Latest On Juan Uribe: Giants, Asking Price, Yankees
Veteran third baseman Juan Uribe remains available in free agent as the market for infielders has continued to move slowly. He’s been a consistently productive player since turning around his fading career in 2013, putting up a .281/.329/.432 slash while averaging about a dozen home runs over 400 plate appearances annually since that time. And while defensive metrics didn’t view him as a huge contributor with the glove last year, as they had in the two prior seasons, Uribe factors as a positive in the field. Of course, he’s also closing in on 37 years of age.
Here’s the latest:
- The Giants have had talks with Uribe’s camp, says Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Twitter link). San Francisco obviously doesn’t have a starting role available, but could conceivably use Uribe at third, second, and even first. But the asking price remains too steep for San Francisco’s liking, Olney says.
- As far as Uribe’s negotiating stance goes, Olney adds in another tweet that his reps are telling teams that they are willing to “discuss salaries at two different scales.” The ask would be higher if the team proposes to use him as a regular, as opposed to a bench piece. With the Indians said to be looking at Uribe as a fairly significant contributor, it isn’t clear exactly how this line of thinking will impact the ultimate results.
- The Yankees ought to consider making a play for Uribe to occupy the roster spot that might have gone to injured youngster Greg Bird, Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggests. New York hasn’t done so as of yet, Sherman notes, but ought to pursue a deal with the versatile defender. With Alex Rodriguez functioning as a bat-only player — a point which GM Brian Cashman made abundantly clear — Sherman suggests that flexibility is a higher need than another power hitter in the infield mix.
Orioles Avoid Arbitration With Zach Britton
The Orioles have agreed to a $6.75MM salary to avoid arbitration with closer Zach Britton, Jon Heyman reports on Twitter. He was projected by MLBTR to earn $6.9MM, and his ultimate settlement point lands at the precise midpoint between his $7.9MM and the club’s $5.6MM filing numbers.
It’s difficult to overstate just how dominant Britton has become since moving to the bullpen 2014. After failing to stick as a starter, the 28-year-old swiftly took over the O’s closer role and has only improved since.
Britton’s earned run average ticked up last year after his emergence in the prior year. But by almost any other measure, he went from being a good reliever to one of the very best in the game. Over 65 2/3 frames, he put up 10.8 K/9 against just 1.9 BB/9 and a record-setting 79.1% groundball rate.
Really, there’s nothing to pick at in Britton’s 2015 efforts. His fastball velocity trended slightly upward, to 95.8 mph, and ERA estimators supported his sub-2.00 ERA efforts. One could point to a twenty percent home run per flyball ratio, but — somewhat comically — that reflects only three home runs hit out of the 15 flies put in play against Britton last season.
Baltimore can control Britton for another pair of seasons after this one. He obviously was able to greatly enhance his earning power by reaching Super Two eligibility last year on the heels of a strong year, and then following up on that with his huge 2015. But while the earnings will keep increasing, especially if he can continue his current trajectory, the O’s should continue to find great value in their surprising relief ace.
Blue Jays To Explore Extensions With Bautista, Encarnacion
The Blue Jays will attempt to hammer out new contracts with pending free agents Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports. Toronto intends to engage with those stars’ representatives this spring, per the report.
As has previously been reported, Jays president Mark Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins have sat down with both sluggers already this winter, though Atkins made clear to Stark that the meetings didn’t involve contract negotiations. But those chats did solidify the team’s view that it would “love to have both of them” remain in Toronto past the 2016 campaign, as Atkins put it.
“And the more we’ve learned about them, that has only increased our interest in keeping them here,” Atkins went on to say. “The challenge lies in placing a value on that and then agreeing on a contract.”
Of course, as that last line suggests, finding common ground still appears to pose a significant challenge. While both players paid off — and then some — under their prior extensions, there as many reasons for hesitation now as when they first inked big deals.
Though both players are now well entrenched among the game’s best power hitters, age is a major consideration. Bautista is already 35, while Encarnacion just hit 33. And defensive limitations also come into play. The former has begun to draw negative metrics in the outfield, while the latter is more or less limited to first base or DH duties at this point.
As MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk recently wrote in evaluating Bautista’s extension candidacy, those considerations would seem to make it unlikely that long-term commitments would be made to both players. Exactly how that will play into the way the Jays approach talks — for instance, whether one or the other is prioritized, or whether Toronto pursues each independently but only to a certain cost point — remains to be seen.
It does appear that Bautista, at least, is ready to engage in talks. He has spoken glowingly of the organization and indicated he’d like to finish his career there. Of course, as Ken Rosenthal discussed with Ben Nicholson-Smith and Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca on a recent podcast, it is hard to see the veteran taking a truly significant discount with free agency beckoning.
You’d be hard pressed to find a better middle of the order duo that’s stayed together and been so consistently productive. Dating back to 2010, their first full season together, Bautista has slashed .268/.390/.555 and contributed 227 home runs. Encarnacion, meanwhile, has carried a .271/.358/.525 line with 189 long balls, with his output only increasing over that span.
MLBTR Live Chat: 2/5/16
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Rays Interested In Tyler Clippard
The Rays are among the teams considering a run at Tyler Clippard late in the offseason, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). As Topkin notes, Clippard was raised in Florida — he attended high school roughly 40 miles from Tropicana Field — and would also benefit from Florida’s lack of an income tax.
The lack of a market for Clippard has been surprising to many, although the right-hander certainly isn’t without red flags. His velocity has dropped each season since 2013, and he posted his lowest full-season strikeout rate in 2015 while also recording the third-worst full-season walk rate of his career. Clippard was also the game’s most extreme fly-ball pitcher last season; his 60.6 percent fly-ball rate was the highest among any pitcher that threw at least 20 innings, and it wasn’t particularly close. Teams may also be concerned about the huge workload on Clippard’s right arm; no reliever is within even 50 innings of the 464 1/3 innings that Clippard has tallied since the 2010 season.
Of course, that durability can also be perceived as a positive. Clippard has never been on the disabled list, and he’s made at least 72 appearances with at least 70 innings pitched in each of the past six seasons. Given the volatile nature of relief pitcher’s, Clippard’s consistent ability to take the mound — and pitch effectively, no less — is nothing short of remarkable. Dating back to that previously mentioned 2010 season, Clippard has a 2.67 ERA with 10.1 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9. He’s always been a fly-ball pitcher — though rarely to the extreme that he displayed in 2015 — but has managed to average less than a home run per nine innings (0.9 HR/9) in that stretch as well.
The question with which teams are faced, then, is whether or not the decline in Clippard’s K/BB numbers and velocity are due to that heavy workload or are elements of his game that can be corrected. Given the fact that he’s the last big-name relief arm left on the market, it would seem that there is indeed some level of trepidation surrounding him, but that could create the opportunity for a team to get something of a bargain rate on a player that has typically yielded high-quality results.
The Rays, in particular, could make sense as a landing spot for a reputable setup man, as the team has traded both Kevin Jepsen (to the Twins) and Jake McGee (to the Rockies) in the past six months or so, creating a potential late-inning opening. Clippard would theoretically join names like Danny Farquhar and Alex Colome as right-handed setup pieces serving as a bridge to closer Brad Boxberger.
Angels Claim Christian Friedrich, Designate Taylor Featherston
The Angels have claimed left-hander Christian Friedrich off waivers from the Rockies and designated infielder Taylor Featherston for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (on Twitter).
Friedrich, 28, was selected 25th overall out of Eastern Kentucky University back in 2008, but he’s struggled for much of his pro career, amassing an ERA north of 5.00 at both the Triple-A level and in the Major Leagues. This past season, Friedrich posted a 5.25 ERA with 6.9 K/9, 3.9 BB/9 and a 47.4 percent ground-ball rate in 58 1/3 innings of work. While Friedrich has struggled throughout his career, he’s held left-handed hitters in check fairly well, limiting same-handed opponents to a .257/.314/.364 batting line. He’s also posted considerably better numbers away from Coors, where he has a 4.61 ERA as compared to a 6.96 mark at home. Because he’s out of options, Freidrich will have to make the Halos’ Opening Day roster — presumably in the bullpen — or again be exposed to waivers.
The DFA of Featherston is a somewhat surprising revelation, if only because the Angels carried the 2014 Rule 5 Draft pick on their Major League roster for the entirety of the 2015 season rather than expose him to waivers and offer him back to his original team. Featherston, in fact, received just 169 plate appearances and batted .162/.212/.247. While he’s a gifted defender, the decision to dedicate a roster spot to him over the course of 162 games only to cut him loose in the offseason figures to irk some Angels fans, especially considering the fact that the club missed a Wild Card playoff berth by a lone game in the standings. Then again, with some turnover in the team’s front office, it certainly seems possible that the new faces atop the baseball operations hierarchy simply didn’t few Featherston as highly as their predecessors.
J.J. Hoover Wins Arbitration Hearing Against Reds
Right-hander J.J. Hoover has won his arbitration hearing against the Reds and will be awarded a $1.4MM salary as opposed to the $1.225MM figure submitted by Cincinnati, Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter). The Ballengee Group client was arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason.
Hoover, 28, enjoyed strong bottom-line results in 2015, posting a 2.94 ERA in 68 innings, although his strikeout and walk rates were both a ways off from his career bests. Hoover averaged 7.3 K/9 against 4.3 BB/9 this past season, both of which fall shy of his respective career marks of 9.1 and 4.1. His representatives, however, were likely able to tout the right-hander’s durability over the past three seasons, during which time he’s averaged 63 games and 64 innings. All told, Hoover has a lifetime 3.34 ERA in 223 2/3 innings at the Major League level, dating back to his 2012 debut.
Following the Reds’ trade of Aroldis Chapman this offseason, there’s no clear answer as to who will inherit the bulk of the save opportunities in manager Bryan Price’s bullpen, but as the most experienced reliever on the 40-man roster, Hoover figures to be firmly in the mix come Spring Training. A season spent accumulating saves would do well to boost Hoover’s arb case for the 2016-17 offseason, particularly if he can regain some of his missing strikeouts and continue to post solid ERA marks.
As MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon tweets, this represents the Reds’ first arbitration hearing in more than a decade; their last came against Chris Reitsma back in 2004. Hoover becomes the second player to win an arbitration hearing this offseason, making players a perfect two-for-two thus far; Drew Smyly topped the Rays earlier this week. Blue Jays right-hander Jesse Chavez reportedly had his arbitration hearing yesterday as well, although the outcome of that case is not yet known. Earlier today, I rounded up some of the hearing dates for yet-unresolved cases, including Jake Arrieta and Josh Donaldson.
Recent February Extensions
As Jeff Todd and I discussed on yesterday afternoon’s MLBTR Podcast, the month of February typically yields a fair amount of multi-year contracts. The extent of the commitments vary, as some will simply buy out arbitration years while others will others will extend the contracts of emerging stars beyond their arbitration years. Others, yet, have swayed a player from pursuing free agency the following offseason and reflect something closer to open-market value. Regardless of the specific structure, fans can expect to see a handful of extensions this month, if history is any indication.
With a helping hand from MLBTR’s Transaction Tracker and Extension Tracker, here’s a quick look back at the past four years’ worth of February extensions…
2015
- Red Sox, Wade Miley agree to three-year deal worth $19.25MM.
- Royals, Eric Hosmer agree to two-year deal worth $13.9MM.
- Reds, Todd Frazier agree to two-year deal worth $12MM.
- Cardinals, Jon Jay agree to two-year deal worth $10.975MM.
- Marlins, Mike Dunn agree to two-year deal worth $5.8MM.
- Royals, Kelvin Herrera agree to two-year deal worth $4.15MM.
The 2015 wave of extensions were all of the arbitration variety. With the exception of a fourth-year club option on the Miley contract, none of the deals extended club control, instead affording the teams/players cost certainty and the relief of avoiding an extra trip through the arbitration process this winter.
2014
- Braves, Freddie Freeman agree to eight-year deal worth $135MM.
- Reds, Homer Bailey agree to six-year deal worth $105MM.
- Braves, Andrelton Simmons agree to seven-year deal worth $58MM.
- Yankees, Brett Gardner agree to four-year deal worth $52MM.
- Braves, Craig Kimbrel agree to four-year deal worth $42MM.
- Braves, Julio Teheran agree to six-year deal worth $32.4MM.
- Indians, Michael Brantley agree to four-year deal worth $25MM.
- Athletics, Coco Crisp agree to two-year deal worth $22.75MM.
February of 2014 saw the former Braves front office, led by since-fired GM Frank Wren, seek to lock up what was supposed to be the team’s core for years to come. Two years later, then-senior-adviser John Hart is now the president of baseball operations, and the likes of Kimbrel and Simmons have been traded as the Braves stockpile their farm with young pitching.
Meanwhile, the Bailey contract certainly represents a deal on which the Reds would prefer a mulligan. Bailey struggled greatly in 2014 and ultimately underwent Tommy John surgery in 2015. Crisp’s deal has been marred by injuries, while Brantley has taken the step from solid regular into stardom. Gardner dealt with a wrist injury in the second half of last year but has otherwise continued to be a productive player since his deal.
2013
- Mariners, Felix Hernandez agree to seven-year deal worth $175MM.
- D-backs, Aaron Hill agree to three-year deal worth $35MM.
Hernandez’s deal actually contained five years and $135.5MM worth of new money, as he was already controlled for two years and $39.5MM under his previous contract. It was, nevertheless, one of the largest contracts in history for a pitcher at the time. Hill was excellent in 2013, save for about 75 missed games due to a broken hand, but his extension didn’t kick in until 2014. He struggled badly in the first year of his deal and further declined in 2015 before having his salary dumped on the Brewers as part of last week’s five-player trade that sent Jean Segura and Tyler Wagner to Arizona, with Chase Anderson and Isan Diaz going back to Milwaukee alongside Hill.
2012
- Nationals, Ryan Zimmerman agree to six-year deal worth $100MM.
- Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw agree to two-year deal worth $19MM.
- Reds, Sean Marshall agree to three-year deal worth $16.5MM.
- Rangers, Nelson Cruz agree to two-year deal worth $16MM.
- Rangers, Elvis Andrus agree to three-year deal worth $14.4MM.
- Phillies, Kyle Kendrick agree to two-year deal worth $7.5MM.
- Royals, Salvador Perez agree to five-year deal worth $7MM.
- Blue Jays, Casey Janssen agree to two-year deal worth $5.9MM.
- Rockies, Matt Belisle agree to one-year deal worth $4.35MM.
Injuries have impacted Zimmerman’s throwing to the point where he’s had to slide across the diamond to first base, and they’ve also limited him to an average of 78 games over the past two seasons. With four years and $76MM remaining, the Nats very much could use a Zimmerman rebound. The Kershaw deal served to buy out a pair of arbitration years and was followed by a record-setting seven-year, $215MM contract extension. Marshall scarcely pitched over the life of his three-year deal, as shoulder woes have derailed his career (although the contract was in line with the relief market at the time). Andrus’ initial deal looked to be favorable for the Rangers, but the subsequent $120MM extension he received on top of that deal looks regrettable, as his bat never developed, and his defense has regressed as well (per UZR and DRS). Perez’s deal, which includes three club options, has become perhaps the most notoriously club-friendly contract in the league, maxing out at $26.75MM over eight years. There have been repeated reports of possible extension talks with his new representation this offseason.
Pirates Outright A.J. Schugel
FRIDAY: Schugel cleared outright waivers and was assigned to Triple-A, per a team announcement.
WEDNESDAY: The Pirates have designated right-hander A.J. Schugel for assignment, the club announced. His roster spot will be occupied by just-acquired lefty Jesse Biddle.
Schugel himself was only recently claimed by Pittsburgh, and he’ll now be destined for his fourth team of the winter unless he clears waivers. The 26-year-old has only seen brief MLB action. He spent last season repeating Triple-A, ending the year with a 4.84 ERA and 6.2 K/9 vs. 2.5 BB/9 over 115 1/3 frames.
Blue Jays Sign David Aardsma To Minor League Deal
The Blue Jays announced that they have signed right-hander David Aardsma to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training.
Aardsma, a client of TWC Sports, will look to force his way into a bullpen that is anchored by Drew Storen, Roberto Osuna and Brett Cecil. The bullpen should also feature two of Aaron Sanchez, Jesse Chavez and Drew Hutchison — each of whom also figures to get a look in the rotation as well. Other candidates include left-hander Aaron Loup and right-handers Bo Schultz and Ryan Tepera.
Last season, Aardsma began the year with the Dodgers but opted out of his contract after a strong showing in Triple-A didn’t yield a promotion to the Majors. The 34-year-old veteran quickly hooked on with the Braves on a minor league deal and saw his contract selected within days of signing. He wound up tossing 30 2/3 innings of relief as a member of the Atlanta bullpen, posting a 4.70 ERA with 10.3 K/9, 4.1 BB/9 and a 29.5 percent ground-ball rate. Aardsma, who saved 69 games for the Mariners back in 2009-10, has never had a problem missing bats, even as his velocity has dipped down from its mid-90s peak in his late 20s. He has a 4.27 ERA with a 340-to-183 K/BB ratio in 337 innings at the Major League level, although Tommy John surgery and a torn labrum in his left hip in 2011-12 have slowed his career.
If you’re interested in learning more about Aardsma’s background, career path, and approach to the game, be sure to check out his appearance on the MLBTR Podcast last fall.