Minor MLB Transactions: 7/13/15
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league, each courtesy of Baseball America’s Matt Eddy unless otherwise stated (it should be noted that Eddy’s weekly piece contains far too many moves to cover individually and is always worth an extended look beyond the highlights we mention here)…
- The Diamondbacks have released right-hander Blake Beavan from Triple-A Reno. The 26-year-old was one of four players who went from Texas to Seattle in the 2010 Cliff Lee trade, but he’s struggled for much of his time in the Majors. Formerly the 17th overall pick in the draft, Beavan struggled to a 6.32 ERA in 15 2/3 innings with the Aces this year. Beavan has a career 4.81 ERA in Triple-A and a 4.61 ERA in 293 big league innings. He’s averaged just 4.2 K/9 in the Majors, though his 1.4 BB/9 mark is impressive.
- The Marlins have released third baseman Scott Sizemore. The former Tigers/A’s third baseman has spent the past couple of seasons attempting to work his way back from a pair of major knee surgeries but struggled with Triple-A New Orleans, slashing just .223/.343/.301 in 235 plate appearances. Now 30 years old, Sizemore once ranked as the game’s No. 57 prospect (per Baseball Prospectus) and was a candidate to be a long-term fixture in the Detroit infield.
- The Red Sox released 27-year-old lefty Daniel Rosenbaum. Boston acquired Rosenbaum from the Nationals this winter in exchange for minor league catcher Dan Butler, but Rosenbaum tallied a 7.00 ERA in 18 innings between Class-A and Double-A prior to his release from the organization. Rosenbaum walked more hitters (12) than he struck out (11).
Central Notes: Tigers, Bruce, Satin, Cardinals
Asked Sunday about the direction that the Tigers will take at this year’s trade deadline, GM Dave Dombrowski told reporters, including Chris Iott of MLive.com, “We’re trying to win this year.” Dombrowski acknowledged that both Alfredo Simon and Shane Greene have struggled greatly in the rotation of late, though he stressed that the organization still likes both starters and feels they can be viable cogs to a winning rotation. Dombrowski did seem to concede that a poor start to the second half could alter the organization’s thinking. “I don’t know how many games we have,” said the GM. “Let’s say (after) the All-Star break, we’ve got 10, 11 games. Well, if you win 10 or 11 games or you lose 10 or 11 games, well that can change the way you are a great deal.”
Here’s more from the game’s Central divisions…
- Iott writes in a second piece that Tigers fans need to remember that the decision on whether to buy or sell will not come from Dombrowski, but from club ownership. Dombrowski will execute any trades that are made, but he alone is not solely responsible for the direction the organization takes, Iott writes. All that said, Iott feels that the Tigers’ best chance for a World Series win and a sustainable model of success is to trade this year. The team, which is without Miguel Cabrera for six weeks (Iott feels it’s just as likely that Cabrera is out eight weeks), is playing .440 ball since an 11-2 start and has a pair of gaping holes, Iott notes. With six pending free agents — including David Price and Yoenis Cespedes, who would be highly desirable trade chips — the Tigers can rebuild their system without parting with controllable talent like Jose Iglesias and J.D. Martinez.
- Jon Heyman of CBS Sports adds to the recent glut of Jay Bruce trade rumors, noting that he, too, hears the Reds have made the right fielder available. At this time, according to Heyman, the Reds aren’t willing to take on any of the remaining salary on Bruce’s deal. The 28-year-old Bruce struggled to open the season but is batting .308/.386/.549 over his past 50 games. Bruce, who is owed about $19.5MM through 2016, has a $13MM club option for 2017 on his contract as well. He underwent knee surgery early last season but rushed back in less than a month, which some believe to be a significant factor in his diminished play in 2014 and early 2015. Bruce can reportedly block trades to the D-Backs, Red Sox, Marlins, Twins, Yankees, A’s, Rays and Blue Jays.
- Corner infielder Josh Satin has an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Reds that he could exercise on Wednesday, reports Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Should Satin exercise the clause, the Reds would be required to either add Satin to their 25-man roster or let all 29 other clubs know that he is available to be added to their 25-man roster within 48 hours. (Cincinnati would choose Satin’s destination if multiple teams expressed interest.) Satin, 30, is batting .263/.368/.387 in 225 Triple-A plate appearances this season. He’s a career .243/.346/.351 hitter in the Majors and has been much more effective against left-handed pitching (.793 OPS) than right-handed pitching (.613 OPS). All of Satin’s big league experience has come with the Mets.
- The Cardinals have a number of players on the verge of returning from the DL, and GM John Mozeliak told Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Sunday that, “Part of having an understanding of when players will come back is really driving how our trading deadline strategy will look.” Mozeliak said he hopes to have two to three players back with the team and producing between now and July 31. Specifically, Hummel writes, Matt Holliday, Jaime Garcia and Jordan Walden could all return within the next 18 days. Matt Belisle, Jon Jay and Mitch Harris are also possibilities to join the team, though Hummel paints a less certain picture regarding their timelines. Marco Gonzales, too, is working back from a shoulder injury in the minors and could be a sixth starter for St. Louis in the second half, Mozeliak said.
Details On Santiago Casilla’s Vesting Option
When the Giants and right-hander Santiago Casilla agreed to a three-year, $15MM extension with a vesting/club option in the 2012-13 offseason, reports indicated that Casilla’s option would vest based on a certain number of innings pitched or appearances. However, details surrounding the specific parameters of the option remained unclear. MLBTR has learned the specifics of Casilla’s vesting option.
The 2016 option was structured such that it could vest at three different levels: $6.5MM, $7.5MM or $8.5MM. Of those three, the $6.5MM figure is the only reasonably possible scenario at this point, and it, in fact, seems fairly likely. Casilla’s option will vest at $6.5MM if he finishes 55 games in the 2015 season. It would have vested at $7.5MM had he finished 100 games from 2014-15, with 55 or more of those games finished coming this year. The $8.5MM figure would have vested had Casilla finished 150 games over his contract’s three-year term, with 55 or more coming in the 2015 season.
As things currently stand, Casilla has pitched well as the Giants’ primary closer in 2015. He’s finished 32 games on the year (accumulating 23 saves), meaning that he’ll need just 23 more games finished to lock in the fourth year of his contract and boost the total value of the deal from $15MM to $20.5MM. (He was already guaranteed $1MM of that figure via buyout, so the vesting option will increase his guarantee by $5.5MM instead of $6.5MM.)
The 34-year-old Casilla has worked to a 3.34 ERA in 32 1/3 innings, averaging 9.2 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 with a 45.1 percent ground-ball rate. Casilla will turn 35 in 12 days, and his 93 mph average fastball is the slowest of his career, so there are reasons to worry about some level of decline. But, he’s consistently delivered very strong bottom-line results throughout his San Francisco tenure, and the $6.5MM salary he figures to eventually secure for the 2016 season is hardly prohibitive to a team with the Giants’ payroll capabilities.
Last night’s midseason update on vesting options from around the league, authored by MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk, has been updated to reflect the details of Casilla’s contract.
Royals Release Jason Frasor
JULY 13: The Royals have released Frasor, according to Scott Miller of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Miller says that Frasor went unclaimed on release waivers.
JULY 6: The Royals announced today that they have designated right-hander Jason Frasor for assignment in order to clear space on the roster for outfielder Paulo Orlando.
The move will likely come as a surprise to many Royals fans — and fans in general — as the veteran setup man has worked to a stellar 1.54 ERA in 23 1/3 innings this season. However, Frasor’s also battled his control all season long, posting an 18-to-15 K/BB ratio in that time. That sub-par accuracy has led secondary stats like FIP (4.03), xFIP (4.60) and SIERA (4.71) to take a significantly more pessimistic stance on Frasor’s work to this point. Of course, it should also be noted that a pair of the walks yielded by Frasor in 2015 have been of the intentional variety.
The Royals acquired Frasor last summer in exchange for minor league right-hander Spencer Patton, and Frasor rewarded the team with a 1.53 ERA and a 16-to-1 K/BB ratio in 17 2/3 innings down the stretch in their push to the postseason. Frasor allowed just one run in 5 1/3 playoff innings and was re-signed by the Royals on a one-year, $1.8MM contract that includes a $1.25MM salary and a $550K buyout of a $2MM mutual option for the 2016 season.
Frasor chose the Royals over a few other interested clubs, with the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Mike Berardino reporting back in December that the Twins were one team to make an offer. Agent Dave Meier told Berardino that the Twins were one of the final teams under consideration by Frasor. Given Minnesota’s own bullpen struggles and Frasor’s modest salary — he’s owed about $621K plus the $550K buyout — it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Twins among the teams to show interest. Kansas City will have 10 days to trade, release or attempt to outright Frasor, although even if he’s outrighted, he can refuse the minor league assignment in favor of free agency and retain his salary.
Daniels: Rangers Targeting Bullpen Upgrades, Right-Handed Bat
With the non-waiver trade deadline 18 days away and the Rangers currently sitting at 42-46 — six games back from the Angels in the AL West — GM Jon Daniels is on the lookout for additions to his bullpen and a right-handed bat, writes MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan.
“We’ve told clubs we would like to help out our bullpen a little bit, and add the right complementary right-handed bat,” said Daniels, whose team spent roughly five weeks above the .500 mark from late May to June before enduring a 2-8 skid in July. That success has the Rangers looking at short-term additions.
The Rangers’ collective bullpen ERA of 4.38 is trailed only by the Braves (4.40) and Rockies (4.52) this season. Texas recently took the rather surprising step of designating former closer and AL Rookie of the Year Neftali Feliz for assignment, though looking at Feliz strictly from a performance standpoint, he’s undergone a pronounced decline.
Texas has received excellent production from new closer Shawn Tolleson and rookie setup man Keone Kela, while lefty Sam Freeman has been solid through 18 2/3 innings as well. A second lefty would seem to be a reasonable target for the Rangers, as Alex Claudio has been homer-prone and unable to stick in the Majors. Fellow southpaw Ross Detwiler was designated for assignment over the weekend.
From a speculative standpoint, a pair of players that recently met that same DFA fate could, on some level, make some sense for the Rangers, given Daniels’ stated needs. Old friend Jason Frasor, who excelled with the Rangers for a season and a half from 2013-14, was designated by the Royals last week. (Frasor’s control has been spotty at best, however.) Delmon Young could serve as the type of “complementary” right-handed bat that the Rangers seek. Baltimore designated the 29-year-old for assignment two weeks ago and ultimately released him after being unable to find a trade partner. The Rangers could also take a shot on Brandon League (recently DFA by the Dodgers) or Joba Chamberlain (released by the Tigers), though either would be more of a reclamation project than an immediate answer to the club’s present needs.
A large reason that the team is seeking a right-handed bat is due to an imbalance in the lineup and the upper minors. Daniels notes that it’s both a short- and long-term goal to balance out his lineup. Currently, the Rangers have a glut of left-handed bats, including Prince Fielder, Shin-Soo Choo, Josh Hamilton, Mitch Moreland, Rougned Odor and Leonys Martin. Daniels mentions to Sullivan that even at the prospect level, many of the club’s top prospects — presumably referring to third baseman Joey Gallo and outfielders Nomar Mazara and Nick Williams — are all lefty bats as well.
Looking at the bigger picture, Daniels remains open to adding rotation pieces that are controlled beyond the 2015 season as well, Sullivan writes. Yovani Gallardo has been the team’s most consistent pitcher in 2015, but he’s a free agent at season’s end, as are Colby Lewis and Wandy Rodriguez. Both Matt Harrison and Derek Holland have murky futures due to injuries, and ace Yu Darvish, of course, is recovering from Tommy John surgery. Young lefty Martin Perez is also on the mend from Tommy John, though the club hopes to have him back shortly after the All-Star break.
Talk of adding pieces beyond the 2015 season will likely trigger more Cole Hamels speculation, but Sullivan writes that the Rangers “aren’t enamored with” taking on a lefty that is owed $22.5MM on an annual basis. Nor, Sullivan writes, is the team willing to give up the number of prospects currently being sought by the Phillies.
NL Central Notes: Pirates, Bruce, Cueto, Mozeliak
“The impatience of the industry” is a reason Neal Huntington feels teams have been focusing on big league-ready talent rather than prospects in trade talks, the Pirates GM tells Travis Sawchik and Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Owners and general managers have “the expectation that you can turn an organization around in a year. Rather than (targeting) the best prospect in the system that may be in A-ball, teams are starting to look for the guy in Triple-A that might have an impact in a year or two,” Huntington said. Here’s some more from Pittsburgh and elsewhere around the NL Central…
- Huntington also noted that while he hopes to upgrade the Pirates at the deadline, his roster is overall “in a good spot. There is not a glaring hole where we may vastly have to overpay.”
- In another piece from Sawchik, he looks at the many ways that the Pirates have looked to keep their players healthy this season. These innovative and old-school training methods have clearly paid off, as the Bucs have lost fewer player days to the disabled list than all but one team (the Brewers) in the National League.
- Jay Bruce’s name has only recently surfaced in trade rumors, though ESPN’s Buster Olney reports (Twitter link) that the Reds have had the outfielder “available for awhile.”
- Also from Olney’s tweet, the Reds “haven’t officially” begun shopping Johnny Cueto. The free agent-to-be is expected to be one of the most sought-after pieces in this deadline period.
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak indicated to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he’d look to add a short-term upgrade at the deadline rather than a player or players that would impact next season’s roster. Mozeliak stressed that his club would exercise “discipline” at the deadline, pointing to a failed 2010 trade for Pedro Feliz as an example of a deal that today’s Cards wouldn’t make.
- MLBTR’s Zach Links collected more items from around the NL Central earlier today.
2016 Vesting Options Midseason Update
Several notable players could see their 2016 statuses change depending on whether or not they unlock vesting options in their current contracts. As we enter the All-Star break, let’s check in on the progress each of these players are making towards those getting those options to vest. All stats are current heading into today’s action…
- Chase Utley: The veteran second baseman has a $15MM vesting option for 2016 that becomes guaranteed if he makes 500 plate appearances. (If he doesn’t, it becomes a team option worth between $5MM-$11MM depending on how much time Utley spends on the DL, with a $2MM buyout.) Utley, of course, is on the DL right now recovering from an ankle injury and will be out until late July or early August. Phillies GM Ruben Amaro has openly stated that Cesar Hernandez has earned the everyday second base job, leaving Utley’s playing time in question for the remainder of the season. Utley is suffering through by far the worst season of his 13-year career with only a .179/.257/.275 slash line and four homers through his 249 plate appearances. If Utley isn’t back until early August, he’d be hard-pressed to reach 500 PA even in the increasingly unlikely event that he plays every day.
- Jonathan Papelbon: This Phillie‘s march towards his vesting option is going much more smoothly. His $13MM option for 2016 vests if he either finishes 55 games this year, or finishes 100 games combined between the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Papelbon finished 52 games last year and has 29 finishes this season, so collecting those last 19 finishes over roughly two and a half months shouldn’t be difficult for the closer if he stays healthy. There’s a chance Papelbon could ask for his option to be guaranteed to facilitate a trade, yet he sounds so eager to get out of Philadelphia and pitch for a contender that he may not bother and instead bet on himself to finish those 19 games.
- David Ortiz: Big Papi has 340 plate appearances, making him a virtual lock to reach the 425 PA he’ll need (plus passing an offseason physical) for his 2016 option to vest. Ortiz will earn at least $11MM in 2016, plus more depending on how many PA past the 425-mark he ends up recording this season.
- Joaquin Benoit: With only seven games finished, Benoit has no shot at the 55 games finished he’s need to turn the Padres‘ $8MM club option into a guarantee for 2016.
- Marlon Byrd: If Byrd has 600 PA this season, or at least 550 PA this season and 1100 PA total between 2014-15, the $8MM club option on his 2016 services will become guaranteed. A DL stint limited Byrd to 262 PA thus far, so it’ll be difficult for Byrd to reach the 550 PA mark unless he stays healthy and the Reds play him virtually every day.
- Santiago Casilla: The Giants righty signed a three-year, $15MM deal in the 2012-13 offseason that contained a vesting option. MLBTR has learned that Casilla’s 2016 option will vest at $6.5MM with 55 games finished during the 2015 season. Casilla’s option could have vested at $7.5MM with 100 games finished between the 2014-15 seasons, including 55 in 2015. The option could also have vested at $8.5MM with 150 games finished from 2013-15, including 55 finished in 2015.
- Nori Aoki: The outfielder was one of the league leaders in plate appearances when he fractured his right fibula, so he already has 291 of the 550 PA he needs to turn the Giants‘ $5.5MM option for 2016 into a mutual option. If Aoki returns around July 24 (as Bruce Bochy estimates) and resumes his everyday spot atop San Francisco’s lineup, he stands a good chance of reaching the vesting point.
- Jonny Gomes: If Gomes receives 325 PA, his $3MM option for 2016 will become guaranteed. He’s just over halfway there with 166 plate appearances, so this one may come right down to the wire.
We already know that Cliff Lee won’t achieve the innings totals required for his 2016 option to vest, as the Phillies southpaw hasn’t pitched all season and is attempting to recover from a torn left flexor tendon without undergoing surgery. Brandon League also hasn’t pitched this season and has been released by the Dodgers, so he won’t reach the games-finished total required to allow his 2016 player option to vest.
Padres Asking Other Teams About James Shields
The Padres have asked teams about any possible interest in James Shields, Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com reports (Twitter link). The extent of these discussions isn’t known, as the Padres could’ve been simply doing due diligence on trade scenarios rather than seriously gauging the right-hander’s market, though the fact that Shields’ name has been floated at all is a notable step.
Following today’s win over the Rangers, San Diego enters the All-Star break with a 41-49 record that puts them 10 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West and 7.5 games back of the Cubs for the second NL wild card spot. It’s a disappointing spot for a Padres team that made several major additions last offseason, and yet GM A.J. Preller hinted that his club’s trade deadline goal was to reload for 2016 rather than rebuild.
Still, Preller also noted that Padres were open to all options and “the biggest thing we preach to our scouts is to just be prepared for all different scenarios.” Dealing Shields would naturally present a far different “scenario” than dealing, say, a player on an expiring contract. As others have noted, trading Shields just months after the veteran and San Diego-area native signed a large multi-year contract would hurt the Padres in the eyes of both the fans and future free agents who might think twice about signing with the club.
Shields has a 4.01 ERA, 3.28 K/BB rate and a career-best 10.1 K/9 over 116 2/3 innings this season. Advanced metrics (3.30 xFIP, 3.25 SIERA) indicate that Shields’ 4.01 ERA is a bit high, as Shields has been hurt by a 17.9% home run rate — this number is not only well above Shields’ career average, it stands out even more as an outlier given that his home games are at one of baseball’s most notoriously pitcher-friendly ballparks.
Shields is guaranteed roughly $4.1MM for the remainder of this season, then $63MM over the 2016-18 seasons and a $16MM club option (with a $2MM buyout) for 2019. That’s a lot of salary for a 33-year-old hurler, yet since Shields can opt out after the 2016 season, a trading team might prefer such a potentially medium-sized commitment rather than deal for a pitcher on a guaranteed long deal (i.e. Cole Hamels) or one who can enter free agency this winter.
NL East Notes: Hamels, Braves, Pierzynski, Rizzo
Assuming normal rest, Cole Hamels is scheduled to start for the Phillies on July 19, July 25 and July 31, Jake Kaplan of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes. That July 31st start is a night game, so Hamels could be scratched if he’s dealt prior to the deadline earlier that afternoon (assuming he hasn’t already been traded before the 31st). Here’s some more from Philadelphia and elsewhere around the NL East…
- The Braves had discussed packaging Jason Grilli and Jim Johnson together in trade talks, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports, with the idea that two relievers would bring back a larger return from a bullpen-needy team. That plan was scuttled when Grilli suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon tear yesterday, though Johnson remains a trade candidate.
- Bowman’s piece lists several possible trade chips on the Braves roster, including Johnson, Chris Johnson, Kelly Johnson, Cameron Maybin, Juan Uribe and A.J. Pierzynski. In regards to Pierzynski, Bowman believes Atlanta will try to bring the catcher back in 2016 even if they do trade him this year.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo broadly discussed his team’s general deadline plans with reporters, including Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. The Nats lineup will be boosted by the returns of several stars from the DL, and while Janes feels Washington could use another relief arm, Rizzo praised the job done by current relievers like Aaron Barrett and Blake Treinen.
- It’s only a matter of time before Aaron Nola is promoted to the majors, CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury writes, and he believes the Phillies could call Nola up within “the next couple of weeks, possibly in tandem with a trade deadline move.” This is just my speculation, but promoting Nola to fill Hamels’ roster spot would be a good the-future-is-now type of move.
- Several scouts believe former Angels GM Jerry Dipoto would be a good fit as the Phillies‘ next general manager, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweets. Interestingly, Dipoto’s former assistant GM in Anaheim, Matt Klentak, has also been mentioned in connection to a job in the new Andy MacPhail-run Phillies front office.
- In NL East news from earlier today, the Pirates have interest in Phillies outfielders Ben Revere and Jeff Francoeur.
AL Central Notes: Mondesi, Swisher, Johnson, Tigers
Raul Mondesi is the Royals‘ “most appealing asset for trade discussions,” rival evaluators tell Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star, though “the Royals have little interest in parting with him.” Mondesi was a consensus top-40 prospect in preseason rankings from Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus and MLB.com, with BA listing him 28th before the year began and updating his status to 25th in their recent midseason rankings. Despite a less-than-stellar showing at Double-A this season, the 19-year-old Mondesi has been discussed as a possible September call-up. Here’s some more from around the AL Central…
- Before Nick Swisher went on the DL, the Indians and Braves discussed a trade that would’ve sent Swisher to Atlanta in exchange for Chris Johnson, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter links). The Braves ended talks since Swisher is owed significantly more than Johnson (approximately $6.25MM to $2.5MM) over the remainder of the 2015 campaign. Johnson is guaranteed $17.5MM over the 2016-17 seasons while Swisher is owed $15MM in 2016 and he has a $14MM vesting option for 2017. The deal would’ve been an interesting case of clubs essentially swapping one disappointment for another, as both Swisher and Johnson have posted underwhelming numbers over the last two seasons.
- Indians scouting director Brad Grant discusses his team’s top three draft picks (Brady Aiken, Triston McKenzie and Juan Hillman) with Fangraphs’ David Laurila, noting how the Tribe wasn’t shy to take a pitcher recovering from Tommy John surgery and two high school arms.
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski has a very impressive history at the trade deadline, as Tony Paul of the Detroit News lists nine deals that benefited the team over Dombrowski’s tenure.