Cuban Second Baseman Jose Miguel Fernandez Declared Free Agent By MLB
Cuban second baseman Jose Miguel Fernandez, who left Cuba in search of a big league deal back in December, has now been officially declared a free agent by Major League Baseball, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America. He’s free to sign with a Major League club at any time.
Because of his age (27) and extensive professional experience in Cuba’s Serie Nacional (eight seasons), Fernandez is exempt from international bonus pools. It’s been quite some time since he’s played regularly in game action — Fernandez’s last full season in Cuba was the 2013-14 campaign — but he’ll host a showcase for teams later this month, according to Badler, who notes that scouts are “eager” to see him. A showcase in February was canceled after Fernandez was said to have come down with dengue fever, Badler adds.
Fernandez is the owner some fairly gaudy stats from Cuba and is known as an on-base machine with excellent bat-to-ball skills. The left-handed hitter has authored a lifetime .319/.403/.423 batting line in 2580 plate appearances in Cuba’s top league, and he batted an outstanding .326/.482/.456 in the aforementioned 2013-14 campaign. (Cuba’s season is played in the winter, hence the listing of two years.) Fernandez played in 15 games during the 2014-15 season, prior to his first attempt at defecting, and batted .315/.415/.426 in 65 trips to the plate. However, he was detained in his attempt to leave the country and was reported at one point thereafter to be heavily guarded by the police.
Badler has previously reported that Fernandez has below-average pop and is merely an adequate defender at second base. As such, he profiles as a high-on-base and low-strikeout option at second upon reaching the Majors. Indeed, he struck out in a stunningly low 4.4 percent of his plate appearances in Cuba — just 113 times in his 2580 trips to the plate. Even if he lacks the power and defensive upside to become a star-caliber player, Fernandez is a more or less MLB-ready option at second base that could step into a big league lineup in short order, though it stands to reason that given his incredibly long layoff from in-game activity, some minor league seasoning figures to be in order.
About a month ago, MLB Network’s Peter Gammons reported that rival clubs believe the Padres are the heavy favorites to sign Fernandez, though we certainly could see other teams enter the mix with Fernandez now officially on the market. From my vantage point, the Royals, Angels, Braves, Phillies and Brewers could all use some second base help in addition to the rumored favorites in San Diego, though that list is of course highly speculative in nature.
Photo by Alyson Boyer Rode.
Indians Select Joba Chamberlain’s Contract, Designate James Ramsey
The Indians announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Joba Chamberlain and designated outfielder James Ramsey for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. Additionally, catcher Roberto Perez has been cleared to play after undergoing concussion tests following a foul tip to the mask on Sunday.
Chamberlain, 30, inked a minor league deal with Cleveland this offseason and earned a spot on the club with a Spring Training that featured mixed results (MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reported in late March, however, that Chamberlain would make the club). Chamberlain yielded just three runs and struck out eight batters in 10 innings, but he also yielded a troublesome seven walks.
That type of control problem has never been much of a problem for Chamberlain, but the righty has endured his share of struggles over the past few seasons. Chamberlain logged a 4.93 ERA in 2013 in his final season with the Yankees, and after a strong first half in 2014 with the Tigers, he wilted and posted a 4.97 ERA down the stretch. Last year, he began the season with Detroit once again and posted a 4.09 ERA in 22 innings before being designated for assignment and eventually working back to the Majors with Kansas City, where he surrendered five runs in 5 2/3 innings. His Triple-A work wasn’t any better, as Chamberlain surrendered a combined 13 earned runs in 12 Triple-A frames between the Jays (for whom he never appeared in the Majors) and Royals. He’ll look for better results in Cleveland this season.
Ramsey, meanwhile, is a former first-round draft pick — 23rd overall by the Cardinals in 2012. St. Louis traded the outfielder to the Indians in exchange for Justin Masterson at the 2014 trade deadline. Ramsey was impressive in 2014 following the trade, but he batted just .243/.327/.382 in 503 Triple-A plate appearances as a 25-year-old at the Triple-A level last season. Baseball America ranked him as Cleveland’s No. 23 prospect this winter, noting that while he lacks standout tools, he has an intelligent approach that helps the tools he does have to play up. BA, however, noted that Ramsey could ultimately prove to be a fourth outfielder or platoon bat due to struggles against left-handed pitching. MLB.com rated him 27th among Cleveland farmhands, similarly noting that his ability to play all three outfield spots could make him a fourth outfielder.
The DFA of Ramsey comes just four and a half months after the FSU product was added to Cleveland’s 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. A Spring Training effort that saw Ramsey go just 2-for-21 with 10 strikeouts against one walk certainly couldn’t have helped his chances at remaining on the 40-man roster. He’ll now join 14 other players in DFA limbo, though Cleveland presumably hopes that he’ll clear waivers and remain in the organization.
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/4/16
Here are the latest minor moves from around the league…
- The Blue Jays outrighted Jesus Montero and Junior Lake to Triple-A Buffalo over the weekend, as MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm writes. Both were picked up by Toronto on waivers, and each went unclaimed after the Jays again ran them through waivers shortly thereafter, allowing Toronto to retain the pair despite both being out of minor league options. Montero, of course, was formerly one of baseball’s elite prospects in his Yankees days, and he went to Seattle in the now-lopsided Michael Pineda swap. The catcher-turned-first-baseman has yet to hit much in the Majors and was waived by Seattle this spring, though he could emerge as a nice platoon option in Toronto at the very least. At 26, it’s not out of the question that he could still emerge as a productive bat. (Toronto has had its share of success in late-blooming right-handed sluggers, after all.) Lake, meanwhile, enjoyed a strong rookie season with the Cubs in 2013 when he hit .284/.332/.428 in 254 plate appearances. However, the outfielder has batted just .209/.244/.345 in 410 PAs since that time. Like Montero, he’s 26 years of age and will hope for a shot at establishing himself in the hitter-friendly confines of Toronto’s Rogers Centre at some point this season.
- The Twins released left-hander Aaron Thompson out of minor league camp at the end of Spring Training, as Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes. The 29-year-old Thompson broke camp with Minnesota in 2015 and wound up tallying 32 1/3 innings as a member of the Twins bullpen. However, after allowing one run in his first 11 innings (buoyed by an unsustainable .129 BABIP), Thompson logged a 7.17 ERA over 21 1/3 subsequent innings through mid-July before ultimately being sent down and outrighted. He’d re-signed with the Twins on a minor league deal this winter and will now look for a club in need of some left-handed ‘pen depth, presumably.
NL Central Notes: Cubs, Nolin, Torres, Pirates
The Cubs never made the big offseason deal to acquire a starting pitcher that many expected of them, but president of baseball operations Theo Epstein tells Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago that his team will be ready to pounce on a deal should the right opportunity present itself during the season. “We built in a little bit of room for in-season,” says Epstein. “We built in some (budget) flexibility, but I wouldn’t expect a very aggressive winter next year. I think we’ve been open about the fact that we really did two offseasons worth of spending and acquisitions in one winter, knowing that we like the players available this winter more than next winter.” Epstein also tells Mooney that any trade in which he surrenders young talent would have to land someone that fits “both for now and probably for the long-term if it’s going to be a bigger deal.”
Here’s more from the NL Central…
- Brewers lefty Sean Nolin has been officially diagnosed with a UCL sprain and not an elbow strain, GM David Stearns told reporters, including MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy (Twitter link). Nolin will rehab the injury for the next six weeks before making a decision on Tommy John surgery. Milwaukee picked up Nolin from the A’s this offseason and had expected to use him in the ‘pen prior to his injury.
- Via the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Tom Haudricourt (Twitter link), Stearns also revealed that he had interest in signing right-hander Carlos Torres earlier this offseason upon his release from the Mets. Torres, however, inked a minor league contract with the Braves and headed to camp with Atlanta. While the Brewers weren’t prepared to offer a big league deal at the time, they clearly had a change of heart late in camp, as Milwaukee signed Torres to a Major League pact over the weekend after he opted out of his deal with Atlanta. The Brew Crew can control Torres through 2018 via the arbitration process if he excels in his new environs.
- While many Pirates fans have focused on the losses of Neil Walker, Pedro Alvarez and second-half surprise J.A. Happ this offseason, Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that not enough emphasis has been placed on retaining an expensive closer in Mark Melancon — a decision that kept a dominant Pirates relief corps intact. Cook spoke to GM Neal Huntington about the decision to hold onto his All-Star closer. “I know first-hand,” Huntington told Cook. “One year I was with Cleveland, we lost more late leads in a month than most teams do all season. I know that’s hard to come back from. That’s a big part of our decision to keep Mark.” Huntington said that he never got any offers to his liking for Melancon this winter and didn’t see many ways to effectively reallocate the $9.65MM Melancon earned in arbitration to definitively improve the 2016 club. Notably, he discussed the loss of Happ and explained that part of the reason the front office felt Happ was so successful was that he was asked to throw more than six innings just once with the Bucs — due in large part to Pittsburgh’s strong bullpen.
Notable Roster Decisions: Stephenson, Royals, Rangers
With the next wave of season openers nearly upon us, here are a few of the final notable roster decisions from around the league…
- The Reds have placed right-hander Homer Bailey on the disabled list and promoted fellow right-hander and top prospect Robert Stephenson, the club announced. However, it appears that Stephenson, who rates among the game’s 35 best minor leaguers (per Baseball America, MLB.com and ESPN’s Keith Law) will merely be making a spot start and isn’t yet being viewed as a long-term option in the rotation; C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that Stephenson will likely be optioned back to Triple-A following his start, as right-hander Anthony DeSclafani will be ready to come of the DL and join the rotation on April 10. Cincinnati currently has Raisel Iglesias, Brandon Finnegan and Stephenson lined up for their season-opening series against the Phillies, with Alfredo Simon set to start the club’s fourth game of the year. DeSclafani should grab Stephenson’s spot in the rotation’s second cycle of the season, and right-hander Jon Moscot should be able to return mid-month — possibly to start on April 17. As such, Stephenson’s promotion could simply amount to a glimpse of the future for Reds fans at this time, though Cincinnati’s rotation picture is fluid enough to imagine Stephenson changing their plans with a dominant showing. Service time doesn’t figure to be a major factor here, as the Reds would only lose a year of control if Stephenson were to accrue 172 days of service this season, and a quick return to the minors would make that unlikely.
- Veteran right-hander Chien-Ming Wang made the Royals‘ roster, as MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan writes. Royals pitching coach Dave Eiland, who filled that same role with the Yankees a decade ago when Wang was pitching in New York, tells Flanagan that the righty looks like the pitcher he had in his rotation 10 years ago. Wang’s velocity is said to have spiked to the mid-90s this spring, and when he does toe the rubber for the Royals, it’ll be the first time he steps foot on a Major League mound since 2013. Additionally, outfielders Reymond Fuentes and Terrance Gore have made the Kansas City roster. (Neither Wang nor Gore appeared in last night’s season opener against the Mets.)
- The Rangers assigned right-hander A.J. Griffin to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday, but as Anthony Andro writes for MLB.com, there’s a good chance he could be recalled on Friday to serve as the club’s fifth starter. As Andro notes, the assignment could be a tactical move, as Texas doesn’t need a fifth starter until Friday, and stashing Griffin at Triple-A will allow the club to carry an extra reliever for the time being (in addition to delaying a 40-man roster decision). Griffin, though, has not yet been officially informed that he is the team’s fifth starter, Andro stresses. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets the same, adding that the lack of definitive word from the club could indicate that the Rangers are still looking at the trade market for starting pitching additions.
Extension Talks Between Blue Jays, Edwin Encarnacion Likely Finished
With Edwin Encarnacion‘s imposed extension deadline of Opening Day now in the rear-view mirror, Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi writes that the slugger’s “sole focus” is on the season at hand, and further talks aren’t expected. As Davidi writes, there were no talks over the final couple weeks of Spring Training, and the team didn’t make a late push to get a deal done.
“If they were going to do something, I was ready,” the first baseman/designated hitter said. “I know I want to stay here, I’d love to stay here, but it’s not my decision, it’s not something I can control. I’m going to focus on my season and see what’s coming.” Encarnacion also added: “…after today I don’t want to talk anymore or anything like that.”
Notably, Davidi reports that the Blue Jays’ most recent suggestion was a two-year extension, which was a “total non-starter.” A two-year deal for Encarnacion strikes me as a wholly unrealistic expectation, considering the fact that since 2012, the 33-year-old has batted .274/.371/.549 with 151 home runs (second in the Majors in that time, as Davidi points out). A typical season for Encarnacion should easily net him a four-year contract on next year’s depleted free agent market, and a five-year pact shouldn’t be considered out of the question at this admittedly early stage. Tim Dierkes recently ranked Encarnacion fifth in the first installment of MLBTR’s 2016-17 free agent power rankings, noting that a four-year deal worth as much as $100MM seems reasonable if Encarnacion maintains his production in 2016, and he too voiced a belief that five years could end up on the table.
The failure to lock up either Encarnacion or fellow right-handed slugger Jose Bautista means that both players will likely hit the open market next winter and could very well be entering their last season as members of the Blue Jays. While Toronto is, of course, widely expected to contend for a postseason spot on the heels of their ALCS run last year, it’ll be interesting to see what transpires this summer should the season not go according to plan. Both Encarnacion and Bautista are locks to receive and reject a qualifying offer next winter (assuming healthy, productive seasons), but they’re also the types of potential trade pieces whose returns would outweigh the value of a compensatory draft pick. (Bautista and Encarnacion, of course, would have to approve any deal in that highly theoretical scenario, as each has 10-and-5 rights.) Should the season go according to plan in Toronto, though, that’ll be a moot point, and the Jays will stand to recoup a pair of draft picks in 2017 as their prized sluggers test the waters of free agency.
Latest On Extension Talks Between Rangers, Adrian Beltre
The Rangers have yet to present Adrian Beltre with a firm contract offer, the third baseman himself tells Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. “We’ve still got nothing to say ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ to,” Beltre told Grant. “I would have thought that we’d have that by now. But I’m not worrying about it by any means.” Grant adds that Beltre does not want to continue back-and-forth negotiations into the season, but Beltre did add that he’d consider offers if it were a means of a mere “yes” or “no” to a proposal from the Rangers. Such a scenario could indeed play out, as MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweeted last night that talks between the Rangers and agent Scott Boras have been productive enough that they’ll continue into the regular season.
Beltre, who will turn 37 later this week, has reportedly been seeking a three-year deal that tops Pablo Sandoval‘s $19MM average annual value, which would suggest a target of something along the lines of a three-year, $60MM contract. That’s a sizable commitment, considering any deal would kick in after this season, thus covering Beltre’s age-38 through age-40 seasons. However, based on his stellar production over the entirety of his first five seasons with Texas, it’s hard to argue that Beltre hasn’t earned a hefty payday. Since signing with the Rangers prior to the 2011 season, Beltre has batted .309/.358/.514, averaging 27 homers per season to go along with continually elite defense in spite of his advancing age. Even in a 2015 season that was marred by thumb and back injuries, Beltre slashed .287/.334/.453 with 18 home runs.
Of course, those injuries and Beltre’s age are the primary reasons that extending a three-year offer is such a risk-laden concept. Then again, if Beltre remains healthy this season and enjoys a typical season at the plate and in the field, Beltre should be able to land at least three years at a strong annual rate, even if it’s not from the Rangers. Set to be a free agent following the 2016 season, Beltre landed ninth on Tim Dierkes’ first installment of MLBTR’s 2016-17 free agent power rankings. It’s worth noting that in Grant’s column, he writes that GM Jon Daniels is open to the idea of making an in-season proposal, and considering Daniels’ previous comments about retaining Beltre beyond the 2016 campaign, it stands to reason that there’s a good chance some kind of offer will eventually be put forth. Whether that ultimately results in a new contract, though, is another matter.
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/3/16
Here are the today’s minor moves from around the league:
- Utility infielder Munenori Kawasaki has been added to the Cubs 40-man roster and optioned to Triple-A, tweets Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago. Kawasaki, 34, will serve as middle infield depth. While he’s never been known for his bat, he generally draws positive defensive reviews at shortstop, second base, and the hot corner. Despite a lack of power, he’s also known for posting high walk rates and tolerable strikeout rates.
- Two notable minor league signings occurred earlier in the day. The White Sox inked starting pitcher Miguel Gonzalez. He was released by the Orioles earlier in the week. Meanwhile, the Angels signed reliever Neal Cotts. He was cut loose by the Astros over a week ago.
- A bevy of players were designated for assignment earlier today. Check out the MLBTR DFA Tracker to learn all the latest.
MLBTR Originals
A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR the last seven days:
- In the early stages of the offseason, free agents David Price, Johnny Cueto, and Jason Heyward all inked lucrative deals which included opt-out clauses. In January, Matt Swartz wrote an article for MLBTR to approximate the value of those clauses. Days ago, he offered his analysis of the opt-outs given to Yoenis Cespedes, Justin Upton, Scott Kazmir, Ian Kennedy, and Wei-Yin Chen. While many in baseball criticize teams for giving opt-out clauses, Swartz estimates that in these five deals, teams would have had to fork over about 10 to 15 percent more in a straight forward deal.
- In part one of his interview with Dave Stewart, Brett Ballantini spoke with the D’Backs GM about his eventful offseason. In Part II of the interview, Ballantini spoke with Stewart about his unusual path from player to powerful agent to general manager.
- The MLBTR Podcast last Thursday included play-by-play man Len Kasper on the Cubs and Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca on the Blue Jays and the extension market.
- Speaking of Chen, the Marlins laid out big bucks to land the left-hander. MLBTR’s Jeff Todd looked back on Miami’s offseason moves, including the Chen deal and Dee Gordon‘s extension.
- To kickstart MLBTR’s brand new College Series, Chuck Wasserstrom interviewed Reds Senior Vice President/General Manager Dick Williams about his days at the University of Virginia.
- Charlie Wilmoth reflected on the Cardinals’ offseason including the loss of Heyward and John Lackey to a division rival. Will additions to rotation and bullpen be enough?
- Mark Polishuk analyzed the Yankees’ unlikely offseason. The infamous big spenders committed $0 to major league free agents. They did make a number of notable trades, acquiring Aroldis Chapman, Aaron Hicks, and Starlin Castro in three separate moves.
- Mark also offered his take on the Blue Jays offseason which began with an unexpected need to replace former GM Alex Anthopoulos after their most successful season in over two decades.
- On Saturday, MLBTR was the first to report that Alex Presley would not make the Brewers and has a 48-hour window to be signed elsewhere.
- On Sunday, MLBTR was the first to report on the deal sending Chris Leroux from the Phillies to the Blue Jays.
- MLBTR was also the first to report the Dodgers signing of reliever Dale Thayer to a minor league contract. Earlier in the week Thayer had opted out of a minors deal with the Orioles.
D’Backs Weighing Center Field Addition
The Diamondbacks have not ruled out acquiring a new center fielder to replace injured star A.J. Pollock, reports Jon Morosi of MLB Network in a series of tweets (1, 2, 3, and 4). Pollock will have surgery on his fractured elbow and hopes to return at some point this season. However, it’s very possible he’ll miss the entire 2016 campaign.
The Diamondbacks made a serious of win-now oriented moves over the offseason. The loss of Pollock is a devastating blow to their hopes of contention. According to FanGraphs, he was worth over six wins above replacement level last year. Internal options like Chris Owings and Socrates Brito may patch the problem, but they won’t come close to replacing Pollock’s production.
For now, the club will evaluate their in-house candidates while exploring the trade market and free agent markets. It’s generally a difficult time of year to acquire impact talent – most teams have either made their blockbuster swaps or hope to contend this season. If Arizona does choose to look outside the organization, they could begin their search with veterans Michael Bourn and Will Venable. Bourn was recently designated for assignment by the Braves while Venable failed to make the Phillies Opening Day roster.