Yankees Sign Chris Denorfia To Minors Deal
TODAY: Denorfia would earn $1MM in the majors and can also reach up to $1MM in incentives, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link).
YESTERDAY: The Yankees have signed outfielder Chris Denorfia to a minor league deal, MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch reports (Twitter links). His contract includes a March opt-out date.
Commenting on the deal, GM Brian Cashman suggested that New York was interested in adding right-handed-hitting depth to the outfield mix. The 35-year-old certainly makes good sense in that role, as he’s compiled a lifetime .285/.353/.419 slash against opposing southpaws.
That being said, Denorfia was available on a minors pact because he hasn’t played up to his prior standards over the past two seasons. Since the start of 2014, he has a .245/.297/.339 slash over 589 plate appearances. But he put up four straight seasons of above-average offensive production before that, and rates as a quality fielder in the corner outfield, so it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see him return to productivity if he can earn his way back onto a MLB roster.
Padres To Sign Matt Thornton
The Padres have reached agreement on a minor league deal with lefty Matt Thornton, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). He is undergoing a physical today and will join the team in major league camp if he passes.
The deal will pay Thornton at a $1.6MM base salary if he can crack the MLB roster, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets. It also includes $1.9MM in available incentives relating to his number of appearances.
Thornton, 39, saw his strikeout rate fall last year but continued to post excellent results while being tasked with a fairly light workload. Though he’s now within eyesight of 40, the southpaw owns a 1.98 ERA over 77 1/3 innings over the prior two seasons.
While he’s been particularly stingy against lefties, Thornton has also posted solid numbers (sub-.700 OPS against) in his exposure to right-handed pitching in that span. He’s finally experienced a bit of a downtick in velocity, but still brought his average heater at around 93.5 mph last year.
NL West Notes: Dodgers, Greinke, Rosales, Gray, Samardzija
Dodgers lefty Hyun-jin Ryu is being given some extra rest after feeling discomfort in his surgically repaired left shoulder, writes MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick. Neither Ryu nor manager Dave Roberts would characterize the discomfort as a setback, with Ryu saying he didn’t feel significant pain, and Roberts adding that the discomfort is a normal part of the recovery process from this type of surgery. Nevertheless, the status of Ryu’s shoulder will be something the Dodgers monitor closely this spring in his first season back from surgery to repair a torn labrum. Ryu was recently said to be about two weeks behind the rest of the Dodgers’ starters (Twitter link via Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times), and that was prior to today’s news.
More on the Dodgers and their division…
- Gurnick tweets that lefty Brett Anderson is also dealing with an ailment, as his Friday start is uncertain after he tweaked his back throwing live batting practice yesterday. Anderson underwent some tests today to determine the nature of the potential injury, and as Gurnick notes, he does have a history of back troubles, having undergone surgery in 2014.
- Sticking with the mildly macabre Dodgers injury theme, righty Josh Ravin will be out for eight to 12 weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured left forearm that he injured earlier this week in a car crash, McCullough tweets. As was noted at the time of the injury, Ravin was perhaps an unlikely candidate to make the club out of Spring Training, but the injury of course removes any doubt.
- Diamondbacks scouting director Deric Ladnier told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that ace Zack Greinke joined him and other D-backs scouts in south Florida earlier this winter to watch some amateur games as the club scouted in preparation for the June draft. “I’m not saying he’s going to help us make decisions because he’s not, but I do like listening to him because he brings a different perspective,” said Ladnier. “Shame on me if I don’t.” Greinke’s interest in scouting is nothing new, Piecoro writes. In fact, Ladnier, who was the Royals’ scouting director when Greinke was drafted, invited Greinke into the Royals’ draft meetings on a number of occasions. Piecoro notes that Greinke also attended some scouting meetings with the Brewers and Dodgers. “He follows it diligently,” said Ladnier. “It’s something he loves to do. I have no problem with him coming in and peeking his head in.” Greinke clearly has plenty of innings left in his arm, but I doubt he’d have difficulty finding a team interested in adding him as a special assignment scout following his playing days.
- Infielder Adam Rosales, who is with the Padres on a minor league deal/non-roster invite to Spring Training this season, spoke to MLB.com’s Corey Brock about the transaction whirlwind in which he was involved back in 2014. In a span of 13 days, Rosales was designated for assignment three times and claimed off waivers three times — each by either the Rangers or Athletics. Rosales called the sequence “challenging,” but eventually found some levity in his plight. “You just have to see some humor in it … and take it in stride and appreciate the opportunities you have,” he explained. GM A.J. Preller, who was an assistant GM with the Rangers at the time of that ordeal, spoke highly of Rosales’ versatility and clubhouse presence, explaining some of the reasoning behind his signing of Rosales this winter.
- Rockies prospect Jon Gray debuted his new curveball in his first spring outing today, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, and was pleased with the outcome. Gray says he was surprised by the number he threw (seven), thinking he’d throw three or four over his two-inning affair. Gray spoke to Saunders about his aim to develop two different curves — one to throw for strikes and one to bounce in front of the plate as an out pitch — as he seeks to deliver on the promise that made him the No. 3 pick in the 2013 draft.
- Giants GM Bobby Evans talked with MLB.com’s Tracy Ringolsby about his pursuit of Jeff Samardzia this offseason. “The benefit of Posey, the benefit of Dave Righetti and [bullpen coach] Mark Gardner, the benefit of AT&T Park and the benefit of a support cast where he’s not expected to be the No. 1 or No. 2 guy, all those elements combined to allow us to make the investment,” said Evans of the five-year, $90MM deal he used to reel in Shark (terrible pun intended — my apologies). Samardzija admitted to Ringolsby that the barrage of rumors swirling around his name wore on him last summer, to some extent, though he didn’t blame any of his 2015 struggles on the stress associated with that talk. The Giants, Ringolsby writes, feel there’s still untapped potential in Samardzija’s powerful arm.
AL East Notes: Tulowitzki, Murphy, Sox, Chapman
Troy Tulowitzki was blindsided by his trade to the Blue Jays last July, but the former Rockies star told FOX’s Ken Rosenthal that he’s not bitter toward his former organization. “I was honest last year saying it was very tough for me, ” Tulowitzki explained. “And now I’m honest saying I’m over it.” Tulowitzki spoke to Rosenthal about how close he’s become with Josh Donaldson since joining the team, praising Donaldson’s leadership and intensity. “You want him on your team,” Tulowitzki said of the reigning AL MVP. “He might be that guy on the other team that irks you. But you love taking the field with him. He gets the best out of me.” Tulowitzki spoke favorably about his new organization overall, praising the level of competitiveness that permeates the veteran clubhouse.
More on Tulo and the AL East…
- Interestingly, Tulowitzki gave somewhat of a different vibe in an interview with USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. “I’ll never talk to him, never talk to those people,” the Blue Jays‘ shortstop said of the Rockies‘ front office. “You get lied to, straight to your face, you get upset. I believe in forgiveness, but at the same time, I don’t plan on being friendly with them, or anything like that.” Tulowitzki hasn’t spoke to Rockies GM Jeff Bridich since being informed he was traded — a meeting in which Tulowitzki was “livid,” Nightengale notes. Tulowitzki explained that he felt betrayed because he’d been promised to be kept in the loop on trade talks involving his name, but that ultimately didn’t happen. However, Rockies GM Jeff Bridich and former Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos each explained to Nightengale that they felt keeping talks as silent as possible was imperative, as leaking information could have jeopardized the trade. Tulowitzki’s focus now, however, is on the upcoming season and rediscovering the level of offense he displayed in his best years with the Rockies. Tulo batted .239/.317/.380 with the Jays and missed time due to a cracked left shoulder blade.
- David Murphy explains to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he was surprised at the fact that he ultimately settled for a minor league contract this winter. While Murphy is excited about the prospect of being in camp with the Red Sox, who originally selected him in the first round of the 2003 draft, he also felt he was productive enough in 2015 to land a big league pact. “I kind of thought it was 50-50 my option would be picked up in LA,” Murphy tells Bradford in reference to a $7MM club option. Murphy didn’t enter the offseason with outlandish expectations; he tells Bradford that his expectation was to sign a one-year deal somewhere but never came all that close to finding one. Murphy implies that earlier in the winter, he received some hypothetical interest on low-paying one-year deals, but his camp waited to see if more lucrative offers materialized. The veteran outfielder adds that he spoke to other free agents this offseason, with many expressing similar confusion about the lack of a market for position players.
- Sticking with Murphy, Jon Heyman recently reported an additional minor detail about his contract with the Red Sox (Twitter link). In addition to the previously reported $2MM base salary, Murphy can earn up to $1.5MM via incentives and secured a March 27 out clause on his deal as well.
- The salary level of pre-arb players is sometimes also cause for controversy, but the Red Sox seemingly avoided that with some of their deals. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports (links to Twitter) that shortstop Xander Bogaerts will receive a relatively hefty $650,500 payday after his strong 2016 season. Others, too, were rewarded, including Brock Holt ($606K) and Mookie Betts ($566K).
- Nobody really comes out of the Aroldis Chapman suspension as a winner, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post, who says that’s the way it should be. All those involved were in a tough spot, particularly the MLBPA, and the 30-game ban that was arrived upon walks a fine line in serving the varied and complex imperatives that were at play. Sherman’s Post colleague Ken Davidoff argues that the Yankees at least benefit in that the lack of ongoing controversy won’t be a source of drama, while Rosenthal opines that the league landed on an appropriate decision. For his part, Chapman says he’s gotten rid of any firearms and says that the matter is “something I definitely want to put behind me,” as MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch tweets.
Cardinals Extend Kolten Wong
The Cardinals have announced an extension with 25-year-old second baseman Kolten Wong. Wong, a client of PSI Sports Management, will reportedly be guaranteed $25.5MM over five years, beginning in 2016. The contract also includes a $12.5MM option (with a $1MM buyout) for another season, and doesn’t come with any no-trade protection.
Because it begins with the 2016 campaign, the deal will give St. Louis control over two free agent seasons — the latter via option — in addition to covering Wong’s entire arbitration eligibility. He’ll be under team control through his age-30 campaign. Wong had entered the spring with just over two years of MLB service under his belt and had yet to qualify for arbitration. Now, he’s set to earn $1.25MM in 2016, $2.5MM in 2017, $4MM in 2018, $6.5MM in 2019 and $10.25MM in 2020.
Last year was Wong’s first as a full-time regular, and he came out of the gates strong with an excellent first half. He ultimately faded down the stretch, struggling in particular against left-handed pitching. All told, his overall offensive output — a .262/.321/.386 batting line with 11 home runs and 15 stolen bases over 613 plate appearances — represented a fairly close match to his 2014 campaign.
With excellent baserunning and strong glovework added into the equation, Wong has played at about a 2-WAR rate to start his career. Surely, both he and the team will hope that he can build off of that as he matures. Even if he doesn’t develop into a sturdy everyday regular, he figures to represent a heavily-used and readily platoon-able option at second.
Indeed, the club already has a platoon mate on hand in the righty-swinging Jedd Gyorko, who is controllable through 2020 (the final season via option). He has fared much better against opposing southpaws over his first several seasons in the majors. The Cards added Gyorko earlier this winter from the Padres, taking over his prior extension (with about a fifth of the tab staying on San Diego’s books).
It remains to be seen precisely how playing time will be allocated — Gyorko could, at least in theory, also spend time at first with Matt Carpenter entrenched at third — but the club certainly now has infield options moving forward. By locking up Wong now, before he has a chance to boost his earning power and shorten his free agent timeline in the coming season, St. Louis will lock in a quality player at a reasonable rate of pay. For Wong, of course, the deal represents a chance to secure earnings now rather than rolling the dice year-to-year.
Ultimately, it’s not clear how much room for growth there is in Wong’s game. He walks and strikes out just a bit under the league average rates, with a career ISO that’s right at the mean for his position. Most of his other batted-ball results stand at or near that of a league-average player, and he never exactly set the world on fire in the minors. He’s certainly justified his former status as a first-round pick and top-100 prospect, but probably isn’t ticketed for stardom.
Of course, the Cards don’t need Wong to play at a superstar level to justify this commitment, and the Gyorko acquisition seems to suggest they don’t really expect it, either. There aren’t many direct comparables for the deal, but the most recent at the second base position is the four-year, $20MM extension reached by the Twins and Brian Dozier last winter. That contract only covered his arbitration eligibility, and represented the heightened arb earning ability in his power bat.
A better comp, though, might be found in another deal last winter: center fielder Adam Eaton‘s five-year, $23.5MM pact with the White Sox, which came with two club options. That contract has long looked like a nice get for the team, and today’s deal only adds to that impression. Wong understandably fell shy of the six-year, $50MM+ guarantees landed by two other 2+ service-time players in recent years, Carpenter and Jason Kipnis, each of whom were coming off of much bigger seasons when they signed their deals.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch first reported the agreement on Twitter. SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reported financial terms (all links to Twitter), while ESPN.com’s Mark Saxon had the term of the deal and its lack of a no-trade clause (Twitter links).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Blue Jays, Edwin Encarnacion Begin Preliminary Extension Talks
The Blue Jays and first baseman/designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion met today to begin the process of exploring an extension, reports Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. The Rep 1 Baseball client has gone on record recently to express his desire to remain with Toronto. The 33-year-old told the Toronto media last week that ideally, he would finish his career with the Blue Jays, as Davidi notes within his column.
Encarnacion is wrapping up a contract extension that guaranteed him $27MM from the 2013-15 seasons and included a $10MM club option for the upcoming 2016 campaign. That option “decision” was a no-brainer for the Blue Jays after Encarnacion batted .277/.372/.557 with 39 home runs in 146 games. That type of elite production has become par for the course for Encarnacion, who, like teammate Jose Bautista, experienced a late breakout in Toronto and has now blossomed into one of baseball’s premier power hitters. Dating back to the 2012 season, Encarnacion has batted .274/.371/.549, averaging 38 home runs and 28 doubles per season. And, unlike many prolific home run hitters, Encarnacion boasts one of the lowest strikeout rates in the league; across that four-year span, he’s punched out at just a 13.8 percent rate while walking in 12.5 percent of his plate appearances.
As such, despite his advanced age and limited defensive value, Encarnacion would be among the most in-demand free agents on next year’s open market were he to reach free agency. Defensively limited sluggers like Nelson Cruz and Victor Martinez have secured significant four-year extensions beginning with their age-34 and age-36 seasons, respectively, and Encarnacion’s camp would have an easy case to surpass those $57MM (Cruz) and $68MM (Martinez) contracts with ease. He’ll be two years younger than was Martinez at the time of his signing (without a recent knee surgery under his belt), and he has a considerably more consistent track record than Cruz did upon entering the open market (without a recent PED suspension on his record).
Encarnacion would be a lock to receive and reject a qualifying offer in the event that an extension cannot be brokered, and if the Jays endure an unexpected collapse and find themselves well out of the race come late July, Encarnacion could fetch a considerable haul on the summer trade market. All of that is to say that Toronto isn’t in danger of losing Encarnacion for nothing, but with him and Bautista both eligible for free agency following the season, there’s likely a sense of urgency to get something completed. Recent extension talks with Bautista may have increased the Jays’ motivation to work something out with Encarnacion, as Bautista reportedly sought a deal spanning more than five years and exceeding $150MM in total value (though his reported target in terms of annual value was under $30MM per year). Bautista plainly stated that he wasn’t interested in negotiating beyond the point of naming his asking price, making a long-term deal between the two sides seem unlikely.
Knowing that one of the cornerstones of their offense could very well be embarking on his final season with the team, the Blue Jays could feel some pressure to lock in a new deal with their other franchise slugger. Any talks between the two sides will need to be wrapped up before the conclusion of Spring Training, as Encarnacion has said that he doesn’t want talks to linger into the regular season.
Notable Recent Late-Spring Trades
March isn’t often a month for major trades, with most of the action coming over the winter or during the summer, but there are occasionally notable pacts. Teams will spend most of their time assessing the options on hand, but sometimes that means identifying needs or seeking opportunities.
With the month just underway, I thought it would be interesting to look back at the most significant deals that did go through in recent years during the pre-season buildup in March and early April.
2015
On the eve of Opening Day, the Padres acquired Craig Kimbrel from the Braves in a complex deal involving quite a bit of salary swapping. Needless to say, it stands as the most dramatic late-spring deal of recent vintage. In more typical moves, the Braves picked up Trevor Cahill (and about half of his hefty salary) while the Mets added lefty relievers Alex Torres and Jerry Blevins (the latter in a rare swap with the Nats). And the Mariners sent Erasmo Ramirez to the Rays for Mike Montgomery.
2014
Things were pretty quiet that year, with two of the biggest moves involving utility infielders: the Tigers added Andrew Romine from the Angels and the Twins got Eduardo Nunez from the Yankees. Minnesota also sent Vance Worley to the Pirates, who ended up benefiting quite a bit from that move.
2013
It didn’t seem like much at the time, but the Athletics’ pick-up of Stephen Vogt from the Rays — for cash — has paid big dividends since. The Yankees took on a decent chunk of the Vernon Wells contract from the Angels, proving that money can move in March. Steve Geltz ultimately logged a fair number of innings for the Rays, but not in the year he was swapped for Dane De La Rosa, who excelled in 2013 for the Halos. And the Astros got some innings out of Travis Blackley after adding him from the A’s.
2012
The Reds ended up landing a bullpen fixture in J.J. Hoover, who came from the Braves in exchange for Juan Francisco. The Chris Stewart-for-George Kontos swap panned out nicely for the Giants, who’ve received quite a few productive frames from the righty. Stewart has turned into a useful backup catcher in Pittsburgh, but largely struggled in New York. Both Jason Bourgeois and Humberto Quintero gave some depth to the Royals, with the Astros getting Kevin Chapman in the deal.
MLBTR’s Transaction Tracker was used extensively for the purposes of this post.
AL Notes: Desmond, Rangers, Perez, Altuve, Rollins
Ian Desmond‘s path to the Rangers all began earlier in the offseason, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes. The club let him know that they would have interest on the off chance that Desmond couldn’t find a multi-year deal and was willing to move to the outfield, says Grant, and that indeed turned out to be the case. “Things can change,” GM Jon Daniels explained. “You have to be prepared. You never know when a domino might fall. If you have any interest in that player, you have to express that early on.” Daniels has also made clear that he doesn’t believe there will be any difficulty in sorting out playing time when Josh Hamilton is ready to return.
Here’s more from Texas and the rest of the American League:
- Rangers co-owner Ray Davis discussed his organization today, and Grant has the story. Most notably, he said that the club can still add payroll for a mid-season addition after signing Desmond. As for that move, he explained: “It was a matter of need and Jon Daniels and Thad Levine finding a way to do things creatively. They came to us and proposed a creative deal. For me, this is a process where nobody other than the baseball people make the player decision. My only role is an economic one. They have a plan and decision they make long before they come to me.”
- Royals catcher Salvador Perez is excited at his new deal and hopes he’ll spend the rest of his career in Kansas City, writes Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star. From the team’s perspective, despite a team-friendly contract already being in place, it made sense to swing another deal. “We went into Salvy’s previous deal with expectations that obviously he was going to be a terrific player,” said GM Dayton Moore. “We’ve always believed in him — as a talent, as a person, as a teammate. And he’s out-performed that contract. He’s an underpaid player in the game.” Noting the sacrifice that Gil Meche made when he left money upon departing the team, Moore explained that the motivation extended beyond pure baseball economics. “You focus on what’s right for Sal,” Moore said. “We’ve said from day one, that we want to create an organization that we’d want our own sons and family to be a part of. Well, Salvy’s family.”
- Meanwhile, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wonders whether other clubs will follow suit in rewarding underpaid players. He cites Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks, Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs, Jose Altuve of the Astros, Chris Sale of the White Sox, Madison Bumgarner of the Giants, and Chris Archer of the Rays as others on team-friendly pacts. From my perspective, most of those players line up more as traditional second extension candidates, in that their teams may well see some value in doubling down on their investments in the way that has occurred in the past for Troy Tulowitzki, Evan Longoria, Ryan Braun, Ryan Zimmerman, and others.
- As for Altuve, the Astros aren’t currently holding extension talks, according to Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle. Like his friend Perez, Altuve has greatly outperformed his own contract, which would stand to pay him just $25MM if Houston exercises its two options. As Drellich notes, though, Altuve would still stand to hit the market at 29 years of age and probably has a better chance at longevity than does Perez.
- White Sox skipper Robin Ventura says that he envisions Jimmy Rollins making the club out of camp, as Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune tweets. “I expect him to make the team, unless something happens physically where it wouldn’t work,” said Ventura.
Poll: The Last QO-Bound Position Player Signings
The impact of the qualifying offer remains a hot topic around baseball, and it’s hard to deny the effects on several veterans this winter. In many ways, the biggest difficulty faced may not just be a pure reduction in price, but the alteration of the market development for players saddled with draft pick compensation.
Ultimately, there were bargains to be found late in the winter. That’s exemplified, perhaps, by the experiences of the last three QO-bound position players to sign this offseason: Howie Kendrick, Dexter Fowler, and Ian Desmond. All had reasonable expectations of significant, multi-year deals, but it did not work out that way in practice.
Kendrick ultimately went back to the Dodgers for two years and $20MM. He was something of a luxury for a club that already had numerous options installed in the infield, but space was created when the price dropped.
At one point, Fowler seemed ticketed for the Orioles on a three-year pact, but ultimately returned to the Cubs on a $13MM guarantee. As with Kendrick, Fowler was an opportunistic re-addition for the team that had originally extended him the qualifying offer.
As for Desmond, things shaped up in an even more curious way. He sat back as players with lesser recent stat lines, such as Alexei Ramirez and Asdrubal Cabrera, inked deals with clubs willing to install them as regular shortstops. Desmond ultimately settled for just $8MM on a one-year term to play the outfield for the Rangers.
Texas also gave up the 19th overall draft pick in the Desmond transaction. Los Angeles and Chicago, meanwhile, sacrificed the ability to obtain compensation. Of course, all of those teams will have a chance to cash in an additional draft choice if they extend qualifying offers to these players when their deals expire.
So, we’ll pose the following question to MLBTR’s readers: which of these deals represents the best late-breaking investment for these teams?
Which Is The Best Late QO-Bound Position Player Signing?
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Cubs - Dexter Fowler 46% (3,501)
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Rangers - Ian Desmond 35% (2,666)
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Dodgers - Howie Kendrick 19% (1,475)
Total votes: 7,642
Minor MLB Transactions: 3/2/16
We’ll keep tabs on the day’s minor moves in this post …
- First baseman Efren Navarro has signed with the Mariners on a minor league deal, as Shannon Drayer of Seattle’s 710AM ESPN reports on Twitter. He had been acquired by the Orioles from the Angels earlier this winter, but was ultimately cut loose by Baltimore. The 29-year-old reached the majors with Los Angeles in four of the last five years, though he saw only 280 total plate appearances. All told, he owns only a .246/.303/.324 slash in the majors. But Navarro has a lengthy track record at the Triple-A level, where he’s compiled a .316/.378/.449 batting line.
- The Rangers have reached a minor league deal with righty Anthony Carter that would pay him $600K at the major league level, MLBTR’s Steve Adams reports (Twitter links). Carter underwent shoulder surgery last summer, but is said to be healthy at present. The 29-year-old last saw competitive action in 2014 in Japan, where he turned in 45 1/3 frames of 3.95 ERA pitching with 6.6 K/9 against 4.8 BB/9.