Padres Acquire Christian Bethancourt
The Braves and Padres have announced a trade that will send catcher Christian Bethancourt to San Diego. Going back to Atlanta in the trade are right-hander Casey Kelly and young backstop Ricardo Rodriguez.
Bethancourt, 24, seemed likely to hit the block after the Braves added both A.J. Pierzynski and Tyler Flowers in free agency. But it wasn’t long ago that he looked to be a long-term answer behind the dish in Atlanta.
The now-former Braves backstop recently ranked among the game’s top 100 prospects but has had some offensive struggles in his exposure to the Majors and, perhaps more troubling, significant difficulties with passed balls. Scouts have given his arm an 80 (on the 20-80 scale) when evaluating him, so there aren’t major concerns about his throwing. In 278 plate appearances with Atlanta, however, Bethancourt has batted just .219/.245/.283. At the Triple-A level, he’s been far more impressive, hitting .299/.327/.435 in 583 plate appearances across the past two seasons.
Bethancourt further deepens the Padres’ stock of MLB-ready catchers, as the team also has Derek Norris and Austin Hedges in house. All three have been, at times, believed to be starting caliber catching options in the Majors, although only Norris has any sort of track record at the big league level. Hedges, like Bethancourt, is a much-ballyhooed prospect and has drawn rave reviews for his glove but didn’t hit at all in his 2015 debut, slashing .168/.215/.248 in 152 trips to the plate with San Diego. Bethancourt, though, is out of minor league options, which could give him the inside track on Hedges for making the roster in 2016.
Turning to the Braves’ return, the 26-year-old Kelly is a former Top 100 prospect himself, from 2010-13, who has seen his once-promising career slowed dramatically by injuries (including Tommy John surgery). He’ll join a stable of young, at-or-near MLB arms in the Atlanta organization.
Kelly cracked the majors last year for the first time since 2012, but spent most of the season in the high minors. All told, he permitted 5.16 earned runs per nine with 6.8 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 over 97 2/3 innings. More importantly, though, he made it through the full season and set himself up to “compete for a spot” on the Braves’ major league roster this spring, per GM John Coppolella.
Rodriguez is a 17-year-old from Venezuela who played last year at the Rookie ball level. He checked in as MLB.com’s 30th-ranked July 2 prospect in the 2014-15 international signing period and rated even higher (#21) on the Baseball America board (subscription required). Obviously he’s a long ways from the majors, but Rodriguez seems at least to have some promise as a player.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported the deal was in the works (Twitter link). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweeted it was nearing completion. Sherman tweeted that Kelly had been discussed. ESPN’s Jayson Stark previously reported (Twitter link) that the Padres had interest in Bethancourt.
Nationals, Angels Swap Yunel Escobar, Trevor Gott
6:52pm: Around $1.5MM is headed to head to L.A., per DiGiovanna (via Twitter).
5:47pm: The teams have announced the swap, with the Nats saying an undisclosed amount of cash will go with Escobar to Los Angeles.
4:25pm: Gott tweets that he’s been informed of the deal and is indeed joining the Nationals.
Righty Michael Brady is the other player going to Washington, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports on Twitter. Though he’s closing in on 29 years of age and was hit hard in a 17-appearance run at Triple-A in 2014, Brady is coming off of an impressive 2015 campaign at the Double-A level. He made 19 starts after working almost exclusively as a reliever in prior years, and ended up throwing 119 1/3 innings of 3.77 ERA ball while logging 8.5 K/9 against 0.9 BB/9.
2:56pm: The Winter Meetings are wrapping up, but clubs still aren’t done dealing. The Angels and Nationals have reportedly agreed to a swap that will send versatile infielder Yunel Escobar to the Angels in exchange for hard-throwing young righty Trevor Gott and a second, yet-unnamed minor leaguer.
The 33-year-old Escobar will fill a significant need for the Angels while also allowing general manager Billy Eppler and his staff to remain flexible. Escobar is a capable defender at second base or third base — both positions of need to the Halos — freeing Eppler to pursue upgrades at either spot despite effectively already having filled one of the voids.
Escobar batted .314/.375/.415 with the Nats last season and saw all of his time on the field at third base, though there was also talk of playing him at second base before Anthony Rendon was sidelined for most of the season due to injury. Escobar hasn’t played second base since 2007 but has worked extensively at shortstop in recent seasons, though defensive metrics were down on his work there in 2014 with the Rays.
Escobar gives the Angels an affordable option in the infield, as he’s slated to earn $7MM this season and has a $7MM club option for the 2017 season as well. That should keep the Angels well below the luxury tax threshold, especially since the average annual value of his two-year, $13MM contract is a slightly lower $6.5MM.
The Angels were said last week to be in talks with David Freese about a reunion at third base, and while this doesn’t preclude that from happening due to Escobar’s stated versatility, he does have more experience at the hot corner. Additionally, he brings another right-handed bat to an Angels team that has, over the past six months, been said to be seeking some balance in the lineup, perhaps indicating that a left-handed second baseman would be a better fit than a right-handed third baseman. Indeed, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Angels’ plan is to use Escobar at third base, though he notes that the newest Halos acquisition could be moved to second base in the event of a Freese return.
For the Nationals, the deal continues president/GM Mike Rizzo’s efforts to revamp a bullpen that proved problematic throughout the 2015 season. Gott, 23, debuted with the Halos in 2015 and recorded a strong 3.02 ERA in 47 2/3 innings while averaging a blistering 96.2 mph on his fastball. However, in spite of that plus heat, Gott averaged just 5.1 K/9 while also averaging 3.0 walks per nine. Gott also averaged better than a strikeout per inning over the course of his minor league career, though, so there’s hope for additional missed bats as he gains more experience in the Majors. And, the Nationals have to be intrigued by his excellent 57.2 percent ground-ball rate.
Washington will control Gott for a full six seasons, as he fell shy of a full year of service in 2015. Not only that, but he finished the year with 114 days of big league service time, which should leave him shy of Super Two designation, meaning he’ll only be arbitration eligible three times. Gott will be one of several new faces in a re-worked Nats bullpen, joining lefty Oliver Perez and, presumably, right-hander Shawn Kelley (if his much-debated contract is ultimately finalized). Righty Yusmeiro Petit figures to see action in the bullpen as well, although he could also see some work in the rotation, depending on how the rest of the offseason shakes out.
Jon Morosi of FOX Sports first reported that the two sides were discussing a deal. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported that the agreement was in place (on Twitter). Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reported Gott’s inclusion in the deal (links to Twitter). Heyman tweeted that another minor leaguer was headed to the Nats.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Phillies To Sign Ernesto Frieri To Minors Deal
The Phillies have agreed to sign free agent righty Ernesto Frieri to a minor league pact, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports on Twitter. He can earn a $850K salary if he makes the MLB roster.
Frieri, 30, threw 23 1/3 frames for the Rays last year as he looked to bounce back from an awful 2014 campaign. The results weren’t quite as bad, but he still managed only a 4.63 ERA with 7.3 K/9 against 4.2 BB/9 and looked nothing like the quality reliever he used to be with the Padres and Angels.
That strikeout rate, in particular, is a far cry from the double-digit K/9 numbers that Frieri ran up repeatedly in prior campaigns. His swinging strike numbers have unsurprisingly also plummeted, landing in the single digits for the first time ever last year. A drop-off in velocity may have played a role, as Frieri worked in the 91 to 92 mph after sitting at or over 94 mph in recent years.
Royals Sign Joakim Soria
DECEMBER 10: The deal is official, with Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com (via Twitter) and Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star (Twitter links) providing details.
Soria will earn $7MM next year and receive successive $1MM raises for the next two campaigns. The mutual option is priced at $10MM and comes with a $1MM buyout. Soria’s incentive package tops out at $4MM annually and can be met through games finished or games started.
Needless to say, it’s a shock to hear that the sides have contemplated the use of Soria in a starting capacity, but that has indeed made its way into the contract as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported (via Twitter) would likely be the case. Entering his age-32 season, Soria has never started a big league game and made only 18 in the minors (excluding a one-inning rehab start in 2013).
DECEMBER 7: The Royals have a major new partner in their “law firm” of a bullpen, as the World Series champs are finalizing a three-year contract with right-hander Joakim Soria, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reports (Twitter link). The deal will pay Soria $25MM in guaranteed money over the three seasons, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets, plus performance bonuses are available. Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports that there is also a mutual option for a fourth season. The contract will be official once Soria passes a physical, according to MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan. Soria is represented by Oscar Suarez.
Kansas City’s lockdown bullpen was one of the biggest factors behind its World Series championship, and adding Soria helps keep the pen strong after some recent personnel losses. Greg Holland will miss most of 2016 due to Tommy John surgery and was non-tendered, Ryan Madson agreed to a deal with the A’s earlier today and Franklin Morales is also a free agent.
Soria, of course, is a familiar face in K.C. as he spent his first five Major League seasons as a Royal after being selected in the 2006 Rule 5 draft. He blossomed into a star closer and recorded 160 saves from 2007-11 but then missed a season due to Tommy John surgery and hit the open market after the Royals declined their club option on his services.
Post-surgery, Soria has returned to being a strong relief arm, recording a 2.99 ERA, 9.3 K/9 and 3.59 K/BB rate over 135 2/3 innings with the Rangers, Tigers and Pirates. Soria actually posted his highest-ever average fastball speed (92.2 mph) just last year, so his arm certainly appears to be fully recovered. He’s been in demand at the last two July trade deadlines, first going from Texas to Detroit in 2014 and then last July to become a setup man for the Pirates.
With Wade Davis stepping in so brilliantly as the Royals’ closer after Holland went down, it’s probable that Soria (who turns 32 in May) will again take a setup role with his new team. The combination of Davis, Soria and Kelvin Herrera is as scary a 7th-8th-9th combination as there is in baseball, and Luke Hochevar has also emerged as a force since converting to relief work in 2013.
The $25MM guarantee doesn’t quite match the $27MM Soria was reportedly looking for, though the performance bonuses will likely give him a good shot at matching or even surpassing that total (and he’ll obviously far surpass it if he and Royals both exercise that option for 2019). As FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal wrote earlier today, Soria was looking for incentive clauses that would pay him extra if he did become a closer, so it’s fair to speculate that the bonuses in his Royals deal could address that possibility. As the only pitcher with recent and significant closing experience on the open market, it’s interesting that Soria chose a club that doesn’t have a clear path to a closing job — that could be a response to the glut of star closers that have been available in trade talks this offseason.
The Royals have never given $25MM to a reliever before, and they’ve topped that mark for very few pitchers in general over Dayton Moore’s tenure as general manager. Clearly they were open to spend to keep their bullpen at an elite level, and the extra revenue generated by the last two years of postseason baseball surely didn’t hurt in that respect. The Tigers, Rangers, Blue Jays and Giants are a few of the other teams known to have interest in Soria this offseason.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry/USA Today Sports Images
Orioles Claim Edgar Olmos, Designate Junior Lake
The Orioles announced that they have claimed lefty Edgar Olmos off waivers from the Cubs. Baltimore designated outfielder Junior Lake for assignment to clear roster space.
Olmos, 25, has bounced around via the waiver wire quite a bit in recent years. In fact, Chicago claimed him less than a week ago and obviously sought to stash him with a well-timed outright. Olmos has spent little time in the majors, but has shown an average fastball velocity of over 93 mph and put up a solid 3.55 ERA with 9.3 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 at Triple-A last year.
Baltimore had acquired Lake last summer in the trade that sent Tommy Hunter to the Cubs. He saw minimal MLB action in 2015 after having factored as a frequent contributor in 2013-14. Lake slashed .298/.397/.431 in his 355 Triple-A plate appearances last year, but has done little at the major league level since a strong debut season.
Pirates Sign Juan Nicasio
The Pirates announced that they’ve signed free-agent right-hander Juan Nicasio to a one-year contract. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports had reported just minutes prior, on Twitter, that the two were nearing a deal, and now tweets that Nicasio will earn $3MM in the pact.
Nicasio, 29, quietly had a solid season working in relief for the Dodgers last year, though he still found himself non-tendered in early December. His lone season in Dodger blue saw him work to a 3.86 ERA with 10.0 K/9, 4.9 BB/9 and a 43.3 percent ground-ball rate in 58 1/3 innings. His first full season of relief work saw Nicasio’s fastball velocity jump from about 92 mph to an average of 95.1 mph, so he’ll add some heat to the Bucs’ bullpen at what figures to be a reasonable cost. Should renowned pitching coach Ray Searage be able to smooth out Nicasio’s control, he could be an excellent bargain at the back of Pittsburgh’s bullpen.
Beyond the encouraging results in the L.A. bullpen last year, Nicasio brings value to Pittsburgh by virtue of his service time; Nicasio has four years, 84 days of big league service, meaning that he’ll be controllable through the 2017 season via the arbitration process, should all go well in his new surroundings.
Cardinals Sign Jonathan Broxton To Two-Year Deal
The Cardinals announced that they’ve signed right-hander Jonathan Broxton to a two-year contract to return to the St. Louis bullpen. Broxton, a Jet Sports client, will earn a $7.5MM guarantee and receive full no-trade protection, per reports.
Though it seems like he’s been around forever, Broxton is still just 31 years of age. And he still averages better than 94 mph on his fastball
Last year was rough in terms of bottom line results — the veteran ended with a 4.62 ERA — but that doesn’t tell the whole story. For one, Broxton’s peripherals showed that he’d been a bit unlucky leading up to a mid-season trade from the Brewers to the Cardinals. For another, Broxton produced a 2.66 earned run average over the 23 2/3 frames he logged with St. Louis.
In the aggregate, Broxton showed that he’s still plenty capable of providing valuable innings from the pen. Though his walks actually trended up in the latter part of the year, Broxton managed to strike out more than a batter per inning for the first time since way back in 2010. Then, there’s the fact that FIP (3.65), xFIP (3.24), and SIERA (3.15) all saw him as a quality producer.
St. Louis already bet on Broxton once with the mid-season trade, and now it’s doubled down after initially declining a $9MM option over the former closer. It seems likely that the veteran could have achieved a greater guarantee elsewhere, given the fact that his deal includes the kind of no-trade protection that we don’t typically see in a short-term deal (let alone one for a reliever).
But the match worked last year, and the Cards obviously felt another sturdy arm was needed in the pen. Broxton will join Jordan Walden and Seth Maness as right-handed set-up options in front of closer Trevor Rosenthal.
KMOX’s Tom Ackerman first reported (on Twitter) that the agreement was in place. Devan Fink first tweeted the contract details.
Cubs, Cardinals, Angels Among Finalists For Jason Heyward
2:29pm: MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez hears that the Angels aren’t seriously involved in the market for Heyward at this point (or for any top outfielder, for that matter), though he does add that said stance can change quickly (Twitter link).
1:31pm: ESPN’s Jayson Stark hears that Heyward isn’t looking for a 10-year deal in the $200MM range as has oft been speculated, but rather something more like eight or nine years at $24MM per season (Twitter link).
1:17pm: The Angels are also among the finalists for Heyward, reports Morosi (via Twitter).
11:37am: Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said he hasn’t been given any sort of indication as to the timing of a Heyward decision, tweets Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
10:00am: Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area tweets that the Giants checked in with Heyward but never got to the point of making an offer. There’s a sense in Nashville that Heyward will come off the board today, Pavlovic adds.
9:34am: Talks between Jason Heyward and interested parties are beginning to progress, according to Jon Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports report (Twitter link). The Cubs and Cardinals are among the finalists, per the report, but there are other yet-unnamed clubs in the mix for Heyward’s services.
Heyward’s name has come up most frequently in connection to the Cardinals and Cubs as of late, though he’s also been linked to the Angels and Giants in various reports, as each club could use a left-handed corner bat. The Giants, in particular, were said to prefer Heyward to some of the other bats on the market at present due to his glovework, though it remains to be seen if they’ll be among the top bidders in the end.
Angels, Nationals Discussing Yunel Escobar Trade
The Angels and Nationals are in talks on a trade that would send infielder Yunel Escobar to Anaheim, reports Jon Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
Escobar, 33, is coming off one of the strongest seasons of his career, having batted .314/.375/.415 with nine home runs in his first season with the Nats. He’s certainly a reasonable target for Halos GM Billy Eppler to pursue, given the team’s needs around the infield and Escobar’s defensive versatility. Escobar could hold down the fort at either second base or third base for the Angels next season, which would allow Eppler to maintain flexibility as he continues plotting the Angels’ course this offseason.
Royals, Reds Have Discussed Todd Frazier
The Royals have reached out to the Reds to discuss a Todd Frazier trade, reports Jayson Stark of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Clearly, the presence of Mike Moustakas makes the proposition a seemingly unusual fit, but Stark notes that the Royals would likely use Frazier in left field in the event that a trade is completed. (There’s no indication from his report that talks are even serious, however.)
The Reds are said to have a high asking price on Frazier, who has two years of club control and will earn $7.5MM next season in the second year of a two-year, $12MM contract. That would certainly fit into the Royals’ budget, though it remains to be seen if Kansas City would be willing to part with the MLB-ready talent Cincinnati is said to covet in a trade of Frazier.
Looking at the larger picture, the interest in Frazier gives some insight into the Royals’ level of belief that they can ultimately retain Alex Gordon. Multiple reports have indicated that the Royals’ hope has been to retain Gordon on a three- or possibly four-year pact, but that would seemingly represent a team-friendly compromise on Gordon’s behalf, and the argument that he already made such a concession with his first contract is certainly valid. GM Dayton Moore and his staff could simply be performing due diligence and exploring all of their options while waiting for the Gordon market to take shape, but the interest in alternative solutions — and outside-the-box alternatives at that — nonetheless is, as Stark said, a rather fascinating wrinkle, even if it ends up as a footnote in the overall scheme of the offseason.