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Alfredo Simon

Alfredo Simon Signs With Long Island Ducks

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The Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks have announced that they’ve signed and activated righty Alfredo Simon (as SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo noted on Twitter). Simon is a client of MVP Sports Group.

The 36-year-old Simon had three successful seasons with the Reds from 2012 through 2014, but struggled in 2015 after heading to Detroit for Eugenio Suarez and a prospect, and was even worse after returning to Cincinnati last season. Simon finished 2016 with a 9.36 ERA, 6.0 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9 over 58 2/3 innings mostly spent in the Reds’ rotation, then had arthroscopic shoulder surgery.

Simon was eligible for free agency last offseason but did not sign, which perhaps isn’t surprising given his 2016 struggles and injury issues. Simon also seemingly has personal baggage — he was accused but ultimately acquitted of involuntary manslaughter in the Dominican Republic in 2011 and settled a civil suit over sexual assault allegations in 2015, although these issues did not seem to have much effect on his ability to find employment before his performance nosedived.

Simon will presumably try to use his stint with the Ducks as a possible springboard to a return to the big leagues. He’ll join a Ducks roster that currently includes former Major Leaguers like Jordan Pacheco, Lew Ford, Marc Krauss, Eury De La Rosa and Chin-hui Tsao, among others.

NL Notes: Pirates, Rockies, Phillies, Reds

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Since the Pirates acquired Ivan Nova from the Yankees prior to the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, the right-hander has unexpectedly performed like a top-of-the-rotation starter. In seven starts and 46 1/3 innings with the Bucs, Nova has recorded a 2.54 ERA while tossing two complete games and amassing 32 strikeouts against a paltry two walks. Part of the reason for Nova’s success is the Pirates’ stadium, PNC Park, he told Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “It’s not like pitching in Baltimore or Boston, Toronto, where the ball flies, or New York. A fly ball, (and) it’s a homer,” said Nova, whose new venue has the largest left field in the majors, per Sawchik. Yankee Stadium, on the other hand, has the league’s shallowest right field and is among its most home run-friendly venues. The change in parks has been timely for Nova, a free agent-to-be who is likely pitching his way to an appreciable raise over his current salary of $4.1MM.

More from the National League:

  • Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich will face several important decisions during the offseason, observes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. In addition to the fate of manager Walt Weiss, whose contract expires at season’s end, Bridich will have to address a few areas on the diamond – including the bullpen and outfield. While the Rockies have a glut of capable outfielders, which might open the door for a trade, they could use more quality relievers to complement the likes of Adam Ottavino and perhaps Boone Logan, who’s an impending free agent. Saunders wonders whether the Rockies will pursue Nationals closer Mark Melancon, a free agent-to-be who’s a Colorado native, but he concedes that the team is unlikely to spend big money on anyone. That should rule out Melancon as a possibility.
  • The Phillies called up two of their top prospects, catcher Jorge Alfaro and outfielder Roman Quinn, before Sunday’s game against the Nationals. Alfaro, whom Baseball America rates as the game’s 67th-best prospect, earned his first promotion in late August, but the Phillies quickly returned him to Double-A Reading before he could debut on the field. The 23-year-old is in his first full season with the Phillies organization after the Rangers traded him in the Cole Hamels deal last summer. He hit .285/.325/.458 with 15 home runs in 435 plate appearances with Reading this year. Also 23, Quinn was in the lineup Sunday. He ranks as the Phillies’ eighth-best prospect, per MLBPipeline.com, and also hadn’t gotten past the Double-A level previously. Quinn batted .287/.361/.441 with six homers and 31 stolen bases in 322 PAs with Reading this season.
  • Reds righty Alfredo Simon will undergo arthroscopic shoulder surgery Tuesday, tweets Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. That ends a miserable campaign for Simon, who posted a 9.36 ERA, 5.98 K/9 and 4.76 BB/9 in 58 2/3 innings. Simon was a highly productive member of the Reds’ pitching staff from 2012-14, when he combined for a 3.16 ERA, 6.16 K/9 and 2.71 BB/9 in 345 frames and even earned an All-Star appearance, but he began falling off last year with the Tigers. The Reds, who acquired infielder Eugenio Suarez from Detroit for Simon in December 2014, brought the 35-year-old back in March on a $2MM salary. He’ll once again hit free agency during the upcoming offseason.

Market Notes: Simon, Lincecum, Harang, Jimenez, Gutierrez, Fernandez

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Before he signed on with the Reds, righty Alfredo Simon drew interest from some other organizations — which helps explains why Cincinnati ultimately gave him a guaranteed $2MM contract. Simon says that the Blue Jays were one team with interest, as MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon tweets. And the Marlins also reached out, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, though the club wasn’t willing to promise that kind of money to the veteran.

Here’s more on some market situations around the game:

  • The Marlins appear unlikely to add Tim Lincecum despite long being said to have interest in the comeback candidate, Jackson adds in the above-linked piece. Miami expects the price will be too steep for him, too. The Fish are not being particularly aggressive in attempting to fill in for injured reliever Carter Capps, Jackson adds.
  • Righty Aaron Harang is “not planning to pitch this season,” according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link), though he’s also apparently not quite ready to sign his retirement papers. Harang is leaving open the possibility that he’ll change his mind, per the report. That could suggest that the 37-year-old would entertain an appealing opportunity, but he presumably wasn’t interested in taking a minor league offer to compete for a job in camp. Harang had a tough season last year with the Phillies, but is only one campaign removed from posting a 3.57 ERA over 204 1/3 frames for the Braves.
  • The Astros are among a few clubs taking a look at out-of-options Blue Jays catcher A.J. Jimenez, the Houston Chronicle’s Jose de Jesus Ortiz reports (via Twitter). Jimenez, 25, hasn’t yet cracked the majors and hasn’t done much at the plate in the upper minors while dealing with a string of injuries. But he’s a former top-30 Baseball America organizational prospect, and is said to be a high-quality defender. Houston, of course, has a need with Max Stassi sidelined by wrist surgery, and Toronto doesn’t appear to have any inclination to put Jimenez onto the active roster.
  • Cuban free agent Vladimir Gutierrez has re-established some of his lost sheen with an impressive recent showcase outing, Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper reports (subscription required and recommended). The 20-year-old has gone unsigned despite his strong prospect pedigree, with Cooper explaining that he’s churned through three agencies while struggling to show the same ability that first drew scouts to him in his homeland. In his most recent outing, Gutierrez touched the mid-90s with his fastball, showed a return to his typically excellent curve, and even demonstrated progress with his change, according to the report. He remains eligible to sign at any time, though he will still be subject to international bonus pools.
  • Speaking of international matters, the Padres have long been expected to make some big investments in the coming months. Cuban second baseman Jose Fernandez may well be a leading name that will head to San Diego, according to a recent report from Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com (Twitter link). Fernandez reportedly left the island in search of a major league opportunity, though he has apparently not yet been granted free agency. Of course, recent rule changes could significantly impact his timeline. Fernandez, 27, is viewed as being more or less ready for major league action, and he could constitute a significant near and long-term addition for a Padres organization that lacks much certainty in the infield.

Reds To Sign Alfredo Simon To Major League Deal

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1:15pm: MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon reports that Simon receives a $2MM base salary on the deal and can take home another $1.5MM worth of incentives (Twitter link).

11:01am: The Reds and right-hander Alfredo Simon are in agreement on a Major League contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The MVP Sports client will return to the Reds, where he pitched from 2012-14 before being traded to the Tigers in exchange for Eugenio Suarez and minor league righty Jonathon Crawford.

Alfredo Simon

Simon, 35 in May, tallied 345 innings and a 3.16 ERA in his three years with the Reds, averaging 6.3 strikeouts and 2.7 walks per nine innings pitched to go along with a 48.5 percent ground-ball rate. Simon spent the first two years of his Reds tenure in the bullpen, but he made the jump to the rotation in 2014 and yielded better results than perhaps even the most optimistic expectations could’ve predicted. Simon made the first All-Star team of his career at the age of 33 that season, pitching to a 3.44 ERA in 196 2/3 innings. The outstanding work was enough to pique the Tigers’ trade interest and convince Detroit to cede a pair of intriguing young players for the final year of Simon’s club control.

Simon’s excellent season in ’14, though, looked to be largely smoke and mirrors, even at the time. The veteran benefited greatly from a minuscule .232 BABIP and 85 percent strand rate in the first half — neither of which appeared to make his 2.70 first-half ERA sustainable. That production did indeed prove too much to maintain, as Simon’s BABIP regressed to .309 in the second half, and his ERA after the break was a more pedestrian 4.52.

None of that, however, is to say that Simon can’t provide on-field value to the Reds’ pitching staff in 2016. (His off-field history, on the other hand, is a separate and lengthy issue.) The right-hander struggled to a 5.05 ERA with the Tigers last season, but that was partly due to a dip in strikeout rate and an increased walk rate. A move back to the NL could aid both of those factors, and despite the lackluster ERA, it has to be noted that Simon still racked up 187 innings in the Detroit rotation in what was another healthy year in the rotation. Making roughly 30 starts and delivering an ERA in the low- to mid-4.00 range would still be a boost to an uncertain Reds staff.

Indeed, Cincinnati has upside but also plenty of question marks beyond right-handers Anthony DeSclafani and Raisel Iglesias, so there’s certainly cause to add some depth in the form of Simon. While the club has a number of interesting young arms — Robert Stephenson, Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb, Michael Lorenzen and Cody Reed, to name a few — it’s difficult to rely on such an unproven mix to round out the rotation. That’s especially true in light of a UCL sprain for Lorenzen and a delayed start to the year for Lamb, who is recovering from offseason back surgery. The Reds, of course, also have veteran Homer Bailey on the mend from Tommy John surgery, but he figures to miss at least a couple of months this season as he works his way back, so there’s no telling exactly how many innings the club can receive from him.

Simon’s late start might mean that he won’t quite be ready to step into the Opening Day rotation, but even if that’s the case, it’s easy enough to see him jumping into the starting mix by the middle of next month and providing a stabilizing presence to an otherwise youthful staff. The Reds needn’t make a 40-man roster move to accommodate the addition of Simon, as that roster will stand at just 39 players, even after Simon’s return is finalized.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Marlins Still Interested In Veteran Starter

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JAN. 21: In addition to the names mentioned yesterday, right-hander Kyle Lohse is also a consideration for the Marlins, Heyman tweets. The 37-year-old Lohse’s name has scarcely been mentioned this winter, as the veteran struggled through one of the worst seasons of his career in 2015, posting a 5.85 ERA in 152 1/3 innings. Lohse displayed solid (albeit somewhat diminished) control and didn’t see any sort of dip in velocity, but he was plagued by a decreased strand rate and spikes in his homer-to-flyball rate and BABIP.

JAN. 20: The Marlins still have interest in adding a veteran starter, as Jon Heyman notes on Twitter and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported this morning. Doug Fister and Alfredo Simon are possible names under consideration, as are rehabbing hurlers Cliff Lee and Tim Lincecum.

Certainly, those pitchers represent two of the most accomplished veteran bounceback candidates who remain on the market. Fister and Mat Latos have long been considered the class of the rebound hopefuls, but it seems safe to say the latter won’t be coming back to Miami after his brief run there in 2015.

We haven’t heard much on Simon this winter, but Fister is said to be seeking a two-year deal in the $22MM range. Drawing either pitcher will likely require not only some guaranteed money, but also an appealing opportunity.

It’s not clear how far the Fish will extend themselves to bring in another option, and Jackson suggests that the ballclub is looking for a low-cost investment. If that doesn’t happen, he says, then the organization is prepared to move on with what it has.

That makes sense, as Miami has already added a veteran pitcher in Edwin Jackson who’s had success in the past but needed an opportunity in the present. Obviously, the signing of Wei-Yin Chen went a long way toward shoring up the top of the staff. And the team still has a solid inventory of internal depth options.

Tigers Notes: Closers, Rondon, Simon

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Manager Brad Ausmus says he thinks GM Al Avila will try to acquire a closer this winter, MLive.com’s Chris Iott writes. “I would think we would,” says Ausmus. “That would definitely be high on the priority list. It’s a lot easier to say it’s high on the priority list. It’s a lot harder to do.” The Tigers traded Joakim Soria to the Pirates earlier this season and have tried a variety of other pitchers at closer, without much success. Their bullpen has been a significant problem all season, posting a 4.41 ERA that ranks fourth-worst in the big leagues. Here’s more out of Detroit.

  • Included on that list of unsuccessful Tigers closers is Bruce Rondon, who produced a 5.81 ERA, 10.5 K/9 and 5.5 BB/9 before being sent home two weeks ago due to his “effort level.” Rondon won’t be guaranteed a spot in the Tigers’ 2016 bullpen. Iott notes (via Twitter) that the Tigers didn’t use an option on Rondon this season, so he has two remaining. Reserve catcher Bryan Holaday is, however, out of options.
  • Tigers starter Alfredo Simon says he has struggled with a knee injury for most of the year, MLB.com’s Jason Beck tweets. He will have a platelet rich plasma injection today. Via Iott (on Twitter), Simon is interested in staying with the Tigers for 2016. Simon is headed toward free agency after a season in which he’s produced a 5.05 ERA, 5.6 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 187 innings in Detroit. He might have gotten a significant free agent deal had he been eligible last winter, when he was coming off a strong season with the Reds, but at 34 and after a mediocre season, that now seems unlikely.

Quick Hits: Heyward, Red Sox, Utley, Reds

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Jason Heyward’s well-rounded game might best be appreciated by the “data-driven organization” that has watched him all season, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes.  This might be why the Cardinals could go into team-record contract territory to re-sign Heyward this winter, and the club is indeed interested in bringing him back “though they recognize it might take another team (or more) to help frame negotiations.”  Goold writes that the Cards are open to the idea of including an opt-out clause in Heyward’s deal, which would allow the 26-year-old to potentially return to the open market in four or five seasons and score another big contract.

Here’s the latest from around baseball as we head into the last week of the regular season…

  • Heyward, for his part, tells Goold that how the Cardinals view players “is ideal for a player like myself….I’€™m trying to do anything to win and people see that. That’€™s what they care about. They’re not looking at overall statistics. There are a few (teams) that would fit me, and here is one of them. That stands out. For me, it stands out especially.”
  • Dave Dombrowski has retained many members of the Red Sox front office staff, which Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com writes was contrary to the public perception that Dombrowski was going to “blow up the organization” and restaff it with past colleagues.  Instead, Dombrowski has made a few changes (perhaps most notably the hiring of Frank Wren as a senior VP of baseball ops) but has mostly kept the well-regarded Sox personnel in place.  Promoting Mike Hazen from assistant GM to general manager underscores this continuity.
  • Chase Utley has been getting some time at third base for the Dodgers, which JP Hoornstra of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin notes both helps the Dodgers depth-wise and could help the veteran continue his career as a utility infielder in future seasons.
  • A reader asked John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (on Twitter) if the Reds might pursue Alfredo Simon as a free agent innings eater.  Fay doesn’t see the team going down that path, but he thinks that they could consider Bronson Arroyo, another former Red, in a similar role.  After missing all of 2015 recovering from Tommy John surgery, Arroyo will likely have his 2016 option bought out by the Dodgers and he’ll be available on the open market.

Central Notes: Bruce, Benoit, Tigers, Cardinals

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Reds outfielder Jay Bruce is as “as good a bet as anyone” on the team to be dealt, team sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. That is rather a notable viewpoint given the club’s nice collection of even shorter-term assets. Bruce, 28, is controllable for three more years (the last via option), though Rosenthal adds that he rebuffed two offers of a second extension last year. It’s hard to gauge Bruce’s trade value given his rough 2014 and slow start to this season, but he’s bounced back nicely of late. Bruce is neither old nor expensive, offers an established power bat, and has at times graded rather well on defense and on the basepaths.

  • We’ve heard suggestions that the Twins could be looking at bullpen upgrades, and Rosenthal confirms that is Minnesota’s focus. One player the team could pursue is Padres righty Joaquin Benoit, per the report. The righty has been a consistent producer for some time now, and can be controlled for 2016 through a team option.
  • The Tigers should look to take out two needs with one move, argues Chris Iott of MLive.com. Dealing for a starter while shifting Alfredo Simon to the pen would upgrade both sides of the staff, suggests Iott.
  • While the Cardinals still have some padding, their NL Central lead is beginning to dwindle. Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch argues that St. Louis is in need of a move or two to capitalize on its nice first half. Miklasz says it’s time to add some punch to the lineup, noting that first base is the obvious area for an acquisition with Matt Adams out.
  • Miklasz does mention the possibility of shifting well-regarded outfield prospect Stephen Piscotty to first, and indeed colleague Derrick Goold indicates on Twitter that Piscotty could soon get a shot in the big leagues. The 24-year-old was nearly called up on Tuesday, and will now spend time at first at Triple-A to get ready for just that possibility. In his second run through Memphis this year, Piscotty owns a .270/.362/.471 slash with 10 home runs over 340 plate appearances. He has walked 41 times while making just 52 outs via strikeout.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Mets, Tigers, Yankees, Coghlan

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The Mets appear to be keeping tabs on Brewers third baseman Aramis Ramirez and shortstop Jean Segura, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports in his latest video. Of the two, Ramirez is the more practical target for New York. He is expected to retire after the season and does not have a no-trade clause. The Mets are also interested in Ben Zobrist, but they believe other teams will outbid them.

  • The Tigers may not need to buy at the trade deadline due to the impending returns of Justin Verlander, Victor Martinez, Bruce Rondon, and Alex Avila. The lineup has struggled to push runs across the plate, but they lead the AL in OBP. When asked by Rosenthal, GM Dave Dombrowski said there are no scenarios under which the club could become deadline sellers. That means David Price, Yoenis Cespedes, and Alfredo Simon are unlikely to be traded.
  • The Yankees rotation may not be a priority at the trade deadline if the current starters remain healthy. In addition to the current options, Ivan Nova will begin a rehab assignment soon. Prospects Luis Severino and Bryan Mitchell provide further depth. The club could still acquire a star like Cole Hamels, but GM Brian Cashman says some of their top prospects are untouchable.
  • The easiest position for the Cubs to upgrade is left field. Chris Coghlan is hitting just .224/.298/.421 on the season. An unusually low .245 BABIP explains his low average. The club could hope for BABIP regression or replace him in one of several ways. They could trade for somebody like Zobrist. Alternatively, Javier Baez could be promoted to man third base with Kris Bryant moving to the outfield.

Tigers Avoid Arb With Price, Simon, Martinez

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5:52pm: Martinez will earn $3MM, Perchick tweets.

4:04pm: The club has announced that it has a one-year deal in place with J.D. Martinez, too, leaving only Al Alburquerque among Tigers arb eligibles. Financial terms remain unknown.

1:28pm: Alfredo Simon has also avoided arbitration with Detroit, settling on a $5.55MM salary for 2015 — his final year of team control — according to Mike Perchick of WAPT (Twitter link). He’d been projected at $5.1MM.

12:04pm: The Tigers and left-hander David Price have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a whopping $19.75MM salary for the ace’s final year of team control, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Price’s salary tops the $18.9MM projection of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz by about $900K.

Price’s salary is a record-breaker for a starting pitcher in arbitration, topping the mark set just last winter by his now-former teammate Max Scherzer, who earned a $15.25MM sum. The former No. 1 overall pick split the season between the Rays and Detroit following a last-minute three-team trade on the day of the trade deadline, in which Nick Franklin, Drew Smyly and Willy Adames went to the Rays, with Price heading to the Tigers and Austin Jackson going to the Mariners. In total, Price put together another dominant season, compiling a 3.26 ERA while leading the league in innings pitched (248 1/3) and strikeouts (271).

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