Kris Johnson Signs Three-Year Deal With NPB’s Hiroshima Carp
Former Major League left-hander Kris Johnson has signed a new three-year deal with the Hiroshima Carp of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (links to Twitter), who adds that the deal is believed to contain the largest guarantee ever for a foreign player in Asia. Johnson’s deal could ultimately top $15MM, per Crasnick, though the implication appears to be that the $15MM is not entirely guaranteed, so there may be incentives or an option required to surpass that mark.
Regardless, it seems that Johnson, a client of Sosnick, Cobbe & Karon, has secured a very notable sum from the Carp as a show of faith following a dominant 2015 season and a similarly brilliant start to the 2016 campaign. The former Pirates and Twins hurler turned in an incredible 1.85 ERA with 6.9 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9 in 194 1/3 innings last year, and he’s followed up that performance with a 1.99 ERA through his first 81 1/3 frames to open the 2016 campaign. All told, he’s racked up 275 2/3 innings of 1.89 ERA ball since making the jump to Japanese ball.
While the 31-year-old never quite put it together while pitching in America, there were reasons to believe in some upside. He was selected with the 40th overall pick of the 2006 draft by the Red Sox and posted solid results as a 23-year-old in Double-A back in 2008 before reaching Triple-A as a 24-year-old in 2009. However, Johnson never found consistency at the Triple-A level and ultimately wound up with a 4.46 ERA through 563 Triple-A frames and a 5.32 ERA in just 23 2/3 MLB innings between Pittsburgh and Minnesota. Following the 2014 season, the Twins sold Johnson’s rights to the Carp for a reported six-figure sum after the lefty posted a 3.48 ERA in 132 innings for Minnesota’s Triple-A affiliate.
Assuming his three-year contract begins next season, he’ll now be in Japan through at least his age-34 campaign. That would mean he could potentially try to return to the Majors for the latter stages of his career, if he’s able to maintain this level of success, and perhaps cash in on a notable payday or two in his late 30s.
AL East Notes: Yankees, Sanchez, Sox, Kim
There’s been plenty of ink dedicated to the idea of the Yankees parting with one of their left-handed bullpen aces, Aroldis Chapman or Andrew Miller, but the club’s top execs aren’t planning on trading anyone in the near future, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. Heyman cites “senior Yankees executives” in conveying that the team’s top decision-makers held a conference call last night and determined that there won’t be any action in the near term, though the club could reevaluate that line of thinking closer to the end of July. Many have speculated that the Yankees, in need of rotation depth as well as some help at the infield corners, could deal Chapman or Miller to add a younger big league piece elsewhere on the roster. Carlos Beltran‘s name also crept up in speculation last month, but it would appear that the Yankees, currently 26-30 and 6.5 games back in the division, will stay the course for the time being.
Here’s more from the AL East…
- Aaron Sanchez‘s breakout season will leave the Blue Jays with some tough decisions in a couple of months, writes Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. The Jays clearly made the right call by entrusting Sanchez with a spot in the rotation this spring, Nicholson-Smith points out, but the team also said back in March that he’d eventually transition to the bullpen later this season as a means of managing his innings total. Sanchez has been dominant in 2016, posting a 2.99 ERA with 8.0 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a lofty 58.5 percent ground-ball rate across 72 1/3 innings. Pitching coach Pete Walker tells Nicholson-Smith that the Jays typically map out their plans for the pitching staff a month in advance, so he’s taking the Sanchez debate on a month-to-month basis. The 23-year-old Sanchez totaled just 102 innings between the Majors and minors last season, so it’s understandable that Toronto isn’t thrilled with the notion of seeing one of its most valuable long-term pieces double his 2015 innings total with a full season of starts.
- The struggles of Eduardo Rodriguez in yesterday’s loss underscores the Red Sox‘ need to trade for rotation help, opines Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. Silverman notes that the club has watched Rick Porcello slow down considerably since an explosive start to the season, while David Price has yet to hit the stride that most expect of the former Cy Young winner. Beyond that, Clay Buchholz and Joe Kelly have pitched themselves out of rotation jobs. Steven Wright has been a pleasant surprise, but his breakout alone won’t sustain a four-man rotation that already needs a fifth option. Boston has already seen one trade option come off the market, as the White Sox picked up James Shields from the Padres with a rare early-June trade of fairly significant magnitude.
- Hyun Soo Kim‘s turnaround since Spring Training has been remarkable, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, who spoke to a scout from outside the Orioles organization that said he’s had to tear up the March scouting report he’d compiled on Kim. Baltimore signed Kim to a two-year, $7MM contract this winter on the heels of an impressive run in the Korea Baseball Organization, but the man nicknamed the “Hitting Machine” in Korea looked overmatched (or “scared,” as the scout put it to Kubatko) at the plate in Spring Training. To say Kim, who is hitting .377/.449/.493 through an admittedly small sample of 78 plate appearances, has adjusted nicely would appear to be an understatement. Manager Buck Showalter praised Kim for his adjustments to harder velocity and said he routinely checks in with Kim and his interpreter to see if there’s anything the club can do to continue to ease the transition from Korea to America. Kim, however, tells Showalter that he’s “having the time of his life” now that he is getting a chance to contribute in the Majors.
Quick Hits: Miller, Schwarber, Yankees, Giants, Daniels
Here are some items from around baseball as we head into the new week…
- The Cubs wouldn’t trade Kyle Schwarber for Andrew Miller, a source tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman pegs the Yankees and Cubs as good trade partners given Chicago’s possible weakness in the back of the bullpen and New York’s need for young position player talent. Schwarber, of course, is out of action until 2017 after undergoing season-ending surgery in early April but is still one of the game’s most highly-touted young sluggers.
- Sherman’s piece outlines several younger players from around the league who could be Yankees targets if the Bombers indeed decide to become deadline sellers. While Miller or Aroldis Chapman have been heavily cited as the most obvious trade chips, Sherman suggests New York could explore the market for a wide range of players, including Carlos Beltran, Brett Gardner, Brian McCann, Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Pineda or even Dellin Betances.
- The Giants could trade “for a complementary player,” Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle opines (Twitter link), but he doesn’t think the club will swing a major deal at this time of the year. With Hunter Pence gone for at least two months following hamstring surgery, the Giants have already been discussing trade targets, though they have a number of outfield options already on the roster.
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels talks to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News about the 2006 draft, which was Daniels’ first in charge of the Texas front office. While the Rangers found some good talent in that draft class, their first-round pick was rather a notable miss. Daniels said his team was eyeing Tim Lincecum with the 12th overall selection but the Rangers were surprised when the Giants drafted Lincecum tenth overall. Texas instead took high school lefty Kasey Kiker, who never made it higher than Double-A and has been out of pro ball since 2012.
NL West Notes: Shields, Padres, Parra, Thompson, Crawford
Here’s the latest from around the NL West…
- The Padres‘ trade of James Shields puts an end to the “spending spree” chapter of A.J. Preller’s tenure as San Diego’s GM, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal observes, and it seemed like the club was eager to put this era behind it. “How exactly did the Padres make the White Sox hurt” in the trade, Rosenthal asks, noting that the Friars didn’t receive a significant player return in exchange for the veteran righty and they’ll still be paying the majority of Shields’ remaining contract. In a general overview of San Diego’s situation, Rosenthal notes that the franchise is relying on a big influx of prospects in both the draft and the next international market to help make up for all of the young talent lost in the Padres’ flurry of moves during the 2014-15 offseason.
- Gerardo Parra has yet to take off at the plate since joining the Rockies, though he tells MLB.com’s Thomas Harding that he feels it’s only a matter of time before he becomes more consistent at the plate. Parra entered Sunday hitting .269/.281/.429 over 218 PA, with a 1.8% walk rate that is far below even his modest 6.1% career mark. Parra has struggled badly (.681 OPS) against right-handed pitching and away from Coors Field. Between his bat and lackluster defensive metrics, Parra has been a sub-replacement level (-0.4 fWAR) player for Colorado in the first year of a three-year, $27.5MM free agent contract.
- Trayce Thompson is having a breakout season for the Dodgers and become a part of the club’s growing young core, ESPN.com’s Doug Padilla writes. Thompson’s emergence played a big role in L.A. designating Carl Crawford for assignment earlier today. “[Crawford has] had a great run and where we’re at right now, and where this organization wants to go, you have a lot of young guys coming,” manager Dave Roberts said.
- In other NL West news from today, Hunter Pence‘s date for hamstring surgery was set for Thursday and we collected some Diamondbacks notes.
Diamondbacks Notes: Trades, La Russa, Hudson
The Diamondbacks didn’t just beat the league’s best club with today’s 3-2 victory over the Cubs, they also hung a rare loss on Jake Arrieta. Arrieta had won his last 20 decisions prior to today’s loss, a streak dating back to July 25, 2015. While the D’Back struck out 12 times against Arrieta, they also tagged the Chicago ace for three runs on nine hits and a walk over five innings. Here’s some more from the desert…
- Today’s win improved Arizona’s record to just 25-34 on the season, yet despite the slow start, chief baseball officer Tony La Russa told reporters (including Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert) that the D’Backs aren’t ready to start shopping pieces for the trade deadline. “Now is not that time,” La Russa said. “If this was a veteran-laden team and you were trying to win in ’16 only, at some point you would say we’re going to be sellers not buyers. But this is a club that’s put together — and we went to lengths during the off-season — it’s about the next four or five years.”
- It also doesn’t appear, however, that the D’Backs will necessarily make any big upgrades to make a postseason push. “The problem with a major trade is that it means they take your best kids, and we like our young players,” La Russa said. “I think the healthiest attitude for the guys in uniform is win with what you got. You compete and win with what you got or [what you have] in the organization.”
- Impending free agent Daniel Hudson stands out as a possible trade chip if the D’Backs do sell at the deadline, though the reliever tells Nick Piecoro that his first choice would be to remain in Arizona both through July and in the offseason. “I’d love to stay here and be here when we’re good,” Hudson said. “I don’t want to come here and face our lineup when they put it all together and I’m not here…But I’ve got to do what’s best for me and my family. If that means exploring more options at the end of the year, then that’s what it’s going to come down to. I want to be here for the long run, for sure.” Hudson has been with the organization since 2010 but has only appeared in 144 games due to a pair of Tommy John surgeries. The former highly-touted pitching prospect has reinvented himself as a reliever and delivered strong results over the last two seasons out of the Diamondbacks bullpen. Hudson tells Piecoro that to his knowledge, there haven’t been any extension talks between his representatives and the D’Backs.
NL East Notes: Prado, Mets, Wright, Phillies
Here’s the latest from around the NL East…
- The Marlins are undecided about trying to re-sign Martin Prado in the offseason since Derek Dietrich could become their third baseman of the future, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson writes. Dietrich entered today’s action with a .303/.392/.479 slash line over 166 PA while playing mostly second base in place of the suspended Dee Gordon. The 26-year-old Dietrich is under team control through the 2020 season while Prado is a free agent this winter. Prado is himself having a solid year from an average and OBP perspective and the Fish have long valued his clubhouse leadership skills, to the point of demanding a huge return in trade discussions last year. It’s also worth noting that Dietrich has played only 49 games at third in his entire pro career, so he’s not exactly a seasoned option at the hot corner.
- The Mets should be planning for life without David Wright, Newsday’s David Lennon writes, as it’s quite possible the veteran third baseman will miss the rest of the season recovering from a herniated disk in his neck. Even the best-case scenarios have Wright not returning until late August at the earliest, so Lennon figures the Mets need to obtain another third baseman if Wilmer Flores isn’t able to step up as an everyday option. Lennon notes that up to 75% of the roughly $81MM owed on Wright’s contract through the 2020 season could be recouped by insurance if Wright is too injured to play, which creates some financial leeway for the Mets.
- The Mets are again struggling to score runs and may not have the prospect depth to correct the problem as they did at last year’s deadline, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. The Mets held onto their position player depth over the offseason to guard against another offensive slide, yet they’re still one of the league’s lowest-scoring teams.
- The Phillies have a league-high spending pool (just under $5.62MM) for the upcoming July international signing period, and Baseball America’s Ben Badler reports that the club is planning to spread out its money on several players. Badler profiles five young Venezuelan players the Phillies have been linked to in the July 2 class, including 16-year-old Francisco Morales, a 6’5″ right-hander whose fastball has already hit 96mph. One scout tells Badler that Morales is “probably the No. 1 pitcher in the class.”
- The Braves‘ 23 homers is easily the lowest of any team in baseball, and Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription required) notes that the team also doesn’t have any burgeoning slugging prospects in the farm system. This lack of power is why Bradley feels the Braves will keep Hector Olivera once his domestic violence suspension is up, as Olivera at least displayed some home run-hitting ability in Cuba (though not yet in his brief MLB career).
International Notes: Nova, Astros, Lazarito, Fernandez
With the 2016-17 international signing period set to open on July 2nd, here’s the latest on some players who may be lined up for big contracts next month, as well as info on players who aren’t subject to the international bonus pools…
- The Astros are now seen the most likely landing spot for Dominican shortstop Freudis Nova, Baseball America’s Ben Badler reports, with the 16-year-old in line for a bonus of around $1.5MM. Nova had been expected to sign with the Marlins for a bonus in the neighborhood of $2.5MM, but Miami backed away from that arrangement after Nova tested positive for steroids in February. One scout tells Badler that Nova has five-tool potential, and a fuller scouting report is available to those with a Baseball America subscription. The highly-touted Nova may be the best international talent Houston lands in the coming signing period, which is saying something given that the Astros are expected to load up on international talent and far exceed their signing pool.
- Badler lists some other international prospects expected to sign with the Astros, noting that Venezuelan catcher Yorbin Ceuta is also expected to receive a bonus in excess of $1MM.
- Outfielder Lazaro “Lazarito” Armenteros and second baseman Jose Miguel Fernandez will take part in a showcase of Cuban talent to be held on June 13, Ben Badler tweets. This is two days before the close of the 2015-16 international signing period, and as Badler noted two weeks ago, time is running out for the Dodgers (and other clubs facing a $300K spending ceiling in the next signing period) to sign Armenteros while they still can Fernandez, of course, can sign at any time for any amount since he is exempt from the pools.
- Cuban righty Vladimir Gutierrez took part in a private workout for Dodgers officials yesterday, Baseball Essential’s Robert Murray reports. The Dodgers have long been rumored to be interested in Gutierrez, though since he is pool-eligible, the June 15 deadline looms large for L.A. given the number of other teams who have been linked to Gutierrez. That said, Gutierrez has also been a free agent for almost a full year and has yet to sign a contract.
- Roland Bolanos, a 19-year-old righty from Cuba, has been declared a free agent and can sign with any team, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports (Twitter link). Bolanos is a former member of Cuba’s junior national team, and he has a four-pitch arsenal that includes a mid-90’s fastball.
- Earlier this week, Badler compiled a list of the 50 largest international signing bonuses of all time. (Cuban players weren’t included on the list given the county’s unique situation.) The Giants’ $6MM bonus to Lucius Fox last summer tops the list, with the Rangers’ $4.95MM bonus to Nomar Mazara in 2011 the next-highest. As Badler observes, relatively few of the 50 names have made an impact in the bigs since expensive bonuses are a most recent trend, though there are some very notable names (Miguel Cabrera, Byung-Hyun Kim, Miguel Sano and Mazara himself).
Hunter Pence To Undergo Surgery For Hamstring Tear
TODAY: Pence’s surgery has been scheduled for Thursday, the Giants told reporters (including Alex Pavlovic).
FRIDAY: Giants outfielder Hunter Pence is expected to require surgery for a fully torn hamstring, Alex Pavlovic of CSNBayArea.com was among those to report. He’ll likely miss at least two months after undergoing the procedure, but the veteran tells Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle that it may be longer (Twitter links).
For now, the expectation is that the team will look to internal options to step in with Pence (and also Angel Pagan) sidelined. But manager Bruce Bochy says that he’s already had discussions with GM Bobby Evans about possible trade targets.
The diagnosis does seem to suggest that San Francisco will be shopping for a corner outfielder. Some might have suggested that was already a reasonable position to pursue an upgrade. And with Pence likely out until after the trade deadline, the club may not have the luxury of just waiting to see how he bounces back.
Pence is among the organization’s best and most respected players, and the loss will tell regardless of what the team can do to replace his production. Barring a major trade, though, there’s little chance that San Francisco will find anything close to what Pence provides from its fill-ins. Over his 208 plate appearances on the year, the 33-year-old owns a .298/.375/.486 batting line with seven home runs.
Fortunately, the Giants do have several well-regarded young players on hand to fill in. Mac Williamson and Jarrett Parker are both active and figure to get a legitimate opportunity at the major league level for the first time after showing real promise in the upper minors. The club can also turn to utilityman Kelby Tomlinson and utilize first baseman Brandon Belt in the corner outfield.
Despite those options, it will be interesting to watch what the Giants aim to accomplish in the summer trade market. Several corner outfielders appeared in the first iteration of MLBTR’s Top 10 Trade Candidates series, including Jay Bruce of the Reds and Ryan Braun of the Brewers. Any number of other players could join them over the months to come, with San Francisco’s options likely ranging from platoon pieces to long-term assets.
AL Notes: Angels, BoSox, Twins, Rays
Pirates third baseman David Freese spoke fondly of his two-year tenure with the Angels on Sunday and told reporters, including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, that he had hoped to re-sign with them last offseason. “I wanted to be an Angel. I can’t hide that,” stated Freese, who was an Angel from 2014-15. “From Day 1, I wanted to come back. I loved the guys. We had unfinished business. It just didn’t happen.” Freese said that he and the Angels discussed a return, but the team never actually made an offer. The Angels instead acquired Yunel Escobar, leaving Freese to eventually sign with Pittsburgh. Freese hit a decent .258/.322/.401 and accounted for 4.3 fWAR in 981 plate appearances with the Halos.
Elsewhere around the American League…
- Red Sox catcher/left fielder Blake Swihart landed on the disabled list earlier today with a left ankle sprain, and manager John Farrell revealed that he won’t be back within the 15-day window. Farrell called the sprain “severe” and added that Swihart will be immobilized for two weeks, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald was among those to report (Twitter link). With fellow left field option Brock Holt also out, the Red Sox are down to Chris Young and Rusney Castillo at the position.
- Twins infielder Eduardo Nunez has hit a terrific .331/.359/.497 with six home runs in 193 trips to the plate this season, but manager Paul Molitor isn’t sold on the 28-year-old as an everyday long-term option for the club (via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com). “It’s a slippery slope as far as projecting a guy into that role who has played well for a couple months,” said Molitor. “If you base it on how he’s performed, it’s easy to speculate he could be one of those guys who sheds the role as a utility guy. But I think it’s too early for that.” This has easily been Nunez’s best season in an otherwise unremarkable career since he broke into the majors with the Yankees in 2010, so Molitor’s position is certainly understandable. Nunez, to his credit, has been far better in Minnesota than he was in New York, though. Since joining the Twins in 2014, Nunez has batted .286/.318/.435 with 14 homers in 607 PAs, also chipping in 28 steals.
- The Rays placed outfielder Brandon Guyer on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain Sunday and recalled infielder Nick Franklin from Triple-A Durham, Bill Chastain of MLB.com was among those to report (Twitter link). Guyer is now the second notable Rays outfielder to hit the DL in recent weeks, joining center fielder Kevin Kiermaier. The 30-year-old had gotten off to an excellent start pre-injury, evidenced by his .271/.365/.472 batting line in 168 PAs, and helped his cause by reaching base 15 times via the hit by pitch. That’s nothing new for Guyer, whom opposing pitchers have struck a combined 50 times since he started seeing extensive big league action in 2014. Franklin, a former well-regarded prospect with the Mariners, has spent this year in the minors after hitting an unsightly .158/.213/.307 in 109 PAs with the Rays last season.
- Speaking of the Rays, they entered play Sunday with the second-worst record in the AL, and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times offered some potential ways the team could save its season before it slips away. Among Topkin’s suggestions: Cut $3.3MM outfielder Desmond Jennings loose or demote him to Durham (either option could be difficult now with the Rays’ depth already having taken multiple hits), promote top pitching prospect Blake Snell and find an outside catcher solution – even if it means surrendering a significant haul for Brewers backstop Jonathan Lucroy.
Baseball Blogs Weigh in: Jays, D-backs, Bucs, Draft
Here’s this week’s spin around the baseball blogosphere:
- BP Toronto takes an in-depth look at Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman‘s repertoire.
- Inside The ‘Zona presents some pitch selection changes Diamondbacks southpaws Patrick Corbin and Robbie Ray should make.
- Big Three Sports evaluates an atypical Cardinals team.
- The Point Of Pittsburgh wonders if Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen‘s best days are behind him.
- Baseball MTJAG memorializes Vanderbilt pitcher Donny Everett, who died in a drowning accident Thursday.
- Clubhouse Corner interviews Diamondbacks reliever Zac Curtis and his college pitching coach, Skylar Meade.
- 1 Blue Jays Way talks with Blue Jays first base prospect Rowdy Tellez.
- Pinstriped Prospects chats with Yankees relief prospect Cale Coshow.
- Cover Those Bases ranks the top 20 position players in the upcoming draft.
- Wayniac Nation compares the top two high school bats in the draft.
- Outside Pitch MLB sees All-Star potential for hot-hitting Reds outfielder Adam Duvall.
- Off The Bench explains why the Yankees and Cubs are logical trade partners.
- Baseball Hot Corner suggests the Blue Jays trade for Brewers slugger Ryan Braun.
- Bucs Raise It asks if the Pirates should worry about a potential Francisco Cervelli decline.
- Now On Deck laments right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez‘s presence on the Orioles.
- Philliedelphia contends that struggling first baseman Ryan Howard should announce this season is his last so he can turn a negative campaign into a positive.
- Gaslamp Ball expects Padres 2013 first-round pick Hunter Renfroe to make his major league debut this season.
- The Runner Sports reviews the Astros’ 2015 draft and lists previews some 2016 first-round possibilities for the club.
- Pirates Breakdown examines the run production of outfielder Starling Marte.
- Jays From The Couch writes that the AL East could come down to a season-ending three-game set between the Red Sox and Blue Jays.
- Notes From The Sally scouts Marlins first base prospect Josh Naylor.
- Think Blue Planning Committee looks at the state of the Dodgers’ rotation.
- Total Sports Live assesses the Phillies’ present and future.
- Dan Grant of Same Page Team delves into the Blue Jays’ roster and puts some focus on their newest player, reliever Jason Grilli.
- North Shore Nine grades the Pirates after two months.
- Super Two Sports believes Dick Allen’s exclusion from the Baseball Hall of Fame is unjust.
- Sports Heaven points out the flaws in judging pitchers on wins and losses.
- isportsweb previews June for the Phillies.
- Rotisserie Duck profiles Rangers reclamation project Matt Bush.
- Chin Music Baseball argues that the National League should never adopt the designated hitter.
- LA Dodger Report takes the Dodgers’ front office to task.
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