Pen Notes: O’Day, Cishek, Thornton, Cotts, Miller, Astros, Rockies, A’s, Tigers
Orioles executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette said today that his club is hoping to tie up an agreement with top free agent reliever Darren O’Day in short order, as Rich Dubroff of CSNmidatlantic.com tweets. “We’re continuing to work on that Darren O’Day project,” said Duquette. “We’re going to try to bring that to a head here in the next couple of days.”
Here’s more on an active market for relievers:
- About a dozen teams have “checked in” on free agent righty Steve Cishek, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets. Non-tendered southpaw Cesar Ramos is also drawing wide interest he notes. But the Twins haven’t looked into either of those options. The club is set to meet with the representatives of Fernando Rodney and has some interest in lefty Tony Sipp as well.
- 39-year-old lefty Matt Thornton has drawn interest from six clubs, including the Twins, according to Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter links). Thornton still brings a big fastball, and agent Adam Hubble says his client still hopes to pitch for another three or four seasons despite his advanced age.
- As has previously been reported, and Twins GM Terry Ryan confirmed today, Minnesota has interest in a reunion with lefty Neal Cotts, Berardino tweets. “We still have interest,” said Ryan.
- The Astros “have remained interested” in Yankees closer Andrew Miller, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports on Twitter. It remains far from clear, of course, whether any team will be willing to offer enough to get New York to part with the outstanding lefty, though Houston certainly has the young starting pitching coveted by the Yanks.
- As has seemed apparent all along, the Astros are continuing to cast a wide net after apparently missing on Aroldis Chapman. Per Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter), Houston is “looking” not only at Miller but also Mark Melancon of the Pirates. And Drew Storen of the Nationals might feature as a “fallback option,” he adds.
- While the prognosis seems promising, it’s worth noting also that Astros set-up man Pat Neshek just underwent foot surgery, as Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports. Neshek was forced to pitch through the injury last year
- While internal options like Scott Oberg and Jairo Diaz will be considered, the Rockies also intend to check the market for a closer, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports on Twitter. Colorado recently non-tendered John Axford, who held down the 9th after Adam Ottavino was lost to Tommy John surgery.
- The Athletics took a shot at signing righty Mark Lowe before he landed in Detroit, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. Oakland has already done quite a bit of work in the bullpen, but it seems that the club could still be eyeing further additions.
- The Tigers are now moving down the line to address the team’s need for a left-handed reliever, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports. After already making several pitching additions, Detroit could consider free agents such as Antonio Bastardo, Tony Sipp, and Craig Breslow, says Fenech, though it remains unclear whether the club has specific interest in any of those particular players.
- While the Mets were involved in talks for Chapman over the summer, assistant GM John Ricco said today that the team hasn’t pursued him over the winter, as Tim Rohan of the New York Times reports on Twitter.
- Former Royals minor league lefty Buddy Baumann appears to be quite a hot commodity among minor league free agents, per Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Despite never having thrown an MLB inning, Baumann has already drawn five big league offers this winter. The 27-year-old worked to a 3.04 ERA in 77 frames at Triple-A last year, spending most of his time in the pen, with 9.8 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9.
NL Central Notes: Cards, Heyward, Lucroy
Here’s a look at the NL Central:
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak says that his club continues to pursue Jason Heyward, as Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com tweets. He also expects to see movement in the free agent outfield market this week. The rival Cubs have been mentioned as a potential landing spot for Heyward as well.
- When asked if he felt that it was a necessity for the Cardinals to add a starting pitcher, Mozeliak said, “No. I don’t,” according to Langosch (on Twitter).
- The Cardinals might not address pitching until they know how the Heyward market shakes out, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. He adds that St. Louis is fond of free agent hurler Mike Leake, but only at a certain price. Earlier this offseason, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicted that Leake would score a five-year, $80MM deal.
- The Brewers have been listening on catcher Jonathan Lucroy, according to Rosenthal (on Twitter). Lucroy’s team-friendly contract calls for a $4MM salary in 2016 and a $5.5MM club option in ’17, enhancing his value.
- Brewers GM David Stearns indicated that a trade of Lucroy is less than likely, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Journal-Sentinel (on Twitter).
- Stearns is looking for short-term help in center field (via Haudricourt), adding that he is certain that he will find one before next season for the Brewers.
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington said his first base search is “still wide open,” per Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Post-Gazette (on Twitter). That means that the Bucs could look for an everyday player or just a backup/platoon guy to pair with Mike Morse.
- The Pirates will meet with Scott Kazmir‘s representation here in Nashville, a source tells Travis Sawchick of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter).
Marlins “Making Progress” In Extension Talks With Dee Gordon
The Marlins held extension discussions today with Dee Gordon‘s representatives at Beverly Hills Sports Council, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro reports on Twitter. The sides are “making progress,” per the report.
Gordon played at an extremely high level for Miami last year after coming over in a Winter Meetings swap from the Dodgers. He led the league with 58 stolen bases and a .333 batting average. He put up an overall 114 OPS+ for the season and drew rave reviews for his defense, making him worth about four to five wins above replacement.
The Fish control Gordon through 2018 via arbitration. MLBTR projects him to earn $5.9MM through the arb process in 2016. We learned yesterday that the sides were expected to explore a deal in Nashville.
Rangers Receiving Interest In Relievers, Could Consider Trade
6:21pm: Rangers GM Jon Daniels acknowledges that the team has received interest in pen arms and would consider dealing one if it could make upgrades elsewhere on the major league roster, Grant tweets.
3:38pm: The Rangers have been discussing closer Shawn Tolleson in trades with other clubs, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. While Grant gives no indication that the team is shopping Tolleson, he does point out that the Rangers have a fairly deep bullpen featuring solid arms such as Keone Kela, Jake Diekman, Sam Dyson and Tom Wilhelmsen, so the team could potentially afford to part ways with a reliever. Texas’ offseason priorities include another rotation arm and a power-hitting right-handed bat, Grant adds.
Tolleson’s name is a new entry to the possible market for clubs looking for late-inning relief help. The 27-year-old has quietly emerged as an upper-echelon relief arm over the past two seasons, totaling 144 innings of 2.88 ERA ball for the Rangers. Tolleson has averaged 9.1 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 to go along with a ground-ball rate of about 41 percent in his past two seasons. He also served as the Rangers’ primary closer in 2015, converting 35 of the 37 opportunities with which he was presented.
Tolleson is arbitration eligible for the first time this winter and projects to earn $2.6MM, per MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. He can be controlled through the 2018 season via the arbitration process before hitting the open market. The Astros, Nationals, Blue Jays and Dodgers have all been recently connected to bullpen upgrades in some capacity.
AL West Notes: Wilson, Angels, Kendrick, Rangers, Pearce, Lewis, Catchers, Mariners
The Angels are telling clubs they’ll listen to offers on lefty C.J. Wilson, Scott Miller of Bleacher Report reports on Twitter. It seems that Los Angeles would be interested in clearing some payroll in a bid to address the multiple areas of need on the position-player side of the equation.
More from L.A. and the AL West:
- Angels GM Billy Eppler told reporters that he’s looked into deals for a short-term option in the corner outfield, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. As Fletcher notes, Jay Bruce of the Reds is one player who could meet that description, though it’s not clear that he’s a target for the Halos.
- Free agent second baseman Howie Kendrick is “definitely open” to returning to his long-time club, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times tweets. While Eppler and co. have reached out to the veteran, that isn’t “on the front burner” for the team at present.
- The Rangers have had internal discussions about adding free agent first baseman/outfielder Steve Pearce, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports via Twitter. Pearce has long seemed a good match on paper for Texas, which has a heavily left-handed lineup.
- Meanwhile, the Rangers are looking at bringing Colby Lewis back and want to add at least two starters, Sullivan tweets. Texas would be looking for a rotation piece in any theoretical deal of first baseman Mitch Moreland.
- While the Rangers‘ interest in righty Joe Kelly now seems dead in the water after Boston dealt Wade Miley, Texas could also look to chat with the Red Sox about a possible deal for a catcher, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. Tigers backstop Bryan Holaday could draw some attention from Texas as well, Sullivan adds on Twitter. As MLB.com’s Jason Beck notes on Twitter, Holaday is out of options and could hit the waiver wire if he loses the team’s reserve catching job to the just-signed Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
- In other Rangers-related backstop news, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets that he’s told the team “covets” Brewers receiver Jonathan Lucroy. Of course, as he adds, Milwaukee likely won’t move Lucroy unless it can achieve a “huge return.”
- The Mariners are not looking at any major rotation upgrades after acquiring Miley, GM Jerry Dipoto tells Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News-Tribune (via Twitter). Dipoto also noted that he wasn’t willing to guarantee Hisashi Iwakuma a third year, which is why the club reportedly lost out on him to the Dodgers, MLB.com’s Greg Johns tweets. Miley was the M’s “Plan A” after missing on Iwakuma, added Dipoto.
Fifteen Teams Have Expressed Interest In Cliff Lee
Free agent lefty Cliff Lee is drawing interest from no fewer than fifteen teams around the league, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports on Twitter. The long-time ace is reportedly preparing to return to the mound in 2016.
It’s certainly not surprising to hear that so many organizations are looking into the southpaw. While he’s 37 and will be looking to make his way back from a flexor tendon tear without surgery, Lee offers unmatched upside among the bounceback candidates on the free agent market.
It’s far from clear, of course, whether teams are willing at present to commit big dollars to Lee. Certainly, they’ll want to learn more about his progress and prognosis. But the report does make clear that there’ll be no shortage of teams lined up to pursue Lee if he shows promise of returning to the form that made him one of the game’s best pitchers well into his mid-30s.
Zobrist Hopes To Decide This Week; “Focused On” Mets, Nats, Giants
Few free agents have generated as much buzz as Ben Zobrist this offseason, and yesterday’s news suggests he could be close to a decision about his new team. Here’s the latest…
- A decision is expected within the next 48 hours, Morosi tweets.
- It “appears” that Zobrist would prefer to be installed at second base, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. That would appear to suggest that Washington and New York present better fits than do the Giants.
- Zobrist has expressed interest in holding down a somewhat regular job at one position, Mets AGM John Ricco told reporters, including Marc Carig of Newsday (via Twitter). New York could plug him in as the more-or-less everyday second baseman, of course. The club met with his agents again today in what could be the final meeting between the sides, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com tweets.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo also noted in his media session that he’d see Zobrist mostly as a second baseman in Washington, as Mark Zuckerman of CSNmidatlantic tweets. Rizzo did add that he also likes that Zobrist could contribute in the outfield and “spoke glowingly” of the free agent.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that Zobrist would like to make a decision by the time the Winter Meetings conclude on Thursday. Zobrist is currently focused on the Mets, Nationals and Giants, according to Rosenthal, who says it’d be difficult at this point for the Dodgers to pry him away from one of those clubs.
Earlier Updates
- The Dodgers are the mystery fourth team in the Zobrist race, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman tweets. Los Angeles joins the Mets, Nationals and Giants as the teams who are apparently the deepest in pursuit of the veteran. All parties seem to understand it will require a four-year contract to land Zobrist at this point. Despite Zobrist’s versatility, there isn’t as obvious a position for him in L.A. as the other cities, Heyman notes, especially since Chase Utley just re-signed with the club to join the second base mix. Then again, Andrew Friedman knows all about how to creatively deploy Zobrist from their days together in Tampa Bay.
- The Braves were a somewhat surprising bidder for Zobrist’s services, though David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution outlines why the team feels the 34-year-old is a fit for a seemingly rebuilding club. Firstly, the Braves don’t intend to be in a rebuild stage for long, as they’re still targeting 2017 (and the opening of their new ballpark) for a return to contention. Moving Shelby Miller for a package of players could address enough needs that it would free up payroll room to ink Zobrist, possibly on a backloaded contract. While the Braves aren’t as close to contending as Zobrist’s other suitors, O’Brien points out that Atlanta is within four hours of Zobrist’s home in Tennessee.
Royals Re-Sign Chris Young
5:06pm: Kansas City has announced the signing. Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com tweets the annual breakdown of the contract, which promises Young $4.25MM in 2016, $5.75MM for the following year, and a $1.5MM buyout on a $8MM mutual option for 2018.
9:10am: Young will earn about $11.75MM over the life of the two-year deal, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star hears that it’s slightly less: an $11.5MM total over two years (Twitter link).
DEC. 7, 8:15am: Young does indeed have a deal with the Royals, pending a physical, reports MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan (via Twitter), who adds that Young is in Kansas City at the moment, presumably to take said physical examination.
DEC. 6: The Royals are close to re-signing pitcher Chris Young to a two-year deal, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. The deal is likely to be worth around $10MM to $11MM, and it’s likely to be completed by the close of the Winter Meetings. ESPN’s Buster Olney recently reported that it was just “a matter of timing” before Young and the Royals came to terms.
It appears that, as expected, Young’s new deal will be considerably more lucrative than the $675K contract to which he agreed before last season. In the last two seasons, Young has very effective, posting ERAs well below four and pitching a total of almost 300 innings split between the bullpen and the rotation in Seattle and Kansas City.
Young is now 36, and there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical of his prospects for future success — he’s an extreme fly ball pitcher with mediocre peripherals and very little in the way of velocity. Those reasons existed before each of the last two seasons too, however, and Young succeeded despite them. Fangraphs’ Dave Cameron broke down Young’s success in a fascinating column earlier this year, noting that Young has demonstrated an ability to repeat a BABIP that is drastically better than the league average due to his extreme fly-ball tendencies and uncanny ability to induce weak contact.
If the Royals believe in his ability to continue to be useful and versatile, a salary of about $5MM per season does not seem like an unreasonable price to pay. And considering the fact that Kansas City plays in one of the American League’s most expansive ball parks and typically prioritizes outfield defense — Lorenzo Cain is among the game’s best, though they’ll have a significant defensive hole to fill if Alex Gordon leaves — Young’s skill set seems perfectly tailored to succeed with the Royals. It remains to be seen just how many innings Young can handle in a season — the 165 he threw for Seattle in 2014 were his most since 2007, and he’s never even reached 180 — but for the reported price, Young doesn’t need to log 200+ innings in order to more than justify his salary.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rangers, Pirates To Discuss Mitch Moreland Trade
4:48pm: It’s not entirely clear whether it’s related to the possible Moreland chatter, but the Rangers are interested in young Bucs backstop Elias Diaz, Sullivan reports (Twitter links). But Pittsburgh is “not motivated” to part with the 25-year-old.
12:35pm: The Rangers and Pirates will meet in Nashville to discuss a possible trade that would send first baseman Mitch Moreland to Pittsburgh, reports Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link). MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan reported earlier this morning that a Moreland trade was unlikely, but it such a deal occurred, the Rangers would need to get a starting pitcher in return (Twitter link).
The 30-year-old Moreland had one of his best seasons in 2015, batting .278/.330/.482 and tying his previous career-high of 23 home runs. Minor elbow surgery early in the season (removal of bone spurs) limited Moreland to just 132 games and 515 plate appearances, but he showed no ill effects at the plate after returning from the disabled list in mid-May.
Moreland has long struggled against left-handed pitching, and while he was a bit better in 2015 (.681 OPS), a platoon partner is probably required to maximize his efficiency. The Pirates seemingly have such a player in house in the form of Mike Morse.
Moreland is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $5.6MM next season in what will be his final year of club control before reaching free agency. That makes him somewhat of a short-term solution at first base for Pittsburgh, though the club may not need much more than that. Top prospect Josh Bell, whom Pittsburgh hopes can be the first baseman of the future, batted .317/.393/.446 last season between Double-A and Triple-A. He only logged 32 games at Triple-A, and the Pirates have a history of waiting until June to promote their top prospects anyhow, but it’s certainly conceivable that he could be ready to handle first base for the Buccos sometime next season, and certainly by 2017.
Indians Claim Joey Butler, Designate Jayson Aquino
The Indians have claimed outfielder Joey Butler off waivers from the Rays, the team announced. Lefty Jayson Aquino was designated for assignment to create 40-man space.
Butler will be going into his age-30 campaign with less than 300 plate appearances to his name. But the vast majority of those came last year, when he put up a solid .276/.326/.416 batting line with eight home runs and five steals. He also drew solid marks on defense. On the whole, Butler looks like a plausible fourth outfielder and if nothing else could provide some insurance as Cleveland looks to add bats.
Aquino went to the Indians in a minor move at last year’s trade deadline. The 23-year-old spent all of last year at the High-A level, working to a strong 3.28 ERA in 137 1/3 innings with 5.6 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9. There have been a lot of travels already for the southpaw, who opened the year in the Blue Jays organization after previously being claimed from the Rockies.