A’s To Release Nick Punto
The A’s will release Nick Punto to clear a roster spot, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Oakland will be on the hook for his $2.75MM salary in 2015.
The A’s had 41 players on the 40-man roster, meaning that someone had to go and, ultimately, Punto was the odd man out. The infielder’s $2.75MM option vested late in the 2014 thanks to satisfying the terms of a complicated formula that was placed within his contract.
The 37-year-old Jeff Caulfield client had one of his worst offensive seasons to date in 2014, batting .207/.296/.293 in 224 plate appearances. However, he did help the A’s by logging 363 quality innings at second base, and he also filled in at shortstop (118 2/3 innings) in addition to brief cameos in right field and at third base.
Originally drafted by the Phillies, Punto was sent to the Twins along with Carlos Silva and Bobby Korecky in a trade for Eric Milton back in 2003. After a seven-year stretch with Minnesota, he’s bounced around to four other teams: the Cardinals, Red Sox, Dodgers and A’s. In 3734 career plate appearances between the six teams mentioned, Punto is a .245/.323/.323 hitter that has logged more than 2400 innings at shortstop, second base and third base with positive defensive marks at each.
Royals Sign Alex Rios
FRIDAY, 2:05pm: The Royals officially announced their deal with Rios, which includes a mutual option for 2016. That is worth $12.5MM, tweets Chris Cotillo of SB Nation.
MONDAY, 7:10pm: The Royals have agreed to a one-year, $11MM deal with outfielder Alex Rios, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports on Twitter. Rios, a Boras Corporation client, joins Kendrys Morales as veteran additions to the defending American League champs.
The 33-year-old Rios spent 2014 with the Rangers, slashing .280/.311/.398 with four home runs 17 stolen bases (being caught nine times in the process). That production landed just below league average, one year after Rios put up a .278/.324/.432 line that rated slightly above the league baseline. Of course, he also swatted 18 long balls and stole 42 bags that season (split between the White Sox and Rangers).
Now another year removed from his excellent 2012 campaign, Rios also slid in the baserunning and defensive departments, leaving him valued at just .2 fWAR and .6 rWAR in his 521 plate appearances. A thumb issue ended Rios’s season early and cast at least some slight doubt on his health going forward, though Rios has been a remarkably sturdy ballplayer over his long career.
Kansas City now has its replacement for Nori Aoki in right field, where Rios has spent most of his career. Both players are similarly aged, but the former is probably a safer option going forward with his consistent on-base ability. Of course, Aoki cannot match the ceiling of Rios, who was worth better than four wins above replacement in recent memory. The club spent a fairly significant sum to take a chance on Rios, going well above the $8.5MM that MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicted he would land.
Rios joins a recent group of corner outfielders departing the market, leaving players like Michael Morse, Colby Rasmus, and Aoki as the best players available. Of course, that could add impetus to the trade market, which features a number of big names.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Images.
Cubs Claim Shane Peterson, Ryan Lavarnway
2:05pm: The Cubs announced that they have also claimed Ryan Lavarnway off waivers from the Dodgers. To make room on the 40-man roster for the pair of moves, right-handed pitcher Donn Roach and infielder Logan Watkins were designated for assignment.
The 27-year-old Lavarnway .283/.389/.370 in 257 plate appearances for Triple-A Pawtucket in 2014. He has a strong minor league track record as a hitter, with a .375 career minor league on-base percentage, and could potentially help a team in need of a right-handed bat for its bench. His stint with the Dodgers was brief and he has traveled quite a bit in the last month. Lavarnway was DFA’d by the Red Sox just prior to his cup of coffee with Los Angeles.
12:38pm: The Cubs have claimed outfielder Shane Peterson from the A’s, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Yankees Designate Preston Claiborne For Assignment
The Yankees have designated Preston Claiborne for assignment, according to ESPNNewYork.com’s Andrew Marchand (on Twitter).
Claiborne, 26, has made 62 relief appearances for the Yankees over the last two seasons, pitching to a 3.79 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9. In parts of three seasons at the Triple-A level, Claiborne owns a 3.80 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9.
You can keep track of Claiborne’s status using MLBTR’s DFA Tracker.
Angels Acquire Johnny Giavotella From Royals
1:57pm: The Angels formally announced the deal. Right-hander Brian Broderick will be sent to the Royals to complete the transaction.
Broderick, 28, has just 11 big league appearances to his credit with all of them coming in 2011. He was recently signed out of the Mexican League by KC.
1:55pm: The Angels are close to acquiring second baseman Johnny Giavotella, according to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com (on Twitter). Giavotella was recently designated for assignment by the Royals. It’s not clear who is going to Kansas City in the deal, but it figures to be a minor trade (link). Gonzalez adds that the deal could be announced today.
Giavotella, 27, received a fairly lengthy look at second base for the Royals in both 2011 and 2012 but combined to bat just .242/.271/.340 in 376 plate appearances. He’s received shorter call-ups in each of the subsequent seasons but hasn’t fared much better at the plate; overall, Giavotella is a lifetime .238/.277/.344 hitter in the Majors.
A second-round pick out of the University of New Orleans in 2008, Giavotella does carry with him quite an impressive track record at the Triple-A level. In 1840 plate appearances there, he’s slashed .315/.384/.451. It should be noted, however, that those numbers have come in the very hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
Mets Trade Gonzalez Germen To Yankees
The Mets and Yankees have completed a rare trade with one another. The Mets traded pitcher Gonzalez Germen to the Yankees for cash considerations, as Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com tweets.
Germen, who turned 27 in September, was designated for assignment earlier this week by the Mets. The right-hander has made a combined 54 appearances out of the Mets’ bullpen over the past two seasons, pitching to a 4.31 ERA with 8.9 K/9, 4.2 BB/9 and a 36.8 percent ground-ball rate. He’s averaged 92.9 mph on his fastball in that time while notching a swinging-strike rate of 14.2 percent, but Germen was also exceptionally homer prone and had enough command problems that the Mets deemed him expendable.
This marks the first trade between the two New York teams since they swapped Mike Stanton and Felix Heredia in 2004.
Germen is now out of DFA limbo, but there are plenty of other MLB players awaiting their fate. Keep up on all of the latest with MLBTR’s DFA Tracker.
Blue Jays Claim Juan Oramas
The Blue Jays announced that they have claimed left-hander Juan Oramas off waivers from the Padres. Oramas, 24, has spent all eight of his professional seasons in the Padres’ system.
Oramas, 24, owns a 4.32 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 across parts of three seasons at Triple-A. He spent last season with the Friars’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, posting a combined 4.75 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 134 1/3 innings pitched.
Oramas has appeared among San Diego’s Top 30 prospects, according to Baseball America, in each of the past four offseasons. In last offseason’s scouting report, BA noted that Oramas has the potential for three Major League pitches “with a feel to deploy them for maximum impact,” while also praising the southpaw for hiding the ball well.
The Blue Jays’ 40-man roster now stands at 38.
Dodgers Acquire Jimmy Rollins
12:52pm: The Phillies are sending $1MM to the Dodgers as a part of the deal, an industry source tells Todd Zolecki of MLB.com (on Twitter).
10:27am: After more than a week of anticipation, the Phillies announced that they have traded shortstop Jimmy Rollins and cash considerations to the Dodgers in exchange for right-hander Zach Eflin and left-hander Tom Windle.
There was a significant hold-up in the trade, as the Phillies had to wait for the Dodgers to finalize their Matt Kemp trade with San Diego due to the fact that Eflin was part of the Dodgers’ return in that deal. Kemp’s physical dragged out the process for both trades, but each has now been announced.
After losing Hanley Ramirez to the Red Sox in free agency, Los Angeles filled its vacancy at shortstop with another high-profile veteran. Rollins actually generated more fWAR (3.6 to 3.4) than Ramirez in 2014, as while Ramirez delivered more at the plate, Rollins far outpaced Ramirez defensively. Rollins is no longer the offensive force that he was in his prime, but he still posted an above-average 102 wRC+ in 2014, hitting .243/.323/.394 with 17 homers and 28 steals over 609 plate appearances.
Rollins reached a vesting option in his previous contract that earned him an extra year and an $11MM salary for the 2015 season. Since the Dodgers’ commitments to both Rollins and third baseman Juan Uribe will be up after 2015, that allows the club some flexibility in deciding the future of Corey Seager. The top prospect is a shortstop now but many project him to eventually require a move to third base.
Rollins, 36, spent his entire 15-year career in Philadelphia, with the highlights including the NL MVP Award in 2007 and a World Series title in 2008. Rollins is the Phillies’ all-time franchise leader in hits and doubles, and only Mike Schmidt played more games in a Phillie uniform.
Though parting with Rollins is bittersweet for Philadelphia, they’ll receive a pair of solid pitching prospects in return. Eflin, 20, was selected 33rd overall in the 2012 draft, and the 22-year-old Windle went 56th overall just a year later. At the time of the Kemp deal, ESPN’s Keith Law wrote (subscription required) that he felt Eflin was “at worst” a fourth starter in the Majors with the potential to become more. Baseball America ranked him 14th among Padres prospects last offseason, and MLB.com already ranks him fifth among Phillies prospects, calling him a potential mid-rotation workhorse with the build of a prototypical right-hander. BA noted in their scouting report that he sits comfortably at 90 to 92 mph with a sinking fastball but as touched the mid-90s in the past when needed. Eflin pitched to a 3.80 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 128 innings at Class-A Advanced last season.
Windle, drafted out of the University of Minnesota, also spent last season in High-A, compiling a 4.26 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 139 1/3 innings. BA ranked him 12th among Dodgers prospects a season ago, and MLB.com has him sixth among current Phillies farmhands. His changeup made serious progress in 2014, per MLB.com, giving him a chance at a solid third pitch to pair with a low-90s fastball and a “nasty” slider. BA feels that his slider a plus pitch that can befuddle both right- and left-handed batters, noting that even if he doesn’t pan out as a starter, Windle’s fastball/slider combo could play well in a high-leverage relief role. At the time the trade was reported, Law noted that Windle pitched in a brutal environment for pitchers last season, adding that he liked Windle’s chances to break out as a prospect in the Double-A Eastern League in 2015.
CSN Philly’s Jim Salisbury first reported the Rollins to the Dodgers was a done deal. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports indicated, on Twitter, that Eflin would head to the Dodgers, and Salisbury reported (also on Twitter) that Windle was the other player in the deal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Padres Talking With David Ross
12:09pm: A source familiar with the negotiations tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.com (on Twitter) that Ross has not yet agreed to a deal with the Padres.
10:56am: Free agent catcher David Ross has agreed to terms with the Padres, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Ross is represented by Sports One Athlete Management.
The addition of Ross is just the latest in a whirlwind of transactions for the Padres under new hyper-aggressive GM A.J. Preller. Last night, the Padres made their acquisition of Matt Kemp official, and they’re slated to do the same with a three-team trade that will net them Wil Myers and Ryan Hanigan from the Rays today. The Padres have also struck deals to acquire Derek Norris from the A’s and Justin Upton from the Braves, and they won’t be hanging onto Hanigan; he’s reportedly headed to the Red Sox in a swap that will bring Will Middlebrooks to San Diego.
The veteran Ross hit .184/.260/.368 for the Red Sox last season but is well-regarded for his veteran presence, his 37 percent career caught-stealing rate, his pitch-framing skills and his work with pitchers. The addition of Ross likely squeezes Tim Federowicz out of some playing time and could lead to him being packaged in a trade as well, with Norris and Ross making up manager Bud Black’s primary backstop tandem.
Dodgers Designate Kyle Jensen For Assignment
The Dodgers announced that they have designated first baseman/outfielder Kyle Jensen for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot for Jimmy Rollins.
The 26-year-old Jensen was acquired in a minor swap with the Marlins following the 2014 season. He’s yet to appear at the Major League level but does come with a respectable track record of minor league production; the former 12th-round pick has a .252/.320/.482 batting line in 193 games at Triple-A.