Tigers To Non-Tender Neftali Feliz
The Tigers will non-tender reliever Neftali Feliz, according to James Schmehl of MLive.com (via Twitter). He’ll join fellow right-handed reliever Al Alburquerque in reaching the open market rather than returning to Detroit via arbitration.
Feliz signed on with the Tigers over the summer after being cut loose by the Rangers. The 27-year-old was projected by MLBTR to earn $5.2MM. That’s rather a steep price, but his numbers were driven up by prior saves and the fact that he was in his final year of eligibility.
Things didn’t work out at all in Detroit, as the former closer scuffled to a 7.62 ERA in his 28 1/3 innings. That’s probably not a fair reflection of his efforts, as ERA estimators saw him more as a ~4.00 performer, but Feliz had been outperforming his peripherals for some time.
It’s been a remarkable fall for a pitcher who once looked like a future ace reliever — if not a high-quality starter. But teams will still probably look at Feliz as a nice rebound candidate: youth remains on his side and he still brings his fastball in the 94 to 95 mph range on average.
Phillies Claim Peter Bourjos, Lose Nefi Ogando To Marlins
The Phillies have claimed center fielder Peter Bourjos off waivers from the Cardinals, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (links to Twitter). The Phillies have since announced the move, adding that right-handed reliever Nefi Ogando has been claimed off waivers by the Marlins.
The claim of Bourjos gives the Phillies a defensively gifted center fielder that has a year of club control remaining at a modest (projected) salary of $1.8MM. The Phillies had the top waiver priority this offseason, meaning Bourjos was nabbed by the first team to which he was made available. That, perhaps, shouldn’t come as a total surprise considering the fact that new Phillies GM Matt Klentak was a longtime assistant GM with the organization that drafted and developed Bourjos — the Angels.
St. Louis originally acquired Bourjos and then-prospect Randal Grichuk from the Angels in a deal that sent David Freese and Fernando Salas to the Angels. Bourjos was deemed expendable in Anaheim due to the presence of Mike Trout in center field and Kole Calhoun and Josh Hamilton on the outfield corners. Bourjos, though, received inconsistent playing time in St. Louis and struggled to produce at the plate with the Cardinals, batting just .218/.292/.342 in 519 plate appearances. He also underwent hip surgery last offseason.
That operation may or may not have contributed to Bourjos’ uncharacteristically below-average defensive ratings in 2015. Long considered a premium defender with excellent speed, Bourjos posted Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating marks of -4 and -3.4, respectively, in 476 innings in center field. He’s been outstanding in every other season of his career, however, totaling 36 runs saved in 3761 career innings to go along with a UZR/150 of +16.1.
There’s some upside in Bourjos’ bat, as evidenced by a .271/.327/.438 batting line posted back in 2011, though he’s now four seasons removed from that type of production. A move to the hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park should help his offense, though. Bourjos, who turns 29 at the end of next Spring Training, will be in the mix for considerably more at-bats than he received in St. Louis. He’ll be joined by Odubel Herrera and Cody Asche as potential starters, and young Aaron Altherr, too, figures to receive consideration as well.
In Ogando, the Phillies have lost (and the Marlins have gained) a 26-year-old righty with a blistering fastball but a questionable secondary pitch and questionable control. Ogando averaged 95.5 mph on his fastball in a brief, four-inning Major League debut last season. He did post a strong 2.86 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A in 2015, but he averaged just 7.9 K/9 against 4.4 BB/9 in spite of his strong velocity. The Marlins will look to harness his control in an effort to better translate his heat to missed bats and, ideally, strong results at the big league level.
Mariners Claim Andy Wilkins, Lose John Hicks To Twins, DFA Edgar Olmos
The Mariners have announced an interrelated series of transactions on the fringes of the 40-man roster. Seattle claimed first baseman Andy Wilkins off waivers from the Orioles, designating lefty Edgar Olmos to create space. And the team lost catcher John Hicks, who was previously designated, when he was claimed by the Twins.
In Wilkins, the M’s are getting a left-handed bat who could factor into the team’s first base mix. He’s been passed around the league rather frequently of late, and has yet to receive a full audition in the majors (though he did have a brief stint in 2014 with the White Sox). Wilkins owns a sturdy .272/.324/.490 career slash at the Triple-A level.
Olmos, 25, has seen minimal time at the major league level, putting up some rough K:BB rates in a minimal sample. Last year at Triple-A, he tossed 33 innings of 3.55 ERA ball with 9.3 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9.
Seattle moved on from Hicks when it signed Chris Iannetta. The 26-year-old has had a cup of coffee in the majors but has spent most of the past two seasons at Triple-A. He has posted a .253/.295/.366 slash and hit eight home runs in 432 plate appearances there.
Twins Sign Byung-Ho Park
TODAY: Park can earn up to $1MM annually in incentives, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports on Twitter. They begin to kick in at the 400 plate appearance threshold, he adds.
YESTERDAY: The Twins have officially struck a four-year, $12MM deal with Korean first baseman Byung-ho Park that includes a $6.5MM club option ($500K buyout) for the 2020 campaign. Minnesota will pay Park $2.75MM annually for the deal’s first two seasons and then $3MM apiece in 2018 and 2019.
Park, 29, is a client of Alan Nero and Octagon Baseball. A deal was said to be highly likely as he traveled to the U.S. this week. Minnesota had won the rights to negotiate with the KBO star after promising a posting bid of $12.85MM to his now-former club, the Nexen Heroes. The Twins’ total commitment, then, will be just under $25MM.
In the end, Park’s guarantee will beat that of former teammate Jung Ho Kang by just $1MM. On the other hand, Nexen will clear over $7MM more in the more recent posting transaction. Park was only able to negotiate with one team through the KBO posting process — which is different from the new rules applicable to Japan’s NPB. Though Park could also have chosen to wait to come over until the winter of 2017-18, when he would have officially become a free agent, that would have taken away his chance to play in the majors for his late-prime years.
Park increasingly reached the MLB radar after two straight seasons in which he put up massive numbers in the hitter-friendly KBO. When Kang successfully transitioned to the bigs, the stage was set for Park to follow.
The right-handed-hitting slugger blasted 53 long balls and turned in a rather productive .343/.436/.714 slash line last year. While nobody expects that to carry over directly, scouts have said that his power is real. Indeed, one told MLBTR’s Steve Adams that there’s “no doubt” he’ll deliver pop in the majors while praising his athleticism. Park is also said to be a solid gloveman at first.
For the Twins, it seems that Park will likely see most of his time at first base and in the DH slot, possibly sharing both positions with Joe Mauer. Minnesota still needs to decide how to get Miguel Sano in the lineup; slotting him at third could dovetail with a trade of Trevor Plouffe, or the organization could roll the dice that he’ll transition well to left field. Regardless, the investment in Park suggests that he’ll be expected to receive fairly regular at bats.
Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com first reported the signing on Twitter. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported the total guarantee via Twitter. And MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger tweeted the option.
Photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins communications department.
Non-Tender Notes: Alvarez, Mejia, Holland
The Marlins face a difficult call on whether to tender a contract to injured righty Henderson Alvarez, as Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald explains. He’s one of many interesting names that could end up on the free agent market if they aren’t tendered a contract today. Click here to find a list of possible non-tender candidates.
Here are the latest rumors as decisions begin to be reported, with all arbitration projections via MLB Trade Rumors:
- The Mets are planning to tender volatile reliever Jenrry Mejia a contract, ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin recently reported. Mejia’s talent easily supports his $2.6MM projected salary — which would match his earnings from last year — but he’s now twice been suspended for PEDs. Of course, that also makes it easier to roll the dice from a value perspective, as Mejia will miss a good chunk of 2016 and will be able to be ramped up before returning. In a sense, then, New York could be pre-buying a late-season pen reinforcement at a cut rate, in addition to maintaining its future control rights over a player who won’t be able to accrue enough innings to command a huge arb raise.
- Agent Scott Boras says that he doesn’t expect the Pirates to non-tender Pedro Alvarez, as Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. “Pedro has extraordinary power,” said Boras. “He’s got a history, when he plays every day, of hitting 35 home runs and driving in 90 to 100 runs. And he’s done it in a ballpark (PNC Park) that’s very tough on left-handed hitters. That’s something most teams don’t have.” Of course, the question remains whether that skill set is worth a projected $8.1MM, particularly when Alvarez has struggled so badly in the field. It will certainly be interesting to see how Pittsburgh handles the slugger today.
- While it’s long been clear that the Royals wouldn’t offer a straight tender to Tommy John patient Greg Holland, given that he’s projected at $11.3MM but probably won’t pitch next year, it’s now increasingly apparent that the team won’t reach any other deal with him before tonight’s deadline, Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star tweets. That means that the ace closer will hit the open market, where he’ll be an interesting player to watch. Holland would presumably be a candidate for some kind of multi-year arrangement that would allow him to complete his rehab process and return to MLB action in 2017. Kansas City remains interested in working something out with the former All Star, McCullough adds.
- The Cubs are likely to tender contracts to all eligible players today, ESPNChicago.com’s Jesse Rogers reports. That’s not a big surprise, given the solid list the club has compiled. Chris Coghlan is the only arb-eligible position player, while Jake Arrieta leads a length group of arms which also includes Pedro Strop, Justin Grimm, Clayton Richard, Hector Rondon, Travis Wood, Ryan Cook, and Rex Brothers. (Brothers has already agreed to a deal for 2016.)
Latest On Astros’ Search For Late-Inning Reliever
We’ve heard plenty of chatter over the last few months about the Astros’ interest in adding at the back of their pen. It appears from the latest notes that the club is still casting a wide net:
- Houston recently discussed power righty Ken Giles with the Phillies, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports on Twitter. Philadelphia “brought up” young starters Lance McCullers Jr. and Vince Velasquez in the talks, per the report. That obviously indicates what kind of return Philadelphia seeks. From my perspective, it would be somewhat surprising to see the ‘Stros part with controllable, MLB-level arms such as those, given that they not only have the possibility of being long-term rotation pieces but might be expected to be dominant relievers themselves if shifted to such a role.
- The Astros have also “been engaged” with the Rays on their high-leverage arms, Brad Boxberger and Jake McGee, Crasnick tweets. It appears that GM Jeff Luhnow is looking for ways to add controllable pieces at the back of the pen, Crasnick suggests.
- Having a preference for long-term control, though, doesn’t appear to mean that the club isn’t seriously interested in otherworldly Reds closer Aroldis Chapman, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets that he sits “on top of the list” for Houston. Interestingly, Crasnick notes on Twitter that Astros owner Jim Crane is reputedly a “big fan” of the Cuban sensation.
Mariners To Sign Justin DeFratus
The Mariners have reached agreement on a major league deal with reliever Justin De Fratus that will pay him $750K, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter links). Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reported yesterday on Twitter that the team had interest in the free agent.
De Fratus, 28, was outrighted by the Phillies at the end of the year after putting up a disappointing 5.51 ERA over 80 frames. But De Fratus logged a 2.39 ERA in a 52 2/3-inning 2014 campaign, with 8.4 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9, and Seattle obviously feels he has the capacity to return to that kind of form.
Athletics, Padres Swap Drew Pomeranz, Yonder Alonso
The Athletics and Padres have announced a deal that will send first baseman Yonder Alonso and southpaw reliever Mark Rzepczynski to Oakland in exchange for lefties Drew Pomeranz and Jose Torres. There’s also a player to be named later heading to San Diego.
This deal is clearly motivated in large part by today’s non-tender deadline, as it involves several pieces with arbitration implications. MLBTR projects Alonso to earn $2.5MM in his second-to-last season of eligibility and Rzepczynski to take home $3MM in his pre-free agent campaign. Pomeranz, in turn, projects at $1.3MM as a first-year-eligible player.
By adding Alonso, moreover, the A’s now seem all but certain to move on from fellow lefty-swinging first baseman Ike Davis, who is projected for a $3.8MM salary but will likely end up a free agent. Presumably, Alonso will pair with the right-handed-hitting Mark Canha in a first base platoon. The 28-year-old Alonso has never quite lived up to expectations in San Diego, and the power has never really come around, but he does have excellent on-base abilities. He put up a .282/.361/.381 slash in 402 plate appearances last year.
In Rzepczynski, meanwhile, Oakland adds another pen piece as the team continues to bolster its relief corps. The 30-year-old put up an unsightly 5.66 ERA last year, but that could well have been the product of some ill fortune, as reflected in a .381 BABIP-against and 25% HR/FB rate. He posted a strong 10.5 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 while generating a ridiculous 67.3% groundball rate, and ERA estimators valued him as a much stronger contributor than the results suggested.
On the Padres’ side of the deal, Pomeranz has emerged as a solid swingman option since coming to Oakland before the 2014 season. Last year, he tossed 86 innings (including nine starts) and posted a 3.66 ERA with 8.6 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9. Pomeranz was much more effective against lefties than righties last year, but he came up as a starter and could certainly be given a chance to operate from the rotation for San Diego. Though he did just undergo a shoulder procedure, the 27-year-old is reportedly expected to be ready to go when camp opens.
Meanwhile, though the 22-year-old Torres only cracked the High-A level late last year, he was just added to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper tweets that Torres works into the mid-nineties with his fastball and has made strides with controlling his secondary offering (a curve).
ESPN.com’s Keith Law reported the major pieces of the deal on Twitter. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the deal was done (via Twitter).
Terry Ryan: Twins Plan To Keep Trevor Plouffe
Twins GM Terry Ryan does not intend to deal third baseman Trevor Plouffe, he told reporters today at the press conference announcing the signing of Byung Ho Park. (Via LaVelle A. Neal III of the Star Tribune, Twitter links.)
Plouffe, 29, has emerged as a sturdy option at the hot corner over the last several years. In 2015, he put up a league-average .244/.307/.435 slash, with 22 home runs, while showing a solid glove at third.
A deal of Plouffe had seemed a distinct possibility with the addition of Park, who will see significant time at DH and thus push top young slugger Miguel Sano onto the field. Sano has long been considered a third baseman, but Ryan says the hefty 22-year-old will be moved to the outfield, as the team has previously suggested could be the case.
If Minnesota holds firm in its stance, then the third base trade market will lose one of its most appealing potential options. And the Twins will keep Plouffe’s projected $7.7MM salary on the books.
For Ryan, the possibility of freeing some payroll and getting something back for Plouffe isn’t worth the trade-off. “We had trouble scoring runs last year,” he said. “We’re going to go with what we’ve got.”
Red Sox Designate Roman Mendez
The Red Sox have designated righty Roman Mendez for assignment, the club announced. His roster spot was needed to clear space for outfielder Chris Young, whose signing was made official.
Mendez, 25, was claimed late last season from the Rangers. He has tallied 46 2/3 MLB innings over the last two years, working to a 3.09 ERA but posting a mediocre strikeout-to-walk rate of 6.2 K/9 against 4.8 BB/9. Mendez spent most of 2015 at Triple-A Round Rock, working to a 3.45 ERA with 9.1 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9 over 57 1/3 frames.