Rockies Likely To Sign Mark Reynolds
The Rockies are likely to have finalized a deal with free-agent first baseman Mark Reynolds by the end of the Winter Meetings, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Yahoo’s Tim Brown tweets that a one-year deal is likely for the Ballengee Group client.
Reynolds, 32, spent last season with the Cardinals and batted .230/.315/.398 with 13 homers in 432 plate appearances. Once known for his prodigious power and enormous strikeout rates, Reynolds has seen his pop diminish in recent seasons, although a move to Coors Field could certainly boost his numbers in that regard.
The Rockies stand to lose Justin Morneau to free agency, though they have a younger left-handed option at first base in-house, in the form of Ben Paulsen. The 28-year-old Paulsen got his first extended look in the Majors this past season and batted .277/.326/.462 with 11 homers in 354 plate appearances. Paulsen, though, hit just .235/.285/.265 against fellow lefties, clearly illustrating the need for a platoon partner. Reynolds can fill that void without costing the Rockies a great deal, financially speaking. If a deal is completed by the end of the meetings, he’ll be the third free agent signed by GM Jeff Bridich down in Nashville, as the Rox have already added Jason Motte and Chad Qualls to their bullpen this week.
Rangers Interested In Extending Beltre Beyond 2016
The Rangers are interested in extending Adrian Beltre beyond the 2016 season, which is slated to be the final year of his contract, GM Jon Daniels told reporters, including MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan (Twitter link). The team’s hope is that Beltre will finish his potentially Hall-of-Fame career as a member of the Rangers.
Guaranteeing Beltre a contract into his age-38 season (or beyond) more than a year in advance carries risk, to be sure, but he remains a quite productive player despite the fact that he’ll turn 37 in April. Beltre just completed a season in which he batted .287/.334/.453 despite battling through a serious thumb injury and some late back issues as well. (Beltre’s surgically repaired thumb is healing well this offseason, Sullivan added above.) And, in spite of his relatively advanced age, Beltre still drew rave reviews from defensive metrics in 2015 (+18 DRS, +11.8 UZR).
While contemplating the risk associated with Beltre’s age and recent injury history, the Rangers must consider the future of prospect Joey Gallo. The left-handed hitter possesses as much pop as anyone in baseball, with scouts placing an 80-grade on his power. Gallo has 40-homer potential in the Majors, though he also brings a propensity for strikeouts with that power upside, and there’s no guarantee that he’ll stick at third base. The Rangers began playing him in left field in 2015 and could permanently transition him to the outfield, clearing a path to playing time for Beltre in 2017 while still finding a way to work Gallo’s bat into the lineup if he can improve on his contact abilities.
It’s not clear exactly how long Beltre hopes to continue his playing career, but because he remains so productive, it’s easy to envision him seeking multiple years beyond the upcoming campaign. Productive elder statesmen such as David Ortiz and Carlos Beltran have recently signed away their age-38 and age-39 seasons for $15-16MM per season, though Beltre, of course, comes with significantly more defensive value than either player.
White Sox Acquire Brett Lawrie
The White Sox and Athletics have officially struck a trade sending infielder Brett Lawrie to Chicago, the teams announced. Young lefty Zack Erwin and righty J.B. Wendelken make up the return to the A’s.
It hurts, no doubt, for Oakland to part with Lawrie after he was one of the key pieces of the deal that sent Josh Donaldson to the Blue Jays last year. But that seemed a near certainty after the A’s elected to bring back Jed Lowrie in yet another swap.
Soon to turn 26, Lawrie struggled to reach base consistently last year and still has not returned to the ceiling he showed earlier in his career. He slashed .260/.299/.407 with 16 homers and five steals over 602 plate appearances.
Of course, Lawrie has always been regarded as a high quality defender. But while he used to draw defensive metrics that supported that opinion, he’s seen his DRS and UZR numbers erode over the years. While a variety of injuries could be the cause for that falloff, it remains a major factor in valuing him as a player.
The Sox will get a player who can slot in either at third or second, both positions of obvious need in the organization. In spite of Lawrie’s age, he’ll only come with two years of control. But he is cheap, as MLBTR projects him to earn just $3.9MM in arbitration for the coming season.
It remains to be seen whether the South Siders will deploy Lawrie at the hot corner or up the middle, but that represents part of his appeal. Chicago can now retain some flexibility in assessing its other options, knowing that it can utilize him at either or both. Internal options include Mike Olt at third, Micah Johnson at second, and Tyler Saladino potentially at both. Of course, the team could still pursue a shortstop (if not yet another infielder) over the coming months.
In return for Lawrie, the A’s get a pair of pitching prospects, neither of whom factored among the top thirty prospects in Chicago’s system in MLB.com’s most recent ranking.
Erwin, 21, was just taken out of Clemson in the fourth round of the 2015 draft and signed for the slot bonus of $508K. He showed enough to earn a Class A placement to end the year, and had good results in his first forty or so professional innings. Entering the draft, Baseball America rated Erwin the 117th-best draft prospect, calling him a good athlete with the potential to harness three above-average offerings.
Meanwhile, Wendelken has reached Triple-A at the age of 22. He worked to a 3.81 ERA in 59 frames last year, most of them at Double-A, and put up a strong 10.5 K/9 vs. 2.4 BB/9 over that span. Wendelken came to Chicago in 2013 along with Avisail Garcia, Frankie Montas, and Cleuluis Rondon in the three-team Jake Peavy trade.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported (Twitter links) that the deal was nearing finalization and the return to Oakland (via Twitter). Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com tweeteds that the agreement is done.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Chris Davis Reportedly Seeking Eight Years, $200MM
The Orioles are said to have extended a seven-year offer worth roughly $150MM to bring free-agent first baseman Chris Davis back to Baltimore, but Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that Davis is “believed to be seeking” an eight-year pact that will guarantee him $200MM through what would be his age-37 season.
Heyman reports that the Orioles’ offer to Davis now exceeds $150MM over a seven-year term, although MLB.com’s Britt Ghiroli tweets some dissenting information, stating that the Orioles have not upped their offer. Baltimore has met with the representatives for Justin Upton and also are interested in Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez and free-agent Pedro Alvarez as the team lines up potential contingency plans.
A $200MM guarantee for Davis may seem difficult to fathom, and may not prove achievable, but it’s notable that Boras feels comfortable seeking it — particularly with such a significant chunk of change already on the table. We’ve yet to hear of much concrete interest from other teams around the league, but surely Davis has caught the attention of several other organizations.
Phillies Sign David Hernandez
7:25pm: Hernandez will earn $3.9MM on his one-year deal with the Phillies, which contains incentives based on games finished, reports Yahoo’s Jeff Passan (Twitter link).
7:25am: The Phillies have announced the signing of righty reliever David Hernandez, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first tweeted. SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo connected Hernandez to the Phillies in a tweet last night. Hernandez is represented by Jason Hoffman.
Hernandez, 30, was once a key part of the Diamondbacks bullpen (even briefly serving as their closer in 2011). He posted a 4.28 ERA, 8.8 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 33 2/3 innings in Arizona last season after having missed all of 2014 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He was little worse for wear upon returning, throwing in the mid-90s (although his strikeout rate was down slightly from prior seasons, and he allowed six home runs). Hernandez was drafted by the Orioles in 2005 and was in their system when current Phillies president Andy MacPhail became the Orioles’ president of baseball operations.
Scott Boras On Span, Wieters, Kennedy, Chen
In what has become an annual tradition at the Winter Meetings, agent Scott Boras held court for all of the reporters in attendance. MLB Trade Rumors was on hand for the scrum and we’ve got a few of the highlights below:
- One reporter asked if Boras would be willing to consider a one-year deal for free agent outfielder Denard Span. Boras flatly rejected that notion and said that he will be gunning for a multi-year contract. Marc Carig of Newsday (via Twitter) hears from some in the industry that feel Span may have to settle for a one-year deal with incentives due to health concerns.
- Boras was asked about the decision for Matt Wieters to accept the qualifying offer from the Orioles and he explained that the catcher’s free agent market would have been bogged down too much by the draft pick forfeiture had he tried it. When asked by MLBTR why he and Ian Kennedy opted to reject the QO, Boras quipped, “Well, someone told me this pitching market was going to be advanced. I think it was pretty obvious to us at the time that the decision was going to be what it is.”
- I asked Boras about the market for starter Wei-Yin Chen, who stands as one of the strongest remaining starters available. Boras characterized his market as “great” and made a fun, agent-slanted case for his client. “The last two years his ERA is lower against AL East teams than David Price, so that tells you how good a pitcher he is,” Boras said.
- I also asked Boras about reliever Greg Holland and his unique situation in free agency. Boras confirmed the widely expected notion that Holland will seek out a two-year deal and he says that “a number” of teams with interest in that type of deal have spoken to him about such a pact. Boras also said that Holland could return to action in time for the 2016 postseason. From the outside, one has to wonder if Holland will be able to rebound that quickly after undergoing Tommy John surgery in late September.
Nationals’ Interest In Mike Leake Cooling Off
6:44pm: The Nationals’ interest in Leake has cooled off, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Washington is now pursuing other pitchers, Rosenthal adds, and a deal with Leake is considered to be unlikely.
3:17pm: Rizzo confirmed that the club had made an offer to Leake, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports (Twitter links), though he said that was true of many other players and added that the club hasn’t been very active on the market for starters.
Of course, even as Rizzo spoke, Buster Olney of ESPN.com was reporting on Twitter that the Nats “have made progress” towards signing Leake.
1:16pm: Washington has extended Leake an offer, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports on Twitter. He adds that the team is “pushing” to get a deal done, reflecting the earlier report and suggesting that there’s serious interest from the Nats.
10:11am: The Nationals are among several teams “making [a] push” for free agent righty Mike Leake, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports on Twitter. We’ve heard Leake tied to numerous other organizations in recent weeks, including teams such as the Giants and Cardinals.
MLBTR’s Steve Adams profiled Leake recently, explaining that his market appeal lies in a combination of age, health, the lack of a qualifying offer, and solid production. Both Adams and MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes have predicted five-year, $80MM contract for Leake, placing him among the 15 or so free agents with the greatest expected earning power.
Washington represents a surprising addition to the market for Leake. The team was a notable pursuer of Ben Zobrist and has been busy in the relief market, but hasn’t been connected with any starting pitchers despite losing Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister to free agency.
That’s because the Nats already have a solid rotation lined up for 2016. Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Gio Gonzalez would represent the clear top three, with Tanner Roark and Joe Ross looking like a solid 4-5 pairing and youngster like A.J. Cole and Lucas Giolito knocking on the door.
Of course, as I explained in the Nationals’ offseason outlook, there are numerous possibilities for creative action this winter for Rizzo and co. It’s certainly possible to imagine that a Leake signing could work in concert with some other move involving one of the team’s current starters. Or, bumping other arms into the bullpen could function to bolster a relief corps in need of depth.
Rockies Willing To Move CarGo, Blackmon, Dickerson
6:39pm: Not only are the Rockies getting strong interest in Gonzalez, reports Jon Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link), they’re signaling to other clubs that they’re willing to move Corey Dickerson and/or Charlie Blackmon in trades as well.
Blackmon and Dickerson would add a pair of younger, more controllable outfield options to the trade market. The 29-year-old Blackmon is arbitration eligible for the first time this winter and coming off a strong pair of seasons in which he’s batted a combined .287/.341/.445 with 36 home runs and 71 stolen bases. He’s not considered a great defender in center field and does have significant home/road splits in addition to platoon splits, but Blackmon is still a very useful commodity for clubs seeking a left-handed bat that could see some time in center field or in the outfield corners.
Dickerson, 26, comes with four years of club control but missed a good deal of the 2015 season due to plantar fasciitis and a broken rib. However, when healthy, the former top prospect has established himself as a highly potent bat, slashing a combined .309/.354/.556 with 34 homers across his past 712 plate appearances in the Majors. Like Blackmon, the left-handed-hitting Dickerson does carry notable platoon splits and home/road splits over the life of his career. But, four years of a player with his offensive upside would certainly draw widespread interest, especially considering the high prices we’ve seen across the free-agent market thus far.
11:08am: With the outfield market beginning to heat up, the Rockies are receiving a “flurry” of hits on outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports on Twitter. Gonzalez is owed $37MM over the next two seasons before he’ll qualify for free agency.
Gonzalez, who turned thirty in October, is particularly interesting because of the short (albeit not inexpensive) control rights he comes with. Some teams looking at the free agent market for a power outfield bat may prefer to avoid the longer-term risk that would be required to sign a free agent.
Then, there’s the fact that Gonzalez hits from the left side. That’s also true of Jason Heyward and Alex Gordon, but CarGo is a closer match in terms of power and age to Justin Upton and Yoenis Cespedes, both of whom are righties. Gonzalez has had injury issues of late and has struggled at times, but restored his value with a big second half.
Astros Close To Acquiring Ken Giles
6:19pm: A source tells Salisbury that a trade sending Giles to Houston is “close” but not done yet (Twitter link).
5:15pm: Major League lefty Brett Oberholtzer, whom the Astros have reportedly been shopping, is also being discussed in talks, tweets Salisbury.
4:16pm: Stark reports that talks currently center around well-regarded right-hander Vincent Velasquez and two other prospects (Twitter link).
2:57pm: Salisbury tweets that the Phillies have pushed back their media session for the day, which could be in relation to talks centering around Giles. ESPN’s Jayson Stark tweets that Lance McCullers won’t be included in a deal for Giles, as the Astros are set on keeping him.
2:28pm: Trade talks between the Astros and Phillies centering around brilliant young closer Ken Giles are “heating up,” reports CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury (Twitter link). Houston has long been linked to top-flight relief arms, and Giles would not only give the club a dominant arm to slot into the ninth inning but also a controllable option for that role, as he’s not eligible for free agency until after the 2020 season.
Giles, who turned 25 in late September, took over as closer in Philadelphia following the trade of Jonathan Papelbon and continued to display the dominance he’s exhibited since breaking into the Majors upon being moved to a more prominent role. In 115 2/3 career innings, the former seventh-round pick has a masterful 1.56 ERA with 11.8 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 44.6 percent ground-ball rate. Giles’ fastball has averaged just a shade under 97 mph in the Majors (96.8), so he’d satisfy Houston GM previously stated interest in adding a hard-throwing arm that the back end of the Astros’ bullpen presently lacks.
The asking price on Giles, one would imagine, is exceptionally high. The Red Sox paid the substantial price of Manuel Margot, Javier Guerra, Carlos Asuaje and Logan Allen for three years of Craig Kimbrel. While Giles doesn’t have Kimbrel’s lengthy track record of dominance in the Majors, he’s delivered comparable results and comes with two more years of control than did Kimbrel, two of which figure to be near the league-minimum in terms of salary. Giles should narrowly fall shy of Super Two status (he currently has one year, 113 days of Major League service time) and won’t be eligible for arbitration until after the 2017 season.
Follow MLBTR On Instagram
Recently, MLB Trade Rumors launched a brand new official Instagram account: @TradeRumorsMLB. Each day, we’re sharing conversation-inspiring images about the hottest topics in baseball. From there, we invite you to give us a like, weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section, and even share the link with a friend.
This week, we’re giving fans an early look at traded players in their new jerseys. Here’s a glance at how Starlin Castro will look in pinstripes. And how about Ben Zobrist in his new Cubs uniform? Ditto for Shelby Miller who looks sharp in the D’Backs’ 2015 uni.
So, what are you waiting for? If you don’t have an Instagram account, this is the perfect excuse to sign up and get one. Follow us on Instagram today!