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Neal Cotts

Nationals, Neal Cotts Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Nationals have agreed to a minor league contract with left-handed reliever Neal Cotts, tweets Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports that the veteran 36-year-old (37 in March) will receive an invite to Major League Spring Training. Cotts is represented by Pro Star Management.

Cotts didn’t pitch in the Majors last season and had a three-year layoff from MLB action from 2010-12, but he pitched very well for three teams in the interim. From 2013-15, Cotts tallied 187 innings out of the bullpen for the Rangers, Brewers and Twins, posting a collective 3.03 ERA with 186 strikeouts against 57 unintentional walks. As one might expect, he was most effective against left-handed batters in that time, limiting same-handed opponents to a .212/.278/.356 batting line in 317 plate appearances. However, Cotts also held his own against righties, limiting even those with the platoon advantage to a reasonable .236/.313/.371 slash in 461 plate appearances.

The 2016 season saw Cotts sign a slew of minor league deals, but he never made it back to the Majors despite solid results at the Triple-A level. Cotts totaled 44 2/3 innings of work between the Triple-A affiliates for the Rangers, Yankees and Angels last year, registering a 3.83 ERA with 7.7 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 while limiting left-handed opponents to a .220/.277/.322 batting line in 66 plate appearances. With the Nationals, he’ll compete for a bullpen job in Spring Training, although left-handed relief isn’t a massive need for Washington. The Nats have both Sammy Solis and Oliver Perez as southpaws in the big league bullpen, with Matt Grace serving as another option on the 40-man roster.

Rangers Sign Neal Cotts To Minor League Deal

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The Rangers announced that they’ve signed left-handed reliever Neal Cotts to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Round Rock. The 36-year-old Pro Star Mangement client has spent the season pitching for the Triple-A affiliates of the Angels and Yankees, working to a combined 3.86 ERA with a 15-to-4 K/BB ratio in 21 innings.

This will mark the second stint with the Rangers for Cotts, who revitalized his career as a member of the 2013 Rangers following a three-year absence from the big leagues. Cotts has pitched in the bigs during each season since that resurgence, most recently splitting the 2015 campaign between Milwaukee and Minnesota, where he recorded a combined 3.41 ERA with 8.2 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9 in 63 1/3 innings and held lefties to a .186/.243/.330 batting line in 109 plate appearances.

Yankees Sign Neal Cotts To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees announced that they’ve signed left-handed reliever Neal Cotts to a minor league contract. The Pro Star Management client will report to the club’s Triple-A affiliate, according to the team.

Cotts, 36, recently opted out of a minor league pact with the Angels. The 10-year Major League veteran had been throwing well with the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake, posting a 3.29 ERA with 13 strikeouts against three walks in 13 2/3 innings. Last season, he split the year between the Brewers and Twins after signing a one-year, $3MM contract with Milwaukee and posted a combined 3.41 ERA in 63 1/3 innings while holding opposing lefties to a .186/.243/.330 batting line. Injuries kept Cotts out of the Majors from 2010-12, but since returning with the 2013 Rangers, he’s posted a cumulative 3.03 ERA with 186 strikeouts against 63 walks (six intentional) in 187 innings of work.

Neal Cotts Exercises Opt-Out Clause In Contract With Angels

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MAY 18: The Angels decided against adding Cotts to the 25-man roster and have released him, tweets SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo. He’s now a free agent and can sign with any club.

MAY 17: Veteran southpaw Neal Cotts has exercised an opt-out clause in his deal with the Angels, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). That provision came with a May 15 date, so the team’s clock on deciding whether or not to add him to the active roster has already begun to run.

It’s not clear whether today represents the deadline for the Halos to act on Cotts, but such provisions typically have a 48-hour window. With numerous other pitching moves in the works for the organization — including a minor league deal for David Huff earlier today — it remains unclear whether he fits at the major league level.

Cotts, 36, joined the Angels on a minor league deal after he was released by the Astros late in the spring. He’s since thrown 13 2/3 innings at Triple-A, posting a 3.29 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9.

Cotts has generally been a sturdy option since re-emerging from a long layoff back in 2013 with the Rangers. Since that time, he’s run up a 3.03 ERA over 187 MLB frames, with 186 strikeouts against 63 walks.

Angels Sign Neal Cotts

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The Angels announced that they have signed Neal Cotts to a minor league deal, as Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com tweets.  The left-handed reliever was released by the Astros a little over a week ago.

The 36-year-old inked a minor league deal with Houston in February that would have paid him $1.5MM if he made the team’s big league roster.  Cotts began the 2015 season with the Brewers before an August trade sent him to the Twins.  Between the two clubs, the veteran posted a 3.41 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 63 1/3 innings.   Over the course of ten big league seasons, Cotts owns a 3.96 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9.  The Pro Star Management client held left-handed batters to a .186/.243/.330 slash last year and struggled against right-handers.

Astros Release Neal Cotts

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The Astros have released lefty Neal Cotts, the club announced.  Cotts was in camp on a minor league deal that contained an opt-out for March 26 if he wasn’t on Houston’s MLB roster.

The release is something of an unfortunate birthday present for Cotts, who turns 36 today, though he still has over a week to try and catch on with another club prior to Opening Day.  The 10-year veteran posted a 3.41 ERA, 8.2 K/9 and 2.64 K/BB rate over 63 1/3 innings with the Brewers and Twins last season, holding left-handed batters to just a .186/.243/.330 slash line.  Cotts has very even lefty/righty splits over his career, though right-handed hit him hard (.867 OPS) in 2015.

Houston also optioned left-hander Kevin Chapman to the minors, so with Chapman and Cotts out of the picture, it’s possible Tony Sipp may be the only southpaw in the Astros bullpen.  As Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle tweets, veteran lefty Wandy Rodriguez still has a chance at the last open spot in the pen, competing with righty Dan Straily.

West Notes: Preller, Belt, Susac, Story, Skaggs, Wandy, Cotts

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The Padres very nearly passed on A.J. Preller in the club’s 2014 general manager hiring process, Bryce Miller of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. President Mike Dee says he had settled on another candidate — very likely, now-Angels GM Billy Eppler, but took Preller up on his request for a final sit-down “just as a kind of courtesy, because he was so good throughout the process.” Preller obviously made a great final impression, because Dee left the meeting convinced in the young executive and told San Diego chairman Ron Fowler the next morning that he’d “had a change of heart overnight.” The story details how the organization’s current leadership group came together, and is well worth a full read.

Here’s more from out west:

  • The Giants plan to meet with representatives of first baseman Brandon Belt this week to discuss a long-term contract, Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News reports. Baggarly takes a deep and excellent look at the complicated matter of valuing the soon-to-be 28-year-old, talking with Belt and GM Bobby Evans about the upcoming talks. For his part, Belt says he hopes to remain in San Francisco but notes: “It’s all going to come down to what’s fair. And, you know, I hate to say it like that, but that’s the reality.” Evans declined to offer any thoughts on what might be fair from the team’s perspective, but said that the organization “believe[s] in his bat, his defense, his character and the continuity that he, if healthy, can add to our lineup.” He went on to note some of the matters that may hold down the team’s bottom-line on price: “Strikeouts are certainly a challenge for him, but he’s also a guy who gets on base at a pretty fair clip. It’s a fair debate in the sense of the different perspectives. But on some level, injuries have been more of an issue than performance.”
  • While Angel Pagan is showing well this spring, the Giants are dealing with concerns at the catching position, Baggarly further reports. In particular, presumed backup Andrew Susac is struggling with soreness in his right wrist, which was operated on last fall. While there are options on hand, including veterans George Kottaras and Miguel Olivo, and the younger Trevor Brown, Susac has long been viewed as a legitimate talent and will be looking to play an increasingly important role in support of the great Buster Posey.
  • Trevor Story has made a strong case to take over at shortstop for the Rockies this spring, as Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post writes. GM Jeff Bridich wouldn’t commit to a decision, but praised Story’s ability and approach in camp and certainly suggested he’d continue to have every opportunity to win the job as camp draws to a closer — regardless of service-time considerations. Meanwhile, promising backstop Tom Murphy has been sent down to minor league camp, with expectations that he’ll get plenty of time at Triple-A, but could well find his way to the majors at some point during the season to come.
  • Angels lefty Tyler Skaggs will return to competitive action on Thursday for the first time since his Tommy John procedure, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. The Halos’ rotation hasn’t developed quite as hoped this spring, making Skaggs’ already-important comeback all the more critical. Fletcher suggests he could be ready for regular season action as soon as late April.
  • The Astros are getting close to making some decisions in rounding out their bullpen, as MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart explains. Lefties Wandy Rodriguez and Neal Cotts have opt-out dates of Saturday, per the report, and they are embroiled in competition with a group of other arms — including the out-of-options Dan Straily.

Astros Sign Neal Cotts To Minor League Deal

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11:18am: Cotts would earn $1.5MM upon making the Major League roster and can earn up to $1.25MM more via incentives, reports Jon Heyman (on Twitter). Additionally, Cotts’ contract contains opt-out dates on March 26 and June 1 if he’s not in the Majors.

8:43am: The Astros have signed lefty reliever Neal Cotts to a minor league deal, MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart tweets. Cotts is a client of Pro Star Management, Inc.

Cotts, who will turn 36 next month, posted a 3.41 ERA, 8.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 63 1/3 innings split between the Brewers and Twins last season. Along the way, he held left-handed batters to a .573 OPS. The Astros had been hunting for left-handed relief depth, having recently been connected to Randy Choate. Cotts doesn’t have a significant platoon split for his career, which means he isn’t ideally suited to be a LOOGY, but he’s generally effective and can certainly handle left-handed batters as needed.

For his career, Cotts has a 3.96 ERA, 8.5 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in parts of ten seasons. In addition to the Brewers and Twins, he’s appeared with the White Sox, Cubs and Rangers.

Red Sox Considering Free Agent Lefty Relievers

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The Red Sox have been largely dormant since acquiring Carson Smith and Roenis Elias from the Mariners during the Winter Meetings, but Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe tweets that the team is considering some of the remaining left-handed relief options on the open market, naming Neal Cotts and former Red Sox hurler Franklin Morales as a pair of the options currently being discussed.

Boston currently has Robbie Ross, Tommy Layne and Elias as left-handed relief options on the 40-man roster. Layne, though, struggled with his control in 2015, and Elias has hasn’t done much in the way of relief work in the Majors or minors (five relief appearances dating back to 2011), so the team may prefer to keep him as a starting pitcher and stash him at Triple-A for depth purposes.

Morales, who turned 30 last month, spent parts of three seasons with the Red Sox from 2011-13, working to a 3.90 ERA in 134 total innings as a member of the Red Sox organization. However, he struggled quite a bit upon being traded back to the Rockies and had to settle for a minor league deal with the Royals last offseason. That proved to be a shrewd pickup by GM Dayton Moore, who was rewarded when Morales turned in 62 1/3 innings of 3.18 ERA ball, averaging 5.9 strikeouts and 2.0 walks per nine innings. Most of Morales’ work did come in low-leverage situations, but he nonetheless held left-handed opponents to a paltry .192/.245/.313 batting line with the Royals en route to his second World Series ring in three years.

Cotts, 36 in March, was absent from baseball for three full seasons before a resurgent campaign with the Rangers in 2013. Since his return to the bigs, he has a 3.03 ERA and a 186-to-63 K/BB ratio in 187 innings split between Texas, Milwaukee and Minnesota. He was abnormally homer-prone in 2015, allowing 12 homers in 63 1/3 innings, but still managed a 3.41 ERA with solid strikeout and walk rates while holding opposing lefties to a .178/.243/.330 batting line. Right-handed batters crushed Cotts, though, and his velocity dropped notably from its 2013-14 levels, as he averaged 89.9 mph on his heater after sitting at 91.6 over the previous two-year span.

It’s not clear from Abraham’s report whether the team is consider Major League or minor league contracts in free agency, but we’re at the point of the offseason where some players coming off solid overall seasons will likely need to settle for minor league pacts (in some cases with notable big league base salaries in the event that they land on the 25-man roster at the end of camp). Other names on the free-agent market Craig Breslow (a familiar face in Boston), Manny Parra, Brian Duensing, Matt Thornton and Eric O’Flaherty, who is said to be nearing a decision on where to sign for the 2016 season.

Pen Notes: O’Day, Cishek, Thornton, Cotts, Miller, Astros, Rockies, A’s, Tigers

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Orioles executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette said today that his club is hoping to tie up an agreement with top free agent reliever Darren O’Day in short order, as Rich Dubroff of CSNmidatlantic.com tweets. “We’re continuing to work on that Darren O’Day project,” said Duquette. “We’re going to try to bring that to a head here in the next couple of days.”

Here’s more on an active market for relievers:

  • About a dozen teams have “checked in” on free agent righty Steve Cishek, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets. Non-tendered southpaw Cesar Ramos is also drawing wide interest he notes. But the Twins haven’t looked into either of those options. The club is set to meet with the representatives of Fernando Rodney and has some interest in lefty Tony Sipp as well.
  • 39-year-old lefty Matt Thornton has drawn interest from six clubs, including the Twins, according to Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter links). Thornton still brings a big fastball, and agent Adam Hubble says his client still hopes to pitch for another three or four seasons despite his advanced age.
  • As has previously been reported, and Twins GM Terry Ryan confirmed today, Minnesota has interest in a reunion with lefty Neal Cotts, Berardino tweets. “We still have interest,” said Ryan.
  • The Astros “have remained interested” in Yankees closer Andrew Miller, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports on Twitter. It remains far from clear, of course, whether any team will be willing to offer enough to get New York to part with the outstanding lefty, though Houston certainly has the young starting pitching coveted by the Yanks.
  • As has seemed apparent all along, the Astros are continuing to cast a wide net after apparently missing on Aroldis Chapman. Per Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter), Houston is “looking” not only at Miller but also Mark Melancon of the Pirates. And Drew Storen of the Nationals might feature as a “fallback option,” he adds.
  • While the prognosis seems promising, it’s worth noting also that Astros set-up man Pat Neshek just underwent foot surgery, as Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports. Neshek was forced to pitch through the injury last year
  • While internal options like Scott Oberg and Jairo Diaz will be considered, the Rockies also intend to check the market for a closer, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports on Twitter. Colorado recently non-tendered John Axford, who held down the 9th after Adam Ottavino was lost to Tommy John surgery.
  • The Athletics took a shot at signing righty Mark Lowe before he landed in Detroit, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. Oakland has already done quite a bit of work in the bullpen, but it seems that the club could still be eyeing further additions.
  • The Tigers are now moving down the line to address the team’s need for a left-handed reliever, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports. After already making several pitching additions, Detroit could consider free agents such as Antonio Bastardo, Tony Sipp, and Craig Breslow, says Fenech, though it remains unclear whether the club has specific interest in any of those particular players.
  • While the Mets were involved in talks for Chapman over the summer, assistant GM John Ricco said today that the team hasn’t pursued him over the winter, as Tim Rohan of the New York Times reports on Twitter.
  • Former Royals minor league lefty Buddy Baumann appears to be quite a hot commodity among minor league free agents, per Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Despite never having thrown an MLB inning, Baumann has already drawn five big league offers this winter. The 27-year-old worked to a 3.04 ERA in 77 frames at Triple-A last year, spending most of his time in the pen, with 9.8 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9.
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