Padres To Sign Skip Schumaker To Minors Deal
The Padres have agreed to a minor league deal with veteran utilityman Skip Schumaker, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports on Twitter. Contract details have yet to be reported.
Schumaker hit the market when his option was declined by the Reds earlier in the offseason. That did not come as much of a surprise after two tough years in Cincinnati, in which he accumulated a .238/.297/.322 slash in 539 plate appearances.
There were more prosperous years before that, of course, as Schumaker enjoyed a nice run with the Cardinals and brief stop with the Dodgers before joining the Reds. In just under 3,000 MLB turns at bat over the 2007-13 campaigns, he carried a .288/.346/.375 batting line.
It isn’t hard to see the match-up here, as the Padres still have a fair bit of flexibility in settling upon a bench mix. Schumaker will presumably compete for a utility role in camp. He’s spent most of his career splitting time between second base and the outfield.
As he qualified as an Article XX(B) free agent, Schumaker will automatically receive the protections afforded such players — though he could also have negotiated other terms. Five days before the season begins, San Diego will have to decide whether to add him to its major league roster, pay him a $100K retention bonus, or cut him loose. If the bonus is paid, Schumaker would also pick up a June 1 opt-out date.
Reds Decline Options Over Badenhop, Schumaker; Outright LeCure
The Reds have made a series of moves to shape the club’s roster on the first day of the offseason, as the club announced. Cincinnati will decline its club options over righty Burke Badenhop and utilityman Skip Schumaker and has outrighted right-hander Sam LeCure.
Badenhop, 32, has long been a sturdy reliever. He joined the club on a one-year deal with an option that seemed likely to be exercised — it contained a $1.5MM buyout and $4MM value — but began and ended his season with rough stretches (at least in the earned run department). The first and last impressions didn’t help, but Badenhop also put up a 3.93 ERA that landed well above his recent years’ marks and did not impress ERA estimators along the way. Still, he ought to draw plenty of interest from teams looking for solid innings — especially if they are drawn to groundball producers.
The 35-year-old Schumaker had a two-year guarantee, but contributed just a .238/.297/.322 batting line over his 539 plate appearances over the last two years. That made it rather an easy decision to buy out his $2.5MM option for $500K. While Schumaker is valued for his defensive versatility, he’s rated well below replacement level for each of the past three seasons.
As for LeCure, who’s 31 years of age, 2015 was a major disappointment despite the fact that he carried a 3.15 ERA. That’s because he started the year in the minors and ultimately threw only twenty MLB frames. LeCure has continued to see his strikeout and swinging strike rates fall along with his velocity in recent seasons.
All told, it’s not exactly surprising to see Cincinnati parting with these kinds of veteran players, though it wouldn’t have cost much to retain them. The organization now has more youthful options in both the infield and the bullpen after its trade activity over the last year or so.
NL Central Notes: Reds, Parra, Soriano, Alvarez
The Reds have opened the doors on a fire sale, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Todd Frazier will stay put. Billy Hamilton probably isn’t going anywhere. Most others are probably on the table. Fay expects at least four players to be traded, presumably Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Aroldis Chapman, and Marlon Byrd as a starting point. Others like Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce, and Skip Schumaker are also expected to be shopped. The Reds are seven games below .500 and 15.5 games back in the NL Central. It’s probably too late for a rebound.
Here’s more news out of the NL Central:
- Gerardo Parra‘s strong play has all but ensured that he’ll be traded by the Brewers, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Parra is in the midst of a career season, hitting .311/.345/.502 with nine home runs and six stolen bases. Known for fantastic defense, he’s actually struggled this year per Ultimate Zone Rating (-9.8 UZR). Still, plenty of playoff teams have need of a high average, left-handed outfielder.
- Cubs manager Joe Maddon said reliever Rafael Soriano might be “up sooner than planned,” tweets Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. Soriano was signed on June 12. He has a career 2.85 ERA and 207 saves in 630 innings. The Cubs have manufactured a pseudo-closer battle. They demoted Hector Rondon from the role earlier in the summer despite solid production. The club also recently called up Neil Ramirez – another candidate for saves.
- The Pirates would probably like to de-emphasize Pedro Alvarez, reports Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The former third baseman has continued his defensive ineptitude at first base with 15 errors. He’s also offered a .233/.299/.424 slash which is well below average for a first baseman. Unfortunately, the Pirates will have to look outside of the organization to move beyond Alvarez. Adam Lind is probably the most notable first baseman on the trade market. If the Pirates get creative, they could also try a three-team swap for Jon Singleton. Typically, Pittsburgh will look for fringier options like Chris Parmelee. We heard earlier this evening that the Orioles may soon designate Parmelee for assignment.
Quick Hits: Peralta, Saltalamacchia, Molina
The Cardinals' four-year, $53MM deal with Jhonny Peralta has an interesting twist: it's frontloaded. The shortstop will earn $15.5MM in 2014, $15MM in '15, $12.5MM in '16, and $10MM in '17, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Here's tonight's look around the majors..
- Peralta's deal raises the uncomfortable issue of PED usage paying off, writes Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports. Diamondbacks relief pitcher and team union representative Brad Ziegler took his dissatisfaction with the deal to Twitter, but he's far from the only player who has an issue with players linked to PEDs getting major paydays.
- Heyman looks at the market for Jarrod Saltalamacchia and wonders if the Blue Jays, Twins, or Rockies could steal him away from the Red Sox. The Rangers look like another possibility to some, but one person connected with the club says a return for Salty isn't too likely at the moment. Texas has looked at free agent catchers, but they've also suggested that Geovany Soto will be their fulltime backstop.
- The Rays' are still waiting on results of Jose Molina's physical and therefore won't have an announcement on his signing until early next week, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Molina is expected to ink a two-year, $4.5MM pact to stay with Tampa Bay.
- The opportunity to win attracted Skip Schumaker to the Reds, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. Schumaker said his decision came down to the Reds and one other unspecified playoff-caliber team.
- In today's inbox, MLB.com's Corey Brock touches on the possibility of star third baseman Chase Headley being moved and other matters surrounding the Padres.
Reds Sign Skip Schumaker
The Reds made a move to add to their bench, officially announcing the signing of Skip Schumaker to a two-year contract. A client of CAA Sports' Nez Balelo, Schumaker will reportedly be guaranteed $5MM over the life of the deal, and the contract includes a $2.5MM club option for a third season with a $500K buyout. Schumaker will earn $2MM in 2014 and $2.5MM in 2015.
Schumaker, who turns 34 in Februrary, slashed .263/.332/.332 in 356 plate appearances for the Dodgers in 2013. Though he offers positional flexibility — he appeared at second base and all three outfield positions this season — Schumaker does not play any one position particularly well. He posted negative UZR and DRS marks at all four of his positions in 2013 and has registered negative defensive value each season since 2008, according to Fangraphs.
Even if he isn't a gifted defender though, Schumaker will give new Reds manager Bryan Price a versatile piece off his bench that has slashed a respectable .279/.347/.357 against right-handed pitching over the past two seasons. A veteran of nine big league seasons between the Cardinals and Dodgers, Schumaker is a career .285/.344/.372 hitter in 3,043 plate appearances.
This is the second two-year deal issued by GM Walt Jocketty in the young offseason. Cincinnati has already agreed to a two-year deal with backstop Brayan Pena. Cheap multiyear deals for bench pieces are nothing new for Jocketty, who has guaranteed multiple years to Miguel Cairo and Jack Hannahan in recent years.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the two-year agreement (on Twitter), and Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported the $5MM guarantee (also on Twitter). MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reported that the contract contained an option and provided the financial breakdown.
Dodgers Acquire Skip Schumaker From Cardinals
WEDNESDAY: The Dodgers announced the deal: Schumaker for Lemmerman.
TUESDAY: The Dodgers have acquired Skip Schumaker from the Cardinals, a source tells Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). Mike Petriello of Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness first reported that the Dodgers would acquire Schumaker for minor league shortstop Jake Lemmerman.
Cards General Manager John Mozeliak recently acknowledged that Schumaker was a trade candidate. The 32-year-old will earn $1.5MM in 2013, the last year on his contract. The Twins were also reportedly interested in the left-handed hitter who owns a .345 career on-base percentage, but has struggled to hit lefties. The emergence of young talent in St. Louis ultimately led to Schumaker's exit after eight big league seasons.
Schumaker posted a .276/.339/.368 slash line last season in 304 plate appearances. The veteran has experience playing second base as well as all three outfield positions.
Lemmerman, 23, spent the 2012 season with the Dodgers' Double-A affiliate. The 2010 fifth round selection posted a .233/.347/.378 batting line in 449 plate appearances while playing shortstop and second base.
Dodgers, Twins Interested In Skip Schumaker
The Dodgers and Twins are among the teams that have some level of interest in Cardinals bench player Skip Schumaker, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. GM John Mozeliak acknowledged that Schumaker’s name has been out there as a potential trade candidate.
“We’ve tried to optimize the type of return we might get for him,” Mozeliak said. “We’ve left it fairly open. If we can get Major League help, we would definitely consider that. If we can’t find it we will look for someone who can fit into our minor league system.”
Schumaker, 32, will earn $1.5MM in 2013, the last year on his contract. As Goold notes, this seems reasonable given the escalating cost of infield help in free agency. Other than the Dodgers and Twins, the Reds could also be interested in Schumaker, a versatile player capable of playing second base and the outfield. The left-handed hitter has a .345 career on-base percentage, but he struggles to hit lefties.
Dodgers Rumors: Schumaker, Ryu
The Dodgers are the favorite for Zack Greinke, which may be why they're shopping starters Aaron Harang and Chris Capuano. They're also fishing around for a player to pair with Hanley Ramirez on the left side of the infield. Other rumors around the team:
- The Dodgers are interested in Cardinals infielder Skip Schumaker, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.
- The Dodgers' offer to Ryu Hyun-jin "fell a tad short," GM Ned Colletti told reporters including Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. Agent Scott Boras suggested Ryu could make the jump from South Korea to Japan if the Dodgers can't get a deal done, which Hernandez finds far-fetched since it is unprecedented. At any rate, Boras said he's presented the Dodgers with a counter-offer and negotiations continue.
Latest From The NL Central
A few NL Central free agent targets were identified today, as the Brewers and Cubs are in on Jason Grilli among other relievers, the Pirates have expressed interest in John Lannan, and the Cardinals are in the mix for Scott Hairston. More from the division…
- The Cardinals met with Marco Scutaro's agent tonight, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. Scutaro is represented by Barry Praver.
Earlier updates:
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington told reporters including Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "In our minds, we’ve already made our big move with Russ." The Bucs signed Russell Martin for $17MM last week, but still have some work to do. Biertempfel notes that the Pirates have shown interest in five recently non-tendered pitchers: Manny Parra, Lannan, Tom Gorzelanny, Jair Jurrjens, and Mike Pelfrey.
- There have been no substantive talks between the Cardinals and Adam Wainwright about an extension, writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Cardinals, of course, still remain interested in doing an extension with the 31-year-old before his contract season officially begins.
- Most of the quality lefty relievers are likely to be signed by week's end, suggested Cardinals GM John Mozeliak (B.J. Rains of FOX Sports Midwest reporting).
- The Cardinals and infielder Skip Schumaker are open to a trade, reports Rains, but of course it'd have to make sense for the team.
- The pressure of last summer's contract extension talks affected the performance of Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro, agent Paul Kinzer told Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com. The 22-year-old can rest easy now that he's under contract through at least 2019.
- The Cubs remain popular with free agents, president Theo Epstein told reporters including Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. The team is looking to get creative at third base and will continue to monitor the available starting pitchers (and presumably relievers). Epstein suggested the Cubs have interest in some recently non-tendered players.
Rosenthal On B.J. Upton, Bourn, Morse, Ethier
Here's the latest from FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal as he dissects the buzz and rumors currently circulating around the league…
- The addition of two former members from the Rays organization has nothing to do with a potential pursuit of center fielder B.J. Upton, says Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr.
- While some teams may prefer Upton over Michael Bourn thanks to his age (nearly two years younger) and the ability to hit for power, Rosenthal points out that Bourn's value comes from being a well-rounded player.
- Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche's decision regarding his free agency may greatly impact Washington's course of action this offseason, especially with left fielder Michael Morse.
- The notion that the Dodgers may consider moving Andre Ethier just months after signing him to a five-year, $85MM contract simply wouldn't be the best move for Los Angeles heading into 2013, opines Rosenthal.
- Look for the Yankees to re-sign Russell Martin, but the Bombers have had their eye on free agent David Ross, who has served as Brian McCann's backup with the Braves since 2009.
- The Cardinals and second baseman Skip Schumaker may be parting ways this offseason as the veteran no longer has a defined role with the club thanks to the emergence of young talent.