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Bobby Abreu

Mets Interested In Bobby Abreu

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Though Bobby Abreu was released by the Phillies after failing to make their 25-man roster, he may not have to stray from the NL East to find his next job. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports (via Twitter) that the Mets are interested in adding the veteran outfielder on a minor league deal to serve as outfield depth.

ESPN's Jayson Stark reported recently that Abreu would seek a Major League deal with another club upon learning that he hadn't made the Phils' big league squad, but it's unclear if such an opportunity will present itself. The 40-year-old Abreu slashed .244/.404/.366 in Spring Training with Philadelphia and is coming off a big season in the Venezuelan Winter League in which he batted .322/.416/.461 in the league's regular season. He then went on a more impressive tear in the league's postseason, clubbing eight home runs in 15 games.

Abreu has a career .873 OPS in 9926 plate appearances at the Major League level, and he last appeared in the bigs with the Dodgers in 2012, batting .246/.361/.344 in 230 trips to the plate.

Phillies Release Bobby Abreu

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The Phillies have released outfielder Bobby Abreu, tweets Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. Abreu is pursuing an opportunity with another team, Salisbury adds.

The 40-year-old joined the Phillies on a minor league deal after a strong run through the Venezuelan Winter League. He had agreed to push back the date on his opt-out clause with the team to Sunday, but the Phils decided to let him pursue an alternative opportunity after deciding that he would not make the Opening Day roster. Abreu has a .244/.404/.366 line in 52 spring plate appearances, his first in a big league uniform since 2012.

Phillies Notes: Abreu, Izturis, NL East

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Here's the latest from the City Of Brotherly Love…

  • Bobby Abreu is looking for a Major League opportunity with another team, ESPN's Jayson Stark reports.  Abreu was told earlier today that he wasn't going to make the Phillies' Opening Day roster and thus it seems like just a matter of time before Abreu opts out of his minor league deal with the team.  The veteran outfielder has until Sunday to do so, as Abreu and the Phils agreed to push his opt-out date to the 31st.
  • The Phillies aren't in on Cesar Izturis, CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury reports (via Twitter).  Izturis opted out of his minor league deal with the Astros on Monday after being told he wasn't going to make Houston's Opening Day roster.  Philadelphia is in the market for a utility infielder who can play shortstop, as Freddy Galvis to a MRSA infection, Kevin Frandsen opted out of his contract after being outrighted and the club released Ronny Cedeno.
  • With so many talented young arms filling the major and minor league rotations of the other four NL East teams, "one wonders if the Phillies aren’t years from serious contention," Peter Gammons writes in his latest piece for GammonsDaily.com.  The Phillies' thin farm system has put them behind their division rivals in terms of developing young talent, and Gammons feels it will be "a far, far more difficult climb for the Phillies than when they were assembling that extraordinary 2007-2012 team."

Quick Hits: Sanit, Abreu, Carroll

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When the Rangers face the Quintana Roo Tigers of the Mexican League in Texas Thursday night, former Yankees hurler Amauri Sanit will be the opposing pitcher. As Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News notes, the 34-year-old left Cuba in 2006, then spent two years in Central America before signing with the Yankees. He signed with the Yankees in 2008, then spent several years making his way through the minors, partially as a closer, before pitching in four games with the Yankees in 2011. He ended up with Quintana Roo in 2012, and after two seasons there, he'll be back in the United States, pitching against a big-league team. Here are more notes from throughout the big leagues.

  • The Phillies have announced that veteran outfielder Bobby Abreu will not make their team out of spring training. GM Ruben Amaro says that Abreu is still with the Phillies organization and is "weighing his options," MLB.com's Todd Zolecki tweets. Abreu, 40, hit .263/.429/.395 this spring, but he struggled defensively, and he hasn't appeared in the big leagues since 2012 with the Angels and Dodgers.
  • Infielder Jamey Carroll was released by the Nationals yesterday, but the veteran infielder would like to keep playing, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets. Carroll, 40, hit .211/.267/.251 in 249 plate appearances with the Twins and Royals last season.

Phillies, Abreu Delay Opt-Out Clause

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The Phillies have agreed with outfielder Bobby Abreu to push back his opt-out date from tomorrow until this coming Sunday, reports CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury (via Twitter). The move, of course, was designed to give the team more time to evaluate its options with regard to Abreu, who has been out with shoulder soreness.

Abreu, 40, has posted a .257/.422/.400 triple-slash in 45 plate appearances this spring. With multiple injury situations and several players who can play the infield or outfield, the Phillies' roster situation is somewhat difficult to pin down. But it appears that, at this point, it could come down to either Abreu or Tony Gwynn Jr. as the team's left-handed-hitting outfield reserve.

Phillies Sign Bobby Abreu

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9:05pm: Abreu can opt out of the deal if he is not placed on the MLB roster by March 26th, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. That early date, of course, will pressure the Phillies to carry Abreu on the Opening Day roster or risk losing him.

Abreu's deal calls for him to earn a $50K bonus if he is named Comeback Player of the Year, Sherman adds.

2:07pm: The Phillies have officially signed outfielder Bobby Abreu, the club announced. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com first reported the deal (Twitter links). Abreu will return to Philadelphia on a minor league contract, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick tweets, with Heyman adding that he would earn $800K if he breaks camp with the club.

Abreu, who will turn 40 before the start of the year, did not play in the bigs last year. He has 17 MLB seasons under his belt, including nine with the Phils. In 2012, Abreu posted a .246/.361/.344 line in 257 plate appearances, most of them coming with the Dodgers. His last full season came in 2011. Fading power and declining defense left him at a replacement level in that campaign, though Abreu never lost his ability to reach base. (Across nearly 10,000 career plate appearances, he carried a lifetime .396 OBP and never fell below the .350 mark after he broke in as a full-time player.)

So, why the interest from Philadelphia? Abreu has been tearing up the Venezuelan Winter League with a .322/.416/.461 triple-slash in 180 regular season plate appearances. And as impressive as Abreu was during the winter league's regular season, his postseason stats were even more eye-opening. Abreu slashed .464/.549/1.214 (with eight home runs) in 56 playoff at-bats, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

As CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury reported earlier, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. had heard "decent reports on [Abreu]" coming out of Venezuela, leading to the club's interest. According to Amaro, the club was "looking at all the left-handed bats still out there and he's one of them." It remains to be seen, of course, whether the Phils will nevertheless look to add another left-handed bench option in addition to Abreu.

The Phillies apparently had competition in landing Abreu. As Crasnick reports, the Mets and Indians were both interested in the veteran's services, as was a Japanese club.

NL East Notes: Braves, O’Flaherty, Mets, Drew, Abreu

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Earlier this morning, I asked MLBTR readers about the Braves' upcoming arb hearings and how each situation would pan out (player wins, team wins, or agreement is reached prior to hearing). To this point, MLBTR readers think that Craig Kimbrel (63%) and Freddie Freeman (57%) will win their hearings, while about 46 percent think the Braves will win a hearing against Jason Heyward. Here's more on the Braves and the rest of the NL East…

  • The Braves have not had any recent discussions with lefty Eric O'Flaherty, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). The Braves were once expected to re-sign their longtime setup man, who underwent Tommy John surgery early last season, but recent reports suggest he could be headed elsewhere.
  • As things stand, Atlanta GM Frank Wren and manager Fredi Gonzalez both stand to enter the season on expiring contracts, notes David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. O'Brien writes a lengthy breakdown of the merits of each key organizational figure.
  • Andy Martino of the New York Daily News writes that the Mets' stance on Stephen Drew hasn't changed; they still like Drew but aren't hot on his trail and are content to wait in order to see if his price drops. Agent Scott Boras has said that he and Drew can wait as well, Martino reminds.
  • New York is still looking for bullpen help, and the team is "somewhat" interested in Mitchell Boggs, a source tells Mike Puma of the New York Post (Twitter link). 
  • The Phillies made a notable minor league signing today, bringing back one-time club cornerstone Bobby Abreu. "The purpose of this signing is to see if he has anything left," said GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury. "We've seen him in [Venezuela]. He's in shape and swinging the bat well, and he's motivated to play. If he performs, great. If he doesn't, we have no obligation to keep him. But he will be given every opportunity to make [the] club." (Links to Twitter.) As Corey Seidman of CSNPhilly.com argues, players like Abreu and fellow minor league signee Chad Gaudin fill important depth roles at minimal cost.

Jeff Todd contributed to this post.

Phillies Interested In Bobby Abreu

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The Phillies are interested in bringing back one of their cornerstones from the late 90s and early 2000s, as they're taking a look at Bobby Abreu, according to a report from CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick adds that the two sides are currently in discussions on a minor league deal (Twitter link).

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. did not deny the fact that the Phillies were gathering intel on the 40-year-old Abreu, who has had a monster season in winter ball down in Venezuela and is looking to make a comeback. Amaro tells Salisbury that the Phillies are looking at all of the remaining left-handed bats on the market.

Abreu played in 1353 games as a member of the Phillies from 1998-2006, slashing a healthy .303/.416/.513 with 195 homers in his time in Philadelphia. He did not appear in a Major League or Minor League game last season but has drawn attention from multiple teams with his winter ball performance, including the Indians.

Indians Notes: Tanaka, Rotation, Johan, Abreu

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The Indians have signed a couple of notable names to minor league deals this week, picking up right-hander Scott Atchison and outfielder Jeff Francoeur. They were also one of the two finalists on infielder Jamey Carroll. Here's the latest out of Cleveland (All courtesy of the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Paul Hoynes)…

  • Hoynes writes that the Indians have been in contact with Masahiro Tanaka's agent, Casey Close, and could meet with him and his client in the coming days. The Indians "are in the game" and could make a lucrative multiyear offer, but Hoynes calls the chances of a deal "slim," noting that Cleveland isn't likely to outbid big spenders like the Yankees and possibly the Diamondbacks.
  • From that same piece, Hoynes writes that if they do not land Tanaka, they're content to wait for a starter to come to them at their price. Matt Garza, Ervin Santana, Ubaldo Jimenez and Bronson Arroyo could all be of interest and could all sign after Tanaka. Hoynes writes that Cleveland has long coveted Garza, and also adds that they may be able to sign Jimenez if he's the last man standing from the remaining free agent starters. At that point, they could get Jimenez at their price and would have an advantage over other teams due to draft pick compensation. Cleveland is also content to let Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco, Shaun Marcum and Josh Tomlin battle for the fifth spot if they can't find a starter at the right price.
  • In a mailbag piece, Hoynes tells readers that while the Indians have spoken to Johan Santana's agents, his sense is that the team is focused on adding healthier, more dependable arms if it makes further pitching additions.
  • Cleveland isn't likely to sign Bobby Abreu because Jason Giambi is already in the fold, Hoynes reports. However, the Indians are impressed by Abreu's swing and improved conditioning. If it becomes clear that Giambi cannot fill the role he did for the Indians in 2013, then Abreu would be a candidate to do so.

Indians Have Spoken To Bobby Abreu

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4:59pm: Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer hears that the Indians are "not all that interested" in Abreu (Twitter link).

2:10pm: The Indians are interested in Bobby Abreu, who is playing in the Venezuelan Winter League and attempting a Major League comeback, according to Tony Lastoria of Indians Baseball Insider (on Twitter). Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports adds that the Indians have spoken to Abreu's agents at the Legacy Agency but have yet to make an offer (Twitter link).

Abreu has played in 50 games in the Venezuelan Winter League, hoping to catch the eye of a Major League club, and his stats are certainly impressive. The two-time All-Star has batted .322/.416/.461 with three homers, 10 doubles and three triple in Venezuela.

Abreu hasn't appeared in the Majors since 2012 with the Angels and Dodgers, when he posted the worst full-season OPS of his career (.693). His offense had been in a steady decline since 2008 — his final year with the Yankees.

A lifetime .292/.396/.477 hitter between the Astros, Phillies, Yankees, Angels and Dodgers, Abreu will turn 40 years old in March. He has parts of 17 Major League seasons under his belt and has already earned more than $124MM in his playing career.

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