NL Notes: Upton, Ross, Hundley, Lackey, Cards
The Braves have already received attractive trade proposals for outfielder Justin Upton, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. With several free agents off the board, a deal could come together soon, per Sherman, possibly during the upcoming Winter Meetings. The team’s addition of free agent Nick Markakis would appear to increase the odds of the club dealing Upton and/or Evan Gattis, though its final course remains unclear.
More from the National League:
- The Braves, Cubs, and Padres are among the teams pursuing free agent catcher David Ross, along with the incumbent Red Sox, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The 37-year-old Ross rates among the game’s most respected veterans.
- The Rockies have expressed interest in free agent backstop Nick Hundley, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports on Twitter. Were the team to add Hundley or another option, it would likely deal Wilin Rosario, Crasnick adds.
- Though John Lackey is under contract at league minimum for 2015, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak will meet with his representatives at the upcoming Winter Meetings to discuss “possibly reworking” that deal, MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch reports on Twitter. It is not entirely clear what manner of modification could be contemplated, though one would expect that St. Louis would only be interested in a proposal that added a reasonably priced season or two to the 36-year-old’s deal.
- The Cardinals have promoted Chris Correa to become the club’s new scouting director, Langosch reports. The club had an opening arise recently when Dan Kantrovitz left to become an assistant GM with the Athletics.
Dodgers Pursuing Jon Lester
Jon Lester reportedly met with the Giants earlier this week and has now had in-person meetings with the Cubs, Red Sox, Braves, Giants and Cardinals. He’s hoping to have all of his team visits concluded prior to the beginning of the Winter Meetings on Sunday. As he moves closer to a decision, here are today’s Lester rumors…
- The Dodgers are preparing to make a major push to add Lester, WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford and Alex Speier report. It would appear that Los Angeles is the “mystery team” involved, and that club’s entry could well provide a significant jolt to the market.
Earlier Updates
- Peter Gammons tweets that while many fans scoff at the notion of “mystery teams,” he’s spoken to three different GMs that feel there’s a serious new entrant into the Lester sweepstakes.
- Lining up with that report, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark writes that a fourth team has joined the Cubs, Red Sox, and Giants in the final bidding.
Braves Sign Nick Markakis
The Braves have officially agreed to a four-year deal with free agent outfielder Nick Markakis, as Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported on Twitter. He will be guaranteed $44MM in the pact, per Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Markakis is repped by Jamie Murphy of TWC Sports.
For Atlanta, the move marks yet another fascinating plot point in an offseason of change. After dealing homegrown star Jason Heyward, the club has now replaced him with another defense-first corner outfielder in Markakis. Of course, Markakis is older, but he is also much cheaper than Heyward figures to be when he eventually lands a big new contract off his own.
Markakis, who grew up in the Atlanta area, will bring a somewhat polarizing skillset to his new home. He has a high-OBP, low-power bat that generally make him a slightly above-average offensive player. Though he has been more than that in the past, his recent history and advanced age suggest that Markakis will probably not return to his days of hitting at 20% or even 30% above league average.
And while Markakis is considered an excellent defender by many, both UZR and Defensive Runs Saved have turned some skepticism towards that assessment in recent years. Those metrics have tended to value him more as an average performer in right, with a lack of range outweighing his excellent arm and steady glovework. That debate will continue in Atlanta, where Markakis will be looking to fill some awfully big shoes in right.
While the Markakis contract falls shy of the $48MM that MLBTR’s Steve Adams predicted he would receive, it is certainly right in the ballpark for a tough-to-peg player. It appeared that Markakis was set to return to Baltimore on a contract of this general magnitude before talks sputtered. Recent reports had suggested both that Markakis was looking at suitors other than the incumbent Orioles, and that talks had picked up with Atlanta.
Markakis ultimately lands just $14MM shy of the Nelson Cruz pact, a not-insignificant achievement for a right fielder who has not hit 20 home runs since 2008. Melky Cabrera stands as the obvious prize amongst remaining free agent outfielders. He and players like Colby Rasmus may benefit from the fact that Markakis went to a seemingly-unlikely suitor.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Mariners, Blue Jays Swap Michael Saunders, J.A. Happ
The Mariners have officially acquired lefty J.A. Happ from the Blue Jays in exchange for outfielder Michael Saunders, as Jayson Stark of ESPN.com first reported on Twitter. Both teams have been aggressive in adding talent early in the offseason, and this move seems to set up additional action for each.
In Happ, 32, Seattle has added a left-handed starter who just threw 158 innings of 4.22 ERA ball, striking out 7.6 and walking 2.9 batters per nine. That makes him a reasonably useful pitcher, though he’ll play for $6.7MM this year before hitting free agency. But Happ has never returned to the production he flashed back in 2009, when he notched a 2.93 ERA over 166 frames (while carrying a less-encouraging 4.33 FIP).
Saunders, meanwhile, is a 28-year-old outfielder who brings plenty of talent with him to Toronto and fills a need for the Jays. He has had three straight above-average offensive seasons, including a .273/.341/.450 slash over 263 plate appearances in an injury-limited 2014 campaign. Though advanced metrics have not always been in love with his defensive work, particularly in center, he posted solid numbers last year and is generally viewed as a good fielder. Projected to earn $2.9MM in arbitration, Saunders comes with an additional season of non-guaranteed control as well.
Though the Jays are left without a sturdy rotation option, the team does have young arms to fill in with upside to spare. And Saunders makes an excellent fit for a club that has an opening in the corner outfield and is relying on youngsters in center. Even better, the nearly $3MM in cost savings will open up more flexibility as the club looks to build out its pen and address other areas of need.
The move certainly makes sense of last night’s non-tender decisions. With Saunders in the fold, the Jays seem unlikely to continue pursuing Melky Cabrera. Indeed, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that to be the case on Twitter. The club’s extra payroll space will also create opportunities to add back to the team’s big league rotation.
It is somewhat more difficult to understand the logic from the Mariners’ perspective. Though Saunders and the team squabbled earlier in the offseason, and he was part of a generally lefty-heavy lineup, the fact remains that he is a valuable young contributor. While Happ will add some stability to the rotation, that was not exactly a pressing area of need, and one cannot help but wonder whether a slightly more substantial return might have been possible.
Of course, if another move for an outfielder is in the works, then the moving pieces could begin to line up. And GM Jack Zduriencik gave the impression to reporters, including Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times (Twitter link) that he intends to do just that.
Blue Jays Sign Justin Smoak
One day after non-tendering him, the Blue Jays have signed first baseman Justin Smoak to a one-year, $1MM deal, the team announced. Toronto obviously saw an opportunity to achieve some savings, as Smoak was projected by MLBTR and contributor Matt Swartz to take home a $3MM salary through arbitration.
Soon to turn 28, Smoak has generally failed to live up to the high hopes that he brought with him to the big leagues. He has had productive stretches, but ultimately owns a .226/.308/.384 line in just under 2,000 career turns at the plate. Smoak will presumably step into the part-time first base role played previously by Adam Lind.
As Toronto prepares to take a low-cost shot that Smoak can return to his prior trajectory, the team has some additional upside given that it can control Smoak for 2016 if he makes good. And at that point, he will be working from a fairly low starting point, which could make tendering arbitration a less costly proposition.
Talks Between Braves, Markakis Intensifying
The negotiations between the Braves and outfielder Nick Markakis are intensifying, Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports on Twitter. A contract could land in the realm of four years and $45MM, Olney suggests.
Atlanta’s interest in the long-time Orioles outfielder has seemingly ramped up quickly over the last few days. A team contingent including assistant GM John Coppolella and manager Fredi Gonzalez paid him a visit recently. Of course, other teams — including the Giants, Blue Jays, and O’s — are all said to be after Markakis as well.
The price tag that Olney suggests would land just shy of the prediction of MLBTR’s Steve Adams (4/$48MM). It is not yet clear what that kind of outlay on a 31-year-old veteran would mean for an organization that has been re-shaping its decision-making apparatus and roster in several ways this offseason.
Orioles Sign Eddie Gamboa To Major League Deal
The Orioles have inked righty Eddie Gamboa to a major league contract, the club announced on Twitter. Gamboa, a 29-year-old knuckler, has spent his entire career in the Baltimore organization.
Gamboa became a minor league free agent after the year, but apparently drew enough interest that the O’s felt compelled to give him a 40-man spot. Last year, he threw 108 2/3 innings of 3.81 ERA ball over 17 starts and two relief appearances in the upper minors. Gamboa managed 8.6 K/9 while issuing 3.8 free passes per nine in the process.
Gamboa was suspended for 50 games last year due to medication for a thyroid condition. He explained to Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com that he was merely taking prescription medication for a thyroid issue, though he acknowledged he had not received a therapeutic use exemption. It would appear that Baltimore believes in Gamboa’s insistence that he was not relying on any substances to prop up his performance.
Free Agent Notes: Melky, Ervin, Headley, Miller, Soto
The Royals have reached out to a familiar name in the form of Melky Cabrera, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. It’s not clear if the Royals are able to afford Cabrera, who is said by Heyman to be seeking “at least” a five-year deal. He notes that the Reds have also contacted Cabrera’s camp. Additionally, Heyman lists the Mariners, Orioles and White Sox as speculative fits. Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet tweets that the Blue Jays are still in touch with Cabrera as well. As many have pointed out, Toronto has just three outfielders on its 40-man roster at present. I profiled Cabrera in early October and projected a five-year deal worth just over $66MM.
Some more notes from the free agent market…
- Also seeking a five-year deal is right-hander Ervin Santana, tweets ESPN’s Buster Olney. Santana is among the best of the bunch in the second tier of free agent starters, and he’s been rumored to have mutual interest with the Royals. However, Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star tweets that the Royals’ comfort level is at three years with Santana. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes projected a four-year, $56MM contract for Santana.
- Continuing on the theme of five-year contracts, Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York reports that the Yankees aren’t willing to give Chase Headley a five-year deal, and it’s believed by some that five years is now his asking price in the wake of both Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez signing in Boston. An alternative for the Yankees, Matthews writes, is to play Martin Prado at third base regularly and give prospect Rob Refsnyder a chance to be the everyday second baseman.
- The Yankees, Red Sox and Astros are all continuing to show strong interest in free agent lefty Andrew Miller, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Miller is believed to be headed for a four-year deal, and the Astros have been somewhat surprisingly linked to him and fellow top reliever David Robertson.
- Geovany Soto is currently talking to five or six teams, tweets Chris Cotillo of SB Nation. A reunion between Soto and the Rangers is a definite possibility, per Cotillo. The free agent market for catchers has few options remaining, putting Soto in a relatively good spot.
- Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports that 10 teams, including the Tigers, have reached out to free agent righty Ronald Belisario after he was designated for assignment by the White Sox and chose to elect free agency (Twitter link). Belisario has a track record of success but struggled in 2014 despite maintaining his velocity and ground-ball rate.
- Nyjer Morgan is eyeing a return to the Majors and has drawn interest from both MLB and Asian clubs, tweets Cotillo. The 34-year-old spent a bit of time with the Indians last season but had his Cleveland tenure cut short by injury.
Braves Sign Jim Johnson
12:35pm: Johnson’s base salary will be $1.6MM, and he can earn up to $900K worth of incentives, tweets SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo.
12:07pm: The Braves announced that they have signed former Orioles closer Jim Johnson to a one-year, Major League contract (Twitter link). The right-hander is a client of Moye Sports Associates.
Johnson, 31, is just a season removed from back-to-back campaigns of 50-plus saves — each of which led the American League. His 101 saves from 2012-13 bloated his arbitration payday to $10MM last year, however, which was enough for the Orioles to trade him to the A’s in what was more or less a salary dump, despite the fact that he had continued to post solid numbers.
To say that Johnson’s Oakland tenure didn’t go as planned would be an understatement. The 2012 All-Star lost his closing gig to Sean Doolittle early in the 2014 season and never appeared comfortable in green and gold. He posted a 7.14 ERA with 6.3 K/9, 5.1 BB/9 and a typically strong ground-ball rate of 56.8 percent. After being designated for assignment and ultimately released, Johnson latched on with the Tigers but didn’t fare much better, allowing 10 runs in 13 innings with a 14-to-12 K/BB ratio.
It’s fair to say that Johnson was never the elite reliever that one might expect by glancing solely at his saves totals. Even in his peak seasons from 2011-13, he posted a 2.70 ERA but with a sub-par 6.1 K/9 rate. However, that’s certainly not to say that Johnson isn’t a quality relief arm. If last year’s control problems are corrected, Johnson figures to be an excellent rebound candidate to replace Jordan Walden (traded to the Cardinals along with Jason Heyward) in a setup role for Craig Kimbrel. Johnson’s never posted a ground-ball rate lower than 51 percent, and that mark has been 58 percent or better in each of the past four seasons. Johnson’s sinker continued to induce grounders last season and there was no drop-off in its velocity (average 93.6 mph), so the Braves presumably have a nice buy-low candidate to add to a bullpen that features Kimbrel, Shae Simmons, James Russell and David Carpenter, among others.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Twins Sign Torii Hunter
12:04pm: Hunter’s contract contains a full no-trade clause, per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (on Twitter).
11:45am: Though he reportedly drew interest from a wide number of clubs, Torii Hunter‘s career has officially come full circle, as the Twins today announced the signing of their former star center fielder to a one-year, $10.5MM deal. Hunter is a client of Reynolds Sports Management.
Hunter’s contract falls well shy of the two-year, $22MM pact that I predicted for him recently. But as I noted then, it would not be surprising to see him take a lesser deal for a preferred destination. It appears that is precisely what occurred here, as Hunter took the opportunity to return to the place where he became a star. Indeed, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweeted last night that Hunter had similar one-year offers from other clubs and also had some two-year opportunities but “wanted to come home.” He’ll serve as Minnesota’s right fielder in 2015, per Wolfson, with Oswaldo Arcia presumably shifting to left field.
While Hunter is no longer the all-around force he was in his prime, he remains quite a valuable and consistent producer as he enters his age-39 season. Last year marked the ninth in a row in which Hunter outperformed the league average offensive line by at least 10%, a rather remarkable achievement.
For Minnesota, Hunter’s value goes well beyond on-field production. His veteran presence will no doubt be welcome, especially with respect to young center field prospect Byron Buxton. Drafted 20th overall by Minnesota in 1993, Hunter spent 11 years in the Twins organization, eventually emerging as the team’s star center fielder and one of the game’s better all-around players. He ultimately ran up nine straight gold gloves after taking the reins up the middle for Minnesota, though the final two came with the Angels after he left via free agency.
Of course, Hunter’s performance in the field is precisely the area of concern at this late stage of his career. While he rated as an above average defender (and overall 5+ win player) just two years ago, Hunter has faded badly in the past two seasons in right. A return to average defending — whether or not extra rest is needed to make that possible — could make this signing return solid value to Minnesota in terms of production.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today first reported the agreement on Twitter. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweeted the terms of the contract.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.