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Dodgers Have Checked In On Aroldis Chapman

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Though the rotation is a more obvious area of need in Los Angeles, the Dodgers have nonetheless checked in on Aroldis Chapman, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. L.A. has recently been connected to Darren O’Day as well, and Heyman writes that they’re “very determined” to upgrade their bullpen however they can.

The Dodgers already possess one of baseball’s best closers in the form of Kenley Jansen It’s understandable that they’d be perhaps interested in acquiring help at the back end of the ’pen because Jansen is a free agent next season, but so, too, is Chapman, thus making it a bit more of a questionable fit than a closer with more team control (e.g. Ken Giles, who is also rumored to be available).

Jansen and Chapman would, however, represent perhaps the most dominant late-inning duo in all of Major League Baseball, albeit at a highly premium cost. Chapman projects to earn $12.9MM this winter in his final offseason of arbitration eligibility, while Jansen is projected at a slightly more affordable (but still expensive, relative to his peers) salary of $11.4MM. The Dodgers typically operate with less regard for finances than any other club, however, so the notion of spending nearly $25MM on two relievers in a single season isn’t as outlandish for them as it would be another team.

Heyman does note that the Dodgers’ level of interest in Chapman isn’t yet known, though Chapman isn’t the type of player a team would kick the tires on in hopes of landing him at a bargain rate; president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, GM Farhan Zaidi and the rest of the staff know full well that Chapman will be moved for a relatively steep price. The Reds reportedly are seeking controllable, MLB-ready talent in exchange for Chapman, and Cincinnati president of baseball operations Walt Jocketty recently expressed hope that the Reds will get a trade worked out prior to the Winter Meetings, which begin in two weeks.

East Notes: Davis, O’Day, Papelbon, Anthopoulos, Phillies

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Orioles GM Dan Duquette has said on many occasions that he’s trying to re-sign Chris Davis, and ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets that owner Peter Angelos has also become directly involved in talks to re-sign the slugger. Contracts of the magnitude such as the one Davis is expected to sign are typically ownership-level decisions, and as Olney notes, the O’s wouldn’t stand a serious chance in negotiations were Angelos not involved in talks. Baltimore still figures to face plenty of competition in their endeavors, with one Friday report linking the Cardinals to Davis.

A few more notes from the game’s Eastern divisions…

  • Interest between the Nationals and right-hander Darren O’Day is mutual, reports CSNWashington.com’s Mark Zuckerman. A source points out to Zuckerman that the Nats are in a favorable spot due to the fact that his wife is a TV reporter for FOX News in Washington, as CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman pointed out over the weekend. That would seem to make either D.C. or Baltimore an attractive place to land for O’Day, but Zuckerman writes that there’s no evidence that the Orioles have made a serious effort to re-sign the right-hander. Zuckerman adds that O’Day would be an out-of-character signing for GM Mike Rizzo, who has shown a willingness to pay top dollar for relief arms (Rafael Soriano, Jonathan Papelbon) but only over shorter terms than the three or four years which O’Day will command. Adding O’Day into the fold would seem to increase the likelihood that Papelbon or Drew Storen will be traded this winter, he continues, though a trade of either wouldn’t be a certainty.
  • Papelbon recently altered the teams on his no-trade list, reports James Wagner of the Washington Post. Though he doesn’t have specifics on the updated list, Wagner points out that the no-trade clause makes it more difficult to move Papelbon than Storen, who also has just one year of team control remaining at a cheaper rate than that of Papelbon. GM Mike Rizzo has said he doesn’t feel the need to trade either reliever unless he gets a sound return, but as Wagner notes, that could just be an attempt at preserving some trade value.
  • Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun cites two sources in reporting that the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes have reached out to former Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos about working in a senior position or a consulting position within the team’s front office. The Coyotes reached out to Anthopoulos immediately upon his decision to leave the Blue Jays, writes Simmons, and they’re one of many teams/media outlets to inquire with Anthopoulos about his future. Per Simmons, Anthopoulos isn’t expected to make any kind of decision on his future until late December or early January. Simmons adds that the call from the Coyotes caught Anthopoulos “by complete surprise,” as he’s never worked in hockey at any level, though he does know Coyotes assistant GM John Chayka personally.
  • MLB.com’s Matthew Leach and Todd Zolecki tackle a number of Phillies-related hot stove topics in a podcast. Zolecki feels it’s highly unlikely that the Phillies will sign a notable free agent, though he states that he “absolutely” believes the team will add a stable rotation arm that can make 30 or so starts on a short-term deal with the idea that said addition could save the young arms in the bullpen or rotation. Jeremy Hellickson is already viewed somewhat in that role, Zolecki notes, though the team believes he has a bit more upside given that he’s younger than recent arms (e.g. Aaron Harang, Jerome Williams) they’ve brought in to serve in that role.

Send In Your Questions To The MLBTR Mailbag

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Last week’s edition of the MLBTR Mailbag included questions regarding Freddie Freeman, the Angels’ remaining trade pieces, the Mets’ free-agent approach, pitching targets for the Marlins, the Rangers’ catching situation and lastly, Aroldis Chapman’s trade value.

We’ll run another edition of the mailbag later this afternoon/evening. If you have a question you’ve been kicking around and would like to hear our take, let us know via email: mlbtrmailbag@gmail.com. While volume prevents our ability to come close to responding to all of the questions, remember that you can also always join our Tuesday and Thursday afternoon chats, hosted by myself and Jeff Todd, respectively.

Quick Hits: Dombrowski, Fernandez, Harvey, Britton

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Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski discussed his team’s pitching search in an interview with Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (audio link here).  Dombrowski said that “any of” the top starters on both the trade and free agent markets “are under consideration for us” as the Sox are casting a wide net in looking for an ace.  “The [free agent] market is probably, as flush as it is…an area that we would pursue more, but I think that you’d feel comfortable that any names out there, you could say we have interest in them and hopefully somebody will have interest in us,” Dombrowski said.  When asked about Red Sox ownership’s recent reluctance to give long-term deals to pitchers, Dombrowski discussed the importance and necessity of keeping upper management informed about any major signing.  “I don’t think anyone really cherishes giving that long term of a contract to any pitcher in particular but it’s a situation [where]…if you’re going to participate, you’re most likely going to have to do that,” Dombrowski said.

Here’s some more from around baseball as we head into a new week…

  • “The lines of communication” between Jose Fernandez and the Marlins front office “have been good” as of late, sources tell ESPN’s Buster Olney (Insider subscription required).  This could be why neither side seems to be looking for a trade, despite some reports of personality issues between Fernandez and some teammates.  As Olney notes, there has never been any doubt of Fernandez’s passion for baseball, and some of the behavioral drama could stem from a franchise-wide lack of discipline caused by the Marlins’ unsettled managerial situation.  With a veteran skipper like Don Mattingly on board, things should theoretically be more stable within Miami’s clubhouse.
  • If the Marlins did want to deal Fernandez, Olney notes, it might better suit them to wait until next winter when the pitching market is less crowded.  The Mets could also be planning this same strategy for exploring Matt Harvey trades in the 2016-17 offseason.
  • Unless the Orioles get a huge offer, it probably makes more sense for the club to keep Zach Britton rather than shop him in trades, CSNMidAtlantic.com’s Rich Dubroff opines.  Dealing Britton would fetch some sorely-needed prospects for Baltimore, and also open some payroll space given Britton’s escalating price tag as he enters his arbitration years.  On the other hand, dealing the star closer would leave a big hole on a would-be contender, especially one that is already likely to lose a big bullpen arm in Darren O’Day.
  • Several young players have been mentioned in trade rumors this offseason, and MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince gives an overview of the some of the talents who could be trade chips rather than cornerstones for their respective clubs.
  • On the flip side, MLB.com’s Dan O’Dowd identifies Lorenzo Cain, Gerrit Cole, Jacob deGrom, A.J. Pollock and Marcus Stroman as players who have become big pieces of their clubs’ present and future, and all could be targeted for extensions this winter.  MLBTR’s Jeff Todd examined Cole as an extension candidate last March, before Cole boosted his value with a superb season.

Dodgers Notes: Roberts, Estevez, Int’l Spending

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It’s been a busy days for Dodgers news, with no item bigger than the report that the club is on the verge of hiring Dave Roberts as its next manager.  Here’s the latest from Los Angeles…

  • Roberts was the right choice over director of player development Gabe Kapler, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal opines.  Kapler might’ve had to combat “that players would perceive him as a puppet of the front office due to his close relationship with Andrew Friedman,” while Roberts comes from more of a traditional coaching background and has more dugout experience.  Kapler may end up being a very good manager in the future, Rosenthal writes, but Roberts was the better option if the Dodgers were going to pick a first-time skipper.
  • When the Dodgers reached the final stage of their manager search, several Dodger veterans informed upper management that Roberts was their choice, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports (Twitter link).
  • Cuban second baseman Omar Estevez agreed to a $6MM bonus with the Dodgers earlier today, and Baseball America’s Ben Badler passes on a scouting report on the relatively unknown 17-year-old.  Estevez is 5’11, 185 pounds and a right-handed hitter who seems to be lacking in both plus tools and athleticism, according to both Badler and a scout.  What Estevez does have, however, is maturity beyond his years at the plate.  “Estevez was kind of under the radar tools-wise, but he can hit,” said the scout.  “It’s playable defense and he’s not the most agile guy to be in the middle of the diamond, but he has a polished bat. It’s not an athletic body, it’s not what you get excited about, but the way he recognizes pitches, his approach—you don’t see a lot of kids his age doing that.”
  • Estevez and Yusniel Diaz are just the latest players to sign with Los Angeles during this international signing period, as the Dodgers have far exceeded their bonus pool to stock up on young talent.  Badler (via Twitter) says that this spending spree is one reason why several other teams have shied away from similarly exceeding their bonus pools during the 2015-16 signing period, as they’re simply worried about getting into bidding wars with the well-heeled Dodgers.  Exceeding your bonus pool by more than 15% results in a penalty of not being able to sign international players for more than $300K during the next two signing periods, so it makes sense that teams won’t splurge unless they’re sure they can land the particular player or players they want.  The Giants, Cubs and Royals are the only other teams to incur the two-year penalty during this signing period, while the Blue Jays only face a one-year ban for 2016-17 as they stayed under the 15% threshold.

AL Central Notes: Thornton, Rondon, Tribe, Tigers

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Here’s the latest from around the AL Central…

  • The Twins don’t have interest in free agent southpaw Matt Thornton, 1500 ESPN Twin Cities’ Darren Wolfson reports (Twitter link), though in a subtweet, Wolfson said “seven or so” other teams are interested.  Wolfson speculated that Thornton could be a fit in Minnesota due to the team’s familiarity with him as an AL Central rival in Chicago for so many years.  The Twins are also in need of bullpen help and the 39-year-old Thornton has posted a 1.98 ERA over 77 1/3 innings in 2014-15 (though advanced metrics aren’t as bullish about his performance).
  • In today’s mailbag, a reader asked Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer about the Indians’ decision not to protect Hector Rondon in the Rule 5 draft after the 2012 season.  Thanks to injury troubles, Rondon didn’t pitch much in the three years leading up to that Rule 5 draft.  Beyond that, Rondon was asked to pitch in relief in after returning from elbow surgery and the Tribe’s bullpen was already stacked.  Of course, Rondon would go on to break through with the Cubs and become their closer.
  • Also from Hoynes’ mailbag, he discussed a bit of trade speculation and said he personally doesn’t think the Indians will end up dealing Carlos Carrasco.
  • Tigers GM Al Avila said the team extended a contract offer to Rajai Davis before deciding to trade for Cameron Maybin instead, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press writes.  “At the end of the day, we felt [Maybin] was the best option for us,” Avila said.  With Maybin now in the fold, Davis will almost certainly be with another team in 2016.
  • Tigers executive vice president and GM Al Avila has followed through on his promise to beef up the club’s scouting and analytics staffs, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News writes.  The Tigers announced several new additions to both departments and their international scouting staff earlier this week, all of which are listed in McCosky’s piece.

MLBTR’s Zach Links also contributed to this post

Minor MLB Transactions: 11/22/15

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Here are the latest minor transactions from around the game…

  • The Dodgers have signed infielder Charlie Culberson to a minor league deal that contains an invitation to their big league Spring Training camp, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reports (Twitter link).  Culberson, drafted 51st overall by the Giants in 2007, last appeared in the majors in 2014 as a member of the Rockies.  He’s slashed .221/.265/.314 over 360 career Major League plate appearances from 2012-14 and .269/.315/.404 over 3151 minor league PA.

Rosenthal On Tigers, Nats, Papelbon, Cespedes

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has tons of great info and insight in his latest column.  The whole article is worth a read, but here’s a look at a few of the highlights:

  • Before acquiring Francisco Rodriguez via trade, the Tigers made an offer to free agent Joakim Soria, major league sources tell Rosenthal.  They also inquired on a few Nationals relievers, including Jonathan Papelbon and Drew Storen.  George A. King III of the New York Post first reported that there were discussions earlier this month between Soria and Detroit.  Soria is seeking a three-year, $27MM deal, so that was likely too rich for the Tigers’ blood.
  • Papelbon and Storen have been mentioned in rumors for some time now and sources tell Rosenthal that both are likely to be moved.  Meanwhile, talk persists that the Nationals have been one of the clubs trying to pry closer Aroldis Chapman away from the Reds.  All in all, it seems like Washington is looking for a major overhaul in their bullpen.  Still, the Nats feel that a left-hander hitter is their biggest need and they could also be on the hunt for a starting pitcher.
  • The Rangers inquired on Yoenis Cespedes multiple times when he was crushing homers for the A’s, sources tell Rosenthal, but it still seems unlikely that they’ll send the money necessary to sign him this winter.  Last week, Steve Adams looked at the Rangers’ various options as a part of MLBTR’s Offseason Outlook series.

Dodgers, Cuban OF Yusniel Diaz Agree To $15.5MM Deal

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The Dodgers have agreed to sign Cuban outfielder Yusniel Diaz to a $15.5MM deal, according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com.  Furthermore, the Dodgers and Omar Estevez have agreed to a pact that will pay the infielder $6MM. When considering the 100 percent luxury tax the Dodgers will have to pay on each player due to the fact that they’ve already shattered their league-allotted international bonus pool, Los Angeles will be paying a combined $43MM or so to add the pair of prospects to its ranks.

Even though he’s only 18, Diaz has been known in Cuban baseball circles for years thanks to his offensive prowess while playing center field in Cuba, Ben Badler of Baseball America (subscription required and recommended) wrote earlier this year.  In fact, as a 14-year-old in Cuba’s 16-and-under league, Diaz garnered the attention of scouts when he slashed .367/.519/.517 across 80 plate appearances.  In his writeup, Badler praised Diaz for his athleticism, speed, and his production in Serie Nacional, where he faced competition at his own age level as well as veteran talents.  Despite having seen time in the corner outfield in the past, Diaz’s best position is center field and that’s where Badler sees him playing at the major league level.

Diaz likely would have been chosen as Serie Nacional’s Rookie of the Year in 2015 but that award went to another player after he defected from Cuba in April.  In August, Major League Baseball issued a memo to all teams announcing that Diaz was free to sign.  Badler ID’d the Dodgers as one of the logical destinations for Diaz at the time since they were one of the clubs that were already over their 2015-16 bonus pools and facing spending restrictions starting on July 2 next year.  The Dodgers will be handcuffed from spending more than $300K on any international player during the next two periods, so they essentially decided to go out with a bang before entering their penalty period.

Estevez, meanwhile, “showed above-average power in games and solid raw power in batting practice,” Sanchez writes.  While he doesn’t have the strongest arm out there, he does have good instincts for the second base position.  The Dodgers’ international haul for the 2015-16 period has been rather expensive between Diaz, Estevez, Cuban right-handed pitcher Yadiel Alvarez ($16MM), outfielder Starling Heredia ($2.6MM), infielder Ronny Brito ($2MM), outfielders Christopher Arias ($500K) and Carlos Rincon ($350K), and shortstop Oneal Cruz ($950K).  That grouping along cost more than $87MM when factoring in luxury tax expenditures, although by Sanchez’s count, the Dodgers have signed 28 international prospects since the signing period began on July 2.

MLBTR Originals

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A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR the last seven days:

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