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Yusmeiro Petit

Yusmeiro Petit Granted Release From Padres

By Anthony Franco | June 10, 2022 at 11:24am CDT

Reliever Yusmeiro Petit was released from his minor league contract with the Padres yesterday, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. MLBTR’s Steve Adams reports (Twitter link) that he exercised an opt-out clause in the deal.

The 14-year MLB veteran returns to the open market in search of a new opportunity. He spent a bit more than a month in the San Diego organization but struggled over 11 appearances with Triple-A El Paso. Through 11 2/3 innings, he surrendered ten runs on 18 hits (including three homers). Petit’s 10:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio was fine, but he allowed too much damage on contact to keep runs off the board.

Recent Triple-A struggles aside, Petit has a generally strong track record over a much larger body of work in the big leagues. He’s posted an ERA under 4.00 in each of the past five seasons and in eight of the last nine years. The righty has been an innings-eating workhorse out of the bullpen. No pitcher recorded more outs in relief between 2017-21 than Petit, who soaked up 363 frames across 317 appearances.

The 37-year-old has never been a hard-thrower, succeeding on plus control and a knack for consistently inducing weak contact. Petit has no doubt been aided in recent years by pitching in a spacious ballpark and in front of an elite defensive unit with the A’s, but it was still a bit surprising he didn’t land a big league deal over the winter given his durability and consistency.

On the heels of a tough showing in El Paso, Petit figures to again be limited to minor league offers during his next trip to the market. There should be no shortage of clubs with interest on a non-roster deal, though, considering how effective he’s been throughout his time in the majors despite lacking overpowering stuff.

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San Diego Padres Transactions Yusmeiro Petit

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Padres, Yusmeiro Petit Agree To Minor League Deal

By Anthony Franco | May 2, 2022 at 7:27pm CDT

7:27pm: MLBTR’s Steve Adams relays the financials of the deal. If Petit is selected to the majors, he’ll have a base salary of $1.5MM with a further $500K available in incentives.

4:38 pm: The Padres are in agreement with reliever Yusmeiro Petit on a minor league contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (Twitter link). The 14-year MLB veteran will try to work his way back to the big leagues with San Diego.

Padres skipper Bob Melvin is plenty familiar with Petit, having managed him with the A’s for the past four seasons. The right-hander was a durable and productive bullpen arm throughout that run, tossing 275 2/3 innings of 3.07 ERA ball. No pitcher in MLB has made more appearances or soaked up more innings of relief since the start of 2018.

Given Petit’s reliability, it’s a bit of a surprise he spent the entire offseason on the open market and didn’t receive a guaranteed roster spot. The 37-year-old doesn’t fit the typical late-innings mold, however, which apparently gave teams trepidation. Petit averaged just 87.7 MPH on his fastball last season, and his 11.3% strikeout rate was the second-lowest mark among 255 relievers with 30+ innings pitched. His 10.1% swinging strike rate was also below-average but not nearly as extreme as his strikeout tally. That offers some hope he might be able to push his strikeout rate closer to the 17.6% figure he posted from 2019-21.

Petit’s bottom line numbers have no doubt been aided by Oakland’s large home ballpark and the elite defenses that lined up behind him for most of his tenure in the Bay Area. That said, he hasn’t walked more than 6% of batters faced in a season since moving to the bullpen full-time with the Giants in 2015. He also held opponents to a meager 86.5 MPH average exit velocity and 30% hard contact rate last season, both of which were lower than the respective 88.3 MPH and 35.5% league marks. Even without swing-and-miss stuff, he’s found ways to be effective.

San Diego’s bullpen has struggled to prevent runs thus far, as their 4.12 ERA is 25th in MLB. They’ve been good from a strikeout and walk perspective but have proven vulnerable to home runs. More importantly, they’ve subtracted three righties from the season-opening group. Pierce Johnson and Austin Adams are on the injured list, while Javy Guerra was designated for assignment and then traded to the Rays. Those losses could eventually open a spot for Petit, although he’ll presumably first need some time to build into game shape after the delayed start to the season.

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San Diego Padres Transactions Yusmeiro Petit

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Athletics Re-Sign Yusmeiro Petit

By Mark Polishuk | February 19, 2021 at 11:15am CDT

Feb. 19: The A’s have officially announced the signing. Oakland opened a 40-man roster spot by placing right-hander Frankie Montas on the Covid-19 related injury list. A’s manager Bob Melvin revealed this week that Montas had tested positive for Covid-19 (link via Shayna Rubin of the San Jose Mercury News). He’s been dealing with symptoms and will be delayed in his arrival to Spring Training.

Feb. 14: The Athletics have re-signed right-hander Yusmeiro Petit to a one-year contract, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter link).  The deal will be official once Petit passes a physical.  MLBTR’s Steve Adams reports that Petit will earn $2.55MM in guaranteed money, with another $450K available in incentive bonuses.  Petit is represented by Godoy Sports.

Petit returns for his fourth season with Oakland, a tenure that has been nothing but successful for both parties.  Petit has a 2.73 ERA over 197 2/3 innings in an A’s uniform, and has been a workhorse out of the bullpen — 154 appearances in 2018-19 and then 26 appearances during the shortened 2020 season.

Petit is far from a Statcast darling and doesn’t record many strikeouts, as evidenced by his below-average K% over the last three years.  However, Petit’s 4.14% walk rate over that same stretch is elite, and he doesn’t allow much hard contact.  All in all, Petit has continually outperformed his peripherals; his 3.89 SIERA from 2018-20 is over a run higher than his actual ERA over his past three seasons.

Not that many free agent relievers drew a ton of attention this winter, but there wasn’t much in the way of public buzz about Petit, perhaps due to his advanced metrics and his age (36).  The righty previously inked a two-year, $10MM deal with Oakland in November 2017 that ended up being a three-year, $14.5MM pact after the Athletics exercised their club option on Petit for the 2020 season.

Between Petit and new acquisitions Sergio Romo and Adam Kolarek, Oakland has suddenly added a lot of bullpen reinforcement over the last three days.  Relief pitching was a major strength for the A’s in 2020 but it was a position that needed to be addressed since Liam Hendriks and Joakim Soria departed in free agency.

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Newsstand Oakland Athletics Transactions Frankie Montas Yusmeiro Petit

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AL West Notes: Baker, Astros, Rangers, A’s

By Mark Polishuk | December 16, 2020 at 2:32pm CDT

Dusty Baker is taking a wait-and-see attitude towards continuing to manage into the 2022 season, telling reporters (including The Associated Press) that it “Depends how I feel. Depends on how the team feels about me….You never know what changes are going to come about in life.”  Hired last January in the wake of A.J. Hinch’s sudden firing, Baker guided the Astros to a wild card berth and then an unexpected run to Game Seven of the ALCS, falling just shy of the franchise’s third AL pennant in four seasons.

Baker is the first manager in baseball history to lead five different franchises to the postseason, adding yet another plaudit to a managerial career that has now stretched to 23 seasons.  Last June, Houston exercised its club option on Baker for the 2021 season, though it remains unknown if an extension could be in the offing (Baker made no allusion to any negotiations during his media session).  Baker also turns 72 in June, so he could potentially decide to retire after one more year in the dugout.

More from the AL West…

  • Also from Baker, he told MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart and other reporters that the Astros are focusing on adding pitching, with “our bullpen probably first.  That’s a premium area right now, and then maybe you go to position players and you go to a starter, not necessarily in that order.”  Recent reports linked the Astros to the Liam Hendriks market, which would arguably be the biggest possible addition any team could make to their bullpen this winter.
  • The Rangers have been one of the offseason’s busiest teams to date, and GM Chris Young told reporters (including the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Jeff Wilson) that the club still has more items on its shopping list.  The Rangers are looking to add starting pitching, catching, and third base help, with the latter position perhaps being the most interesting considering Elvis Andrus and Nick Solak are already on hand as internal candidates.  Both are defensively suspect at the hot corner, however — Solak has limited career playing time at third base, and Andrus has never played anywhere other than shortstop over his 12-year career.  Gold Glove winner Isiah Kiner-Falefa will be moving from third base to take over Andrus’ former spot at shortstop.
  • Since the Athletics reportedly don’t have much available to spend this offseason, their chances of making any notable free agent additions or even re-signing some of their own free agents don’t seem great, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser writes as part of a reader mailbag.  Signing a player like Ha-Seong Kim seems very unlikely given Kim’s expected price tag, and while the A’s have had some talks with Tommy La Stella’s camp, Slusser would “be surprised” if a reunion actually takes place since La Stella should have enough suitors to take him out of Oakland’s price range.  In terms of possible returns, Yusmeiro Petit or Joakim Soria might be the likeliest candidates among the Athletics’ free agents, and Mike Fiers could also be re-signed since the A’s might want some rotation depth or perhaps a swingman.
  • In other AL West news from earlier today, the Angels and Mariners each signed new relievers, while the Rangers swung a trade with the Reds.
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Houston Astros Notes Oakland Athletics Texas Rangers Dusty Baker Ha-Seong Kim Joakim Soria Mike Fiers Tommy La Stella Yusmeiro Petit

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This Day In Transaction History: Thanksgiving

By TC Zencka | November 26, 2020 at 8:23am CDT

Thanksgiving isn’t usually a barnburner of a day as far as baseball transactions are concerned, but that’s pattern more than rule. Most years something official happens along the lines of Matt Skole signing with the White Sox in 2019 or Jason Lane signing with the Padres in 2014 – but  three years in particular gave us a heaping portion of baseball news befitting turkey day: 2005, 2007, 2009. While we wait to see what happens this year, let’s go back and look at some of the most impactful moves made on Thanksgiving day.

  • Last year was a quiet Thanksgiving day, but there was plenty to talk about. If you recall, we were just one day removed from the four-player Brewers/Padres swap that saw Trent Grisham and Zach Davies land in San Diego. MLBTR readers weighed in on Thanksgiving with more people preferring the Brewers’ side of the deal. The Brew Crew landed promising infielder Luis Urías and potential rotation arm Eric Lauer. A year removed, my guess is the public sentiment may have changed. This one might need more time to gestate, however, before a final determination can be made.
  • On this same date and day in history, the Cleveland Indians signed an amateur free agent that changed the fortunes of their franchise. Jose Ramirez – a 17-year-old amateur free agent out of Dominican Republic – signed on Thursday, November 26, 2009. He would debut in the Majors just four years later as a 20-year-old.
  • On the same day, the Toronto Blue Jays struck in free agency signing shortstop Álex González to a free agent contract. Of course, this isn’t the Alex Gonzalez most Blue Jays fans will remember best. This A-Gon spent just a few months north of the border. He was traded to the Braves on July 14th of the following season as part of a four-player deal that sent Yunel Escobar and Jo-Jo Reyes to Toronto. Escobar would net 8.6 bWAR across 2 1/2 seasons with the Jays, while Reyes would be claimed off waivers by the Orioles later that season.
  • In 2007, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim invested heavily in a free agent centerfielder who had spent the entirety of his career to that point in the Twin Cities. Torii Hunter signed for $89.5MM over five years to roam the grass in Anaheim. He’d win two Gold Gloves and make two All-Star teams while racking up 20.7 bWAR as an Angel. They got their money’s worth as Hunter would post the best two seasons of his career by bWAR while with the Angels (2009, 2012).
  • The Cincinnati Reds signed Miguel Rojas as an amateur free agent on November 24, 2005. Rojas would stay in the Reds’ minor league system for a full six seasons before being granted free agency and joining the Dodgers in 2012.
  • That same season, the Marlins did some work with two significant trades on Thanksgiving. The first sent Carlos Delgado and cash to the Mets for Grant Psomas, Mike Jacobs and Yusmeiro Petit. Delgado spent just one season in Florida, but he did grab a 6th-place MVP finish that year for slashing .301/.399/.582 with 33 bombs.
  • Their other deal helped bring the second title of the century to the Red Sox. The Fish traded Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell and Guillermo Mota to Boston for Jesus Delgado, Harvey Garcia, Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez. Sanchez would have a number of solid years with the Fish, while Hanley Ramirez developed into a cornerstone shortstop and the face of the franchise.
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Uncategorized Alex Gonzalez Carlos Delgado Eric Lauer Guillermo Mota Hanley Ramirez Jo-Jo Reyes Jose Ramirez Josh Beckett Miguel Rojas Mike Jacobs Mike Lowell Torii Hunter Trent Grisham Yunel Escobar Yusmeiro Petit Zach Davies

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Athletics Exercise Club Option On Yusmeiro Petit; Decline Jake Diekman’s Option

By Mark Polishuk | October 31, 2019 at 4:17pm CDT

The Athletics made their decisions on two outstanding club options today, announcing that right-hander Yusmeiro Petit’s club option will be exercised, thus guaranteeing the veteran reliever $5.5MM in 2020.  The A’s will decline their end of a mutual option on southpaw Jake Diekman, paying him a $500K buyout rather than a $5.75MM salary next season.

Today’s option decision will turn Petit’s original contract with the A’s from November 2017 into a three-year, $14.5MM commitment, and Oakland’s investment has paid off nicely in the first two years of the deal.  Petit has a 2.86 ERA, 7.5 K/9, and 5.25 K/BB rate over 176 relief innings and 154 games in 2018-19, and he led the league with 80 appearances this season.  Though Petit turns 35 in November, his pitching style seems built to age well — his excellent control and ability to induce soft contact belies his lack of strikeout ability and somewhat limits issues with the home run ball (1.2 HR/9 over the last two seasons).

Diekman was acquired in a late-July deal from the Royals, and posted a 4.43 ERA over 20 1/3 innings with the A’s that included more than a few nervous moments (Diekman issued 16 walks during his brief time in Oakland).  Overall, Diekman had a 4.65 ERA over 62 combined innings for the Royals and A’s, with a 2.15 K/BB rate and 12.2 K/9.

Those numbers are quite similar to Diekman’s statistics from his 2018 season split between the Rangers and Diamondbacks.  With back-to-back years of only okay performance, Oakland will decide to move on rather than spend the extra $5.25MM to retain Diekman’s services.  Left-handed relief does seem like it will be an offseason priority for the A’s, given that Ryan Buchter is currently the only southpaw reliever on Oakland’s 40-man roster.

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Oakland Athletics Transactions Jake Diekman Yusmeiro Petit

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Latest On Yusmeiro Petit

By Connor Byrne | October 3, 2019 at 9:04pm CDT

With their 2019 campaign officially in the rearview mirror, the Athletics can get to work on offseason decisions. One of the choices they’ll have to make soon centers on right-hander Yusmeiro Petit’s future. The soon-to-be 35-year-old reliever has a $5.5MM club option for 2020, though he said after Wednesday’s wild-card loss to the Rays that he hasn’t heard whether the A’s will exercise it, per Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. But Petit wants to remain an Athletic, Gallegos writes, and he has definitely made a strong case to do just that.

Formerly a member of the Giants, Nationals and Angels, Petit joined the A’s for a two-year, $10MM guarantee in November 2017. He was coming off a career campaign with the Halos at that point, as he led all relievers in innings and notched a 2.76 ERA/2.85 FIP with 9.95 K/9 and 1.77 BB/9 across 91 1/3 frames.

Petit has continued his ways as an effective workhorse during his run in Oakland, where he has amassed another 176 innings of low-ERA ball (2.86). He’s now fresh off an 83-frame season in which he led the league in appearances (80) and logged a career-best 2.71 ERA with his highest swinging-strike rate (11.4 percent) since 2014.

The soft-throwing Petit benefited in 2019 from a .213 batting average on balls in play against and thrived despite a 29.9 percent groundball rate. As a result, there’s a certain amount of skepticism in regards to his stingy run prevention, with ERA indicators FIP (3.59), xFIP (4.48) and SIERA (3.90) painting a gloomier picture. However, it’s worth noting Petit greatly aided his cause by doling out few free passes and limiting damaging contact. Petit walked a meager 1.08 hitters per nine, which helped him overcome a below-average strikeout rate (7.7 K/9). Plus, according to Statcast, Petit ranked in the majors’ 83rd percentile in average exit velocity against (86.6 mph) and its 91st percentile in expected weighted on-base average (.264, compared to the actual .243 wOBA hitters mustered off him).

Although the A’s are regularly one of the majors’ lowest-payroll teams, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them retain Petit for what looks like a reasonable salary. They’ll officially decide what to do with him, not to mention fellow established veteran relievers Jake Diekman (mutual option) and Blake Treinen (non-tender or trade possibility), in the approaching weeks.

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Oakland Athletics Yusmeiro Petit

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Athletics Sign Yusmeiro Petit

By Steve Adams | November 29, 2017 at 7:36pm CDT

The Athletics are in agreement with free-agent right-hander Yusmeiro Petit on a two-year, $10MM contract with a third-year club option, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (via Twitter). Petit is represented by Godoy Sports. He’ll earn $3.5MM in 2018, $5.5MM in 2019 and has a 2020 club option for another $5.5MM that comes with a $1MM buyout, I’m told. The deal is pending a physical.

Yusmeiro Petit | Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

[Related: Updated Oakland Athletics depth chart and payroll outlook]

The 33-year-old Petit is fresh off a career year in which he led big league relievers with 87 1/3 innings and also tossed four innings in a spot start. Overall, he pitched to a 2.76 ERA with 10.0 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and a 32.9 percent ground-ball rate in his 91 1/3 frames with the Halos. Of Petit’s 59 relief appearances, 33 lasted more than an inning, and he was often asked to work two or even three innings at a time. By season’s end, he’d graduated from lower-leverage spots to high-leverage setup appearances and even a few closing opportunities, as he saved four games for the Halos.

While he didn’t establish himself as a regular big league contributor until his age-28 season (2013< Petit has somewhat quietly been a solid ’pen option for the Giants, Nats and Angels dating back to 2012. In that time, he’s worked to a 3.59 ERA and a 3.40 FIP over the life of 399 big league innings, brushing up against history a few times along the way. He came within a single out of a perfect game for the Giants in September 2013 and went on to set a Major League record for most consecutive batters retired the following season in 2014.

Despite the flashes of greatness, Petit has also struggled at times due to a susceptibility to home runs. The long ball was an issue for Petit early in his career with the Marlins and D-backs, and he saw some flare-ups in that regard in his final season with the Giants (1.3 HR/9) and especially in his lone season with the Nationals (1.74 HR/9). Whether he can continue to average better than a strikeout per inning remains to be seen as well; he averaged 10.2 K/9 in a very strong ’14 season with the Giants but sat around 7.0 K/9 from 2015-16 with the Giants and Nats. Petit doesn’t throw hard, sitting 89-90 mph with his fastball, though Fangraphs’ Eno Sarris wrote back in 2014 about the difficulty opposing hitters face in tracking Petit’s pitches due to deception in his delivery.

Petit will add some length to a bullpen that figures to be anchored by Blake Treinen, who shined in Oakland after being acquired from the Nationals in the trade that sent Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson to Washington. Manager Bob Melvin’s bullpen figures to also feature right-handers Santiago Casilla, Ryan Dull, Emilio Pagan and Chris Hatcher (assuming Hatcher is tendered a contract). His experience working in longer stints could also give Melvin and the A’s some flexibility to utilize him as an occasional spot starter should the need arise, though it seems likely that he’ll be relied upon as a bullpen arm rather than a candidate for the fifth spot in the rotation.

The A’s — like every other club given the painfully slow pace of the 2017-18 offseason — still have work to do between now and Opening Day, of course. They’re reportedly on the hunt for a controllable right-handed-hitting corner outfielder now that the trade of Ryon Healy (to the Mariners in exchange for the aforementioned Pagan) has paved the way for Khris Davis to serve as their DH. They also need to bring in a center fielder and could look to add some left-handed bullpen options as well as an upgrade at catcher. However, with Petit and Pagan now on board, plus the midseason pickups of Treinen and Hatcher, Oakland doesn’t seem likely to consider additional right-handed relief a top priority.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Newsstand Oakland Athletics Transactions Yusmeiro Petit

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Angels Prioritizing Offensive Upgrades

By Connor Byrne | November 10, 2017 at 10:47pm CDT

The Angels are not aiming to make a big splash in the pitching market this offseason, general manager Billy Eppler tells Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. While the team will be “keeping an eye open” on available starters and relievers, Eppler’s focus is on upgrading an offense that finished 22nd in the majors in runs last season.

The Angels will “look for value, similar to what we did last year,” with regard to pitchers, Eppler said. The Eppler-led Halos only handed out two guaranteed contracts to pitchers last winter – $5.75MM to swingman Jesse Chavez and $1MM to reliever Andrew Bailey – neither of which worked out as hoped. On the other hand, Los Angeles struck gold when it claimed reliever Blake Parker off waivers and signed fellow relievers Yusmeiro Petit and Bud Norris to minor league contracts. Only one of those three, Parker, remains under club control heading into next season. Eppler isn’t sure whether the Angels will bring either Petit or Norris back, per Fletcher, who notes that they already have most of their 2018 bullpen in place with Parker, Cam Bedrosian, Jose Alvarez, Keynan Middleton, Noe Ramirez and Blake Wood on hand.

The Angels also have a variety of in-house rotation possibilities in Garrett Richards, Andrew Heaney, Tyler Skaggs, Matt Shoemaker, Nick Tropeano, Parker Bridwell and J.C. Ramirez, leading to Eppler’s confidence that a big-money addition isn’t necessary (notably, Eppler wasn’t willing to discuss a potential Shohei Ohtani pursuit, as he’s technically not a free agent yet). Although injuries marred the seasons of Richards, Heaney, Skaggs, Shoemaker, Ramirez and Tropeano (who didn’t pitch at all while recovering from 2016 Tommy John surgery), Fletcher relays that the only member of that group who hasn’t yet gotten medical clearance going into next year is Ramirez – whose 2017 ended in August on account of elbow soreness. The 29-year-old right-hander, who led all Angels holdovers in innings last season (142 1/3), will undergo an ultrasound on his elbow late this month, according to Fletcher.

While the Angels seem largely content with their pitchers, they could add at least one notable outsider to their group of position players, even after they managed to prevent left fielder Justin Upton from leaving in free agency. Along with Upton, center fielder Mike Trout, right fielder Kole Calhoun, shortstop Andrelton Simmons, designated hitter Albert Pujols and catcher Martin Maldonado figure to reprise their starting roles in 2018. That leaves the corner infield (either first or third, depending on where Luis Valbuena slots in) and second base ripe for upgrades.

The keystone looks like an especially big need, Fletcher observes, after Angels second basemen limped to a ghastly .207/.274/.318 batting line and a major league-worst 60 wRC+ last season. With Eppler looking for players who are adept at getting on base, previous trade target and current free agent Neil Walker (.362 OBP in 2017, .341 career) looks like someone who may pique the Angels’ interest, as MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk previously suggested when previewing their offseason in late October. And there are several possibilities LA could acquire via trade, including the Marlins’ Dee Gordon, whom it was interested in over the summer.

As for the corner infield, Eric Hosmer, Carlos Santana Logan Morrison, Yonder Alonso, Lucas Duda are at the top of the free agent class at first base (MLBTR projects the Angels to land Alonso). Alternatively, tthe Halos could hand the reins to Valbuena and C.J. Cron at first and and go for a third baseman, whether it’s Los Angeles native Mike Moustakas, Todd Frazier, Eduardo Nunez or Zack Cozart (if he’s willing to move off shortstop) in free agency or another player via trade.

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Los Angeles Angels Bud Norris J.C. Ramirez Yusmeiro Petit

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West Notes: Rockies, Darvish, Rangers, Padres, Angels

By Steve Adams | October 17, 2017 at 9:11pm CDT

Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post tackles a number of topics pertaining to the Rockies’ offseason in his latest Rockies Mailbag column. Among the more interesting items of note, Saunders opines that Carlos Gonzalez’s days in Colorado are through, noting that it’s unlikely that he’ll receive a qualifying offer. Saunders also notes that the ascension of prospect Ryan McMahon, who has been working out at second base, could also cloud DJ LeMahieu’s future with the club. LeMahieu is a free agent after the 2018 season, and McMahon has little left to prove in the minors. McMahon cut his teeth as a corner infielder, however, so it seems possible that the Rox could yet view him as an option at first base, where they’re currently a bit unsettled. Ian Desmond, of course, is an option there, though he could also be utilized in the outfield or elsewhere on the diamond (perhaps even at second base, speculatively speaking, though he has hasn’t played there since 2009 with the Nationals).

A bit more from the game’s Western divisions…

  • Dodgers righty Yu Darvish reached out to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News with an unprompted message to praise Rangers pitching coach Doug Brocail and recently fired bullpen coach Brad Holman. As Grant notes, Darvish’s recent improvements and changed mechanics have led to criticism for his coaches with the Rangers. “…There should be no criticism of Doug Brocail or Brad Holman,” said Darvish. “They are both very good coaches without a doubt. They are also great people. I’m not the kind of person who lies, so please trust me when I say this.” Darvish goes on to explain some of the alterations that he’s made since changing teams and eventually comes back to the point that there’s “no major difference in coaching or philosophy” that has led to his rebound following his trade to Los Angeles.
  • Following up on Evan Drellich’s recent report that Red Sox hitting coach Chili Davis will interview for the same position with the Padres, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune adds that the Padres have also interviewed four other candidates for the currently vacant post. Lin also notes that the Friars won’t bring infield coach Ramon Vazquez back to the coaching staff next year, though rather than making a new hire, his duties could potentially be absorbed by third base coach Glenn Hoffman. “We decided to go in a different direction to work with and lead our infielders,” manager Andy Green tells Lin.
  • The Angels will be on the hunt for multiple relievers that can pitch multiple innings this winter, writes MLB.com’s Maria Guaradado. “I believe every bullpen needs at least two guys that can pitch multiple innings,” GM Billy Eppler said this month, per Guardado. “At least two.” Yusmeiro Petit excelled for the Angels in that capacity this year, tossing 91 1/3 innings of 2.76 ERA ball with 10.0 K/9 against 1.8 BB/9. Eppler wouldn’t comment on the possibility of retaining Petit, though it stands to reason based on Eppler’s outspoken interest in players of his skill set and Petit’s success in Anaheim that the team would at least have interest.
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Colorado Rockies Los Angeles Angels Los Angeles Dodgers San Diego Padres Texas Rangers Carlos Gonzalez DJ LeMahieu Ryan McMahon Yusmeiro Petit

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    Rhys Hoskins Diagnosed With Torn ACL, Will Undergo Surgery

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    Braves Option Vaughn Grissom, Braden Shewmake

    Jose Altuve Leaves WBC Game After Hit By Pitch

    Edwin Diaz Undergoes Surgery To Repair Patellar Tendon

    Out Of Options 2023

    Cade Cavalli To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Edwin Diaz Helped Off Field With Right Knee Injury

    José Quintana Out Until At Least July Due To Rib Surgery

    Trevor Bauer Signs With NPB’s Yokohama DeNA BayStars

    Craig Stammen “Highly Unlikely” To Pitch Again Following Shoulder Injury

    Diamondbacks, Corbin Carroll Agree To Eight-Year Deal

    Nationals Sign Keibert Ruiz To Eight-Year Extension

    Rockies Showing Interest In Jurickson Profar

    Andrew Painter Diagnosed With UCL Sprain; Ranger Suarez Dealing With Forearm Tightness

    Marlins, Jose Iglesias Agree To Minor League Contract

    Marlins In Agreement With Yuli Gurriel On Minor League Deal

    Carlos Rodon, Tommy Kahnle, Lou Trivino To Begin Season On IL

    Recent

    Offseason In Review: Miami Marlins

    Reds’ Luke Weaver, Lucas Sims Expected To Open Season On Injured List

    Rhys Hoskins Diagnosed With Torn ACL, Will Undergo Surgery

    Braves Option Michael Soroka

    Cubs Trade Esteban Quiroz To Phillies

    Tigers Sign Jose Alvarez To Minor League Deal

    Rhys Hoskins Carted Off Field Following Knee Injury

    James Outman, Jason Heyward Will Make Dodgers’ Opening Day Roster

    Cardinals Notes: Montgomery, Barrera, Knizner, Bullpen, Motter

    Jed Lowrie Announces Retirement

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