors for Greinke are division rivals works out incredibly well for Greinke’s camp. Whatever value the Dodgers or Giants place on Greinke (let’s say five to six wins per season), they have to consider that not only are they adding those wins to their total by signing Greinke — they’re preventing their top competitor from doing so in the process. It can be argued that no team is hurt more by the Dodgers signing Greinke than the Giants, and vice versa. That factor may have substantially driven up the bidding already.

MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes projected a six-year, $156MM contract back in early November, but considering what we’ve learned in recent days, a six-year, $189MM contract seems attainable.

Pirates Interested In Justin Masterson

By Steve Adams | December 2, 2015 at 1:19am CDT

The Pirates are interested in free-agent right-hander Justin Masterson, reports Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via Twitter). The former Indians/Red Sox hurler is likely seeking a one-year deal to reestablish his value, Sawchik adds.

Masterson, 30, pitched just 59 1/3 innings with the Red Sox in 2015, marking his second consecutive season that was largely derailed due to injury. Masterson battled knee injuries for much of the 2014 campaign and struggled to a 5.88 ERA that year, and this past season, a shoulder injury hampered him. Masterson would eventually undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder in September, though a recent update on his health status indicated that he’d be ready to go come Spring Training.

Prior to this recent rash of injuries. Masterson delivered brilliant performances in both 2011 and 2013. In both seasons, he logged an ERA south of 3.50 and was among the league leaders in terms of ground-ball rate. Of course, Masterson sandwiched a dreadful 4.93 ERA in between those two strong campaigns, but most believed that he’d have been in line for a very lucrative free-agent contract following the 2014 season had he been able to approximate his 2011/2013 results that season.

Though he hasn’t been healthy for two years, Masterson was looked at as a durable arm prior to that stretch, averaging 199 innings per year from 2010-13. And, while he’s only had two seasons in which he’s posted strong strikeout rates (8.7 K/9 from 2013-14), his nearly side-arm delivery and heavy sinker usage help him generate an exceptional amount of ground-balls when healthy (career 56.3 percent ground-ball rate).

The Pirates, who are among the most aggressive teams in the league in terms of infield shifting, tend to gravitate toward ground-ball pitchers and have developed a reputation for successfully rehabilitating pitchers with diminished value (e.g. Francisco Liriano, A.J. Burnett, Edinson Volquez, Mark Melancon, Vance Worley). While Pittsburgh has a knack for finding fixable talent, some of that strategy is also borne out of necessity, as the Pirates lack the financial firepower to play at the top of the market — or, realistically, even in the middle tiers of the market — for free agents. All of those factors would seem to align to make Masterson a very reasonable target for the Pirates, although there are certainly other “reclamation projects” in which Pittsburgh could look to invest. Doug Fister and Mat Latos stand out as two names coming off poor seasons that could look to rebuild value on a one-year deal, and a more veteran option in the same boat would be right-hander Kyle Lohse.

Ilitch, Avila On Zimmermann, Offseason, Dombrowski, Scherzer

By Steve Adams | December 1, 2015 at 10:31pm CDT

The Tigers introduced Jordan Zimmermann to fans with an press conference yesterday, but it was owner Mike Ilitch and, to a lesser extent, GM Al Avila who garnered most of the attention, per a pair of reports from MLB.com’s Jason Beck and from CBS Detroit (includes video of Ilitch interview). As Beck writes, the 86-year-old Ilitch made his steadfast desire to see a winning team in Detroit abundantly clear just four months after now-former GM Dave Dombrowski sent the club on a mini-rebuild by trading David Price, Yoenis Cespedes and Joakim Soria.

“I’ve been in baseball for a lot of years, and I don’t care about spending money,” Ilitch told the Detroit media. “They get the players, and I spend and I don’t worry about it, because they have good judgment. We’ve had good teams over the years, and it’s a lot of fun for me.” Ilitch added that winning is “all I think about” and that he badly wants a championship in Detroit.

Avila told reporters that Zimmermann was the club’s top target from day one this offseason, and Ilitch was aware of that. “It’s very rare when you say to the owner, ’This is the guy we’re trying to get,’ and then you end up getting him,” said Avila, who drew strong praise from the team’s owner.

Ilitch was candid not only in his praise for Avila but in his description of how the relationship between Dombrowski and the Tigers came to a close. “He knew he wasn’t getting a contract,” Ilitch told reporters. “That’s all there was to it, because I didn’t win with him. We were close. He’s a great guy. But you know, there’s times you’ve got to change. If you’re not winning, you’ve got to change. So I made up my mind: I’ve got to change. So I called him and I told him like a gentleman.” Ilitch did note in the above-linked video that he and Dombrowski spoke “like old friends” and certainly didn’t seem to harbor anything but respect for his longtime but now former general manager.

The frank comments from Ilitch also entailed his recounting of some frustration with Max Scherzer and Scherzer’s agent, Scott Boras. Per CBS Detroit, Ilitch recalled: “We made him an offer and it looked like he was going to take it, then all of the sudden he wanted a little bit more and it was a great number. It irked me a little bit. I figured, ‘how much do you want? I just asked you what you wanted.’ Then he tells me he wants more.”

The offer referenced by Ilitch, of course, is the six-year, $144MM offer which Scherzer rejected prior to the 2014 season. Many expressed disbelief at the time reports leaked out about Scherzer passing on the deal, but the decision proved shrewd in the long run, as Scherzer landed a seven-year, $210MM contract with the Nationals which, even with heavy deferrals, is valued at an estimated $189MM in present-day terms.

Back to Beck’s column, Ilitch indicated that he’s comfortable exceeding the luxury tax threshold of $189MM if necessary, if it’s necessary to land the players they want. Avila noted that the team would still limit its spending somewhat, though the plan is to pursue another starter and a relief arm, albeit more of a back-end rotation type, per Beck.

That would figure to eliminate the Tigers from the market for pitchers like Jeff Samardzija, Mike Leake, Wei-Yin Chen and Kenta Maeda (if he is indeed posted), each of whom could pull in significant commitments that match Zimmermann’s in terms of contract length (though probably not annual value). Even mid-rotation arms such as Ian Kennedy and Yovani Gallardo could command three- and four-year deals. If the aim is more for a lower-cost option, the Tigers could look to buy low on a reunion with Doug Fister or perhaps ink a lower-cost fifth starter like Mike Pelfrey (both names are my own speculation).

The relief market offers a number of non-closing setup types, though it’d seem there’s room for at least two more relievers — one left-handed and one right-handed. Detroit’s lefty options on the 40-man roster at this time include Blaine Hardy, Kyle Ryan and Kyle Lobstein (assuming Matt Boyd continues to work as a starter in the minors), so one names like Tony Sipp and Antonio Bastardo make for reasonable speculative targets. Right-handed names that fit the team’s typical affinity for high-strikeout arms include Shawn Kelley, Mark Lowe and Ryan Madson, while Tommy Hunter’s velocity stands out among free-agent relievers (though he doesn’t generate a huge number of strikeouts despite his 96.2 mph average fastball).

Ultimately, as one would expect based on the Tigers’ history, the team looks poised to continue to spend despite having already reeled in a pair of high-profile acquisitions in the form of Zimmermann and Francisco Rodriguez.

Latest On Ben Zobrist’s Asking Price

By Steve Adams | December 1, 2015 at 8:46pm CDT

Ben Zobrist’s projected price tag “keeps going up,” tweets Yahoo’s Jeff Passan, who hears from clubs involved in his market that the demand for his services has the price sitting at four years and $60MM currently. That price could still rise, says Passan. That he says the current price tag is about $60MM over four years would indicate that no club has approached that level just yet, although given the sheer number volume of teams that Zobrist could help, it’s easy to see how competition could push his eventual contract beyond that level.

The 34-year-old Zobrist has been one of the most in-demand free agents on this year’s market, with early reports connecting him to the Mets, Nationals, Braves, Cubs, Giants, Cardinals and Royals, among others. Zobrist’s preference is reportedly to play second base, although I’d wager that if the clear highest bidder is interested in him primarily as a corner outfielder, that won’t stand in the way of his signing. FOX’s Ken Rosenthal recently reported that the Mets consider Zobrist their No. 1 priority, and that same report indicated that the Royals probably won’t meet his ultimate asking price. ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin added this week that while the Mets may consider Zobrist their top priority, a four-year commitment from them isn’t likely.

Zobrist is coming off a strong season at the plate that was split between the Athletics and Royals. The switch-hitter batted .276/.359/.450 despite all of his home games coming in pitcher-friendly environments. Defensive metrics were uncharacteristically harsh on Zobrist this season, though some of that could potentially stem from diminished range due to knee surgery in late April. Zobrist spent only about a month on the shelf due to that operation, and while it was minor in nature, it’s certainly conceivable that Zobrist’s lateral movements were slowed to some extent following the procedure.

Astros Shopping Chris Carter, Listening On Jake Marisnick

By Jeff Todd | December 1, 2015 at 8:04pm CDT

8:04pm: If the Astros tender a contract to Carter this week, they’ll only do so if they believe they can move him to another team, reports Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle. Carter’s time with the Astros “is probably done” one way or the other, per Drellich.

1:16pm: The Astros are shopping slugger Chris Carter as the non-tender deadline approaches, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports (links to Twitter). Meanwhile, the club is willing at least to “listen” to offers on center fielder Jake Marisnick, who could be used as part of a package for pitching.

We heard earlier today that the Mariners were looking to move Mark Trumbo, and it seems that many of the same clubs could have interest in both players. Both offer thirty home run pop from the right side of the plate — along with lots of swings and misses and iffy on-base abilities.

Houston is focusing its trade efforts on fellow American League teams, per the report. That’s not terribly surprising, given that Carter is known as a terrible outfielder and may not have shown enough consistent production to warrant a regular first base job on a contending club. The lumbering slugger also hasn’t rated well with the glove at first.

If anything, Marisnick offers the opposite profile of Carter. The 24-year-old, who will likely qualify for arbitration next year as a Super Two, hit just .236/.281/.383 in 372 plate appearances last year. But he made up for that by contributing 24 stolen bases and quality defense up the middle, making him about a 2-win player even in part-time duty. Crasnick suggests that the Indians, Mariners, and Giants could potentially fit in a deal.

It’ll be interesting to see how things play out for Houston. The willingness to consider deals for Carter and possibly Marisnick could be related to the team’s somewhat unexpected retention of Colby Rasmus, who occupied an outfield job and $15.8MM of salary by accepting a qualifying offer.

Braves Listening On Shelby Miller; Interested In A.J. Pollock, Jorge Soler

By Steve Adams | December 1, 2015 at 6:56pm CDT

6:56pm: The Braves continue to ask the Diamondbacks for A.J. Pollock, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (links to Twitter). After the D-backs initially rejected Atlanta’s proposal of Miller for Pollock, the Braves came back with an offer of Miller and right-hander Arodys Vizcaino for Pollock and minor league right-hander Aaron Blair, which Arizona also rejected.

Clearly, while the Braves are in a state of rebuilding, there’s interest on their behalf in adding a piece that can help them in 2017, when much of the team’s young stable of pitching prospects will be emerging onto the Major League scene. Both Pollock and Soler (mentioned in the previous update) fit that bill, with Soler possessing even more club control than Pollock, who is a free agent after three seasons (the same as Miller).

6:40pm: Shelby Miller’s name is one of the most popular on the rumor circuit at present, with recent reports indicating that as many as 20 teams have checked in on the Atlanta right-hander. Jon Heyman reported yesterday that the Yankees, Marlins, Giants, Dodgers and Diamondbacks are all among the teams to have expressed interest, and further details on the Miller market are beginning to emerge.

Today, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reports that the Braves are highly interested in Cubs right fielder Jorge Soler, but right-hander Julio Teheran probably isn’t enough to pry Soler away from Chicago (links to Twitter). One person familiar with Atlanta’s thinking also told Crasnick that the Red Sox could be a match, though that tweet preceded tonight’s record-setting agreement with David Price.

Meanwhile, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Cubs, Diamondbacks, Dodgers and Giants are the teams that appear to be the most interested in Miller, but the Braves might be waiting until Price’s deal becomes official and Zack Greinke makes a decision before ultimately determining whether or not they should move Miller. Greinke is said to be choosing between San Francisco and L.A., so it stands to reason that whichever club loses out on Greinke could show an increased willingness to part with talent to land Miller.

Heyman hears that one name that’s unlikely to be included in a Miller deal is Joc Pederson (Twitter link), The Dodgers have “made clear” that they’d prefer to deal from their deep well of prospects as opposed to part with Major League ready talent such as Pederson, whose name isn’t involved in trade discussions between the two sides at this time.

The 25-year-old Miller is set to hit arbitration for the first time this winter and is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $4.9MM next season. He’s controllable for three more years and is coming off a fine 2015 campaign in which he recorded a 3.02 ERA with 7.5 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a 47.7 ground-ball rate in 205 2/3 innings. The ERA, ground-ball rate and innings total each ranked as a career-high for the former first-round pick.

Trumbo Talks Between Mariners, Orioles Heating Up

By Jeff Todd | December 1, 2015 at 6:20pm CDT

6:20pm: Heyman now tweets that talks between the Mariners and Orioles regarding Trumbo are “heating up.”

1:56pm: Baltimore has real interest in Trumbo, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (Twitter links). The club expects Seattle will tender Trumbo a contract, suggesting that the O’s would need to strike a trade to get him.

1:38pm: Colorado is no longer in active talks with Seattle on Trumbo, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding reports, though he adds that it’s possible a “new and separate round of talks” could be initiated in the future and says the Rockies could have interest in Trumbo as a free agent if he’s non-tendered. The bottom line, it appears, is that Colorado won’t be taking him on in advance of the non-tender deadline.

12:29pm: The Orioles are also “in the mix” for Trumbo, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Presumably, he could fill some of the power void left by departing free agents Chris Davis and Steve Pearce, though of course Baltimore is still said to be pursuing a return with the former.

8:17am: The Mariners are “trying hard” to find a taker for veteran outfielder/first baseman/DH Mark Trumbo with tomorrow’s non-tender deadline looming, according to reports from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter) and Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune (Twitter link). It’s previously been reported that many rival executives expect Trumbo to be dealt. The Rockies are among the clubs that have spoken with Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto about the slugger, per Rosenthal.

Trumbo, who’ll turn 30 before the season, is projected by MLBTR to take home a $9.1MM salary in his final season of arbitration eligibility. Though he’s generally continued to produce at better than the league-average rate on offense, and remains a significant power threat in particular, the right-handed hitter has not quite matched his early-career batting levels.

Considering his significant defensive limitations and hefty earning power, Trumbo’s trade value would not appear to be peaking at the moment. (That moment probably came when then-Angels GM Dipoto acquired promising young lefties Tyler Skaggs and Hector Santiago in exchange for Trumbo before the start of the 2014 season.) Trumbo has never cracked three wins above replacement in his career, whether by measure of Fangraphs or Baseball-Reference, and ended up as about a one to one-and-a-half win player last season.

Of course, teams may still be willing to roll the dice on Trumbo cranking his power output back up over a one-year commitment. He averaged over thirty home runs annually from 2011 through 2013, after all, which represents a fairly rare demonstration of playable pop. While he is roundly considered a sub-par defender in the corner outfield, his ability to play there at least increases his versatility. And Trumbo has rated rather well as a first baseman over the years.

Presumably, the Rockies would be interested in utilizing Trumbo at first. The club recently parted ways with incumbent Justin Morneau and designated another potential option in Wilin Rosario. Adding a veteran right-handed bat would allow Colorado to utilize the lefty-swinging Ben Paulsen in a reserve capacity.

The non-tender deadline represents an important market in any trade talks, if only because the Mariners may be unwilling to commit to paying Trumbo if a trade isn’t arranged. Of course, if interest is strong enough, Seattle could always strike a bargain after tendering him an arb contract. In the worst case, of course, clubs can cut bait on tendered players whil remaining responsible only for one-sixth of their salary, but that’s obviously not the preferred outcome — especially when that would represent such a significant sum.

It’s worth noting, also, that several other major power sources could be available. The Astros’ Chris Carter and Evan Gattis might be trade candidates, and we’ve heard every indication that the Pirates have interest in moving lefty slugger Pedro Alvarez. All of those players project to earn less than Trumbo, though Alvarez isn’t far behind at $8.1MM.

Angels Sign Rafael Ortega To Major League Deal

By Steve Adams | December 1, 2015 at 6:17pm CDT

The Angels announced tonight that they’ve signed outfielder Rafael Ortega to a one-year, Major League contract (Twitter link).

Ortega, 24, is a left-handed-hitting center fielder that once ranked as one of the Rockies’ top prospects but has had his career slowed by injury. Baseball America rated him 15th among Colorado farmhands prior to the 2013 season, calling him a true center fielder with a plus arm and plus speed. BA noted that he needs to be careful not to fall in love with swinging for the fences after a home run, though he does have surprising pop for someone with a 5’11”, 160-pound frame.

Ortega was once again healthy in 2015 and enjoyed a strong campaign with the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate in Memphis, where he batted .286/.367/.378 with a pair of homers and 17 stolen bases in 502 plate appearances. Ortega, it would seem, can compete for the fourth outfielder’s job in Anaheim and serve as either a lefty bench bat and late-inning defensive replacement or valuable depth at the Triple-A level. He received a brief taste of the Majors as a 21-year-old back in 2012 but hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since that time.

Wilin Rosario Elects Free Agency

By Jeff Todd | December 1, 2015 at 2:32pm CDT

Rockies first baseman/catcher Wilin Rosario has elected free agency after clearing outright waivers, per MLB.com’s Thomas Harding (via Twitter). As a player with more than three years of service time, Rosario had the right to reject his outright assignment.

Rosario owns a lifetime .273/.306/.473 batting line in parts of five big league seasons. That looks rather impressive at first glance, but represents roughly league-average production overall once his time at Coors Field is weighed in. Last year was Rosario’s worst at the big league level — excluding a short stint as a 22-year-old — as he managed only a 79 OPS+ in his 242 MLB plate appearances.

The 26-year-old was one of several arb-eligible players recently designated for assignment by Colorado. MLBTR projected him to earn $3.2MM through arbitration, and that pay rate obviously proved too steep both for the Rockies and the rest of the league.

It seems likely that Rosario will find a new home, though it remains to be seen whether any other organizations still believe there’s hope for the 26-year-old behind the plate. As a backstop, Rosario’s high-power bat holds quite a bit of appeal. But if he’s limited to first base or DH duties, there’s obviously much less upside.

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