Yankees Acquire Aaron Hicks From Twins For John Ryan Murphy
The Yankees and Twins have announced a two-player deal involving important young players. New York will add center fielder Aaron Hicks in the swap, while Minnesota receives catcher John Ryan Murphy.
It’s somewhat surprising to hear that Minnesota has parted with Hicks, who finally seemed to turn the corner last year after previously having failed to gain traction in the majors. The 26-year-old is an exceptional defender who faced some questions with the bat. But he ended the 2015 campaign with a .256/.323/.398 batting line and swiped 13 bags on the year. That supported a tally of 1.3 rWAR and 1.5 fWAR over 97 MLB games.
But the Twins organization obviously has plenty of outfield talent coming, including top prospect Byron Buxton and the well-regarded Max Kepler. Eddie Rosario is another option, as are Oswaldo Arcia and Danny Santana, and the club appears increasingly interested in utilizing young slugger Miguel Sano in left.
The real motivation for the deal, from the Minnesota side, was the team’s reported interest in finding an upgrade behind the plate, where Kurt Suzuki had struggled. Murphy will obviously represent a long-term piece in that area, as he comes with five more years of control (two of which will be at a league minimum salary), though whether or not he’ll rate as a solid, full-time regular remains to be seen. Certainly, he figures to be given plenty of opportunity after the team made a significant investment to acquire him.
Murphy, 24, has seen at least some MLB action in each of the last three years, but saw his most extensive time last year. Over 172 big league plate appearances, Murphy slashed .277/.327/.406 — approximately league average overall and rather useful for a catcher. He’s never done a ton of damage with the bat in the minors, and tends to be described more as an average future player than a budding star. But Minnesota was looking for reasonably-priced, solid production in this deal, and Murphy could well deliver that.
The addition of Hicks is rather interesting for an organization that had been rumored to be weighing a swap of left fielder Brett Gardner. Hicks is a switch-hitter who is better from the right side and is capable of playing center, making him a useful piece even if Gardner is retained. (He could spell Gardner in left, Jacoby Ellsbury in center, and the aging Carlos Beltran in right.) But with the left-handed-hitting Dustin Ackley also a corner outfield possibility, Gardner certainly is much more expendable.
But New York will hope that Hicks can ultimately reach his ceiling as a quality, regular center fielder. GM Brian Cashman expressed just that sentiment , saying that the organization views Hicks as a future regular, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (Twitter link). While he was much better against left-handed pitching last year, Hicks did post a reasonable .235/.302/.359 slash when facing opposing righties.
If he can continue to mash lefties and manage even a palatable batting line from the southpaw side of the dish, Hicks probably has enough defensive and baserunning value to play every day. He’ll surely hope to play his way into just such a role over the four years of control he’ll bring to the Yankees.
Giving up Murphy probably didn’t come easily, as he was a well-regarded piece of the system for quite some time. But he was blocked by Brian McCann. The same fate befell Francisco Cervelli last year. GM Brian Cashman and co. obviously felt that Murphy had more value as a trade piece than with the club. The Yankees believe that young backstop Gary Sanchez can step in at the major league level behind McCann, GM said, as Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News tweets. And Austin Romine also represents an option.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NL West Notes: Dodgers’ Targets, Giants, Padres, Rockies
The Dodgers are prioritizing Zack Greinke over David Price in free agency, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Los Angeles also has at least some interest in Daniel Murphy (as well as a return of Chase Utley, as previously reported elsewhere) as the team weighs the possibility of finding a left-handed hitter that can play second and third. While it’s not yet clear whether the Dodgers front office will ultimately be a team that paces actual free agent spending, it seems obvious that L.A. will play a major role in driving the market.
More from the NL West:
- Los Angeles tried to open talks with Greinke during the season, GM Farhan Zaidi told MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick (Twitter link), but he declined the invitation. That probably should not be read as any indication of Greinke’s feelings about where he’d like to play, of course, as he may well have felt that he’d be best served by seeing what the open market had to offer.
- The Giants could be a player for Greinke, as both Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post note. According to Sherman, San Francisco could be gearing up as “big players” in both the starting pitching and outfield markets. Other executives around the league feel that GM Bobby Evans and his staff could be involved at the top of the market in both areas, Sherman explains.
- The Padres have at least some interest in Japanese infielder Nobuhiro Matsuda, Heyman adds. (At first glance, it’s a bit difficult to see a fit given that he wouldn’t appear to be much of an option at shortstop.) The NPB veteran recently took free agency with hopes of joining an MLB organization.
- Rockies GM Jeff Bridich said yesterday that he’d consider giving up a draft pick to sign a starter, as MLB.com’s Thomas Harding reports. “The fact that it isn’t your first-round pick, the fact we do have that competitive-balance pick [between the first and second rounds], that’s where it really comes down to the fit of the pitcher and the timing of it all,” Bridich said. “You have to time it up right where you think it’s not just going to be a one-year deal for a pitcher you sign like that. There are other things you consider that way.” Bridich acknowledged that the team had at least discussed Daniel Murphy, but noted that internal talks don’t necessarily indicate serious interest, stressed that the qualifying offer was attached to the infielder, and called prior reports “complete speculation, really.”
- Bridich also addressed the reported arrest of Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes. “Obviously, it’s a serious and unfortunate situation,” Bridich said. “Just like we’ve said, there is an ongoing investigation now. It’s serious in terms of a professional sports industry. It’s serious in terms of a larger social issue. And it’s so serious that there is a joint agreement now between MLB and the union about addressing it. So that’s where it is now. We’ll let the investigation take its course and see what becomes of it.”
- The Dodgers recently added international scout Ismael Cruz, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reported on Twitter. Cruz had served with the Blue Jays previously. Ben Badler of Baseball America notes on Twitter that Cruz has landed several under-the-radar international signings previously, and Los Angeles may look for him to do just that as the team serves its $300K+ bonus timeout over the next two years.
Relief Market Notes: Giles, Soria, D’Backs, Tigers, Braves
Ken Giles is drawing quite a bit of trade interest in the early stages of the offseason, reports Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. Salisbury asked Phillies GM Matt Klentak if he’d be open to moving Giles, despite the fact that he can be controlled through the 2020 season, to which Klentak somewhat diplomatically replied that while it’s “not a goal” to move Giles, he avoids operating in absolutes and can’t definitively rule anything out. Klentak didn’t sound like a GM that is anxious to trade such a talented, controllable arm, though. “I think it’s a little different when you’re talking about a guy with one year of service time,” he explained. “If you were talking about a pending free agent then, yeah, that might be a slightly different situation. But Ken Giles, if he’s here, can very easily be a part of our future, so I think we have to account for that in our thinking.” Klentak added that it’s important, from a morale standpoint, to “win the games we are in a position to win,” emphasizing that a strong bullpen is key to that thinking. I’ve personally written in the past that I think it makes sense for Philadelphia to shop Giles, as he’ll be getting expensive in arbitration by the time the team is again ready to contend, and a relief pitcher isn’t the safest bet to serve as a building block due to their somewhat volatile nature. That said, Giles is unequivocally excellent and should only be moved for a rather notable return.
A few more notes on the relief market…
- The Red Sox, Tigers and Rangers have all expressed interest in Joakim Soria, reports Jon Morosi of FOX Sports (links to Twitter). All three clubs have some previous ties to the right-hander, Morosi notes, as Soria recently closed games for both Texas and Detroit, while Boston president of baseball ops Dave Dombrowski traded for Soria when he was GM of the Tigers. Soria’s market figures to be robust, as he’s already been linked to the Twins as well as the three teams listed here by Morosi.
- There are conflicting reports on the Diamondbacks‘ intentions in the late innings. Arizona “seem[s] intent on acquiring a closer,” Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports, while Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says that the team “now seem[s] content” to add arms in front of Brad Ziegler.
- The Tigers are one team with interest in Craig Kimbrel of the Padres, says Heyman, who adds that Detroit seems more inclined to utilize free agency for its relief acquisitions.
- “I think we’re going to try to add at least one left-hander and as many quality relievers as we can,” Braves GM John Coppolella told MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. While the Braves are on the hunt for bullpen upgrades, they’re looking for lower-key arms that could yield big results without a huge price tag. Bowman notes that the Braves won’t be pursuing the likes of Darren O’Day and Tyler Clippard due to their presumed asking prices. The team will look for players who could turn into for the Braves what Ryan Madson turned into for the Royals. The Braves enjoyed success from a similar strategy last year, enjoying positive results from low-cost pickups Jason Grilli and Jim Johnson. Grilli, though, suffered an Achilles injury that cost him half the season, while Johnson was eventually traded to the Dodgers. A few speculative fits that are somewhat cut from that cloth: Jonathan Broxton (whom Bowman also mentions), Bobby Parnell and Sean Marshall.
- At least in terms of free agents, the first major domino may be O’Day, who is reportedly receiving wide and intense interest.
Padres Acquire Jose Pirela From Yankees
The Padres have struck a deal to acquire infielder Jose Pirela from the Yankees, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reports on Twitter. New York will add minor league righty Ronald Herrera in return.
Pirela had been a factor in the New York second base picture, but he struggled in limited MLB time this year. The soon-to-be 26-year-old was much better in Triple-A, though, slashing a robust .325/.390/.433 in 259 plate appearances. He’s played all over the field in the minor, but has primarily featured as a second baseman in recent years.
While Pirela played shortstop early on in his career, he has not spent much time there as he’s moved up in the system. That makes it difficult to peg him as an option at short for San Diego, though the team has utilized far less obvious candidates there in the not-so-distant past (including Will Middlebrooks and Jedd Gyorko). Pirela might well serve as an affordable and versatile bench piece, however.
Herrera made it to the Double-A level last year at just 20 years of age. The Venezuelan native came to San Diego as the player to be named later in the trade that sent Kyle Blanks to the A’s. He worked 145 2/3 innings this year, split between High-A and Double-A, with a 4.08 ERA and 6.4 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9. Herrera is known as a polished but undersized hurler who could eventually find a place in a big league rotation.
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Free Agent Notes: Breslow, Park, D’Backs, Freese, Utley, Hill, Astros, Marlins
Former Red Sox southpaw Craig Breslow is planning to ask prospective future employers for a chance to start, WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford reports. The 35-year-old had functioned exclusively as a reliever in his ten-year MLB career until late last season. In two September starts for Boston, Breslow allowed just two earned runs in a combined 9 1/3 innings of work. Breslow ended the season with a 4.15 ERA over 65 total innings, with 6.4 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9. It’s not implausible to imagine that a club might give the veteran a chance to work as a starter in the spring, perhaps expecting that he could become a swingman option, though securing a rotation job will certainly be a tall order. In Breslow’s favor, he’s posted very minimal platoon splits over his career, allowing a .240/.308/.378 career batting line to lefties and a .238/.326/.376 slash to opposing right-handers.
Here are some more free agent notes from the ongoing GM Meetings:
- At least two other teams bid north of $11MM in the posting of Korean first baseman Byung-ho Park, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Park, who saw his negotiation rights go to the Twins for $12.85MM, drew praise from a pair of clubs that pursued him when asked by Rosenthal, because his batted-ball exit velocity rivaled that of the top Major Leaguers. However, some clubs are concerned with his long swing and penchant for strikeouts. (While not strictly a free agent, Park was available to all clubs during the offseason period, so he is a part of MLBTR’s top fifty free agent list.)
- The Diamondbacks are looking to add two starters this winter, per Rosenthal. The club prefers not to commit more than $15MM to $18MM annually on a free agent addition, which obviously might not be enough to land one of the four best arms available. But that is probably sufficient to make Arizona competitive on any other starters, depending on what length of the commit the team can offer. And the D’Backs also seem prepared to explore the trade market for arms, with Rosenthal noting that other teams have keen interest in Arizona’s surplus of controllable outfilders.
- Rosenthal added a few other notes of interest on several pending free agents, in both the above-linked piece and his notes column from this morning. The Angels have interest in re-signing David Freese at a lower annual rate than that of the $15.8MM qualifying offer they declined to make, writes Rosenthal. Likewise, the Dodgers are considering bringing back Chase Utley to provide a southpaw-swinging option at second and third base, per Rosenthal, after previously declining his option.
- Lefty Rich Hill is in surprisingly high demand and looks to be in line for a Major League deal this winter, says Rosenthal. He has apparently provided a model that the aforementioned Breslow hopes to follow in his own free agency, as Bradford writes.
- Astros GM Jeff Luhnow declined to rule out the possibility that his club could pursue a top-end free agent arm, as Rosenthal further reports. “I think so,” Luhnow said when asked whether that was plausible. “It would have to be the right type of deal for us, but yeah, we’re not ruling anything out at this point.” As of right now, Houston is not pursuing free agent infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist, Evan Drellich of The Houston Chronicle writes. (That crosses at least one team off of a lengthy list.)
- The Marlins have at least some degree of interest in free agent starters Scott Kazmir, Colby Lewis, and Tim Lincecum, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. All three enter the winter in rather different situations and carrying quite different market expectations, of course, but Miami seems to be taking a flexible approach to building out its rotation.
Cubs Notes: Free Agent Starters, Payroll, Montero
The Cubs are set to meet this week with the representatives of several top free agent starters, including David Price, Zack Greinke, and Jordan Zimmermann, according to Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com. That’s not exactly a surprise, as Chicago has long been rumored as a major factor in the upper-level pitching market, but it seems to confirm that the club is eyeing a major acquisition. It’s also interesting to consider that all three pitchers offer different blends of expectations and risk, as well as different anticipated years and dollars. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes ranked all three within the top ten free agents on the market, predicting that Price (#1 overall) would end up with the Cubs.
Here are a few more notes on the Cubbies:
- What the meetings probably don’t signify is any inclination by the Cubs’ brass to attempt to add two high-end free agents. As ESPNChicago.com’s Jesse Rogers reports, both president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer have recently downplayed that possibility. “If we want to do two things we have to get pretty creative,” Epstein said, referring to managing payroll. “Even if we do one really big thing we have to get creative. We have the ability to add a little bit from where we are right now. I don’t think we have room to do everything that’s been speculated in some areas.”
- The front office appears set to continue trying to build a consistent contender rather than gunning for 2016 success at all costs, as Hoyer suggested yesterday and Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports (subscription required). “Baseball is a sport that does involve some randomness,” said Hoyer. “To me, the goal is to win a lot of games and get to the postseason. If you do that year in, year out, that’s how you end up being good.” He went on to explain: “But if you put yourself in to be there every year, that’s the goal. Would it be disappointing if we didn’t make the playoffs? Absolutely. … Would I say it’s ‘World Series or bust?’ That’s (not) a fair thing to put on a team.”
- While some analysts have floated the concept of the Cubs dealing catcher Miguel Montero, Epstein says that’s not been considered, as Rogers reports.“We haven’t talked about that at all,” Epstein said. “[Montero] was a big part of helping our run prevention last year. His framing, his pitch calling. We set a record for strikeouts, we were third in ERA. He was a big part of that. It’s not something we’re looking to disrupt at all.” The emergence of Kyle Schwarber last year made it fair to at least wonder whether Montero could be moved, particularly since his salary ($14MM a year over the next two seasons) might be allocated elsewhere. But it does seem premature for the club to rely on Schwarber regularly behind the plate.
Latest On Mariners’ Search For Center Fielder
Several reports emerged early this morning suggesting that new Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto is hard at work canvassing the market for center field options. Here’s the latest:
- Seattle has engaged with the Yankees in preliminary talks regarding Brett Gardner, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. The 32-year-old faded down the stretch, but nevertheless ended the season with a typically productive overall effort. He’s owed $38MM over three years (including a buyout of a 2019 option), which isn’t exactly cheap but is probably below Gardner’s open-market value. Sherman indicates that New York is in search of controllable starters, and says that the M’s have indicated they are willing to discuss lefty James Paxton in trades. It’s not apparent from the report, though, whether he would play any role in talks on Gardner.
- The trade route to a center fielder seemingly holds appeal for Dipoto and his staff, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. (Of course, the club could also just be exploring its options on that market before turning to free agency.) Rosenthal suggests a variety of possible trade targets: Jon Jay and Peter Bourjos of the Cardinals, Leonys Martin of the Rangers, and Jackie Bradley Jr. of the Red Sox. It’s not clear whether the M’s have specific interest in any of these players, let alone whether actual trade chatter has taken place. It’s worth noting, also, that an acquiring team would likely feel the need to supplement any of these players with a capable reserve option (if not an outright platoon mate, in some cases). It’s not yet clear whether Seattle is inclined more towards that kind of scenario as opposed to a single solution.
- Free agent Gerardo Parra represents another possibility, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports writes. Dipoto heaped praise on the 28-year-old, noting that he was coming up through the Diamondbacks system when Dipoto was in Arizona. “Love him,” Dipoto said of Parra. “Gerardo’s a great kid. Love his attitude. He plays hard. He’s coming off a very good year. The version of what Gerardo did this year in Milwaukee is what we could have dreamed he was going to be when we had him at 18, 19 years old in the Diamondbacks system. He can really play defense. He can really throw. And he can rake right-handed pitching.” Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean Seattle will pursue Parra. It’s worth bearing in mind that the left-handed hitter not only carries rather pronounced platoon splits, but has spent most of his time in the corner outfield — especially in recent seasons. Morosi doesn’t make a suggestion for how the M’s could theoretically deploy Parra, but he might make more sense as a heavily-used fourth outfielder than a regular in center.
Diamondbacks To Name Matt Williams Third Base Coach
Former Nationals manager Matt Williams has accepted an offer to return to his previously occupied role as third base coach of the Diamondbacks, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 reported earlier today (via Twitter). The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro tweets that an official announcement from the D-Backs should come on Wednesday.
Williams, 49, served on the D-Backs’ coaching staff from 2010-13 before Nationals president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo (formerly a scouting director with the Diamondbacks) hired him as the team’s manager prior to the 2014 season. Williams joined the Nats without any previous managerial experience to speak of, and while he guided the team to an overall winning record in two seasons at the helm, his lack of experience in communicating with players reportedly weighed on the clubhouse. He was let go following a disappointing season that saw the Nationals — a popular postseason pick and the NL East Division favorite back in Spring Training — fall short of the playoffs entirely.
That, of course, isn’t to say that Williams doesn’t have plenty to bring to the table as a member of a Major League coaching staff. The five-time All-Star enjoyed a 17-year Major League career during which he batted .268/.317/.489 with 378 homers, and he now has six years of coaching/managerial experience to bring to the table in a familiar environment.
While Williams will serve under a different manager this time around in Arizona — Kirk Gibson has been replaced by Chip Hale — there are still some familiar faces on the coaching staff. Bench coach Glenn Sherlock has been with the team for 16 seasons, and while assistant hitting coach Mark Grace wasn’t on the Major League staff back in 2013, the two men are former D-Backs teammates (2001-03) and both have extensive careers with the organization. And, of course, players such as Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock, Patrick Corbin, Aaron Hill and Brad Ziegler, among others, were on the roster during Williams’ previous coaching stint in Phoenix.
Reds Willing To Listen On All Players
The Reds are willing to listen to trade offers for virtually any player on their roster, according to a pair of reports from C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. While there was some hesitation to embark on a complete fire sale prior to the non-waiver trade deadline, sources tell Rosenthal that owner Bob Castellini is now on board with the idea that a more dramatic retooling of the roster is needed.
“I don’t know if we’re in a position to say there’s any untouchables,” president of baseball operations Walt Jocketty told Rosecrans. “There’s certainly guys who would be much more difficult to move, but we have to be open minded to whatever we can do to improve the club for the long term.” Jocketty said the Reds have made it “pretty explicit” to other teams that they’re open for trades.
Jocketty told the pair of reporters that at entering the season and even this summer, the Reds “wanted to be somewhat protective of our club,” but the year didn’t pan out as hoped. Asked by Rosenthal if he was ready to trade Aroldis Chapman and Jay Bruce after backing down on trade scenarios involving that pair prior to the non-waiver trade deadline, Jocketty responded, “I would say probably.”
The availability of Chapman and Bruce has been widely expected, but Rosenthal further tweets that the Reds will even be open-minded on third baseman and reigning Home Run Derby champion Todd Frazier, who is under control for two more seasons.
Frazier, 30 in February, had a monstrous first half (.284/.337/.585, 25 homers) but slumped badly following the All-Star break (.220/.274/.390, 10 homers). His cumulative season batting line was still strong, and when paired with his plus defense at third base it led to a strong overall year worth about four wins above replacement, per Baseball-Reference and Fangraphs. But, the second half was a nonetheless disappointing outcome for Frazier, who looked to be on the verge of a superstar-caliber breakout.
Frazier will earn $7.5MM in 2016 — the second season of a two-year contract signed to buy out his first two seasons of arbitration. The former supplemental first-round pick can’t become a free agent until after the 2017 season, so any club interested in trading for him would be picking up two years of club control at a highly reasonable rate.
Chapman is controlled for the 2016 season only, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting a $12.9MM salary in his final trip through the arbitration process. Bruce is owed $12.5MM in 2016 and has a $13MM club option ($1MM buyout) for the 2017 season.
Those three players represent the Reds’ most logical impact trade chips, as the remaining $199MM on Joey Votto‘s contract is daunting even after his MVP-caliber rebound season in 2015. Votto’s contract also comes with a full no-trade clause, further complicating the thought of trading him. Brandon Phillips would make a logical trade candidate, as he, too, enjoyed a nice rebound season, making the remaining two years and $27MM on his contract look fairly reasonable. However, Phillips has 10-and-5 rights (10 years of service time, including five straight with his current team), thus affording him full trade veto power as well.
While Jocketty, of course, won’t tip his hand as to what he’d seek in return for pieces such as Chapman, Bruce and Frazier, it seems that the idea in Cincinnati is to aim for a quick turnaround as opposed to a lengthy Astros/Cubs-style rebuild. Said Jocketty to Rosecrans and Rosenthal: “…I think we really started at the deadline knowing that ’16 was going to be a transition year and ’17 and ’18 will be the timeframe we think will be able to be stronger and more competitive.”