Contract Notes: Francoeur, O’Flaherty, Ogando, Guthrie, Joba, Byrd
There are some more contractual matters to run down for players who made rosters on minor league deals. These all come courtesy of Jon Heyman of MLB Network, and all links are to Heyman’s Twitter account.
- Outfielder Jeff Francoeur is set to earn $1MM with the Braves after cracking the team’s Opening Day roster. He can also add another million via incentives in his contract. Francoeur received a hero’s welcome at Turner Field on Monday for his return to the organization with which he entered the league with much fanfare. At this stage, of course, the veteran is likely to serve as a fourth outfielder and bench bat.
- Under the contract he originally signed with the Pirates — which the Braves acquired in a late-spring trade — lefty Eric O’Flaherty will earn a $1.75MM base salary and can add to that via unspecified incentives. O’Flaherty had eight strikeouts against just two walks in his 9 2/3 innings of spring action with Pittsburgh, but also allowed 15 hits and eight runs (though only three were earned). Of course, like Francoeur, he’s a former Atlanta standout who’s coming home in 2016.
- Braves right-hander Alexi Ogando is in line for $2MM this year after he earned a pen job. He’ll also have the chance to tack on another $1.5MM if he can reach unreported milestones. (Previous reporting had suggested Ogando could only earn $1MM extra.) Ogando is looking for a bounceback after advanced metrics suggested he was actually rather fortunate to post a 3.99 ERA last year.
- If and when he is called up to the Padres, veteran righty Jeremy Guthrie will pitch at a $1.25MM rate. Guthrie, who’ll turn 37 on Friday, joined on with San Diego after he failed to make the Rangers and opted out of his deal. Despite a rough 2015, Guthrie has a solid track record of delivering innings at the back of the rotation, and figures to have a shot at making some more MLB starts if and when a need arises.
- Indians righty Joba Chamberlain will not only play at a $1MM base salary, but can earn up to $2MM via incentives. Chamberlain, 30, was a somewhat surprising choice to make the Cleveland pen after he allowed seven walks in his ten spring innings, though he did strike out eight while allowing only three earned runs. He was already coming off of a subpar campaign the season prior, though some advanced metrics (in particular, SIERA) viewed him as a still-useful pitcher and he did have a strong 2014 under his belt.
- Finally, in addition to his previously-reported $1MM salary, Marlon Byrd can earn up to $2.5MM in incentives with the Indians. But he has agreed to an advanced consent clause that would allow Cleveland to dodge the bulk of its potential obligations if it cuts him loose within the contractually-specified number of days of Opening Day (the maximum advanced-consent length is 45 days, but it remains unreported in this case). Byrd could play an important role in the Indians’ outfield mix, as he has continued to mash left-handed pitching, but he’ll likely function in a platoon role.
Brewers Acquire Sam Freeman, Designate Ariel Pena
The Brewers announced on Tuesday that they have acquired left-hander Sam Freeman from the Rangers in exchange for cash considerations. In order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Freeman, the Brewers have designated right-hander Ariel Pena for assignment.
Freeman, 28, had been designated for assignment himself by the Rangers last week when Texas acquired backup catcher Bryan Holaday from the Tigers. Texas originally acquired Freeman from the Cardinals (also, in exchange for cash) one year and one day prior to his DFA. The former 32nd-round draft pick spent a good portion of the 2015 season in the Rangers’ bullpen, tallying 38 1/3 innings with a 3.05 ERA, 9.4 K/9, 5.4 BB/9 and a 48.5 percent ground-ball rate. Freeman throws fairly hard for a left-hander, averaging 93.8 mph on his heater throughout his career.
Control has been a problem for Freeman throughout his big league career, though, as he’s averaged 4.9 walks per nine innings pitched. Beyond that, he has a bizarre platoon split, having held right-handed batters to a .181/.280/.233 batting line in 232 plate appearances while surrendering a .279/.397/.419 line to opposing lefties. That said, he’ll give the Brewers another left-handed option in the bullpen after injuries have placed both Will Smith and Sean Nolin on the disabled list.
As for Pena, the 26-year-old stood as the last remaining piece from the Brewers’ trade of Zack Greinke to the Angels back in 2012. Milwaukee acquired Pena, right-hander Johnny Hellweg and shortstop Jean Segura in exchange for Greinke, but all three are now out of the organization (though Segura, of course, brought right-hander Chase Anderson and prospect Isan Diaz to the club this winter, so the trade, like most, has had a trickle-down effect of sorts). Pena rated among Baseball America’s Top 30 Brewers prospects from 2012-14, but he never experienced much success in the upper minors and struggled in 2015 (his MLB debut season) and in his lone appearance of the 2016 campaign. All told, Pena has a 5.59 ERA in 29 big league innings, and while he’s managed to whiff 27 batters in that time, he’s also issued 16 walks and hit two batters.
East Notes: Rays, Mets, Fernandez, Phillies
The Rays‘ quest for a new stadium in the greater Tampa Bay area remains an important topic for the organization and the league. As Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports, club owner Stuart Sternberg continues to assert a commitment to finding a way forward in Florida. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, meanwhile, said he’s putting his faith in Sternberg, saying: “as long as he’s committed, I think we — me and Major League Baseball — will remain committed to the market.” Manfred also addressed the matter of geography more generally, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports. He suggested that the priority is to figure out the outstanding ballpark difficulties of organizations in their current cities, before considering any expansion possibilities. “Sequentially, I think it’s important for Tampa Bay and Oakland to get their facility situations resolved before we move into a real active consideration of expansion,” said Manfred. Of course, that’s an important factor in maintaining leverage; as Manfred perhaps implicitly acknowledged in stating, “we feel it’s our obligation to have alternatives to consider in the event that a relocation becomes necessary.”
There was also some sad news out of St. Petersburg today, as Rays’ minority owner Lance Ringhaver was reportedly killed in a car accident yesterday, as the Tampa Bay Times reports. Sternberg issued a statement mourning the loss of the 76-year-old, and MLBTR joins in offering condolences to his family and the Rays organization.
- The Mets are likely to face ongoing questions of daily lineup construction with both Juan Lagares and Michael Conforto in line for playing time, as John Harper of the New York Daily News writes. Lagares appears to be back in good form while Conforto continues to show the promise he displayed in 2015, but Yoenis Cespedes is an everyday player and Curtis Granderson still seems lined up for the majority of the action in right. (Then, of course, there’s Alejandro De Aza.) For now, this seems like a good problem to have, but it certainly could lead to some tough decisions as the season goes along.
- Meanwhile, the Mets could face yet tougher issues with third baseman David Wright, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post explains. Wright’s movement in the infield and ability to keep pace at the plate while dealing with spinal stenosis remain in question, though of course the standout veteran will have every chance to battle through.
- Via MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (on Twitter), the Marlins say that they have placed an innings limit of about 180 on right-hander Jose Fernandez in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. The 23-year-old ace tossed 89 1/3 innings last season after returning in early July, though he was slowed late in the season by a biceps injury as well. Fernandez is slated to make his season debut tomorrow against the Tigers in Miami.
- As Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer points out, only three teams in the past decade have kept two Rule 5 Draft picks for the entirety of a season, but manager Pete Mackanin tells him that the Phillies are aiming to become the fourth by retaining both outfielder Tyler Goeddel and lefty Daniel Stumpf for the entire year. “They’ve both shown enough ability where they can be part of the future,” Mackanin told Gelb. “…It’s hard to turn away young talent and that’s what our goal is, to keep them.” For the time being, Goeddel will platoon with Cedric Hunter, per Gelb. And while Stumpf could initially be used as a situational lefty, the uncertainty that is permeating the Phillies’ bullpen gives each reliever a chance to see his role grow, he adds. Additionally, Gelb notes that while Carlos Ruiz got the nos on Opening Day, it’ll be the younger Cameron Rupp seeing the lion’s share of playing time behind the plate this year. Ruiz is earning $8.5MM in the final season of a three-year deal.
A.J. Pollock Undergoes Elbow Surgery
APRIL 5: The D-backs announced that Pollock underwent surgery today and had a plate placed at the tip of his right elbow as part of the procedure (links to Twitter). Per the announcement, there is no projected timetable for Pollock’s return.
APRIL 2: There hasn’t been any timeline provided on Pollock’s return, but Pollock himself says he hopes to come back at some point this season, MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert writes (Twitter links). Also, Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale says Owings will likely start in center field on Opening Day.
APRIL 1: Diamondbacks center fielder A.J. Pollock will undergo surgery for a fractured right elbow, the club announced. Pollock suffered the injury sliding into home in tonight’s spring action.
Pollock has emerged as one of the game’s least-known premium performers, and his loss represents an enormous blow to the organization’s hopes to challenge for a division title in 2016. It’s unclear how long he’ll be out, but any significant stretch would be nothing short of devastating for a club that had pushed in its chips but still needed some things to go its way to contend.
The 28-year-old had already dealt with some elbow issues this spring, but seemed to be on track for Opening Day. But the injury is all the more concerning given that Pollock missed all of 2010 with a fractured growth plate in the same elbow, back when he was still a rising prospect.
Pollock had a short but highly promising 2014 season, and followed up with an outstanding campaign last year. He ended the season with a .315/.367/.498 slash over 673 plate appearances while contributing twenty home runs and 39 steals. And Pollock also rated as a top-notch defender, making for an overall package — valued last year at 7.4 rWAR and 6.6 fWAR — that is all but impossible to replace, particularly with the season set to begin in a matter of days.
Even as the D-Backs set out to re-make their rotation this winter, they understandably remained entirely unwilling to part with Pollock. Instead, the club explored long-term extension talks before ultimately settling on a two-year, $10.25MM pact. He is still controllable for one more season after that contract concludes.
While the club held onto Pollock, it parted with the emergent Ender Inciarte (and other notable assets) to acquire Shelby Miller. Certainly, Inciarte would be an invaluable depth option to have on hand now, though the club does have interesting youngster in Socrates Brito on hand. He had already challenged for a roster spot and looked to be an option if Yasmany Tomas does not take a step forward, but may need to take on a bigger role while Pollock recovers.
Other options for playing time include young slugger Peter O’Brien and even infielder Chris Owings — who slid into the corner outfield for some action tonight. Utilityman Rickie Weeks and backup catcher/outfielder Chris Herrmann could also help carry the load. Of course, none of those players look like options in center, and Tomas is already stretched in the corner outfield. Presumptive left fielder David Peralta has played in 15 MLB games up the middle over the last two years, though he was almost exclusively a corner option in the minors; he could conceivably take over if the team isn’t confident enough in Brito, or at least make some starts there in some kind of timeshare.
Of course, a veteran addition of some kind can’t be ruled out, and plenty of players could be available as rosters continue to be trimmed. (Veterans in the mold of Sam Fuld and Drew Stubbs come to mind; Alejandro De Aza of the Mets seems at least a hypothetical option, though Arizona may already have pushed its payroll to the max.) Trade efforts at this stage are not terribly likely to result in a high-quality solution, but the right player could at least help hold down the fort while the D-Backs await Pollock’s return.
Free Agent Notes: Murphy, Loney, Holland
Free agent outfielder David Murphy had drawn interest from the Orioles, but Baltimore’s addition of Korean outfielder Hyun Soo Kim to their Opening Day roster closed the window on that potential fit for Murphy for the time being, WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford tweeted recently. According to Bradford, Murphy will return home in hopes of receiving a Major League offer and isn’t keen on playing in the minors at this point. Late in Spring Training, reports indicated that Murphy would consider retirement if he didn’t land on a big league roster, and this seems to align somewhat with that level of thinking. Murphy, 34, split the 2015 season between the Indians and Angels, batting a combined .283/.318/.421 with 10 homers in 391 trips to the plate. Though he’s long struggled against left-handed pitching, Murphy is a lifetime .278/.341/.454 against right-handed pitching and could fit as a part-time player for a club with a corner outfield need.
A few more notes on the sparse market for free agents…
- As James Loney waits out the process of formally clearing release waivers, he has his sights set on landing a big league opportunity in free agency, per ESPN’s Buster Olney (links to Twitter). However, in the event that no Major League offers materialize, the veteran first baseman is willing to head to Triple-A, according to Olney. However, if he does go that route, Olney adds that he would probably push for a clause that allowed him out of said minor league pact should a Major League opportunity materialize elsewhere. It’s also worth noting that MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweeted yesterday that Loney’s hometown Astros consider themselves set at first base and aren’t likely to pursue the Houston native. That tweet came prior to today’s game, during which Opening Day starter Tyler White was removed after being hit by a pitch on his right hand, but x-rays on the rookie came back negative. He’s considered day-to-day, so it seems unlikely that the incident would impact Houston’s thinking.
- Former Kansas City closer Greg Holland tells the Kansas City Star’s Rustin Dodd that he’s still rehabbing in Tempe, Ariz., and isn’t sure of his timeline to sign a new contract (Twitter link). The 30-year-old two-time All Star closer underwent Tommy John surgery late in the 2015 season and is unlikely to pitch this season.
- The Diamondbacks and Cardinals are potential fits for center fielder Michael Bourn, tweets Heyman. The 33-year-old Bourn was recently designated for assignment by Atlanta and could be had for the league minimum if he is ultimately released, as the Braves and Indians would be on the hook for the remainder of the veteran’s $14MM salary. (The Braves, of course, could try to find a taker in the meantime, although they were unsuccessful in that effort this winter.) The D-backs recently lost an elite center fielder to injury in the form of A.J. Pollock and have been linked to Bourn on multiple occasions since that news. St. Louis, meanwhile, is relying on a pair of largely inexperienced outfielders in Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty, and the Cards also recently placed backup Tommy Pham on the disabled list with an oblique injury.
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/5/16
Here are the day’s minor moves and signings from around the game…
- The Diamondbacks announced today that they have selected the contract of right-hander Kyle Drabek from Triple-A Reno and transferred A.J. Pollock to the 60-day disabled list in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. Fellow righty Silvino Bracho was optioned to Triple-A in order to clear a spot on the active roster. Drabek formerly rated as one of the game’s top overall prospects and was at one point a key piece sent from the Phillies to the Blue Jays in the Roy Halladay trade. However, the 28-year-old has struggled to a 5.27 ERA in 177 2/3 innings at the Major League level, and his 4.62 ERA at the Triple-A level isn’t markedly better. He’ll slot into the Arizona ‘pen for the time being.
- Former Major League reliever Mike Zagurski has signed with the Yokohama DeNa BayStars of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter). The 33-year-old lefty last pitched in the bigs back in 2013, though he never found his footing as a Major Leaguer, logging a 7.05 ERA in 75 1/3 innings across parts of five seasons. Zagurski does have a strong Triple-A track record and pitched well (2.40 ERA) in 15 innings with the Hiroshima Carp last season in NPB last season. He’ll hope to find similar success in a greater sample size with Yokohama in 2016.
Matt Garza Out At Least Four To Six Weeks With Lat Strain
Brewers right-hander Matt Garza learned today that a strained lat muscle will sideline him for the next four to six weeks, he told reporters, including Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Twitter link). Garza has been dealing with some tightness in his shoulder, but based on his comments, he wasn’t anticipating anything overly serious from his medical examinations. Via MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy (Twitter link), Garza told the media: “I’m not afraid of work, it just wasn’t what I was looking forward to at the beginning.”
Garza, 32, was expected to return to the Brewers’ rotation after losing his spot late last season, but he’ll now spend the foreseeable future on the disabled list instead. Right-hander Zach Davies stands out as a likely candidate to step into the rotation alongside fellow right-handers Wily Peralta, Jimmy Nelson, Taylor Jungmann and Chase Anderson, although top prospect Jorge Lopez received some Major League experience in 2015 as well. And, as McCalvy further tweets, the Brewers won’t need a fifth starter through the first 11 games due to scheduled off days, so there’s no immediate need to promote a starter in Garza’s place. For the time being, righty Tyler Cravy will be promoted to take Garza’s roster spot.
While the rebuilding Brewers aren’t expected to contend this season, it’s nonetheless a disappointing way to begin the season. After losing potential closer Will Smith to a freak LCL tear, Garza’s injury thins out the pitching depth a bit more and also eliminates the possibility of the once-excellent veteran rebuilding some trade stock with a strong early showing. While Garza could, of course, do so upon his return in what appears to be May or June (based on the presented timetable), he already has a fairly lengthy injury history under his belt, and a recent shoulder issue won’t do his stock any favors come July even if he’s pitching well. Last season, Garza struggled to a career-worst 5.63 ERA in 148 2/3 innings.
Garza is entering the third season of a four-year, $50MM contract with Milwaukee which also contains a complex fifth-year option that is largely dependent on the health of his right arm. (The $5MM club option turns into a $13MM vesting option if Garza throws 110 games over the course of the contract’s first four seasons but also shrinks to just a $1MM option if he spends more than 130 days of a season on the disabled list.) The Brewers owe Garza a combined $25MM between the 2016 and 2017 seasons, which is spread out evenly by annual salaries of $12.5MM.
In further injury news, the Brewers have also lost bullpen candidate Yhonathan Barrios to shoulder surgery, as McCalvy tweets. The 24-year-old Barrios, acquired from the Pirates last summer in exchange for Aramis Ramirez, had his rotator cuff repaired by renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews. Barrios made his big league debut with the Brewers in 2015, firing 6 2/3 scoreless innings out of the ‘pen. In that brief but dominant cameo, Barrios allowed just three hits and no walks while averaging 96.4 mph on his heater and striking out seven hitters. His minor league work wasn’t quite as impressive, however; Barrios logged a solid 2.83 ERA in 60 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A, but the hard-throwing righty also averaged just 5.5 strikeouts against 3.3 walks per nine innings pitched.
Mets, Rene Rivera Agree To Minor League Deal
The Mets and veteran catcher Rene Rivera have agreed to a minor league deal, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Rivera, 32, was released by the Rays last month after the Rays decided that Hank Conger and Curt Casali would comprise their primary catching tandem in 2016. The new agreement with New York marks a return to the Mets organization for Rivera, who spent the 2009 season playing with their Triple-A affiliate.
Rivera, a client of MDR Sports Management, is considered to be a premium defensive catcher but also was one of baseball’s worst hitters in 2015 when he batted .178/.213/.275. A minuscule .230 batting average on balls in play contributed heavily to that lack of productivity, but Rivera has never been much of a hitter with the exception of the 2014 season, when he batted .252/.319/.432 in 103 games with the Padres. That year looks like as much (if not more) of an outlier as last season’s woeful campaign, however, and something in the middle — Rivera is a career .211/.258/.331 hitter — is probably a more realistic expectation.
Despite lacking much in the way of offensive upside, Rivera is a standout defender, which is the reason that the Rays stuck with him in 2015. Rivera has halted 38 percent of stolen base attempts against him over the life of his big league career, and he has consistently graded out as a well above-average pitch framer, including a 2014 season in which Baseball Prospectus rated him as the game’s third-best backstop in terms of stealing strikes for his pitchers.
The Mets were said in Spring Training to be on the lookout for a veteran backup catcher, as the club doesn’t like the idea of young Kevin Plawecki playing sparingly in a backup role but also isn’t high on Johnny Monell serving as the primary backup to Travis d’Arnaud. While Rivera’s deal is of the minor league variety, it’s possible that the Mets could eventually promote him to serve as a defensive-minded backup to d’Arnaud while allowing Plawecki to receive everyday at-bats at the minor league level.
Pirates Extend Gregory Polanco
2:42pm: Heyman has the full breakdown, via Twitter: after a $3MM signing bonus, Polanco will receive a $1MM salary next year, then consecutive paydays of $3.5MM, $5.5MM, $8MM, and $11MM. The options are for $12.5MM (with a $3MM buyout) and $13.5MM ($1MM buyout).
10:50am: In a move that seemed years in the making, the Pirates have announced a five-year extension with outfielder Gregory Polanco. The Beverly Hills Sports Council client receives a reported $35MM guarantee in the contract, which includes two option years (with performance escalators) that could boost its total value to $60MM over seven seasons.
Polanco, 24, was previously controllable through the 2020 season. The extension, which begins with the 2017 campaign, will guarantee those seasons and extend control through the 2021 campaign, thus buying out his first season of free agency. If Pittsburgh picks up both options, he can reach free agency after the 2023 season, when he would be headed into his age-32 season.
The first option year is for $12.5MM and includes a $3MM buyout, while the second is priced at $13.5MM ($1MM buyout). Both could increase by a combined total of $2MM if Polanco can reach the as-yet unreported escalators.
Polanco is entering his third Major League season, though he has not yet reached two full years of service time. He’s a career .249/.316/.369 hitter in 964 plate appearances. Scouts expect him to grow into his fledgling power. A center fielder in the minors, Polanco has mostly played right field due to the presence of Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte. Polanco drew rave reviews for his right field defense last season, rating at 6.8 runs above average per Ultimate Zone Rating and 11 runs above average per Defensive Runs Saved.
Considered a consensus Top 25 prospect league-wide prior to the 2014 season in which he was promoted, Polanco has certainly shown flashes of promise but hasn’t yet emerged as the star many believed him to be capable of becoming. In particular, he’s displayed some potentially concerning struggles against left-handed pitching. Same-handed opponents have held Polanco to a paltry .183/.239/.264 batting line in 228 big league plate appearances. Clearly, he’s young enough to make some strides in that department, but the tight-budgeted Pirates will hope that Polanco doesn’t continually require a platoon partner and can instead combine with McCutchen and Marte to form one of the league’s best outfield trios.
The Pirates are known for locking up pre-arbitration eligible talent. McCutchen and Marte both inked similar extensions early in their careers. McCutchen signed a six-year, $51.5MM extension with one option while Marte accepted $31MM over a six-year term with two options. The club also worked out a four-year, $27.3MM extension with Josh Harrison prior to the 2015 season. That deal also includes two options.
This is far from the first time in which the Pirates have attempted to lock up Polanco. Pittsburgh, in fact, reportedly made a seven-year offer to Polanco before he was even promoted to the Major Leagues, and those talks continued into the summer following his promotion that June. The Bucs took another run at extending Polanco last spring but ultimately tabled extension talks early in the season. With this new agreement in place, the Pirates now control Polanco longer than any other member of the active roster.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports first reported the deal on Twitter. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) had financial parameters, while MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter links: 1; 2; 3; 4; 5) added finalized value and details on the pact.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Reds Return Rule 5 Pick Jake Cave To Yankees
Reds’ Rule 5 selection Jake Cave has been sent back to the Yankees, MLB.com’s Matt Kardos reports on Twitter. It appears that New York is accepting his return, as Cave is said to be heading to Triple-A.
Cincinnati had designated Cave for assignment on Sunday, but he’s obviously cleared waivers already. The 23-year-old hasn’t shown much pop in his recent minor league results or his relatively extensive spring action with the Reds. But as MLBTR’s Brad Johnson explained in previewing the Rule 5 festivities, Cave could still turn into a useful player, particularly if he can tap into some of the power and speed tools he’s shown at times.