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Rays Designate Arencibia, Gomes, Nava, Yates

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The Rays have designated catcher J.P. Arencibia, outfielder Daniel Nava, and righties Brandon Gomes and Kirby Yates for assignment, the club announced. Tampa Bay will add righties Jacob Faria, Taylor Guerrieri, and German Marquez to the 40-man roster along with infielder/outfielder Taylor Motter and rising lefty prospect Blake Snell.

By parting with Arencibia, the club appears to have chosen to keep Rene Rivera around behind the dish, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The 29-year-old Arencibia still benefited from his time in Tampa Bay, though, as he put on a power show in his 73 plate appearances and figures to have boosted his free agent stock. Nava, soon to turn 33, never really got going last year and will probably be left looking for an opportunity on a minor league deal this winter.

On the pitching side of the ledger, the 31-year-old Gomes has seen his share of action in the Rays’ pen over the last five years, throwing a total of 167 innings of 4.20 ERA ball. He could land an MLB deal with a team looking for reliever depth. As for Yates, the 28-year-old righty was hit hard last year, but will enter the market with 10.1 K/9 vs. 3.5 BB/9 on his ledger over 56 1/3 career MLB innings.

Notably, also, the move will save Tampa Bay some money. MLBTR projected Arencibia ($1.4MM), Nava ($1.9MM), and Gomes ($900K) to command salaries that are not insignificant for a team with Tampa Bay’s tight payroll.

Diamondbacks Designate Allen Webster

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The Diamondbacks have designated righty Allen Webster for assignment, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports on Twitter. Righties Jake Barrett and Matt Koch will take up 40-man roster spots along with outfielder Gabby Guerrero, Piecoro adds on Twitter.

Webster, of course, was an important part of the deal that sent Wade Miley to the Red Sox. Unlike the other young righty acquired in that deal, Rubby De La Rosa, he hasn’t shown the ability to transition into a MLB pitcher.

The 25-year-old owns a 6.13 ERA over 120 1/3 total MLB innings, with a miserable 5.7 K/9 against 4.9 BB/9. It’s probably fair to call this past season his worst as a professional, as Webster walked more batters than he struck out in the majors and was bombed for 70 earned runs in his 77 Triple-A frames. Notably, also, his average fastball velocity at the major league level is nearly three miles per hour slower than it was with the Red Sox in 2013.

Nevertheless, there ought to be more than one club with interest in attempting to turn things around for the still-young hurler.

Rockies Avoid Arbitration With Brandon Barnes

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The Rockies have agreed to a one-year deal with outfielder Brandon Barnes to avoid arbitration, the club announced. Terms of the deal were not announced.

MLBTR projected Barnes, 29, to command $1.2MM in arbitration in his first season of eligibility. But as I wrote in assessing Colorado’s offseason outlook, he seemed like a reasonably plausible non-tender candidate given his recent struggles.

Barnes was demoted for part of the 2015 campaign and ended up contributing only a .251/.314/.341 slash over 281 plate appearances. Given that he benefited from playing at Coors Field, that translated to a meager 68 OPS+. He also hasn’t drawn terribly favorable ratings from defensive metrics.

Rockies Designate Axford, Rosario, Brothers, Kahnle

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The Rockies have designated a notable group of players for assignment today to clear space on the 40-man roster, per a club announcement. Relievers John Axford, Rex Brothers, and Tommy Kahnle are all now in DFA limbo, as is first baseman/catcher Wilin Rosario.

Colorado has selected the contracts of righties Carlos Estevez and Antonio Senzatela, infielder Trevor Story, and outfielder Raimel Tapia. All of those players will be protected from the Rule 5 draft.

It’s somewhat surprising to see all of those veterans being pushed out the door, but the move saves significant dollars for the Rockies. Per MLBTR’s arbitration projections, the trio of Axford, Brothers, and Rosario would’ve cost just over $11MM in 2016. All three could potentially score guaranteed contracts in free agency — and Axford almost certainly will after a solid campaign — but it also is easy to see why the team wasn’t willing to pay their respective arb prices to keep them.

Kahnle was not yet arb eligible, but  lost his place after his walk rate ballooned to 7.6 BB/9 last year. The pre-2014 Rule 5 pick showed enough to stick in Colorado, and his mid-90s heater is still humming, so he ought to draw some interest from clubs that are looking for a project.

Reds Sign Blake Wood To MLB Contract

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The Reds announced the signing of righty Blake Wood to a major league deal. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Wood, a 30-year-old righty, last pitched in the majors in 2014. He had been a regular contributor to the Royals pen over the 2010-11 seasons, throwing 119 1/3 innings of 4.30 ERA ball, but ended up requiring Tommy John surgery.

Last year, Wood pitched for the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate. Over 58 2/3 innings, he worked to a 3.53 ERA. Notably, he managed a 10.7 strikeout-per-nine rate while issuing just under four free passes per regulation game.

Cubs Acquire Spencer Patton

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The Cubs have acquired righty Spencer Patton from the Rangers in exchange for infielder Frandy De La Rosa. The move was officially announced by Texas VP of communications John Blake.

Chicago likely took advantage of its open 40-man roster spots to pick up another relief option. The team similarly claimed Jack Leathersich and awarded a big league deal to minor league free agent righty Andury Acevedo.

Like those players, Patton will provide a ready depth piece. The 27-year-old has 33 1/3 big league innings on his stat sheet. He’s allowed 25 earned runs in that span, but does have a more promising 36-to-14 K:BB ratio. Patton has been a double-digit strikeouts-per-nine pitcher throughout his minor league career, and worked to a 1.67 ERA in his 27 Triple-A frames last season.

De La Rosa, 19, is a middle infielder who played last year at the low-A level. He hit .273/.315/.367 in 278 plate appearances on the year.

David Kaplan of CSN Chicago first tweeted that a deal had taken place between the clubs, while Robert Murray tweeted that it involved Patton.

Padres Sign Cesar Vargas To MLB Deal

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The Padres have signed righty Cesar Vargas to a major league deal, the club announced. San Diego also added just-acquired outfielder Manuel Margot and infielder Jose Rondon to its 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft.

Vargas is a 23-year-old who spent the last seven seasons in the Yankees organization before reaching minor league free agency. He is the second former New York reliever to sign a major league deal as a minor league free agent in recent days, joining new Cubs pitcher Andury Acevedo.

It’s not clear exactly what San Diego’s plans are for its new right-hander, though the team will have several option seasons to work with. Vargas reached the Triple-A level late last season, but spent the bulk of his time at Double-A. In 67 2/3 innings there — his first stint at the second-to-last stop in the minors — Vargas worked to a 2.79 ERA with 8.6 K/0 against 2.9 BB/9.

Trade Notes: Giles, Cubs-Braves Talks, Ozuna, Lind

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While the Phillies are downplaying the possibility of trading Ken Giles this offseason, there’s an expectation among other teams that he’ll be dealt either this winter or in July, according to ESPN’s Jayson Stark. Stark heard that the asking price on Giles is steep — at least two or three high-ceiling prospects — and that the Phillies are willing to hang onto him if their price isn’t met. My first thought upon seeing the Craig Kimbrel trade return was to wonder what type of haul the Phillies could receive in exchange for Giles. While Giles hasn’t established himself to the level that Kimbrel has, of course, he’s still earning just over $500K per season, won’t be arbitration-eligible for two more years and can be controlled through 2020. The Phillies are within their rights to seek a huge return.

Here’s more on the trade market:

  • The Cubs and Braves have had talks regarding Atlanta’s controllable, MLB-level pitching, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). That would appear to involve Julio Teheran and/or Shelby Miller, as it’s hard to imagine Chicago having interest in any other Braves starters for immediate MLB jobs. Rosenthal writes that the Cubs are “doing background work” on somewhere around a dozen rotation options, while colleague Jon Morosi has said that the team is in contact with nearly the same number of free agent starters. Meanwhile, the Braves are looking to get young position players back if they ship out arms, per Rosenthal.
  • As we’ve heard suggested previously, the Marlins are asking other clubs for young pitching in return for outfielder Marcell Ozuna, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports (links to Twitter). It’s always seemed likely that Ozuna would be dealt, as MLBTR explained in its post on the club’s offseason outlook, and one of Crasnick’s sources confirmed that the sentiment is held around the league. “I’d be surprised if they keep him,” said an anonymous executive. “Loria clearly can’t stand the guy and everybody knows it.”
  • There’s “lots of activity” on Brewers first baseman (and prospective DH) Adam Lind, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports on Twitter. The righty-masher could end up being the next veteran asset shipped out of Milwaukee, says Rosenthal, and that certainly wouldn’t be surprising.

Red Sox Designate Josh Rutledge, Outright Anthony Varvaro

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The Red Sox announced a series of transactions in which the team turned over a few 40-man spots. Leaving the big league roster were infielder Josh Rutledge, who was designated for assignment, and righty Anthony Varvaro, who was outrighted (and elected free agency).

Boston needed those slots as part of its efforts to protect players from the Rule 5 draft. Going onto the 40-man are infielder Marco Hernandez, righty Pat Light, and lefty Williams Jerez.

Rutledge, 26, has shown some pop at times from the middle infield but hasn’t been a consistent offensive threat and has rated poorly with the glove. He spent most of last season at Triple-A with the Angels organization, but went to Boston at the trade deadline in the Shane Victorino deal.

The 31-year-old Varvaro, meanwhile, turned in nice seasons for the Braves in 2013 and 2014. He went to the Sox via trade last winter. But he started off slowly in 2015 and ultimately required season-ending surgery for a torn flexor tendon (after being claimed and returned by the Cubs).

Athletics Designate A.J. Griffin

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The Athletics have designated righty A.J. Griffin for assignment, the club announced. His 40-man spot will go to just-signed lefty Rich Hill, whose deal is now official.

The 27-year-old Griffin hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2013, when he threw an even 200 innings and worked to a 3.83 ERA with 7.7 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9. He’s been hit hard by arm injuries since, though he tells Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link) that he is no longer experiencing the shoulder tightness that plagued him after his Tommy John surgery.

There will certainly be clubs with interest in taking a shot at Griffin, though it remains to be seen whether any will be willing to give him a 40-man spot (and/or send anything Oakland’s way for his rights). Griffin was able to return to make four rehab starts last year, so teams have had a chance to see him throw recently.

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