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Craig Breslow

Relief Market Notes: Holland, Dodgers, Salas, Maness, Breslow

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There are at least three teams still pursuing veteran reliever Greg Holland, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). He lists the Nationals and Rockies as the two known entities, with a third mystery entrant also involved. With Spring Training just about three weeks off, Holland’s market seems to be “heating up,” Heyman says, though it’s still not clear what kind of timeline to expect.

At the moment, of course, Holland is occupied with more important matters, as he is among the players attending the funeral of stricken former teammate Yordano Ventura. Certainly, our thoughts are with Ventura’s family and friends as they lay him to rest today. Those interested in finding coverage from the perspective of the Royals’ contingent may wish to follow the reporting of Kansas City Star columnist Vahe Gregorian.

Here are some more notes relating to the relief market:

  • Having addressed their need at second base, the Dodgers will now focus on adding another arm to their bullpen mix, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Joe Blanton could still return, per the report, while southpaw Jerry Blevins is also a target. But the club is looking to make only a one-year investment, Rosenthal notes, and could pivot to another arm if the value is there. Whether or not the team could still chase Holland isn’t clear at this moment.
  • Righty Fernando Salas, meanwhile, remains one of the better available relievers. He’s still drawing interest from six unnamed teams, sources tell Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (Twitter link). While Salas has struggled a bit with limiting the long ball and hasn’t posted terribly exciting earned run averages over the past two years, he has run up some compelling K/BB numbers at times. Plus, Salas finished the 2016 season with a flourish, permitting just four earned runs on 11 hits over 17 1/3 frames while racking up 19 strikeouts without issuing a single walk.
  • Another right-handed reliever, Seth Maness, is set for a showcase on February 6th, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). The 28-year-old is looking to prove to organizations that he’s ready for camp after undergoing a new “primary repair” procedure — which Goold detailed here — in lieu of Tommy John surgery. Having already demonstrated a big groundball rate (59.4% for his career) and outstanding control (1.7 BB/9), there’ll be no shortage of interest if Maness looks anything like his usual self.
  • About half of the teams in the league came to watch lefty Craig Breslow throw recently, per Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com (via Twitter). The veteran is attempting to follow the Rich Hill model for a late-career renaissance, with buttressed strength work and a new arm angle. Breslow’s new motion can be seen in this video, provided by Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (courtesy of Twins scout Bill Mele, who was on hand). The 36-year-old has pitched in 11 major league seasons for seven different clubs, most recently appearing in 15 games for the Marlins in 2016.

Trade/Free Agent Rumblings: Bruce, Mets, Braun, Breslow, De La Rosa

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The Mets are reportedly asking for two prospects in exchange for Jay Bruce, CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury reports.  The Phillies have shown interest in Bruce in the past, though Salisbury points out that the rebuilding Phils could simply sign left-handed hitting free agents like Brandon Moss or Michael Saunders rather than part with minor league talent for Bruce.  Of course, New York would hardly be demanding premium prospects for Bruce at this point, given how the outfielder hasn’t drummed up much trade interest this winter.

Here’s more player movement buzz from around baseball…

  • There hasn’t been much interest in Ryan Braun this winter, which Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com attributes in part to some lingering hard feelings over how Braun’s representatives conducted themselves when he was trying to avoid a PED suspension in 2013.  Perhaps a larger factor, of course, is the crowded outfield market.  As one GM noted to Gammons, a team looking to add corner outfield power could prefer to sign the likes of Jose Bautista or Mark Trumbo rather than pay a hefty price in both prospects and contract by acquiring Braun from the Brewers.
  • Also from Gammons, he reports that the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers and Red Sox will be among the 12-20 teams watching Craig Breslow’s showcase on January 23.  Breslow has adopted new pitch-tracking technology in order to reinvent his throwing habits, with input from training partner Rich Hill (who revived his career in spectacular fashion).
  • The Rockies aren’t interested in a reunion with Jorge de la Rosa, the Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders reports as part of a reader mailbag column.  A longtime fixture of the Colorado rotation, de la Rosa has told teams he is willing to pitch as a starter, long reliever or swingman in order to increase his market.  This flexibility doesn’t appear to appeal to the Rockies, though Saunders notes elsewhere in the mailbag that the team could use some rotation depth and more bullpen help.

Trade/Free Agent Rumors: Quintana, Jays, Trumbo, Breslow

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The Yankees have yet to add a starting pitcher to their rotation this winter, but MLB Network’s Jon Morosi tweets that they’re still interested White Sox ace Jose Quintana. As he points out, the Yankees certainly have a deep enough farm system to entice the Sox to part with their second front-of-the-rotation lefty of the offseason. However, Morosi doesn’t contextualize their interest, and it’s worth noting that Yankees GM Brian Cashman has said earlier this winter that he’s reached out to virtually every team at some point and is casting a wide net in attempting to improve his team. Along those lines, ESPN New York’s Andrew Marchand writes that the Yankees have been extremely disinclined to part with young talent this winter, and he ultimately characterizes the chances of Quintana landing in New York as unlikely.

A few more notes on the trade and free-agent markets…

  • Morosi also tweets that in addition to Boone Logan and Jerry Blevins, the Blue Jays have interest in free-agent southpaw Travis Wood. Toronto has already been connected to both Logan and Blevins, but there hasn’t been much of a link between the Jays and Wood to this point. The Blue Jays have already lost Brett Cecil to the Cardinals this winter and have yet to replace him. Left-handed relief was arguably a need for the Jays even before Cecil departed, so they figure to be linked to a number of prominent southpaws as the offseason wears on. In Wood’s case, though, it’s worth wondering if he’d prefer to sign somewhere that gives him a chance to start. Wood spent the past couple of seasons in the Cubs’ bullpen, but he averaged 30 starts per year from 2012-14 and reached 200 innings in 2013. In a market that is thin on starters, giving Wood a chance to redefine himself as a rotation member holds plenty of merit for pitching-needy clubs.
  • Orioles GM Dan Duquette said on MLB Network’s High Heat today that he’s still interested in Mark Trumbo and there’s still a “window open” for the slugger to return to Baltimore (Twitter link via FanRag’s Jon Heyman). Baltimore reportedly pulled its four-year offer to Trumbo over the weekend, but it doesn’t seem that Duquette and his staff have completely abandoned the idea of Trumbo returning in 2017 (and beyond). Trumbo drilled an MLB-best 47 homers last season but also comes with some question marks surrounding his defense, and the fact that he rejected a qualifying offer means any team will have to forfeit a draft pick to sign him.
  • Left-hander Craig Breslow will throw for teams on Jan. 23 in Boston, reports Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald (Twitter links). The 36-year-old Breslow has been working out with Rich Hill this offseason and changed his arm angle, Drellich notes. Back in September, Breslow spoke to Drellich about how he planned to take an analytical look at his pitch selection this winter, exploring horizontal/vertical movement, spin rate and other factors and pair that knowledge with a lower arm slot in order to revive his career. Breslow has spent parts of 11 seasons in the Majors, but his last truly successful year came back in 2013 with the Red Sox (1.81 ERA in 59 2/3 innings).

Rangers Release Craig Breslow

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The Rangers have released southpaw Craig Breslow, WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford reports (Twitter link).  The veteran reliever signed a minor league deal with Texas two weeks ago that contained an opt-out clause (for next week), though as Bradford notes, the two sides agreed to end their relationship now rather than wait Breslow to officially opt out.

Breslow posted a 4.50 ERA, 4.5 K/9 and 1.75 K/BB rate over 14 innings with Miami this season before the Marlins released him in May.  He had only a brief stint with the Rangers’ Triple-A club (allowing three runs in two innings over three games), and apparently wasn’t close to receiving a promotion to the majors.  The Texas bullpen has struggled as a whole, though the Rangers did acquire Jeremy Jeffress at the trade deadline and Jake Diekman and Alex Claudio are already in the fold as left-handed options, leaving little room for Breslow.

Breslow, who turns 36 on Monday, has been his effectiveness diminish over the last two seasons, thanks in large part to a spike in his home run rate.  He was also hit hard by both left-handed and right-handed batters in 2014-15, after spending the majority of his career posting solid splits against hitters on both sides of the plate.  Given that Breslow has a solid track record of effective relief pitching, however, he’ll likely get looks from several clubs in need of relief depth.

Rangers Sign Craig Breslow To Minor League Deal

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The Rangers have signed left-handed reliever Craig Breslow to a minor league contract, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).

Breslow, a Baratta Partners client, became free to sign anywhere when the Marlins released him from their Triple-A affiliate Monday. The 35-year-old threw 23 2/3 minor league innings for the Marlins this season and struck out an impressive 11.03 batters per nine frames, but he offset that somewhat with a high walk rate (4.18) and logged an ugly ERA (6.46). His run prevention (4.50 ERA) and BB/9 (2.57) were better in 14 big league innings this year with the Marlins, though he fanned a meager 4.5 hitters per nine.

In 535 1/3 career major league innings, including 65 with the Red Sox in 2015, Breslow has compiled a 3.35 ERA, 7.04 K/9 and 3.56 BB/9. He’ll now try to work his way back to the big leagues with the Rangers, whose bullpen is among the worst in the league statistically. However, Texas’ current left-handed options –  Jake Diekman and Alex Claudio (depth chart) – have fared well this year.

Marlins Release Craig Breslow

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The Marlins have released veteran left-hander Craig Breslow from their Triple-A affiliate, reports WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford (Twitter link).

Breslow, 35, tossed 14 innings for the Marlins’ big league club earlier this season and posted a 4.50 ERA but has  struggled following a demotion to Triple-A New Orleans. In 23 2/3 innings at the minor league level this season, Breslow has fanned an impressive 29 batters but has also been tagged for a 6.46 ERA and averaged 12.9 hits and 4.2 walks per nine innings pitched. He’ll now look to latch on with another club and work his way back to the big leagues.

In parts of 11 Major League seasons, Breslow has compiled a 3.80 ERA and averaged 7.0 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 in 535 1/3 innings between the Red Sox, Twins, A’s, D-backs, Padres, Indians and Marlins.

Marlins Designate Craig Breslow, Select Dustin McGowan

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The Marlins have designated southpaw Craig Breslow for assignment, as MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro first reported on Twitter. His roster spot will go to right-hander Dustin McGowan, whose contract was selected from Triple-A.

Breslow, 35, has provided 14 innings to the Miami pen thus far, allowing seven earned runs on 21 hits and four walks while retiring seven batters via strikeout. But Breslow has had several rough outings in which he’s given up multiple runs, including his most recent. And with his 45-day advance consent clause soon due, the Fish obviously decided not to keep his salary on the books for the rest of the season.

As for the 34-year-old McGowan, a fellow minor league signee over the winter, this will represent his second run of the year with the Marlins. He was previously outrighted after 5 1/3 innings. Though he allowed just two earned runs on six hits, McGowan managed only a pair of strikeouts to go with two walks.

Contract Notes: Gonzalez, Breslow, McGowan, Narveson, Russell, Burriss

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Here are a few contract details relating to some recent roster decisions …

  • Miguel Gonzalez’s contract with the White Sox does not include an opt-out clause, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports on Twitter. The veteran righty will represent useful rotation depth in Triple-A. Though he is coming off of a disastrous 2015 and didn’t show well in the spring, the 31-year-old has provided plenty of solid innings (with occasionally excellent results) over the years. He’s all the more useful to Chicago without concern of a hard opt-out date.
  • Marlins relievers Craig Breslow and Dustin McGowan have both signed advance consent agreements allowing them to be removed from the major league roster without guaranteeing the remainder of their salary within 45 days of Opening Day, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports on Twitter. Breslow will earn at a $1.5MM rate in the majors, as was reported upon his signing, while McGowan will take home $1MM annually. Meanwhile, Heyman adds, lefty Chris Narveson will earn $1.2MM in the majors. He doesn’t specify whether Narveson has an advanced consent agreement.
  • The Phillies are set to pay southpaw James Russell at a $1.5MM rate and Emmanuel Burriss $925K annually, Heyman adds on Twitter. Russell has had some productive campaigns in the past, and cracked the Opening Day roster after posting nine strikeouts and no walks in his 6 2/3 spring innings. As for Burriss, 31, he appeared briefly in the big leagues last year for the first time since a five-year run of part-time action with the Giants between 2008 and 2012.

Marlins Designate Brad Hand, Cole Gillespie For Assignment

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The Marlins announced that they have designated left-hander Brad Hand and outfielder Cole Gillespie for assignment.  In related moves, Mike Dunn and Raudel Lazo have been placed on the 15-day disabled list and Carter Capps has been put on the 60-day DL, allowing the team to select the contracts of Craig Breslow, Dustin McGowan, and Chris Narveson.

Gillespie, 32 in June, spent nearly half of the 2015 season on the Marlins’ big league roster.  In 157 plate appearances, the outfielder hit .290/.333/.428 with two home runs.  Gillespie has also had short major league stints over five seasons with the D’Backs, Giants, Cubs, Mariners, and Blue Jays.

Hand, 26, has spent his entire career with the Marlins organization since being selected in the second-round of the 2008 draft.  Over the last five years, Hand has pitched to a 4.71 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 (43 starts, 47 relief appearances).  Hand has drawn trade interest in the past, so he might not be in limbo for long.

Now that Breslow has made Miami’s Opening Day roster, he will earn $1.5MM for the 2016 season.  To keep up with the whereabouts of Hand, Gillespie, and all of the other players in DFA limbo, check out MLBTR’s DFA Tracker.

NL East Notes: Torres, Ramos, Narveson, Breslow

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Here’s the latest from around the NL East…

  • Carlos Torres has an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Braves, MLBTR’s Zach Links reports (Twitter links), and Torres’ representatives are now talking with other teams after Atlanta didn’t put the righty on the Opening Day roster.  Torres posted a 3.59 ERA, 8.18 K/9 and 3.00 K/BB rate over 241 innings for the Mets in 2013-15, with all but 10 of his 165 appearances coming out of the bullpen.  He was outrighted off New York’s 40-man roster in January.
  • Wilson Ramos hopes to remain with the Nationals beyond this season, the catcher tells James Wagner of the Washington Post.  Ramos underwent Lazik surgery and adopted a new offseason training regiment to get in better shape, and the results have paid off thus far in the form of strong Spring Training numbers.  The catcher is looking to rebound from a down year in 2015, both to “be well prepared for the market” as a free agent and to prove himself to the Nats as deserving of a new deal.  “I hope they give me a chance to stay longer and I hope I can have a good year to prove that I can be here longer,” Ramos said.  There is a fair amount of quality catching available in next winter’s free agent market, though a big season would nicely position Ramos within an overall thin class of players.
  • Left-handers Craig Breslow and Chris Narveson both have opt-out clauses today in their minor league deals with the Marlins, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro reports.  Breslow seems likely to make the roster, so with Mike Dunn established as the other lefty in the bullpen, Narveson could be the odd man out.  Narveson posted a 4.45 ERA, 9.5 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 with Miami last season but was punished by the long ball, allowing seven homers in just 30 1/3 innings.  The veteran southpaw re-signed with Miami after being outrighted in October.  Frisaro wrote more earlier this week about Narveson’s quest to make the Marlins.
  • Former Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd and an American League scout break down the Marlins roster for Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.  Both O’Dowd and the scout like Marcell Ozuna and Adam Conley this season, though the Marlins’ bullpen is a problem area.
  • In other NL East news from this morning, John Schuerholz is stepping down as the Braves’ president to take a new role as the club’s vice chairman.
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