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Sandy Leon

Red Sox Designate Chandler Shepherd For Assignment

By Steve Adams | May 17, 2019 at 10:24am CDT

The Red Sox announced Friday morning that they’ve designated right-hander Chandler Shepherd for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster for catcher Oscar Hernandez, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Pawtucket. Hernandez will join the active roster in place of catcher Sandy Leon as he departs for paternity leave.

Shepherd, 26, has struggled through a brutal start to his 2019 campaign, pitching to a 10.01 ERA through 29 2/3 inning of Triple-A ball. He’s yielded a staggering 53 hits in that time, including 11 home runs, issued 16 walks and also been tagged for another 10 unearned runs. Shepherd, to his credit, has punched out 30 hitters in those 29 2/3 innings and did turn in a solid 2018 season in Pawtucket when he logged a 3.89 ERA in 129 2/3 innings. Despite this season’s alarming home run woes, he allowed just 13 long balls in 2018.

The 25-year-old Hernandez was the top pick in the Rule 5 Draft back in 2014 but saw only minimal time with the D-backs over the next two seasons and hit .167/.239/.262 in a tiny sample of 47 plate appearances in the big leagues. The defensive-minded backstop has thwarted 43 percent of stolen base attempts against him in his minor league career and has consistently drawn above-average framing marks, but he’s just a .190/.2440/.344 hitter in 431 plate appearances at the Double-A level and a .203/.282/.284 hitter in 225 plate appearances at Triple-A. Lack of production in the upper minors notwithstanding, Boston needs a backup catcher with Leon away from the club for a few days, so Hernandez will return to a big league roster for the first time since 2016.

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Boston Red Sox Transactions Chandler Shepherd Oscar Hernandez Sandy Leon

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Sandy Leon Clears Waivers, Accepts Outright Assignment

By Steve Adams | March 28, 2019 at 11:30am CDT

March 28: Leon has accepted his assignment to Triple-A, the team announced.

March 26: 1:14pm: Abraham now tweets that Leon has not actually not yet made a decision on whether he’ll accept the assignment. He has 48 hours to do so.

12:54pm: The Red Sox announced Tuesday that catcher Sandy Leon has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Pawtucket. Evan Drellich first reported (via Twitter) that Leon had gone unclaimed, and the Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham tweets that Leon has accepted an outright assignment.

Because Leon has more than three years of MLB service time (4.149 years), he could’ve rejected the assignment in favor of free agency. However, only players with five-plus years of service can reject an outright assignment without forfeiting the salary on their contract, so electing free agency would’ve cost Leon $2.475MM. He’ll remain with the organization and, while he won’t count against the 40-man roster, he will count against the team’s luxury tax calculations (a technicality that was changed in the last CBA).

Leon, 30, struggled through an awful season at the plate in 2018, hitting just .177/.232/.279 through 288 PAs. His bat has continually declined since what now looks like a clear outlier campaign in 2016, but he’s regarded as a terrific defender in terms of limiting the running game, framing pitches, and managing a staff.

Despite that proficient glovework, however, Leon found himself squeezed off the Boston roster by a cluttered catching mix no longer deemed tenable by the organization. Boston spent the entire 2018 campaign juggling playing time for Leon, Christian Vazquez and seldom-used former top prospect Blake Swihart. With both Swihart and Leon out of minor league options and Vazquez locked in as the team’s No. 1 catcher, the Sox ultimately cut bait on Leon in favor of Swihart, who’ll now serve as the primary backup in 2019. If Leon does stick with the club, he could eventually resurface in the big leagues in the event of an injury or prolonged struggles for one either Vazquez or Swihart.

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Boston Red Sox Transactions Sandy Leon

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Red Sox Place Sandy Leon On Waivers

By Mark Polishuk | March 24, 2019 at 5:12pm CDT

The Red Sox have placed catcher Sandy Leon on waivers, as per WEEI.com’s Evan Drellich (Twitter link).

The move comes after months of trade rumors surrounding Boston’s catching situation, as the team didn’t plan on keeping all three of Leon, Christian Vazquez, and Blake Swihart on its Opening Day roster.  No deals materialized, however, as Boston’s attempts were undoubtedly complicated both by a busiest-than-expected catching market this winter, as well as the simple fact that none of the trio played well in 2018.  (Plus, all three were out of minor league options.)

As of last spring, the Red Sox were known to be putting a rather large asking price on Swihart befitting his former top-prospect status, and it isn’t known if that price dropped in the wake of Swihart’s lackluster performance last season.  Vazquez came with a notable financial cost (owed $13.55MM through 2021), while even Leon’s modest $2.475MM salary for 2019 could be seen as an overpay for a defense-only catcher, given what players with similar skillsets have landed this winter.

That said, it seems likely that several teams will check in on Leon now that they’ll just have to pay his salary (rather than give something up to the Sox in a trade).  Leon is ranked by both Baseball Prospectus and StatCorner as a top-tier pitch-framer, and has also received above-average marks for his blocking and throwing arm.  More anecdotally, teammates and coaches have raved about Leon’s ability to call a game and manage pitchers.  At the plate, Leon has a surprisingly strong 2016, but has since batted only .201/.262/.317 over 589 plate appearances.

If Leon isn’t claimed, he will be removed from Boston’s 40-man roster and then have the choice to either become a free agent or remain with the Red Sox as Triple-A depth.  Assuming he leaves, Boston would then have just Vazquez and Swihart behind the plate, and Juan Centeno as their top minor league depth candidate.

Vazquez is himself a strong defender, and obviously the Sox aren’t ready to give up on a player they only recently extended.  Swihart is still a question mark defensively (both at catcher and elsewhere around the diamond), though the Red Sox also still think enough of his potential that they’re willing to take the defensive dropoff as Swihart continues to develop.  With all this uncertainty, Boston could possibly be a midseason candidate to acquire a catcher at the deadline, though it’s worth noting that the club was content to use a defense-first approach to the catcher position last season and it still led to a championship.

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Boston Red Sox Transactions Sandy Leon

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Red Sox “Actively” Discussing Sandy Leon Trades

By Steve Adams and Jeff Todd | March 21, 2019 at 4:23pm CDT

The Red Sox are currently in “active” trade talks with other clubs regarding a potential Sandy Leon swap, Buster Olney and Marly Rivera of ESPN report (via Twitter).

As has long been anticipated, something will have to give with regard to Boston’s catching situation between now and Opening Day. The Sox are carrying three catchers at the moment in Leon, Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart.

While the Boston organization managed to hang onto those three players for the entirety of the 2018 season, doing so more or less meant punting a roster spot. Swihart was so seldom used early on that he tallied all of 48 plate appearances through the season’s first two months.

A repeat of that approach has never seemed desirable. The precise resolution, though, remains unclear. Vazquez is projected to be the starter in Boston, and both Leon and Swihart are out of minor league options, making a trade or even just a straight release of Leon both plausible outcomes.

Leon, 30, struggled through an awful season at the plate in 2018, hitting just .177/.232/.279 through 288 PAs. His bat has continually declined since what now looks like a clear outlier campaign in 2016, but he’s regarded as a terrific defender in terms of limiting the running game, framing pitches, and managing a staff.

Leon agreed to a $2.475MM salary to avoid arbitration this winter. That may represent a palatable sum for a trade partner seeking a defensive-minded backup catcher, though it’s just barely shy of the deal Martin Maldonado signed  few weeks back. Maldonado is also highly regarded behind the dish and is also a more accomplished (albeit still well-below-average) hitter.

Arbitration salaries aren’t fully guaranteed until Opening Day, though, so if the Sox were to move on, they’d only be on the hook for 45 days’ termination pay — a total of about $599K. To be clear, there’s no indication that the Sox have given serious thought to cutting Leon loose, but if they’re indeed planning on carrying just two catchers this winter (Vazquez and Swihart), that possibility would need to be considered if the trade route doesn’t bear fruit.

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Catching Notes: Perez, Royals, Maldonado, Murphy, Red Sox

By Steve Adams | March 8, 2019 at 9:04am CDT

The Royals have insurance on their five-year, $52MM contract with Salvador Perez, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports (via Twitter). Specific terms of the policy aren’t clear, though the insurance policy is “believed” to kick in after 90 games. Kansas City will play its 90th game of the season on July 6 this year, after which point Perez will be owed approximately $4.57MM of his $10MM salary through season’s end. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll recoup that entire sum, as specific payments will be dependent on the terms of their policy. (The Mets’ insurance policy on David Wright, for instance, paid the team 75 percent of his salary based on days spent on the 60-day disabled list.) While the loss of Perez stings for the Royals on multiple levels, it seems they’ll at the very least be able to recover a few million dollars in salary, which could conceivably be used to pursue a replacement. Kansas City has been in talks with Martin Maldonado, who switched representation yesterday.

A couple more notes pertaining to the catching market…

  • The Astros, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney (via Twitter), made Maldonado a two-year offer at the beginning of the offseason. Whether the annual salary that accompanied that offer was deemed insufficient or whether then-agent Scott Boras sought a lengthier pact, turning down the offer does not appear to have been a prudent decision. Of course, such proclamations are easy to make with the benefit of hindsight, and it was surely a far more difficult decision at the time. Many clubs — the Astros, White Sox, Rockies, Phillies, Mets, Cubs, Braves and Dodgers among them — looked like viable on-paper fits for Maldonado and other catchers at the outset of free agency, so exploring the market for his services was only natural. Houston ultimately moved on, adding Robinson Chirinos on a one-year deal, while Maldonado remains unsigned having recently hired a new agent.
  • Out-of-options Rockies catcher Tom Murphy is making a strong bid for a roster spot with his spring performance, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. Murphy is 5-for-16 with a pair of homers and two walks (against six strikeouts), but beyond the raw, small sample of stats he’s posted to date, he’s impressed manager Bud Black with an improved all-around game. “I think ‘Murph’ does a nice job of game-calling,” said Black. “…the whole aspect of his game is much improved over what we saw two years ago and that’s a tribute to ‘Murph.’” Murphy, 28 next month, once sat on the back end of Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects list (2015-16 offseason) but has yet to establish himself. He’s now fighting for a roster spot against veteran Chris Iannetta and a strong defender but light hitter, Tony Wolters.
  • In his latest Opening Day roster projection for the Red Sox, Ian Browne of MLB.com predicts that Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart will make the roster. That’d leave Sandy Leon as the odd man out, forcing either a trade or a DFA of the defensive-minded veteran. Leon, Browne notes, is arguably the best defender of the bunch and could be a logical fit for the Royals. Swihart, meanwhile, has greater trade value given his former prospect status, upside with the bat and remaining team control. Leon avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $2.475MM (a partially guaranteed sum that’d become fully guaranteed on Opening Day). He hit just .177/.232/.279 in 288 plate appearances last year but was vastly better in 2016-17. Swihart, meanwhile, is controlled through 2022 and is earning $910K as a first-time arbitration-eligible Super Two player. His .229/.285/.328 line in 207 PAs last year wasn’t much to look at, either, though his playing time was sparse and he’s long been touted for his offensive potential.
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Boston Red Sox Colorado Rockies Houston Astros Kansas City Royals Blake Swihart Martin Maldonado Salvador Perez Sandy Leon Tom Murphy Tony Wolters

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Red Sox Still Shopping Catchers, Seeking Rotation Depth

By Jeff Todd | February 12, 2019 at 8:49pm CDT

As pitchers and catchers report, the Red Sox are still looking to swing some deals to tweak their personnel mix in those areas. According to Sean McAdam of the Boston Sports Journal (subscription link), the organization is dangling its three backstops in trade talks while hoping to find rotation depth in return.

It’s hardly surprising to hear that president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is looking to move a catcher. After all, he made clear weeks ago that the team had little interest in carrying Christian Vazquez, Sandy Leon, and Blake Swihart on the Opening Day roster.

Nevertheless, this news is worth noting. For one thing, it’s interesting that the Boston organization is still actively engaged even with camp opening. It could instead have decided to let the situation play out before considering options just before the start of the season.

Of somewhat greater import, though, is the concept that the Red Sox are looking to boost their stockpile of starters. That’s the aim of any organization, generally speaking. But that same fact makes it rather difficult to imagine that a rival team will be particularly inclined to move passable arms — particularly given the meager output of the Boston catching trio last year and the fact that the Red Sox have already broadcast their roster intentions.

Some might argue that the club ought to focus instead on its bullpen, which seems a notably risky area of an obviously talented roster. That’s perhaps a bit of a red herring, though, as any rotation depth asset could also help (directly or indirectly) with the relief unit and the club surely knows it won’t be able to swap any of its three catchers for anything approaching a premium reliever.

It’s far from clear which of those three backstops the Sox are most inclined to move. Perhaps the market will still dictate the decision to an extent, though now the club is watching the three in uniform once again and surely has its own ideas. Dombrowski said in January that Swihart would “come to camp trying to compete to be our starting catcher,” while the team previously showed its belief in Vazquez by inking him to an extension. Perhaps that makes Leon the odd man out, but he wouldn’t likely draw significant interest in trade talks and he’s also considered a much more reliable defender than Swihart.

It’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out. Perhaps it would not be entirely surprising if the Red Sox simply end up designating one of these out-of-options players for assignment when the time comes. Then again, Dombrowski said previously that the club was waiting to “mak[e] a trade we feel good about,” seemingly indicating he believed there would be sufficient interest from other organizations to reap at least some kind of return.

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Boston Red Sox Blake Swihart Christian Vazquez Sandy Leon

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Red Sox Notes: Bogaerts, Betts, Sale, Porcello, Bullpen, Catchers

By Connor Byrne | January 19, 2019 at 6:36pm CDT

Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reported earlier this month that the world champion Red Sox had been discussing a contract extension with an unnamed player. It turns out that player was shortstop Xander Bogaerts, according to Drellich, though he adds that the two sides never came close to an agreement during their talks. The 26-year-old Bogaerts is now slated to make $12MM in 2019, potentially his last season with the Red Sox. Meanwhile, outfielder Andrew Benintendi – who, according to industry speculation, was an extension target for the Red Sox earlier this offseason – said Saturday he and the team haven’t talked about a new pact, Drellich relays. The 24-year-old Benintendi still has another pre-arbitration season remaining, meaning the Red Sox aren’t in danger of losing him for a while.

  • As with Bogaerts, the Red Sox are at risk of losing outfielder and reigning AL MVP Mookie Betts in the near future. Betts, 26, is entering his penultimate year of arbitration control, in which he’ll earn $20MM (a record for a player in Year 2 of arb eligibility). Unsurprisingly, though, the Red Sox want to keep Betts in the fold for the long haul. CEO Sam Kennedy stated Saturday (via Drellich) that “we’ve made it crystal clear that we want him a part of the Red Sox organization long term.” Betts, for his part, said: “Contract things are kind of tough to come up with, especially with both sides and kind of how the economics and all those things work. I love Boston, love my teammates, love the fans and all those types of things, so we’ll just continue to see what happens.” While Betts does appear open to signing an extension with the Red Sox, he doesn’t seem averse to testing the open market, per Drellich.
  • Two key members of Boston’s starting staff, left-hander Chris Sale and righty Rick Porcello, could each hit free agency a year from now. The soon-to-be 30-year-old Sale suggested Saturday that he’s willing to discuss an extension, but the Red Sox haven’t broached the subject yet. “My phone is on if they call me,” he said (via Ian Browne of MLB.com). “Obviously nothing has happened up until this point. If they call, I’d answer.” Sale also indicated that his left shoulder – which was a problem at times late last season, when he dealt with a massive drop in velocity – is no longer an issue. As for Porcello, 30, he also revealed that no extension talks have taken place, though he’d “love to” discuss a new contract with the club, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com tweets. For now, Porcello’s on track to wrap up the four-year, $82.5MM pact he signed with the Red Sox in April 2015.
  • Having lost Joe Kelly to the Dodgers and Craig Kimbrel to the open market, Boston’s “actively engaged with multiple free-agent relievers,” Cotillo writes. While Cotillo doesn’t rule out a Kimbrel re-signing, he notes an addition could come in the $2MM to $3MM neighborhood. Kimbrel will certainly earn far more than that, though there are several other free agents who could be possibilities for the Red Sox in that price range.
  • Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Thursday he doesn’t expect that all three of the team’s catchers – Christian Vazquez, Sandy Leon and Blake Swihart – will be on its Opening Day roster, Sean McAdam of BostonSportsJournal.com reports (subscription required). Because all of those players are out of options, a trade is likely coming. Dombrowski noted that “there’s interest, but we still haven’t made a deal we feel comfortable making.” All three catchers had abysmal offensive seasons over 200-plus plate appearances in 2018, but if defense is Boston’s main concern, the odd man out may be Swihart. After all, the former high-end prospect has accrued little playing time as a backstop over the past few years.
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Boston Red Sox Andrew Benintendi Blake Swihart Chris Sale Christian Vazquez Rick Porcello Sandy Leon Xander Bogaerts

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Players Avoiding Arbitration: American League

By Steve Adams,George Miller,Jeff Todd,TC Zencka and Ty Bradley | January 12, 2019 at 2:19pm CDT

The deadline for players and teams to exchange arbitration figures passed at 1pm ET yesterday, meaning over the next few hours, there will be a landslide of settlements on one-year deals to avoid an arbitration hearing. We’ll track today’s minor settlements from the American League in this post. Once all of the day’s settlements have filtered in, I’ll organize them by division to make them a bit easier to parse.

It’s worth mentioning that the vast majority of teams have adopted a “file and trial” approach to arbitration, meaning that once arbitration figures are exchanged with a player, negotiations on a one-year deal will cease. The two parties may still discuss a multi-year deal after that point, but the majority of players who exchange figures with their team today will head to an arbitration hearing.

As always, all salary projections referenced within this post are courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz, and we’ll also be updating our 2019 Arbitration Tracker throughout the day…

Today’s Updates

  • Yankees 1B Greg Bird will make $1.2 MM next season, per Bob Nightengale on Twitter.
  • The controversial Roberto Osuna will make $6.5MM next season, per Feinsand. Teammate Jake Marisnick, who again scuffled in ’18 after a promising 2017, will make $2.2125MM.
  • Per Mark Feinsand on Twitter, A’s lefty Sean Manaea $3.15MM in what’s sure to be an injury-marred 2019.
  • Hard-throwing reliever Mychal Givens will make $2.15MM, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter), with additional incentives for making the All-Star team or placing in the Top-3 for the Rivera/Hoffman Reliever of the Year Awards, added MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter).
  • The Mariners agreed on a $1.95MM deal with outfielder Domingo Santana, per MLB.com’s Greg Johns (via Twitter). Santana is the second and last of the Mariners’ arbitration-eligible players.
  • The Angels agreed to contracts with a pair of players yesterday, per Maria Torres of the LA Times (via Twitter). Reliever Hansel Robles signed for $1.4MM. Robles threw 36 1/3 innings of 2.97 ERA baseball after the Angels claimed him off waivers from the Mets in June. Luis Garcia, acquired via trade from the Phillies this winter, signed for $1.675MM.
  • The Tigers and reliever Shane Greene settled on $4MM, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (via Twitter).
  • The Yankees reached an agreement with Sonny Gray for $7.5MM, per Nightengale. Gray, of course, has been involved trade rumors most of the winter, but for the time being, he stands to play a role in the Yankee pen while providing insurance for the rotation.
  • Didi Gregorius has also come to an agreement with the Yankees on a one-year, $11.75MM deal in his final season before free agency, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (Twitter links).
  • New Yankee James Paxton signed for $8.575, per Nightengale (via Twitter). Paxton is under contract for the 2020 season as well.
  • The Houston Astros came to an agreement with Collin McHugh for $5.8MM, per Nightengale (via Twitter). McHugh could be moving back into the rotation after a stellar season in the pen, either way this will be his final season of arb eligibility before hitting the open market.
  • Jonathan Villar comes away with $4.825MM for what will be his first full season in Baltimore, per Nightengale (via Twitter).

Earlier Updates

Read more

  • Among other deals, the White Sox have struck deals to pay Carlos Rodon $4.2MM and Yolmer Sanchez $4.625MM, per MLB.com’s Scott Merkin (via Twitter).
  • In his second season of eligibility, outfielder Randal Grichuk has a $5MM deal with the Blue Jays, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca tweets. Righty Aaron Sanchez receives $3.9MM and outfielder Kevin Pillar gets $5.8MM, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith adds (Twitter links).
  • Angels righty Cam Bedrosian is slated to earn $1.75MM, J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group (via Twitter).
  • The Rangers have deals with outfielders Nomar Mazara ($3.3MM) and Delino DeShields ($1.4MM), Levi Weaver of The Athletic tweets.
  • Power righty Dellin Betances is in agreement on a $7.125MM deal with the Yankees in his final season of arb eligibility, Sweeny Murti of WFAN tweets.
  • The Tigers have avoided arbitration with outfielder Nicholas Castellanos, according to Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). It’s a $9.95MM deal. Castellanos had projected for $11.3MM.
  • The Twins will pay starter Kyle Gibson $8.125MM, per Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (Twitter link). Outfielder Eddie Rosario gets $4.19MM, per LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune (via Twitter), while lefty Taylor Rogers takes home $1.525MM as a Super Two, Murray tweets.
  • The Athletics have agreed with shortstop Marcus Semien a $5.9MM deal, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). Fellow infielder Jurickson Profar will receive $3.6MM, Robert Murray of The Athletic tweets.
  • Newly acquired righty Alex Colome will earn $7.325MM with the White Sox, Nightengale also tweets.
  • Righty Brad Peacock gets $3.11MM from the Astros, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Fellow right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. will earn $4.1MM, Mark Berman of FOX 26 tweets, though he’ll miss all of the 2019 campaign due to Tommy John surgery. A third Houston righty, Will Harris, settled at $4.225MM, per MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart (Twitter link).
  • The Red Sox have agreed to a $2.475MM salary with catcher Sandy Leon, according to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe (links to Twitter). Lefty Eduardo Rodriguez, meanwhile, is slated to earn $4.3MM while infielder Brock Holt takes down $3.575MM.
  • The Tigers have deals in place with a series of pitchers. Lefty Matthew Boyd will play on a $2.6MM salary in 2019, Robert Murray of The Athletic tweets. Lefty Daniel Norris gets $1.275MM, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press tweets. Fellow southpaw Blaine Hardy also has a deal, Fenech tweets, with MLB.com’s Jason Beck putting the price at $1.3MM (Twitter link).
  • Backstop Mike Zunino receives $4,412,500 from the Rays, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweets. Infielder Matt Duffy has agreed to a $2.675MM payday, Murray tweets.
  • The Blue Jays will pay righty Marcus Stroman $7.4MM for the upcoming season, per Nightengale (via Twitter).
  • While the Orioles have now reached deals with all of their eligible players, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (Twitter link), we don’t yet have salary terms. Dylan Bundy, Mychal Givens, and Jonathan Villar make up the arb class. Bundy takes down $2.8MM, per another Kubatko tweet.
  • The Angels have a $3.7MM deal for the 2019 season with lefty Tyler Skaggs, tweets Nightengale. He comes in $100K north of his $3.6MM projected salary and can be controlled for another two seasons before reaching free agency.
  • Miguel Sano and the Twins agreed to a $2.65MM salary with another $50K of plate appearance incentives, tweets Nightengale. Sano’s deal is $450K shy of his $3.1MM projection, and he can be controlled through the 2021 season.
  • The Rays and righty Chaz Roe settled on a one-year pact worth $1.275MM, tweets Murray. Roe, who’d been projected at $1.4MM, is arb-eligible for the first time and controlled through 2021.
  • Brandon Workman and the Red Sox settled at $1.15MM, tweets Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. The second-time-eligible righty is controlled through the 2020 campaign and had been projected at $1.4MM.
  • The Yankees and outfielder Aaron Hicks have agreed to a $6.0MM salary, tweets Nightengale. The deal comes in just short of his $6.2MM projection. The 29-year-old is entering his final season of arbitration eligibility before reaching free agency.
  • Blue Jays infielders Brandon Drury and Devon Travis have agreed to one-year deals worth $1.3MM and $1.925MM, respectively, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith and Jamie Campbell of Sportsnet (Twitter links). Each of the pair falls short of their respective $1.4MM and $2.4MM projections. Drury, a Super Two player, will be arbitration-eligible three more times and is controllable through 2022. Travis, meanwhile, has three-plus years of MLB service and is under team control through 2021.
  • The Twins and right-hander Jake Odorizzi have settled on a one-year deal worth $9.5MM, tweets Nightengale. Odorizzi, who is in his final year of arbitration eligibility before reaching free agency, receives slightly more than his $9.4MM projection.
  • Max Kepler and the Twins have reached an agreement on a $3.125MM salary, tweets Murray. A Super Two player, this is Kepler’s first season of arbitration eligibility. Coming in just under his $3.2MM projection, Kepler will remain under team control through 2022.
  • Mariners left-hander Roenis Elias has agreed to a one-year deal, tweets Greg Johns of MLB.com. Financial terms are not yet known. Elias, controllable through 2021, had been projected to earn $1.0MM.
  • The Astros and righty Ryan Pressly have settled on a $2.9MM salary, tweets Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle–slightly less than the projected $3.1MM figure. Pressly enters his last year of arbitration eligibility and can reach free agency as early as next winter.
  • Twins right-hander Trevor May has agreed to a one-year deal worth $900K, tweets Murray. This marks May’s second year of arbitration eligibility; he will remain under team control through 2020.
  • Closer Ken Giles and the Blue Jays have settled on a one-year, $6.3MM contract, tweets Nicholson-Smith. Projected to earn $6.6MM, Giles is in his second year of arbitration eligibility and is controllable through 2020.
  • Outfielder Byron Buxton and the Twins have agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.75MM, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN first tweeted. Buxton, a Super Two player entering arbitration for the first time, had been projected to earn $1.2MM and will remain under team control through 2022.
  • Angels starters Andrew Heaney and Nick Tropeano have settled on one-year deals worth $3.4MM and $1.075MM, respectively, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Heaney’s 180 innings in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery helped him to top his $2.8MM projection handily. Tropeano had been projected at $1.5MM. Both pitchers have three-plus years of MLB service time and are controlled through 2021.
  • Yankees catcher Austin Romine agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.8MM, tweets Nightengale. The 30-year-old, who had been projected to earn $2MM, is entering his final season of club control before reaching free agency.
  • The Red Sox and Blake Swihart settled on a one-year deal worth $910K, tweets Murray. That checks in south of his $1.1MM projection. As a Super Two player who’s arbitration-eligible for the first time, Swihart will be arb-eligible three more times and is controlled through 2022.
  • The Blue Jays and Joe Biagini settled at $900K, tweets Murray, which lands just shy of his $1MM projection. Biagini barely qualified as a Super Two player this offseason and will be arb-eligible three more times. He’s controlled through 2022.
  • The Athletics and Mark Canha agreed on a one-year deal worth $2.05MM, tweets Robert Murray of The Athletic, landing just shy of his projected $2.1MM figure. With three-plus years of MLB service, Canha is in his first season of arbitration eligibility and is controllable through 2021.
  • Angels infielder Tommy La Stella settled with his new team at $1.35MM, tweets Murray. Projected to receive $1.2MM, La Stella is entering his penultimate season of team control before hitting free agency.
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AL East Notes: Rays, Red Sox, Martin, Giles, Jays

By Mark Polishuk | December 10, 2018 at 11:22pm CDT

Rays manager Kevin Cash confirmed that his team will again use the “opener” strategy in 2019, telling Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times and other reporters that openers will “start” at least twice during every turn in the rotation.  AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and right-hander Tyler Glasnow are currently projected as the only conventional full-time starters in Tampa’s rotation, and Cash also noted that some of the pitchers the Rays used as long men last season (Yonny Chirinos, Ryan Yarbrough, Wilmer Font, or Jalen Beeks) could be deployed as regular starters.

Here’s more from around the AL East…

  • It doesn’t seem as if the Red Sox will be re-signing Craig Kimbrel, as club president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters (including MLB.com’s Ian Browne and MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo) today that “we’re not looking to make a big expenditure in” the closer position.  Past reports indicated that Boston had only limited interest in bringing back the star closer, and with Kimbrel seeking a six-year deal, it seems as if his asking price will simply be too high for the team’s liking.  If Kimbrel isn’t returning, the Red Sox are looking around for other relief options, and Dombrowski noted that they would prefer inking a closer to a short-term deal.  It also isn’t out of the question that the Sox use Ryan Brasier or Matt Barnes as a closer next season, though Dombrowski said it’s too early in the offseason for such determinations.
  • Dombrowski also mentioned that the Red Sox had received interest in catchers Christian Vazquez, Blake Swihart, and Sandy Leon, and that the club is “open to discussing” any of the three in trade talks.  None of the trio are coming off good reasons, though Leon and Vazquez have a lot of defensive upside and Swihart may yet be able to unlock his prospect potential with a change of scenery.
  • The Blue Jays have been drawing interest in Russell Martin and other catchers, while a rival executive describes closer Ken Giles as “available” in trade talks, Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi reports.  It stands to reason that the rebuilding Jays are open to just about any veteran on their roster, though Giles’ market may not develop until some of the other notable relievers on the free agent or trade fronts have been moved.  Another rival executive believes Martin has trade value despite a $20MM salary owed in 2019, though the Jays’ willingness to eat a significant portion of that money will determine if a deal is realistic or not.  Absorbing more of the salary would improve the quality of the prospect(s) Toronto received, Davidi writes.
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Boston Red Sox Tampa Bay Rays Toronto Blue Jays Blake Swihart Christian Vazquez Craig Kimbrel Dave Dombrowski Ken Giles Kevin Cash Russell Martin Sandy Leon

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Dombrowski On Red Sox Offseason

By TC Zencka | November 1, 2018 at 12:18pm CDT

The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey was one of many who tweeted out comments from Dave Dombrowski on the Red Sox offseason this morning. Among the notable tidbits, the Red Sox are apparently prepared to send out qualifying offers to some of their free agents, though Dombrowski couldn’t speak to the specifics until MLB releases the names on Friday.

Presumably, this list includes only one name: closer Craig Kimbrel. Boston could look to replace him with in-house options, the top candidates being Matt Barnes and Ryan Brasier (twitter links). If Kimbrel does depart, bolstering the bullpen could very well become a focus of the Boston offseason – especially if fellow free agent Joe Kelly follows Kimbrel out the door.

One player who definitely won’t be receiving a qualifying offer is Nathan Eovaldi – he is ineligible after being acquired mid-season from the Rays. Competition for the right-hander is expected to be fierce after his gutsy playoff performance with the Red Sox. Fellow mid-season acquisitions Steve Pearce and Ian Kinsler are also ineligible to receive qualifying offers.

On the health front, MLB.com’s Ian Browne was among those to confirm that Chris Sale is not expected to undergo offseason surgery (via Twitter). The lanky left-hander needs only rest to be ready for Spring Training. Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald adds (via Twitter) that the team is hopeful that Dustin Pedroia will be ready in time for Spring Training, though that is far less certain.

The catching situation in Boston remains a crowded, but capable field. It is unlikely that Boston will head into next season with all three of Christian Vazquez, Sandy Leon and Blake Swihart on the active roster – but it’s not an impossibility (Twitter link). Boston experimented with using Swihart in a superutility role last season, but it’s unclear whether or not Boston believes that’s a sustainable solution moving forward.

On the whole, Dombrowski is understandably pleased with the current state of the Red Sox and would be happy to bring back the entire squad as currently constituted for 2019, per the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. Thus far, the Red Sox have kept David Price in the fold after he forewent his opt-out clause, as well as Eduardo Nunez, who picked up his $5MM option for 2019. It will obviously be expensive to keep this core together long-term, but as of now, Boston ownership has not mentioned staying under the luxury tax as a priority for 2019.

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Boston Red Sox Blake Swihart Chris Sale Christian Vazquez Craig Kimbrel Dave Dombrowski David Price Dustin Pedroia Eduardo Nunez Ian Kinsler Joe Kelly Matt Barnes Nathan Eovaldi Ryan Brasier Sandy Leon Steve Pearce

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