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Neftali Feliz

Brewers Sign Neftali Feliz

By Steve Adams | January 19, 2017 at 11:26am CDT

The Brewers bolstered their bullpen on Thursday, announcing the signing of right-hander Neftali Feliz to a one-year contract. Feliz, a client of BTI sports, is reportedly expected to close for Milwaukee and will be guaranteed $5.35MM. His contract reportedly contains incentives as well, which can boost the value of the deal to $6.85MM.

[Related: Updated Milwaukee Brewers Depth Chart and Brewers Payroll Info]

The 28-year-old Feliz was the 2010 American League Rookie of the Year with the Rangers and served as the closer in Texas for two seasons before shifting back to the rotation and ultimately requiring Tommy John surgery in 2013. He returned to Texas and logged a 1.99 ERA in 2014 but with considerably diminished peripherals. The Rangers cut him loose midway through the 2015 campaign after 19 2/3 innings of a 4.58 ERA, and he fared worse down the stretch with the Tigers that season (7.62 ERA in 28 1/3 innings).

Neftali Feliz | Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Like so many others, though, Feliz found renewed success with the Pirates, for whom he tossed 53 1/3 innings of 3.52 ERA ball last season. His fastball velocity, which had been diminished since coming back from Tommy John, spiked back up to an average of 96.1 mph, and his strikeout and swinging-strike rates jumped accordingly. Feliz averaged 10.2 K/9 last season and posted a career-best 14.2 swinging-strike rate that ranked 24th among 135 qualified relievers. He also averaged a manageable 3.5 walks per nine innings pitched and posted a 37.9 percent ground-ball rate.

Had Feliz finished the season in better health, a multi-year deal may very well have been in the cards. However, his season unofficially came to an end on Sept. 3 with an arm injury that was never disclosed in full and remains nebulous to this day. That likely gave plenty of teams pause over the course of the winter, though the Brewers are comfortable enough with his medicals to bring him on board. The fact that Milwaukee has a seemingly wide-open ninth-inning picture following the trade of Tyler Thornburg to the Red Sox likely enhanced the appeal of the Brewers for Feliz, who can re-enter the open market next season and conceivably cash in on a substantial contract if he remains healthy in 2017.

If Feliz does ultimately end up closing games in Milwaukee, he’ll push right-handers Corey Knebel and Carlos Torres down the pecking order. Rob Scahill, Michael Blazek, Jhan Marinez, Jacob Barnes and Taylor Jungmann will be among the relievers competing for middle relief work in manager Craig Counsell’s bullpen, and left-hander Tommy Milone looks like a solid bet to break camp as the team’s long man (if he’s not able to claim a rotation spot in Spring Training).

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports first reported the agreement and the terms (Twitter links). FanRag’s Jon Heyman said the two sides were nearing a deal over the weekend after BrewerFan.net’s Jim Goulart linked to the two sides.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Milwaukee Brewers Newsstand Transactions Neftali Feliz

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Trade/Free Agent Rumors: Holland, Astros, Feliz, Saunders, Twins

By Steve Adams | January 18, 2017 at 8:54pm CDT

Former Royals closer Greg Holland is getting closer to selecting a new team and could make a decision within the next week, tweets Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM. Holland has been said to be seeking a two-year guarantee with an opt-out after the first season as he looks to re-establish himself following Tommy John surgery late in the 2015 season. Roughly two-thirds of the league has been linked to Holland in some capacity, though it’s unlikely that the majority of teams would be comfortable with that type of contractual arrangement. The 30-year-old figures to draw interest from contenders and non-contenders alike so he’ll have to weigh not only the financial strength of the offers he receives but also the ability to pitch for contending club and the opportunity to compete for a ninth-inning job (which non-contending clubs may be more willing to offer right away than contenders).

Some more notes pertaining to the free-agent and trade markets…

  • The Astros haven’t given up on the notion of acquiring one of Sonny Gray, Jose Quintana or Chris Archer and remain in contact with the Athletics, White Sox and Rays, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweeted recently. The extreme asking prices on each starter makes it seem unlikely that Houston would be able to pry any of that trio loose. They’ve already balked at Chicago’s reported asking price of Francis Martes, Kyle Tucker and Joe Musgrove for Quintana, and MLB Network’s Peter Gammons tweets that he received a flat “No” when he asked one source if Gray could land in Houston. Archer, meanwhile, seems like an even longer shot to contend. The Rays have already moved one of their starters, trading Drew Smyly to the Mariners, and the remainder of their offseason dealings have been largely focused in improving the 2017 club.
  • While the Brewers and right-hander Neftali Feliz have yet to finalize an agreement, the two sides are still talking and working toward that goal, tweets MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. Reports over the weekend suggested that the two sides could be moving toward a deal, though there’s been little news since. Feliz had a strong 2016 season with the division-rival Pirates (3.52 ERA, 10.2 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 in 53 2/3 innings) but finished the season on the shelf with a somewhat vague arm injury.
  • Both the Blue Jays and Orioles were “in” on Michael Saunders before the outfielder agreed to a one-year, $9MM with the Phillies (which includes an $11MM club option and escalators), tweets ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. Per Crasnick, Saunders also drew some level of interest from the Brewers and the Diamondbacks as well, Crasnick adds, which is somewhat interesting given the fact that neither club has a clear on-paper need for an additional regular in the outfield.
  • Twins manager Paul Molitor tells La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he’s hopeful the front office will add a veteran to the roster to help bring some experience to what is overall a young clubhouse. “I’ve talked to Thad and Derek about my opinions about adding, where we could, more experienced people who have the reputation of being influential in clubhouse culture as well as leadership,” said Molitor, “and a guy who can still play.” Neal speculates that an outfield bat would be the likeliest fit, noting that Minnesota is pretty well stocked in terms of infield options and DH types.
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Arizona Diamondbacks Baltimore Orioles Chicago White Sox Houston Astros Milwaukee Brewers Minnesota Twins Oakland Athletics Tampa Bay Rays Toronto Blue Jays Chris Archer Greg Holland Jose Quintana Neftali Feliz Sonny Gray

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Neftali Feliz Nearing Deal With Brewers

By charliewilmoth | January 14, 2017 at 11:09am CDT

Free agent righty Neftali Feliz is close to agreeing to a deal with the Brewers, Fan Rag’s Jon Heyman writes (Twitter links). BrewerFan.net’s Jim Goulart was first to tweet a connection between Feliz and the Brew Crew.

The 28-year-old Feliz is coming off a strong comeback season in the Pirates’ bullpen in which he posted a 3.52 ERA, 10.2 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 over 53 2/3 innings. (He missed the last month of the season due to arm discomfort, but his injury was not structural in nature, as Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets. Feliz also began the year throwing his fastball in the mid-90s and added velocity as the season went on, a promising sign for a pitcher who had Tommy John surgery in 2012 and spent several seasons thereafter trying to get back on track.

The Brewers could represent a good match for Feliz. He has 99 saves’ worth of career closing experience, and in the wake of a variety of Brewers trades of established relievers (including Jeremy Jeffress and Tyler Thornburg), he could receive the opportunity to close in Milwaukee. If he does, he could potentially receive a very lucrative contract the next time he’s a free agent. The rebuilding Brewers, meanwhile, would get the chance to dangle Feliz as a trade piece at the deadline, assuming they do fall out of the playoff race. The Brewers have reportedly been looking for relief pitching lately — GM David Stearns has said he’s exploring the possibility of adding relief help not only through big-league additions, but through minor-league signings and trades. The Dodgers had also been connected to Feliz of late.

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Milwaukee Brewers Neftali Feliz

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Morosi’s Latest: Hammel, Rangers, Quintana, Braun, Dodgers, Feliz

By Jeff Todd | January 6, 2017 at 5:22pm CDT

The market has finally seen some movement, both via trades and free-agent signings, in recent days, and there’s plenty more to come with Spring Training just six weeks away. Here’s the latest chatter on various potential player movements, all via Jon Morosi of MLB Network (all links below are to his Twitter feed).

  • Though Jason Hammel has seemingly had trouble finding active pursuers, the Rangers are now in the mix for the righty. That’s certainly promising news for Hammel, who may no longer be under consideration for the Mariners now that they’ve added Yovani Gallardo. Of course, Seattle also just parted with Nate Karns, and GM Jerry Dipoto says he’s still amenable to bolstering his staff (via Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune, on Twitter). As for Texas, the level of interest remains unclear, though it’s certainly plausible to imagine the team deciding that Hammel would be a worthwile bet to provide some solid innings. The biggest question, perhaps, is whether they’ll instead land Tyson Ross first.
  • As the White Sox continue to discuss trade arrangements involving Jose Quintana, the Astros remain one of the rival organizations most fervently in pursuit. That’s hardly surprising, as Houston has long been said to be engaged on the talented lefty. Certainly, it still seems there’s sufficient momentum towards a deal for something to get done, though it remains to be seen whether the ’Stros or another club will come up with the best offer.
  • The Giants are not actively pursuing Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun. And though the Dodgers still remain a possible match with Milwaukee, the Los Angeles organization is currently still focused on trying to work out a trade for second baseman Brian Dozier. It’s not known whether the Dodgers would embark upon a pursuit of Braun if they’re able to add Dozier. While they obviously play different positions, Dozier would accomplish the goal of adding right-handed pop while occupying a position of greater need for L.A., which has a rather lengthy list of potential outfielders.
  • Meanwhile, the Dodgers are on the hunt for a righty set-up man. One possibility, per Morosi, is live-armed 28-year-old Neftali Feliz, who is arguably the best-remaining relief pitcher. MLBTR’s Charlie Wilmoth recently took a look at Feliz’s free-agent case.
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Chicago White Sox Houston Astros Los Angeles Dodgers Milwaukee Brewers San Francisco Giants Seattle Mariners Texas Rangers Brian Dozier Jason Hammel Jose Quintana Neftali Feliz Ryan Braun Yovani Gallardo

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Free Agent Profile: Neftali Feliz

By charliewilmoth | January 1, 2017 at 10:13pm CDT

With a variety of top closers now off the market, teams hunting for relievers this January can choose from a number of somewhat less expensive targets. One of the best of those is righty Neftali Feliz, who’s available after a solid season with the Pirates.

Pros/Strengths

At just 28, Feliz is young and has a solid recent performance record, a rare combination of traits on the free agent market. Last season, Feliz significantly boosted his status after joining Pittsburgh’s pitching factory, posting a 3.52 ERA, 10.2 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9, all solid numbers worthy of late-inning work. He also threw harder than he had in years, with his 96.1 MPH average fastball velocity ranking as his best since 2011, the year before he moved into the Rangers’ rotation and then had an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. And that very high MPH figure might actually understate Feliz’s future potential to throw gas, since his velocity increased throughout last season, averaging closer to 98 MPH by year’s end.

Neftali FelizAlso, while it’s been a long time since Feliz pitched a full season as a closer, he has 99 career saves and could conceivably be a closing option for a rebuilding team that has an opportunity available. The right situation could be a boon for both Feliz and for his new team. Feliz could later market himself as a closer and is certainly young enough and talented enough to get another multi-year deal after his next contract is over. And his new team could get a short-term option at closer and the opportunity to deal him before their contract with him expires.

Cons/Weaknesses

Feliz has a lengthy medical history that includes not only Tommy John surgery in 2012, but also arm soreness in 2014 and an abscess in his side in 2015. He also missed time late in the 2016 season to arm discomfort. He failed to reestablish his velocity for several years after Tommy John and had limited success in 2014 and 2015, resulting in his being designated for assignment by the Rangers and non-tendered by the Tigers.

Of course, it’s normal for a player to struggle somewhat as he attempts to return from Tommy John surgery. But even in 2016, when Feliz appeared to be fully healthy until September, there were a few speed bumps. Feliz allowed his fair share of fly balls, resulting in ten home runs allowed over 53 2/3 innings. That ten-homer total reflected a very high HR/FB% of 19.2%, and that’s likely to come down in 2017. But Feliz’s home run tendencies (probably partially a result of his heavy dependence on his four-seam fastball, as well as his unspectacular command) might mean he’s not a great fit in a homer-friendly ballpark — although, of course, he did just fine for several seasons in homer-happy Arlington.

Background

Feliz signed with the Braves out of Azua, Dominican Republic in 2005, then headed to the Rangers in 2007 in the Mark Teixeira deal. He won the AL Rookie of the Year award in 2010. His wife, Karina, gave birth to a daughter, Nerali, in 2010. His second child, Neftali Jr., was born in 2015.

Market

Feliz’s market has been somewhat quiet thus far, although that isn’t necessarily a surprise — through the first two weeks of December, the relief market revolved around elite closers like Aroldis Chapman, Mark Melancon and Kenley Jansen. It’s been less than three weeks since Jansen (the last of that group remaining on the market) came to terms, and the holiday season likely slowed activity during some of that time. It emerged last month that the Marlins viewed Feliz as something of a backup plan if they couldn’t land Jansen; they ultimately signed a very different type of reliever, Brad Ziegler, instead, but the way they saw Feliz might say something about the way he’s valued throughout the industry. A month ago, Feliz was also connected to the Nationals, a match that still makes a degree of sense. Any number of other teams could also enter the fray given the right price, since Feliz could conceivably be used in a variety of roles. The Pirates’ signing of Daniel Hudson, as well as the significant commitment Feliz might require, make a return to Pittsburgh unlikely.

Expected contract

MLBTR predicts Feliz’s status as one of the better setup men available this winter will help the BTI Sports client land a three-year, $18MM deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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2016-17 Free Agent Profiles MLBTR Originals Neftali Feliz

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Marlins, Dodgers, Nationals Vying For Kenley Jansen

By charliewilmoth | December 8, 2016 at 12:40pm CDT

THURSDAY, 12:39pm: If the Marlins don’t land Jansen, they could turn to another free agent, Neftali Feliz, according to MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro (on Twitter). The 28-year-old Feliz is coming off a good year with the Pirates (3.52 ERA, 10.2 K/9, 3.5 BB/9) and has closing experience. He should also be considerably cheaper than Jansen.

7:50am: Rival executives don’t expect the Dodgers to match the Marlins’ offer, per Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

7:15am: The Nationals are now “making a push” for Jansen, reports FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (Twitter links). However, the Nats are “uncomfortable” with the financial commitment it would take to land him, tweets Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. The club has previously used deferrals as a way to help sign big-money players like Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, but that’s unlikely to work this time, per Rosenthal.

WEDNESDAY: The Marlins have made an offer of five years and more than $80MM to free agent closer Kenley Jansen, Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan tweets. The Marlins were reportedly the runners-up to acquire Aroldis Chapman, who agreed to a five-year, $86MM deal with the Yankees late tonight. Now, with Chapman off the table, it appears they’re trying to lure Jansen with a similarly huge offer. Barring an unforeseen turn of events, Jansen seems likely to pick the Marlins (where he’d be reunited with former manager Don Mattingly and teammates Dee Gordon and A.J. Ellis) or re-sign with the Dodgers.

Jansen doesn’t have Chapman’s spectacular velocity, but he’s a dominating reliever in his own right — he’s coming off a season in which he posted a 1.83 ERA, 13.6 K/9 and an incredibly low 1.4 BB/9 in 68 2/3 innings with the Dodgers. He’s had a much quieter career than Chapman has, but there’s no arguing his tremendous career numbers, including a 2.20 ERA, 13.9 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9.

Still, it’s somewhat surprising to hear that he’s received at least one contract offer similar to Chapman’s deal, which broke the previous record for a relief pitcher contract by $24MM. The recent offers he, Chapman and Mark Melancon have received have been stratospheric, reflecting a trend throughout the industry of increasing salaries for dominant relievers.

It’s also somewhat odd that the Marlins (who won just 79 games last season and recently lost former ace Jose Fernandez under tragic circumstances) are ready to make such an enormous investment in a closer, even a great one. Jansen, who rejected a qualifying offer from the Dodgers, would also cost the Marlins their top 2017 draft pick, No. 13 overall.

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Los Angeles Dodgers Miami Marlins Washington Nationals Kenley Jansen Neftali Feliz

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Bullpen Rumors: Yankees, Brach, Dunn, Davis, Howell, Red Sox, Ziegler

By Mark Polishuk,Steve Adams and Jeff Todd | December 5, 2016 at 5:12pm CDT

Virtually every team in baseball is looking for bullpen help, and here’s the latest in relief pitching buzz…

  • The Yankees are pursuing Aroldis Chapman and will “compete to a certain extent” for his services, GM Brian Cashman told media, including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (Twitter links).  The club is also talking to Kenley Jansen and looking at trade opportunities, so the Yankees are clearly flexible in their search for back-end relief help if Chapman’s bidding gets too high.
  • The Mets are interested in swinging a deal for Orioles right-hander Brad Brach, tweets ESPN’s Buster Olney.  The Mets have been rumored to be seeking right-handed help in the ’pen but aren’t pursuing top-tier free agents.  Brach would represent an affordable setup option, but with two years of club control and a 2.39 ERA over his past 158 1/3 innings, Brach should come with a high asking price.  The Orioles have been linked to Mets outfielders Jay Bruce and Curtis Granderson (they’re said to prefer the latter), but neither of those outfielders would be enough to get the O’s to part with Brach.
  • The Mets haven’t ruled out Mike Dunn as a possible signing, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports via Twitter, but the club is “not so high” on the veteran left-hander.
  • The Cubs are one of the more serious early suitors for Royals closer Wade Davis, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (via Twitter).
  • The Giants are one of the teams who have asked about veteran lefty J.P. Howell, Olney tweets.  Howell is reportedly only looking for a one-year contract.  San Francisco has an open LOOGY role with Javier Lopez hitting the open market.  Howell posted a mediocre 4.09 ERA last year, and though his peripherals were in line with his prior years’ work, Howell was uncharacteristically vulnerable to lefty hitters (.302/.343/.417) in 2016.
  • Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters (including ESPN.com’s Scott Lauber) that the Sox “haven’t closed any doors” on re-signing Koji Uehara or Brad Ziegler.  Both pitchers fit Boston’s desire for a setup man with closing experience.
  • The Blue Jays are one of a number of organizations that have had contact with Ziegler, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith tweets.  Toronto is presumably looking to add to to its setup corps in front of closer Roberto Osuna.
  • Ziegler has also drawn some attention from the Nationals, per Chris Cotillo of SB Nation. The Nats are also considering fellow free agent Neftali Feliz as they look to bolster their bullpen. Of course, D.C.’s top priority in the relief ranks is surely in the ninth inning, and it is hard to imagine either of those players being trusted with the closing role.
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Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox Chicago Cubs Kansas City Royals New York Mets New York Yankees San Francisco Giants Toronto Blue Jays Washington Nationals Aroldis Chapman Brad Brach Brad Ziegler J.P. Howell Kenley Jansen Koji Uehara Mike Dunn Neftali Feliz Wade Davis

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NL Central Notes: Cubs, Feliz, McCutchen, Marte, Brewers

By Steve Adams | September 29, 2016 at 9:07am CDT

While the Cubs have locked down the top three leaders in their baseball operations department by agreeing to extensions with president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, general manager Jed Hoyer and senior vice president of player development Jason McLeod, the team’s front office could still see a number of executives poached by other clubs in the coming years, writes Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. Scouting director Jared Porter and assistant GM Shiraz Rehman were both mentioned in connection with the Twins recently, and both figure to come up in future front office searches. “Porter will be a GM and soon,” writes Passan, who also lists director of player development Jaron Madison and director of baseball operations Scott Harris as rising stars within the field.

A bit more from the NL Central…

  • Neftali Feliz isn’t likely to get back on the mound for the Pirates this season, manager Clint Hurdle told reporters, including Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Feliz, signed as a free agent last winter, enjoyed a nice rebound campaign with the Buccos in 2016, pitching to a 3.52 ERA with 10.2 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 37.9 percent ground-ball rate in 53 2/3 innings of work while playing on a modest $3.9MM salary. The specific nature of the arm injury that has plagued Feliz since early September remains somewhat murky, though he was reportedly cleared of elbow or shoulder troubles earlier this month. Assuming there are no major medical concerns, he’ll become yet another pitcher to significantly boost his stock in a brief stint with the Pirates, as he’ll enter the open market with an ERA nearly three runs lower and a K/9 rate that’s nearly three whiffs higher than he did a year ago.
  • In a second piece from the Post-Gazette, Stephen J. Nesbitt writes that while Andrew McCutchen’s defensive ratings in center field have plummeted — his -26 DRS mark is the worst of any fielder at any position in baseball, and his -14.4 UZR is third-worst — Pirates manager Clint Hurdle isn’t ready to flip McCutchen and standout defensive left fielder Starling Marte. “I know that there are probably going to be plays that Marte can make in center field that maybe Andrew doesn’t make,” said Hurdle, “[but] there are plays Marte makes in left field that nobody can make. That’s the other point. Everybody in the street talks to me about center field. Marte makes plays in left that I don’t know if any other left fielder in the game can make.”
  • The Brewers have made some changes in their scouting department, and Baseball America’s John Manuel has details on the promotions and hirings. Noted scouting director Ray Montgomery is being moved up the ladder to vice president of scouting and will now be the organization’s lead talent evaluator, whereas assistant scouting director Tod Johnson will shed the “assistant” from his title. Pro scouting director Zack Minasian will now serve as a special advisor to the scouting department. “Scouting will always be an integral aspect of our focus on acquiring and developing young talent, and we are confident that today’s moves will enhance those efforts to be among the best in the industry,” said GM David Stearns in a statement.
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Latest On Ivan Nova, Pirates’ Offseason

By Connor Byrne | September 18, 2016 at 1:27pm CDT

The Pirates acquired Ivan Nova from the Yankees without much fanfare at the Aug. 1 trade deadline, but the right-hander has since turned into Pittsburgh’s latest successful reclamation project. Nova had a rough showing against the Reds on Sunday, but he entered the contest with a 2.41 ERA to pair with an even more impressive 0.52 BB/9 in 52 1/3 innings with the Pirates. As an impending free agent, Nova’s breakout might go down as a bittersweet development for the Bucs, who could lose him after the season.

“He has obviously changed the direction of his winter in the last six weeks,” manager Clint Hurdle admitted to Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Nova, 29, was back-of-the-rotation fodder in New York over the past couple seasons, but he’s likely to cash in soon as an appealing arm in a free agent market that will be largely devoid of them. It will also help Nova’s cause that the Pirates won’t be able to tender him a qualifying offer, which would force another team to give up a first-round pick to sign him. J.A. Happ, who was dominant with the Pirates after they acquired him from Seattle a year ago, also didn’t have a qualifying offer weighing him down when he hit free agency last winter. That, combined with his down-the-stretch performance in Pittsburgh, earned him a three-year, $36MM deal with the Blue Jays.

While many are quick to credit highly regarded pitching coach Ray Searage when an unheralded pickup fares well with the Pirates, Hurdle told Nesbitt that the team hasn’t had Nova make any significant changes since it landed him.

“There’s been no major overhaul,” Hurdle said. “For Nova, the downhill angle has been there, the strike-throwing efficiency has been there. It’s just been a couple things he has tightened up.”

In addition to Nova, the Pirates will have offseason decisions to make on other free agents, including reliever Neftali Feliz and a pair of position players – outfielder Matt Joyce and utilityman Sean Rodriguez – writes Nesbitt. All three signed inexpensive one-year deals with the Bucs last offseason, and Joyce and Rodriguez have been especially effective in 2016. As a result, they’re in line for raises. Joyce, who’s on a $1MM salary, has batted a stellar .248/.408/.481 with 12 home runs in 262 plate appearances. That’s a far cry from the .174/.272/.291 line and five homers he put up in 284 PAs with the Angels last year. Rodriguez, a $2.5MM player, has slashed a career-best .266/.349/.516 with 16 homers in 293 trips to the plate. Along the way, the 31-year-old has spent time at every position but pitcher and catcher.

Elsewhere on the roster, arbitration-eligible pitchers Juan Nicasio, Jared Hughes, Jeff Locke and Wade LeBlanc are potential non-tender candidates, per Nesbitt. Nicasio and Hughes have been superior to Locke and LeBlanc, both of whom seem likely to go. Locke will be due a raise over his $3.025MM salary despite having posted ugly numbers (5.49 ERA, 1.64 K/BB ratio) in 126 1/3 innings this year. LeBlanc, meanwhile, joined the Pirates on Tuesday after they picked him up in a trade with Seattle. The Mariners previously designated him for assignment in late August.

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Pittsburgh Pirates Ivan Nova Jared Hughes Jeff Locke Juan Nicasio Matt Joyce Neftali Feliz Sean Rodriguez Wade LeBlanc

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NL Notes: Jay, Campos, Gutierrez, Feliz

By Jeff Todd | September 7, 2016 at 10:12am CDT

Padres outfielder Jon Jay officially returned to action last night, making his first plate appearance since the 19th of June. As Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune explains, the 31-year-old stayed busy during his rehab from a fractured forearm. While he says his focus remains on “going out and proving to everyone that I’m healthy and I can still play at a high level,” Jay also spent time focusing on other aspects of the game. “I love this game of baseball, and in the future you never know what’s going to happen,” said Jay. “I would maybe want to coach or be involved in the game still with player development or whatever it might be. I’m kind of working on those things now so that if an opportunity does come in the future, I’m ready for it.” First things first, though: Jay will be playing to help set up his next contract, as he’ll reach the open market this fall. Mutual interest in a return to San Diego won’t be explored further until that time, both he and manager Andy Green noted.

More from the National League:

  • The Diamondbacks received unfortunate news about righty Vicente Campos, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets. Not long after making his MLB debut, the 24-year-old has been diagnosed with an ulnar fracture that will require surgery and an eight-month recovery timeline. That seems to suggest that a mid-season return in 2017 may be possible, at least, but the fracture obviously represents a highly disappointing development. Campos was acquired in July in the Tyler Clippard swap.
  • Just-signed righty Vladimir Gutierrez was also pursued by several other clubs before agreeing with the Reds, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports (Twitter links). The Rangers and Astros were the two primary pursuers who were willing to strike a deal right now, but three other organizations tried to convince the Cuban youngster to wait until the following July 2 signing period to put pen to paper. Meanwhile, Cinci GM Dick Williams says that the club likely won’t be making any other big-dollar signings in the near term.
  • Pirates righty Neftali Feliz left action on Saturday, leading to some concern about his health, but it appears to be a minor issue. As Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweeted yesterday, there is no elbow or shoulder concern. Feliz still hasn’t returned to the bump, but is expected to be ready in short order, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets. The 28-year-old has enjoyed a solid campaign in Pittsburgh, posting a 3.52 ERA with 10.2 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 over 53 2/3 innings, though some good batted ball fortune (.240 BABIP despite allowing 37.0% hard contact) may be helping. He’ll return to the open market this fall.
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Arizona Diamondbacks Cincinnati Reds Houston Astros Pittsburgh Pirates San Diego Padres Texas Rangers Jon Jay Neftali Feliz Vladimir Gutierrez

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