AL East Notes: Murphy, Blue Jays, Price, Rays
Recently demoted Yankees catcher J.R. Murphy is garnering a lot of trade interest, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (on Twitter). The 23-year-old Murphy batted .286/.308/.365 in 65 plate appearances for the Yanks this season and enjoyed a solid minor league season in 2013, hitting .269/.347/.426 between Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wikes-Barre. However, the Yankees’ offseason signing of Brian McCann to a five-year deal makes it unlikely that he’ll have an everyday spot with the club in the long-term.
Here’s more from the AL East…
- Though there’s been a great deal of focus on the the Blue Jays‘ search for pitching upgrades, GM Alex Anthopoulos tells Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker of 590 The Fan in Toronto that he has had active discussions to bring in an everyday infielder as well (via Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith). Anthopoulos spoke candidly about the fact that eliminating the current infield platoon would free up some bench flexibility. He added that carrying three catchers, as the club is currently doing, is far from an ideal scenario.
- In his latest Fangraphs On FOX article, Dave Cameron examines the trade market for David Price and wonders if the Rays‘ ace might end up being traded twice in the next year. Cameron notes that a number of big-spending clubs aren’t ideal fits due to sharing a division with Tampa, a poor farm system or a poor rank within the standings. As such, he speculates that a lower budget team (listing the A’s as an example) could acquire Price to fuel their 2014 World Series chances, then look to flip him in the offseason to recoup some of the prospect value lost in acquiring Price and his likely $18-20MM salary in 2015.
- ESPN’s Jim Bowden speculates on the five most likely teams to trade for Price, listing the Angels, Blue Jays, White Sox, Yankees and Braves. Bowden runs down trade scenarios for each team within his Insider-only piece. From my point of view, the Halos don’t have the prospects to land Price, while the White Sox are a long-shot because the required prospect package goes against GM Rick Hahn’s long-term plan for the team.
- In attempting to paint an accurate picture of what next year’s Rays roster could look like, Cork Gaines of RaysIndex lists Price, Desmond Jennings, Ben Zobrist, Matt Joyce and Jeremy Hellickson as potential trade chips either at this summer’s deadline or in the offseason. Jennings will see his price tag go up in arbitration, Gaines explains, and the potential emergence of Kevin Kiermaier could make him expendable. Of course, that would likely only be the case were Kiermaier to prove himself over a larger sample than 74 big league PAs.
Samardzija Rejected New Extension Offer From Cubs
5:45pm: Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reports that Samardzija rejected a five-year offer that was worth slightly more than $85MM (Twitter link).
WEDNESDAY, 4:48pm: Jon Heyman of CBS Sports also hears that the Cubs have made a new five-year offer to Samardzjia, but he says the number is “definitely not in the vicinity” of Bailey’s $105MM guarantee and could be more in the $75-80MM range. Samardzija and his agents have not countered the offer, he adds.
Heyman notes that some Cubs people have spoken optimistically about trading Samardzija, only to sign him in a year and a half when he reaches the free agent market. Given Samardzija’s prioritization of winning, the Cubs would likely need to experience a drastic turnaround in 2015 to make that scenario plausible.
TUESDAY: Though most of the rumors surrounding Jeff Samardzija of late have understandably pertained to possible trade destinations, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Cubs are making a late push to extend their ace. Wittenmyer hears from multiple sources that the Cubs have offered Samardzija a new extension that would keep him in Chicago through 2019. While that contract length is the same as the previous five-year deals Chicago has offered, Wittenmyer says the new offer is for a higher guaranteed number than the previous $60-65MM figure that was proposed.
One source tells Wittenmyer that Samardzija would require something in the vicinity of the $17.5MM annual value that Homer Bailey received on his six-year, $105MM extension with the Reds. That deal, of course, essentially boiled down to a five-year, $95MM extension, as Bailey was already likely to earn about $10MM via arbitration in 2014.
Multiple sources also indicated to Wittenmyer that “at least” two teams, including the Blue Jays, have already had preliminary talks with the Cubs about Samardzija and exchanged potential names that could change hands. He adds that contenders that are looking for starting pitching this summer “still believe Samardzija is firmly on the market.”
A midseason extension for Samardzija certainly wouldn’t be unheard of; Cole Hamels was thought to be a trade candidate for a potentially rebuilding Phillies club in 2012, but Philadelphia instead inked him to a six-year, $144MM extension. Matt Cain signed a five-year extension that guaranteed him $112.5MM in new money shortly after the onset of the 2012 season, which could be a potential talking point in negotiations for Samardzija. That contract, however, was worked out entering Cain’s contract year, while Samardzija has one-and-a-half years of control remaining.
The Cubs are reportedly gauging the market value of Jason Hammel, Edwin Jackson and Jake Arrieta in addition to Samardzija — perhaps in an effort to assess what they can pull in via trade should they lock up their most valuable trade chip long-term rather than ship him elsewhere for what would surely be an impressive haul of prospects. Given Samardzija’s excellent season to date and the fact that he is controlled through 2015, it’s hard to envision the Cubs getting anything less than the package they received for two months of Matt Garza last summer. In my estimation, a team would have to top that package — C.J. Edwards, Mike Olt, Justin Grimm and Neil Ramirez — in order to pry Samardzija away from Chicago.
In 91 innings this season, Samardzija has pitched to a 2.77 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and a 50.2 percent ground-ball rate. Both the walk rate and ground-ball rate would represent the best full-season marks of his career, should he maintain them. Sabermetric ERA estimators love Samardzija’s work even more than usual, as FIP pegs him at 2.95, xFIP at 3.27 and SIERA at 3.39.
Mariners To Sign Alex Jackson
5:23pm: Jackson and the Mariners have agreed to a bonus of $4.2MM, reports MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo (on Twitter).
That bonus is $624,100 over slot and should put the Mariners $317,100 over their allotted bonus pool. Seattle will have to pay a 75 percent luxury tax that comes out to $237,825, but the team will not have to forfeit any future draft picks because of the bonus.
4:08pm: The Mariners and first-round selection Alex Jackson have agreed to terms, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (on Twitter). Callis isn’t sure of the exact bonus terms at this time, but he notes that the bonus will pay the high school catcher/outfielder north of $4MM. That’s well north of the $3,575,900 pick value with the No. 6 overall selection, but as Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune recently explained, the Mariners can spend $4,221,295 without losing a pick in next year’s draft. A bonus north of $4MM will subject them to a 75 percent overage tax on their bonus pool, however, as the max they could have spent without incurring overage penalties was $3,882,900 (also per Dutton).
Jackson’s power potential and advanced hit tool have led most to consider him the best bat in the 2014 draft class. Both Baseball America and MLB.com ranked Jackson as the No. 4 prospect in this year’s draft class, while ESPN’s Keith Law ranked him fifth. Jackson had been committed to Oregon and is advised by Scott Boras.
All three scouting reports on Jackson rave about his hitting prowess, with MLB.com noting that he could hit north of .280 in the Majors and BA adding that he has the potential for plus-plus power. Jackson’s arm is also regarded as a plus tool, and it plays well behind the plate, where Law notes he has pop times in the 1.8-1.9 second range. However, all three note that Jackson’s receiving and blocking skills need work. The consensus is that he’s athletic enough to be a solid defender in right field, and he could be fast-tracked to the Majors by being shifted to the outfield, but he could become a serviceable defender behind the dish with more work and more development time. Obviously, he’d have more value to the Mariners if he could reach the Majors as a catcher, though the team does have a promising young backstop in the form of 2012 No. 3 overall selection Mike Zunino.
The Mariners have already signed the remainder of their picks within the top 10 rounds, so they needn’t worry that going well over-slot on Jackson could have ramifications further down their draft board.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dustin Moseley To Work Out For Teams Next Week
Right-hander Dustin Moseley has recovered from shoulder surgery that sidelined him for the majority of the 2012 season and all of 2013, and he will audition for teams next Tuesday, MLBTR has learned.
Now 32 years of age, Moseley hasn’t appeared since injuring his shoulder in his lone start of the 2012 season. He originally underwent shoulder surgery late in what had been a solid 2011 campaign before re-injuring the joint and undergoing a second operation to repair his labrum and rotator cuff. With the Padres in 2011, Moseley tossed a career-high 120 innings and posted a 3.30 ERA with 4.8 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 49.5 percent ground-ball rate.
Moseley, a client of Frontline Athlete Management, has never been one to light up radar guns (career average of 89.3 mph on his fastball) or miss many bats (career 5.0 K/9), but he’s averaged just 2.9 walks per nine innings in his career and posted a strong ground-ball rate of 47.8 percent. Overall, the former supplemental-round draft pick has a 4.67 ERA in 358 1/3 innings between the Angels, Yankees and Padres. He was originally drafted by the Reds with the 34th pick in the 2000 draft as compensation for losing Juan Guzman to free agency.
Nationals To Sign Third-Rounder Jakson Reetz
The Nationals have agreed to a $800K deal with third-round choice Jakson Reetz, reports MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). Reetz was taken with the 93rd overall pick, which came with a $567,300 slot allocation.
Callis labels Reetz the best all-around high school catcher that was available in the draft. Indeed, he and MLB.com colleague Jonathan Mayo rated him at the 40th slot on their overall board, just beneath the 38th-overall placement of ESPN.com’s Keith Law. Meanwhile, Baseball America had him somewhat further down its list, in the 62nd position. According to Baseball America’s assessment, Reetz features a quick, strong bat, good athleticism, and average power. As a defender, he shows good all-around skills behind the dish but could also play in the outfield or even pitch.
Drawing Reetz away from the University of Nebraska required the Nats to go $232.7K over slot. The organization entered the draft with up to $5,725,700 in available pool space. Washington has yet to agree with multiple choices, including 18th overall selection Erick Fedde and second-rounder Andrew Suarez. According to the MLB.com bonus tracker, the team has saved $236.4K on fifth-rounder Drew Van Orden, $114.8K on seventh-round choice D.K. Carey, and $107.6K on tenth-rounder Matthew Page.
Indians Designate Josh Outman For Assignment
The Indians have designated lefty Josh Outman for assignment, reports MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian (via Twitter). Outman came to Cleveland before the season in exchange for outfielder Drew Stubbs.
Outman, 29, carries a 3.28 ERA through 24 2/3 innings, but that mark may not tell the whole story. He has struck out 8.8 per nine, in line with his career averages, but has also walked a personal-worst 5.8 batters for every nine innings. Indeed, FIP (5.20), xFIP (4.36), and SIERA (4.16) all cast a shadow on his work this year — quite the opposite of the situation last year, when his 4.33 ERA appeared somewhat unlucky. He suffered perhaps his roughest outing of the year yesterday, giving up two earned on two hits and two walks.
Nevertheless, as teams look to shore up their relief corps over the summer, Outman could receive a good bit of attention. He certainly has done a solid enough job against same-handed hitters, holding opposing southpaws to a .180/.293/.380 line in 58 total plate appearances. Most of the damage has come from right-handed batters, who have touched Outman for a .296/.404/.523 line in the 52 times he has taken the hill against them.
Wolf Elects Free Agency; Evans Accepts Assignment
We’ll keep track of the day’s minor moves right here:
- Pitcher Randy Wolf has cleared outright waivers and elected free agency, reports MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro (via Twitter). The 37-year-old southpaw ultimately threw 25 2/3 frames for Miami, working to a 5.26 ERA and registering 19 strikeouts against just six walks. He will now look for his fourth organization of the season.
- Outrighted on Monday, Diamondbacks corner infielder/outfielder Nick Evans has decided to accept his assignment rather than electing free agency, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. The 28-year-old saw only 11 plate appearances with Arizona, but managed a home run in his only hit. It was his first taste of the big leagues since a run of partial-season action with the Mets between 2008-11. Evans has been enjoying his finest season at Triple-A, and he will return to a .335/.393/.641 triple-slash.
- MLBTR’s DFA Tracker shows only two players in limbo, each of whom was designated yesterday: Grady Sizemore (Red Sox) and Josh Stinson (Orioles).
Marlins To Sign Brad Penny
The Marlins have agreed to a minor league deal with pitcher Brad Penny, reports Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (Twitter links). Penny is represented by Jonathan Maurer and Millenium Sports Management.
If the 36-year-old righty can return to the big leagues, he will make a prorated $800K salary. Should he not receive a call-up by July 31, he will be able to exercise an opt-out clause, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. Cotillo adds that the incentives could drive the deal into seven figures.
Penny started a comeback attempt with the Royals over the spring, but he and Kansas City reportedly agreed to a release when it became clear that he would not make the team’s Opening Day Roster. In four Spring Training frames, Penny allowed 13 hits (including two long balls) and seven earned runs.
Of course, Penny started his career with the then-Florida Marlins back in 2000. At his best, in 2007 with the Dodgers, Penny tossed 208 innings of 3.03 ERA ball. He last featured as a starter in the bigs in 2011, working to a 5.30 ERA in 181 2/3 frames. Penny threw 28 innings out of the bullpen for the Giants in 2012, posting a 6.11 ERA and striking out only 3.2 batters per nine innings.
Red Sox Release Grady Sizemore
TODAY: Boston has given Sizemore his release, reports Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal (via Twitter).
YESTERDAY: The Red Sox have designated outfielder Grady Sizemore for assignment, reports Alex Speier of WEEI.com (via Twitter). Third baseman Garin Cecchini will take his spot on the active roster.
Sizemore’s remarkable comeback story captured plenty of attention around the game. Once among baseball’s brightest talents, he had not played since 2011 due to a series of injuries. Sizemore defied the odds, breaking camp with Boston and showing flashes suggesting that he could return to a very high level of play.
The 31-year-old has not managed to maintain his early show of promise, however, and currently owns a .216/.288/.324 line (with two home runs and five stolen bases) through 205 plate appearances. UZR and DRS were both down on his work in center field, though saw him as a much more effective option in left. In the aggregate, Sizemore was worth a disappointing -0.4 fWAR. At the height of his powers, in the mid-2000s, he was putting up six or more wins above replacement on an annual basis.
Ultimately, Sizemore will earn a total of $1.25MM for his time with the Red Sox, tweets Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal. Under the incentive provisions of his deal, Sizemore could have earned up to $6MM, but he reached only his first active roster milestone and fell 20 plate appearances shy of triggering his first plate appearance bonus.
Meanwhile, this is the second time up this year for Cecchini. He seems somewhat unlikely to have a permanent home on the active roster, with the Sox having inked Stephen Drew to play short and shifted Xander Bogaerts to third.
NL Notes: Samardzija, Arroyo, Phillies, Marlins
The latest trade deadline news and rumors out of the National League …
- Even as the team explores the possibility of an extension, the Cubs are still indicating to other clubs that top starter Jeff Samardzija is available, reports Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. As Wittenmyer notes, Chicago engaged in “lukewarm final talks” with Matt Garza last year prior to dealing him away.
- We heard last night that the Blue Jays were keeping a close eye on Samardzija. Further reports indicate that, unsurprisingly, they were not alone in watching his start last night. The Giants took a look, according to a tweet from Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, as did the Royals, per Jon Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Also present, albeit with unknown targets in their sights, were scouts for the Angels, Indians, and Reds, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
- Diamondbacks starter Bronson Arroyo has a sprained UCL and is now on the DL for the first time in his career, reports Steve Gilbert of MLB.com (Twitter links). Though the current plan is for Arroyo to rest for about ten days, the injury certainly throws some uncertainty into his potential status as a trade candidate this summer. Arroyo’s calling cards, of course, are his remarkable durability and consistency. The injury suggests a potentially increased risk for a pitcher who is 37 years old, has 3,469 2/3 professional innings on his right arm, and is owed not only the rest of a $9.5MM salary for this year but also $14MM in future guarantees.
- Phillies president David Montgomery says that he is confident in GM Ruben Amaro Jr. and his staff, reports Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I just believe that group of people gave us the successful period we had,” Montgomery said. “They had different roles in it. I know people focus on Ruben’s role having changed vis-a-vis 2009 vs. 2008. … [Y]ou have to look at the whole body of work. Have we been served well? My answer to that is yes.” Regarding the team’s operating strategy, he said that it will continue to “pay attention to both today and tomorrow, and to do what’s right in both cases.”
- While it remains unclear whether the Phillies would be willing to deal either or both of their veteran middle infielders (Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins), or if the players would in turn be amenable to waiving their no-trade protection, it is also worth considering what kind of value they might bring back. “I don’t know if some of those guys will get you enough in return to warrant making the trade,” an American League executive told the Inquirer’s Bob Brookover. The unnamed exec did indicate that some teams may be willing to look past the negative clubhouse reputation of closer Jonathan Papelbon, whose strong performance to date could make it possible for the Phils to offload him and save some future cash.
- The Marlins are open to dealing for rotation help, but will first explore internal solutions, reports Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. Miami just promoted youngsters Andrew Heaney and Anthony DeSclafani. If the club does ultimately consider dealing away close-to-the-bigs talent in exchange for an established starter, Frisaro says that it would likely aim for a player that it can control beyond the season. He floats the possibility that the Fish could dangle infield prospect Derek Dietrich, who offers intriguing left-handed power.