Rays Exercise Joel Peralta’s Option
The Rays have exercised their $2.5MM team option on right-hander Joel Peralta for the 2015 season, MLBDailyDish.com’s Chris Cotillo reports (Twitter link). Earlier today, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reported that the Rays were likely to pick up Peralta’s option and bring the 38-year-old back for his fifth season in Tampa. Peralta is represented by Mark Gilling.
Peralta, 38, has been a reliable relief arm out of the Rays bullpen since 2010, posting a 3.58 ERA, 9.8 K/9 and 3.49 K/BB rate and averaging 67 innings per season. He was somewhat unlucky to post a 4.41 ERA in 2014 given that he had strong peripherals (10.52 K/9, 2.13 BB/9) and an impressive set of ERA indicators (3.40 FIP, 3.11 xFIP, 2.54 SIERA).
Peralta would seem to be well worth the $2.5MM price tag, though there was some speculation that the Rays could decline the option given their limited payroll and a 40-man roster crunch. Tampa Bay also holds club options on Peralta for 2016 and 2017 (each worth $2.5MM) as per the original two-year contract he signed prior to the 2013 season.
Royals Make Qualifying Offer To James Shields
The Royals have extended a qualifying offer to free agent righty James Shields, the team announced (Twitter link). Shields has until 4pm CT on November 10 to decide whether or not to accept the one-year, $15.3MM offer, though it is universally expected that he’ll reject the QO in favor of a larger deal in free agency.
In making the qualifying offer, the Royals stand to receive a first-round draft pick as compensation if and when Shields rejects the QO and signs with another team. It has been presumed that K.C. wouldn’t be able to re-sign Shields given the high price tag he’ll command this winter, though the team will at least attempt to bring him back, perhaps buoyed by extra revenues from their postseason games.
Aramis Ramirez Exercises Option To Remain With Brewers
Aramis Ramirez has exercised his side of his $14MM mutual option with the Brewers and will return to the club in 2015, the Brewers announced via their Twitter feed. Milwaukee exercised its end of the option on Friday. Ramirez is represented by Paul Kinzer.
Ramirez said in September that he was keeping his options open, though he preferred to return to Milwaukee and wasn’t sure if he wanted to play beyond the 2015 season. Exercising this option checks off both boxes for the 36-year-old slugger, though as MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes noted in Ramirez’s Free Agent Profile, it’s very rare for a team and player to both agree on a mutual option, let alone one worth as much as $14MM. Dierkes projected Ramirez to find a two-year deal worth between $26-$30MM (depending on if Ramirez had a qualifying offer attached to him or not) this winter.
“He is comfortable in Milwaukee, and obviously Aramis has made a lot of money in his career and he has invested wisely and is in very good shape (financially),” Kinzer tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “He told me he wants to control his own destiny. He’ll decide after next year if he wants to keep playing.
“If he signed a two- or three-year deal (with another club) now, he’d feel obligated to fulfill that contract. This is his choice. He’s happy in Milwaukee and if he puts up the numbers and wants to play another year, it’s his decision and nobody else’s. He said he’ll sit down with his family at the end of next year and decide if he wants to play more. It was an easy decision for him.”
Ramirez hit .285/.330/.427 with 15 homers and a 109 wRC+ over 531 plate appearances in 2014. While still a productive bat, there were a few red flags around Ramirez’s performance — he hasn’t posted a lower slugging percentage since the 2002 season, a lower walk rate since 2000, and his .142 ISO was a career-low over a full season. If Ramirez’s decline gets sharper, the Brewers may have dodged a bullet by only having the veteran under contract through next season. Milwaukee’s corner infield situation for 2015 has become much clearer with Ramirez returning at third and the newly-acquired Adam Lind getting much of the time at first base, though Lind will need a platoon partner to face left-handed pitching.
Dierkes ranked Ramirez as the 19th-best free agent of the 2014-15 offseason, and the fairly sparse third base market gets even thinner with Ramirez off the board. This further strengthens Pablo Sandoval and Chase Headley‘s chances of finding big contracts as the best available 3B options, though Hanley Ramirez could also still explore signing as a third baseman.
Photo courtesy of Benny Sleu/USA Today Sports Images
Cubs Sign Tsuyoshi Wada
The Cubs have signed left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada to a one-year, Major League contract, the team announced. The deal is worth $4MM, and another $2MM available in incentives, MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat reports (Twitter link). The new contract overrides a $5MM team option the Cubs held on Wada’s services for the 2015 season. Wada is represented by the Octagon Agency.
Wada, 33, finally got his first taste of Major League action last season, posting an impressive 3.25 ERA, 7.4 K/9 and 3.00 K/BB rate over 69 1/3 IP (13 starts) with the Cubs. Following a distinguished nine-year career in Japan, Wada signed a two-year, $8.15MM deal with the Orioles in December 2011, though he never threw as much as a pitch for the O’s thanks to Tommy John surgery.
After signing a minor league deal with the Cubs last offseason, Wada successfully rebuilt his value and has now worked himself into Chicago’s rotation plans for 2015. The Cubs have been widely rumored to be interested in signing a top free agent pitcher (possibly Jon Lester) to add to Wada, Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks, Travis Wood and Edwin Jackson, plus options like Jacob Turner and Felix Doubront are also in the rotation mix.
Blue Jays Have Discussed Signing Russell Martin
The Blue Jays have had internal discussions about signing free agent catcher Russell Martin, Sportsnet.ca’s Jeff Blair reports. Needless to say, the Jays would have to outbid several teams in order to secure Martin, who is easily the top catcher on the open market. The Jays haven’t made any significant payroll expenditures in almost two years, though they’re trying to create some payroll flexibility in order to make some moves this winter, as evidenced by their trade of Adam Lind.
With Martin a sure bet to receive a qualifying offer from the Pirates, the Jays would also have to give up their first-round draft pick (18th overall) as compensation for the signing. While surrendering a first-rounder would represent a shift in Toronto’s front office philosophy, the Blue Jays could get another draft pick back (between the first and second rounds) should Melky Cabrera sign elsewhere this offseason.
Toronto already has Dioner Navarro under contract for one more season, though if Martin signed, Blair notes that Navarro would be shifted into a DH role. One would think Navarro wouldn’t be the primary DH and would split time between that spot and a backup catcher role, though that also raises the possibility that the Jays would part ways with current backup Josh Thole (whose option was picked up for 2015). Since Thole’s primary role with the Jays has been to catch for R.A. Dickey, his future with the team could depend on how well Martin or Navarro could handle the knuckleball.
With Navarro already slated to start, the Jays were an off-the-board contender for Martin and thus not cited by MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes in his Top 50 Free Agent Predictions. Dierkes predicted Martin would sign the Cubs, with the Pirates and Dodgers also standing out as likely bidders.
Dodgers Re-Sign Barry Enright
Here are today’s minor league transactions, with the latest moves at the top of the post…
- The Dodgers have re-signed right-hander Barry Enright to a new minor league deal, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports. Enright originally signed with L.A. in July, and he posted a 6.20 ERA over a combined 135 IP for the Dodgers’ and Phillies’ Triple-A affiliates in 2014. Enright has a 5.57 ERA in 148 2/3 career Major League innings with the Diamondbacks and Angels from 2010-13.
Manager Notes: Molitor, Rays, Renteria
The Twins and Rays are the only teams still without managers, though Minnesota seems on the verge of filling that spot. Here’s the latest skipper-related news…
- The Twins‘ offer to Paul Molitor is reportedly a three-year deal, 1500 ESPN’s Darren Wolfson tweets.
- Molitor was reportedly Twins GM Terry Ryan’s “hand-picked guy” to manage the club, a Twins insider source tells CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman. Ryan still interviewed as many as 10 candidates out of due diligence, though with Molitor the favorite, the search may have been somewhat like a “dog and pony show,” in the words of one former Twin employee.
- Dave Martinez, Torey Lovullo and Tim Bogar all figure to be on the Rays‘ list of interview candidates, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. Other well-regarded coaches like Brian Butterfield, DeMarlo Hale, Ron Wotus and Tim Flannery could also be possibilities, while Topkin predicts the Rays will also talk to “some outside-the-box names.”
- It doesn’t seem like ex-Cubs manager Rick Renteria would be a Rays candidate, Topkin notes, “just from the optics of hiring the guy fired to make room for [Joe] Maddon.”
Qualifying Offer Rumors: Santana, Kuroda, Hanley
Teams have until 4pm CT today to issue one-year, $15.3MM qualifying offers to impending free agents. If the offer is turned down, a team would receive a compensatory first round pick in the 2015 draft if their free agent signed elsewhere. MLBTR will report on all of the qualifying offers when they’re officially issued and you can stay quickly updated via MLBTR’s Free Agent Tracker. Here’s the latest QO buzz, with the newest items at the top of the post…
- The Braves have told Ervin Santana that he will receive a qualifying offer, a source tells MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. The move was expected given Santana’s good 2014 season, and it will be interesting to see how Santana fares in free agency this offseason given how the QO playing a role in limiting his market last winter. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicts Santana will find a four-year, $56MM deal this time around.
- The Yankees “don’t seem especially likely” to make Hiroki Kuroda a qualifying offer, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman writes, though the club hasn’t yet made a final decision about what to do with the 39-year-old righty. Heyman doesn’t think a rival team would give up a draft pick to sign Kuroda to a one-year deal worth more than $15.3MM, so if the Yankees did issue the QO, it could limit Kuroda’s market. Kuroda could also retire or return to Japan, making the qualifying offer scenario moot.
- Also from Heyman, there is no doubt the Dodgers will make Hanley Ramirez a qualifying offer even if Andrew Friedman and Ramirez’s agent both aren’t commenting on the matter.
Offseason Outlook: Baltimore Orioles
With the Orioles’ first AL East title and first ALCS appearance since 1997, it was a season to remember in Baltimore. Before following up, however, the O’s will have to take care of quite a bit of in-house business.
Guaranteed Contracts
- Adam Jones, OF: $62MM through 2018
- J.J. Hardy, SS: $40MM through 2017 (includes $2MM buyout of $14MM club option for 2018, option can vest)
- Ubaldo Jimenez, SP: $38.75MM through 2017
- Suk-min Yoon, SP: $4.15MM through 2016
- Ryan Webb, RP: $2.75MM through 2015
- Dylan Bundy, SP: $1.245MM through 2015
Arbitration Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projections via Matt Swartz)
- Alejandro De Aza, OF (5.139): $5.9MM projected salary
- Matt Wieters, C (5.129): $7.9MM
- Steve Pearce, 1B/OF (5.116): $2.2MM
- Bud Norris, SP (5.068): $8.7MM
- Tommy Hunter, RP (5.066): $4.4MM
- Chris Davis, 1B (5.061): $11.8MM
- Brian Matusz, RP (4.156): $2.7MM
- Chris Tillman, SP (3.113): $5.4MM
- Miguel Gonzalez, SP (3.107): $3.7MM
- Ryan Flaherty, IF (3.000): $1MM
- Zach Britton, RP (2.158): $3.2MM
- Non-tender candidate: De Aza
Contract Options
- Nick Markakis, OF: $17.5MM mutual option with a $2MM buyout
- Nick Hundley, C: $5MM club option, no buyout
- Wei-Yin Chen, SP: $4.75MM club option with a $372K buyout
- Darren O’Day, RP: $4.25MM club option with a $400K buyout
Free Agents
The Orioles answered one of their biggest offseason questions before the ALCS even began, as the club inked J.J. Hardy to a three-year, $40MM extension. In keeping Hardy in the fold, the Orioles not only ensure their own stability at shortstop, but they also keep a very sought-after player away from potential rivals; the Yankees, for one, were rumored to be interested in Hardy’s services.
With over two-thirds of the roster due for arbitration raises or facing contract options, it’s no surprise that Orioles plan to increase their payroll for 2015. What remains to be seen is if that spending increase leaves room for new players, or simply reflects the fact that key contributors like Chris Tillman, Miguel Gonzalez and Zach Britton are no longer making minimum salaries.
I’d guess that Tillman will be approached about contract extensions this winter, as Dan Duquette will look to achieve some cost-certainty in future years by locking up a pitcher who looks like a key part of Baltimore’s future. The O’s had a similarly large arbitration class last winter, and they responded by trading the biggest projected contract (Jim Johnson) to free up payroll space and discussing extensions with the two players (Chris Davis, Matt Wieters) who projected as long-term pieces. In hindsight, the team benefited by not finalizing those extensions given how Wieters missed most of the season with injury and Davis took a big step back after his mammoth 2013 campaign. I’d expect one-year deals for both players in their third and final arb-eligible seasons, putting Wieters and Davis on pace for free agency in the 2015-16 offseason.
Now that Evan Meek has been outrighted off the Orioles’ 40-man roster, that leaves Baltimore with 11 players arbitration-eligible players this offseason. The only possible non-tender candidate could be Alejandro De Aza, and even he may be retained given the unsettled nature of Baltimore’s 2015 outfield. Matt Swartz projects the O’s will spend $56.9MM on these 11 players; add that to the roughly $43MM owed to six players on multiyear contracts and the $9MM total required for Wei-Yin Chen and Darren O’Day‘s options and the Orioles are now in the $109MM range for 19 players. That’s already more than the $107.46MM the club spent on payroll in 2014, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts.
The Orioles have already addressed their four outstanding club options. Chen and O’Day, as expected, saw their options exercised while Nick Hundley‘s $5MM option was declined (Caleb Joseph is the cheaper backup catcher option for Wieters next season). The O’s also declined their half of Nick Markakis‘ $17.5MM option, and as MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently noted in his Markakis’ Free Agent Profile, declining the option makes it unlikely that the team will extend Markakis a qualifying offer.
In short, the long-time Oriole will be one of the most sought-after outfield bats on the free agent market. If Markakis indeed doesn’t have a qualifying offer tied to him, Adams projects him to receive a four-year, $48MM deal. By contrast, the O’s will make a qualifying offer to Nelson Cruz, which should diminish the slugger’s market a bit, though not to the same level as last winter, when Baltimore was able to sign Cruz to a one-year, $8MM deal that turned into a major bargain. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Cruz finds at least double that amount on his next contract, netting him in the $16MM average annual value range.
Baltimore seems to have made some solid progress in talks with Markakis and at least touched base with Cruz earlier this season, so the club is fully exploring the possibility of re-signing both players. If they feel they have a legitimate shot at bringing both back next year, another payroll-cutting move (such as non-tendering De Aza) would likely be forthcoming.
If both outfielders sign elsewhere, then the O’s have at least one ready corner outfield replacement ready in Steve Pearce. His big 2014 breakout ensures he’ll find an everyday role somewhere on the diamond and he has experience in both LF and RF. Delmon Young is also hitting free agency and could be brought back at a modest price; he could form a righty-lefty platoon with De Aza or David Lough in left field. Lough and De Aza would also expect to see playing time in the outfield even if Cruz or Markakis returns, as either veteran (Cruz especially) would see time at the DH spot.
Pearce’s positional flexibility and the lack of a full-time DH gives the Orioles some options if Cruz and Markakis indeed leave. This is just my speculation, but Adam LaRoche or Michael Cuddyer would be fits as solid veteran bats who can likely be had on short-term contracts. Both players would fill everyday roles, which would allow Buck Showalter to employ more platoon depth elsewhere should Pearce come back down to earth. If the Orioles wanted to go the full-time DH route, they could try to sign Victor Martinez, though his desired four-year contract might be lengthier than the O’s are willing to commit to a 35-year-old.
Around the infield, the O’s seem set with Manny Machado at 3B, Hardy at SS, Jonathan Schoop at 2B and Davis at 1B, though Hardy is the only one who doesn’t have some uncertainty hanging over him headed into next year. Machado has shown he’s one of the game’s top young stars when healthy, though he has undergone two significant knee surgeries in as many years. Schoop flashed some nice defense in his first full big league season, though he’ll be expected to show more at the plate than last year’s .598 OPS in 481 plate appearances.
As for Davis, he went from a 53-homer performance in 2013 to a below-average 94 wRC+ in 2014 and also missed the end of the season after being suspended 25 games for Adderall usage. Davis might be Baltimore’s biggest x-factor for 2015; if he returns to form, the slugger would more than make up for the possible loss of Cruz or Markakis. Then again, for the Orioles to re-sign those two, Davis could become a trade chip in order to free up payroll space. They’d be selling low on Davis, though the first baseman’s 2013 campaign is still fresh enough in everyone’s mind that he’ll draw interest.
The Orioles boasted one of the league’s top bullpens last season, and most of the principals are set to return with Britton closing and O’Day and Tommy Hunter as setup men. The team paid a heavy price (left-handed prospect Eduardo Rodriguez) to obtain Andrew Miller from the Red Sox at the All-Star break, and while Miller pitched very well down the stretch, the high price he’ll command in free agency will likely bring his stint in Baltimore to an end. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the O’s pursue a veteran reliever for depth purposes.
Starting pitching could be the biggest area of surplus for Baltimore since the club has six rotation options (Tillman, Gonzalez, Chen, Bud Norris, Ubaldo Jimenez and Kevin Gausman), top prospect Dylan Bundy on his way back from Tommy John surgery and prospects Mike Wright and Tim Berry knocking on the Major League door for depth purposes. Tillman is the nominal ace, Jimenez is probably unmovable due to his big contract and poor performance last year, and Gausman and Bundy are untouchable as the future of the staff.
This leaves Gonzalez, Chen and Norris as possible trade chips — all solid, unspectacular pitchers with team control (Chen and Norris one year, Gonzalez three years) remaining. Norris is the most expensive, projected to earn $8.7MM in his final arbitration-eligible year. While that’s a reasonable salary for an innings-eater, it might also make him the most expendable for a team that’s looking to free up payroll space.
To speculate about a few possible trade partners looking for pitching, the Rockies and Pirates have a number of young outfielders to offer if the O’s were looking for external solutions to replace Cruz or Markakis. If a bigger-name solution was explored, the Braves could have Justin Upton and Jason Heyward on the market this offseason, though both players are only contracted through 2015 and Atlanta would require more in return than just one of the Gonzalez/Chen/Norris trio. Such teams as the Cubs, Twins, Diamondbacks, Mariners, Rangers and Angels are among the teams who could also be looking to trade for pitching this winter.
It seems contradictory to predict a surprise, yet given Duquette’s track record in Baltimore, expect him to make one under-the-radar acquisition (a la Chen, Gonzalez, Pearce, Young, Jason Hammel or Nate McLouth) that ends up paying big dividends for the Orioles. Making the most of unheralded acquisitions and raising the roster’s talent floor have been big reasons why the O’s are 274-212 with a pair of playoff appearances during Duquette’s regime. Much of the Orioles’ offseason will be shaped by what Cruz and Markakis do, but the club is still in position to contend in 2015.
Yoan Moncada To Hold Showcase
Top young Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada has established residence in Guatemala, where he will have a showcase November 12, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports. Evaluators from all 30 teams are expected to attend. Moncada is petitioning to become an MLB free agent. In June, Sanchez reported that Moncada had left Cuba through legal means.
Unlike many Cuban arrivals, the 19-year-old Moncada will be subject to MLB rules regarding MLB bonus pools. Sanchez notes that it’s not clear whether Moncada plans to sign in the current signing period or wait until next July 2. The Cubs and Rangers, who spent dramatically more than their bonus pools in the 2013-14 signing season, would not be allowed to sign him for more than $250K in the current signing period, while the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays will not be able to sign him for more than $300K starting next summer.
The young shortstop and third baseman has played alongside Jose Abreu, Erisbel Arruebarrena, Raisel Iglesias and other top Cuban players. Sanchez notes that scouts have described Moncada as “the next Jorge Soler.”