Braves Sign Aaron Harang
7:17pm: The Braves have announced that Harang has agreed to a MLB deal with the club.
6:09pm: The Braves have agreed to sign pitcher Aaron Harang, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Atlanta had been rumored to be interested in adding another arm after parting with veteran Freddy Garcia earlier today (per MLB.com's Mark Bowman, on Twitter).
Of course, Harang himself was let go by the Indians just hours ago after requesting his release. The soon-to-be-36-year-old had strong results in the spring, though he threw just 9 innings for Cleveland. Last year, pitching for the Mariners and Mets, Harang posted a 5.40 ERA in 143 1/3 innings. Before that, however, he put up two consecutive seasons of 170+ innings and earned run averages just over 3.60. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, advanced metrics pegged his value somewhere in the middle, with FIP, xFIP, and SIERA marks all falling above 4.00 but below 5.00 over the last three campaigns.
Padres Place Rule 5 Pick Patrick Schuster On Waivers
The Padres have informed Rule 5 selection Patrick Schuster that he will not make the Opening Day roster, reports Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter). This means that Schuster — whose rights were acquired from the Astros via trade — will be offered back to his former club, the Diamondbacks, if he clears waivers.
The 23-year-old lefty was the first overall choice in this year's Rule 5 draft. He has thrown eight spring innings for San Diego, putting up a 2.25 ERA and striking out three against one walk. Nevertheless, he has yet to see any regular-season action above the High-A level. Schuster posted strong numbers there last year with the Diamondbacks organization, throwing to a 1.83 ERA in 44 1/3 frames while striking out 9.1 per nine and walking 3.7 per nine.
With both Schuster and fellow southpaw Tony Sipp getting notice that they would not break camp, it appears that San Diego could start out with just one lefty in its bullpen.
Mariners Release Scott Baker
The Mariners have released Scott Baker after the starter upon his request, reports Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com (via Twitter). The veteran righty was an Article XX(B) free agent.
Baker, 32, has not seen substantial MLB action since 2011, when he threw 134 2/3 innings of 3.14 ERA ball for the Twins. He joins a growing list of available starters who will be looking for new homes before the start of the season. It would appear that the Mariners will choose two of Randy Wolf, Roenis Elias, and Blake Beavan to round out the rotation to start the year.
Pirates Trying To Extend Starling Marte
MONDAY: At least one of the offers that Marte rejected was for six years, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. That contract would have covered the 2015-2020 seasons, buying out two of Marte's free agent years.
SATURDAY: The Pirates are trying to sign outfielder Starling Marte to an extension, but he has declined at least two offers so far, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. Nonetheless, Marte remains open to an extension.
Marte, who has one year and 70 days of service time, is currently eligible for arbitration following the 2015 season and eligible for free agency after 2018. He hit .280/.343/.441 while playing excellent defense in left field in his first full season in 2013. He received a bonus of just $85K upon signing as an amateur and has made salaries near the league minimum since being promoted. He is represented by the Legacy Agency.
The Pirates already have two outfielders, Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata, signed to long-term deals, but Tabata could be a trade candidate and may move to a bench role when the Pirates promote top prospect Gregory Polanco. According to MLBTR's Extension Tracker, Tabata is the most recent outfielder with between one and two years of service time to sign an extension, but Marte is the better player, and Tabata's six-year, $15MM contract was seen as extremely team-friendly from the day it was signed.
In a post from last May examining the possibility of an extension for Marte, we named Denard Span's five-year, $16.5MM deal as a possible precedent for a Marte extension, suggesting that a Marte extension beginning in 2014 might be a bit bigger than that. Based on changes in the extension market since then, though, a Marte extension would probably have to be bigger still. Recent contracts such as that of Julio Teheran (six years, $32.4MM), for example, have changed the market. Like Marte, Teheran had between one and two years of service at the time of his deal.
Red Sox Extend David Ortiz Through 2015
The Red Sox have announced that they've signed David Ortiz to a one-year extension through 2015, with a team/vesting option for 2016 and a team option for 2017. Ortiz will reportedly receive $16MM next year, which (as Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe notes on Twitter) matches the 2015 salary of Mike Napoli, the team's highest-paid player.
The options are designed to change in value based upon playing time (unlike the escalating terms of his prior deal, which were tied to time spent on the DL). For 2016, if Ortiz falls shy of 425 plate appearances the option will be a straight, $10MM club option. If he reaches that mark, the option vests and becomes guaranteed at $11MM. An additional $1MM guarantee is tacked on at each of the following PA thresholds: 475, 525, 550, 575, and 600. For the 2017 option, the value moves in the precisely the same way, except that it has no vesting element.
"With this agreement, we have near certainty that David Ortiz will finish his career in a Red Sox uniform, which is something we have all wanted and that we are all proud of," said Red Sox owner John Henry. "It is difficult to describe David’s contributions to our city both on the field and off the field, and we are so proud to have this ambassador of our game with us as he continues on this road to Cooperstown."
Though he's entering his age-38 season, Ortiz is fresh off yet another outstanding season at the plate in which he batted .300/.395/.564 with 30 homers in 600 plate appearances. Big Papi has been vocal about wanting to work out a one-year extension to remain with the club and has not shied away from telling reporters that he feels he's earned another significant payday as "The Man" in Boston's lineup at an age where many have been reduced to complementary roles. It's hard to argue that Ortiz's production isn't worthy of that salary, as he's been at least 34 percent better than a league-average hitter in each season from 2010-13, according to OPS+ and wRC+.
Via Twitter, ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes was the first to report the two sides had reached agreement on an extension. Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reported that Ortiz would receive $16MM in 2015. FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi tweeted the extension could include a club option for 2016, which would become a vesting player option based on plate appearances. Edes tweeted there was also an option for 2017. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com first tweeted details of the vesting and escalator provisions of the option years, with Alex Speier WEEI.com reporting the full terms of the options.
Steve Adams, Charlie Wilmoth, and Jeff Todd contributed to this post. Photo by USA Today Sports Images.
Geovany Soto Tears Meniscus, Out 10-12 Weeks
Rangers catcher Geovany Soto has torn his lateral meniscus and will miss ten to twelve weeks recovering from surgery, reports Jeff WIlson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). He becomes the latest in a series of Rangers to suffer significant injuries.
With Soto on the shelf, free agent signee J.P. Arencibia figures to handle most of the load in the earlygoing, though manager Ron Washington would not commit to giving the starting nod to the former Blue Jay regular. 29-year-old Robinson Chirinos is the only other player that Texas has under contract who comes with MLB experience (just 90 plate appearances).
With roster decisions being finalized in the coming days, it would not be surprising to find Texas in the market for another backstop. As MLBTR's Charlie Wilmoth wrote in reviewing the club's offseason moves, the veteran-laden club is firmly in win-now mode. The group of catchers was already below average, and now looks like it may well need a new addition.
Alex Colome Suspended For 50 Games
Rays pitcher Alex Colome has been placed on the restricted list after being hit with a 50-game PED suspension, the Commissioner's office announced today (story from MLB.com's Bill Chastain). Colome tested positive for the steroid Boldenone.
The 25-year-old righty had been an important part of the Tampa pitching depth. He was expected to open the year at the Triple-A level, but had been considered a candidate for the fifth rotation spot. Colome was strong last year, throwing 70 1/3 innings of 3.07 ERA ball at the Triple-A level and posting a 2.25 ERA in three big league starts before an elbow strain ended his season.
Landing at the fifth slot on Baseball America's ranking of the club's top prospects heading into the season, Colome is said to have made large strides forward in his command and feel. The hurler's durability is the main concern cited by BA.
Brewers Request Release Waivers On Juan Francisco
The Brewers have requested waivers on corner infielder Juan Francisco for the purpose of his unconditional release, tweets team senior director of media relations Mike Vassallo. Any team claiming Francisco would owe him his $1.35MM salary, though the Brewers are only on the hook for 45 days' pay, around $332K. Francisco's impending departure from the Brewers became known yesterday when they cleared out his locker.
Francisco, 26, hit .227/.296/.422 with 18 home runs in 385 plate appearances for the Braves and Brewers last year, playing first base and third base. A left-handed hitter, Francisco faced righties in 91% of his plate appearances. He joined the Brewers via trade last year in June.
Rather than use Francisco at first base this year, the Brewers will put non-roster invitees Mark Reynolds and Lyle Overbay on the Opening Day roster.
Braves Release Freddy Garcia
The Braves announced today they have given righty Freddy Garcia his unconditional release. Earlier this month, Garcia told MLB.com's Mark Bowman he'd retire rather than return to Triple-A. Garcia pitched in five games this spring, allowing nine earned runs in 17 innings. He would have earned $1.5MM had he made the Braves' Opening Day roster.
Garcia, 37, posted a 4.37 ERA, 5.2 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, 2.02 HR/9, and 41.9% groundball rate in 80 1/3 innings for the Orioles and Braves last year. The Braves lost Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy this year to Tommy John surgery, and have also placed Mike Minor and Gavin Floyd on the DL. Minor and Floyd hope to be activated in April and May, respectively. The Braves seem to be planning to open the season with a four-man rotation of Julio Teheran, Alex Wood, David Hale, and Gus Schlosser, with Ervin Santana joining the mix around the season's second week.
Tigers Sign J.D. Martinez
The Tigers announced they have agreed to terms on a minor league deal with outfielder J.D. Martinez and he has reported to minor league camp. The Astros removed Martinez from their 40-man roster in November, and released him on Saturday.
Martinez, 26, hit .251/.300/.387 in 975 plate appearances for the Astros spanning the 2011-13 seasons. Three years ago, Baseball America ranked Martinez sixth among Astros prospects, suggesting he profiled as a second-division regular. The Tigers can use the depth, having lost Andy Dirks to back surgery possibly until June.