Free Agent Notes: Rodney, Fowler, Davis
Here are the latest free agent rumors:
- The Diamondbacks have not been in contact with free agent reliever Fernando Rodney, writes Jack Magruder of Fanragsports.com. A previous report had tied Rodney to the DBacks, Padres, Blue Jays, and Cubs. Since then, we’ve also learned the Padres are out. Presumably, Toronto’s interest ceased when they acquired Drew Storen from the Nationals. After a late-season renaissance with the Cubs, Rodney should still garner plenty of interest as teams nail down the final components of their bullpen. Meanwhile, Arizona may opt to rely on their wealth of internal options headlined by Brad Ziegler and Daniel Hudson.
- Dexter Fowler‘s market has been slow to develop, writes Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago. The center fielder is coming off his best season to date, although his OBP declined below his career average. Among contenders, Levine figures that only the Rangers, Mariners, Indians, White Sox, and Cubs are a fit (he also lists the Nationals, but the Ben Revere trade likely nullifies that pick). Both Chicago clubs could benefit from installing Fowler in center field. A reunion with the Cubs would require a trade of right fielder Jorge Soler – probably for high quality pitching – and it would allow Jason Heyward to return to his natural position of right field. Levine also figures that White Sox outfielder Adam Eaton is better suited for a corner outfield role.
- The Orioles have not made any progress in talks with free agent Chris Davis, writes Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. Baltimore made a seven-year, $150MM offer earlier in the offseason and has seen no reason to submit a higher bid. While agent Scott Boras is selling Davis as an outfield option, Encina views him purely as a first baseman. To this point, no other serious suitors have emerged for Davis. Encina also cites reports that the Orioles are in on pitcher Yovani Gallardo, but those talks may depend on Davis.
Minor MLB Transactions: 1/9/16
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.
- The Royals have agreed to terms with lefty David Huff on a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite, MLBTR has learned. Huff will receive $1.1MM plus a possible $300K in performance bonuses if he’s in the Majors, and his deal contains opt-outs on May 15 and June 15. Huff appeared briefly with the Dodgers last season, but spent most of the year at Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he posted a 2.20 ERA, 6.8 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9 over 57 1/3 innings. The 31-year-old has a 5.08 ERA, 5.4 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in parts of seven big-league seasons, which he’s split between starting and relieving.
- The Padres have selected the contract of lefty Ryan Buchter, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. The Friars had previously signed Buchter to a minor league deal, but now, before he had even pitched an inning for them, they’ve placed him on their 40-man roster. Buchter had an excellent (if somewhat control-challenged) season at Triple-A in 2015, posting a 1.78 ERA, 11.0 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 50 2/3 innings of relief for two teams, and he has good velocity and is very tough on lefties. Getting him on a minor league deal looked like a small coup for the Padres, and it’s possible they’re adding him to their 40-man roster in order to avoid losing him, maybe to an opt-out clause or an offer from overseas.
- The Pirates have released righty Casey Sadler, Matt Eddy of Baseball America tweets. Sadler underwent Tommy John surgery after the 2015 season and was subsequently outrighted. The 25-year-old made one strong start with the Bucs in 2015 and spent the rest of the year at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he posted a 4.56 ERA, 5.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 before getting hurt.
- The Brewers have announced that they’ve signed lefty Pat Misch to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite. The 34-year-old Misch appeared in parts of six big-league seasons with the Giants and Mets, but he hasn’t been in the Majors since 2011. He’s had a strange journey since having Tommy John surgery in August 2013, as BA’s John Manuel writes — beginning last winter, he pitched in the Puerto Rican Winter League, then pitched 72 innings in a swingman role with Triple-A New Orleans in the Marlins system (posting a 3.25 ERA, 5.0 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9), then 64 2/3 with Lamigo in the Chinese Professional Baseball League. That stint finished with a Game 7 no-hitter to end the Taiwan Series.
- The Yankees have signed infielders Donovan Solano and Jonathan Diaz to minor league deals with Spring Training invites, Eddy tweets. Solano, formerly the Marlins’ semi-regular second baseman, did not hit well in 2015 and bounced back and forth between Miami and New Orleans. He has a career .257/.307/.328 batting line in parts of four big-league seasons. The 30-year-old Diaz has played briefly with the Red Sox and Blue Jays; he spent most of 2015 with the Jays’ Triple-A Buffalo affiliate, where he played shortstop, second base and center field and batted .223/.328/.284.
- The Braves have agreed to terms with righty Rob Wooten, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets. The 30-year-old appeared in the Brewers bullpen in the 2013 through 2015 seasons, posting a combined 5.03 ERA, 7.0 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 and throwing in the high 80s. He spent most of 2015, in a tough pitching environment at Triple-A Colorado Springs, with a 4.67 ERA, 8.7 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 over 52 innings.
- The Reds have signed infielder Carlos Triunfel to a minor league deal, tweets Eddy. The former top Mariners prospect, now 25, batted .264/.287/.398 in 329 plate appearances with Triple-A Sacramento in the Giants organization in 2015, splitting his time between shortstop, second and third. He has appeared briefly in the big leagues with the Mariners and Dodgers.
NL West Notes: Guerrero, Rodney, Diamondbacks
The Dodgers face a tricky situation with 3B/OF Alex Guerrero, Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times writes. Guerrero’s contract has two years and $10MM remaining, and it doesn’t allow the Dodgers to option him to the minors without his permission. That means the Dodgers are effectively stuck with him on their 25-man roster, even though he isn’t an especially good defender at any position and tailed off badly at the plate after a hot start last season. Guerrero also isn’t much of a trade asset due to his contract (which, in addition to the provision about optioning him, also allows him to become a free agent next winter if he’s dealt this season). For a big-market team like the Dodgers, $10MM sure isn’t a huge hindrance, but Guerrero’s presence on the roster currently seems like it could be a minor headache for them. Here’s more from the NL West.
- A number of teams have been in touch with free agent reliever Fernando Rodney‘s representation, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. The Padres, who previously had been connected to Rodney, do not currently seem to be most likely to sign him. (A previous report had indicated that the Blue Jays, Diamondbacks and Cubs were involved in his market.) Rodney, of course, struggled in Seattle for most of the 2015 season, but seemed to find new life after an August trade to the Cubs. In Chicago, the 38-year-old struck out 15 batters and walked four in 12 innings.
- Diamondbacks superstar Paul Goldschmidt is excited about the team’s moves this offseason, writes MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert. Goldschmidt says that he new the team would spend if it found an opportunity it liked, but that he was still taken aback when he heard the Snakes had landed Zack Greinke. “I was definitely surprised,” he says. “All of a sudden my phone started blowing up with people texting and calling me. It was exciting.”
Padres To Sign Adam Rosales
The Padres have agreed to a minor league deal with infielder Adam Rosales, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports on Twitter. He’ll provide a veteran utility option to the organization.
Rosales, 32, has seen action in each of the last eight MLB seasons. All said, he owns a .227/.294/.342 batting line and 27 home runs over 1,226 plate appearances. Much of his appeal, of course, lies in the fact that he’s capable of playing all over the infield. Indeed, Rosales, has logged at least five hundred major league frames at first, second, third, and short.
Padres Remain In Contact With Ian Desmond, Alexei Ramirez
Finding a shortstop is the Padres’ top priority at this point, and a pair of reports which highlight that pursuit have surfaced today. Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that San Diego remains in contact with Ian Desmond‘s reps at Sports One Athlete Management, and FOX’s Ken Rosenthal reports that the team has had recent contact with free-agent Alexei Ramirez (links to Twitter). Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago/670 The Score first connected San Diego and Ramirez last month.
Desmond, 30, has remained in contact with the Padres, per Lin, though no deal is imminent at this time. However, Lin notes that Desmond is a favorite of general manager A.J. Preller, not only for his history of production at the plate (last season’s ugly first half notwithstanding) but also for his makeup and the leadership he brings to a team. Lin also notes that Preller said last month that even after acquiring highly touted shortstop prospect Javier Guerra as part of the package that sent Craig Kimbrel to Boston, he wouldn’t rule out landing a shortstop in free agency or in trades. “If we feel like it’s a player we really like and we think is worth the dollars and years, you can never have enough players up the middle, especially talented players,” said Preller. “Especially when you sign shortstops, you get guys who can play other positions and have value in the industry.”
Desmond posted an uncharacteristic .223/.290/.384 batting line in 2015, but much of that ugly slash line is due to a poor first half. Following the All-Star break, Desmond slashed .262/.331/.446 with a dozen homers and eight stolen bases. In spite of that disappointing first half, Desmond did finish the year just one homer shy of his fourth straight year with 20 or more long balls. And it should be noted that while he made 27 errors last year, an astonishing eight of those errors came in the season’s first 12 contests, after which he cleaned up his defense considerably.
None of that is to suggest that Desmond is a surefire bet to rebound to his 2012-14 form, of course. Signing in San Diego would figure to be disadvantageous to his production at the plate, given the typically run-suppressing nature of Petco Park. And while it’s easy enough to write off his poor first half as a fluke, it’s not as easy to write off Desmond’s alarming 29.2 percent strikeout rate in 2015. That mark was easily the highest of his career, and even when looking at his seemingly improved second half, the strikeouts were a problem. In fact, Desmond struck out in 30.3 percent of his second-half plate appearances, with his .262 average following the All-Star break largely due to a .346 BABIP which rests comfortably above his career level of .322. If Desmond is to truly turn his game around, he’ll need his strikeout rate to trend back toward the 21 percent mark he posted from 2012-13.
Desmond would also require a fairly lengthy commitment, and while it’s not known precisely where his market lies at this stage, it’s safe to say that Ramirez would command a significantly shorter term — possibly even a one-year deal. Ramirez also would not require the forfeiture of a draft pick, which Desmond would. As Rosenthal points out, the Padres’ No. 8 overall selection is protected, but surrendering their next-best pick would deprive the team of making six selections in the top 100 of next year’s draft. Adding Ramirez could provide a potential stopgap to Guerra without sacrificing the ability to substantially add to their farm next summer. (Bear in mind that not only would the Padres receive six of the top 100 picks — their bonus pool would be among the largest in the game due to the possession of those six picks, thereby allowing the team to strategically distribute that money and take some tough-to-sign players as value picks in later rounds.)
Ramirez, of course, isn’t without his own pros and cons. While he’s been a largely durable asset for the White Sox over the life of his big league career, showing both power and speed at times, he, too, was plagued by a dismal first half in 2015 when he batted just .224/.249/.292. Given the fact that he’s 34 years of age, the Padres (or any other team) have to be significantly more wary of a potential decline for Ramirez. However, he batted a much more characteristic .277/.325/.432 with eight homers and seven steals following the All-Star break.
First- and second-half splits are admittedly somewhat arbitrary in nature, but in the instance of each player there is nonetheless a notable distinction between the two halves of the season. If the Padres are confident that either player’s second half is a harbinger of things to come, then either would mark a substantial upgrade over the sub-par contributions of Alexi Amarista, Clint Barmes, Will Middlebrooks and Jedd Gyorko in 2015 (the latter three of which are no longer in the organization).
NL West Notes: Span, Giants, Maeda, Parra, Rea
The Giants expect to install Denard Span in center field and at the top of the lineup, pushing Angel Pagan to left, Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News writes, Having added Span, moreover, San Francisco appears not to be involved in the rest of the outfield market, according to Baggarly (via Twitter). Indeed, it’s not even clear that the team was looking elsewhere recently. Though Jon Morosi of FOX Sports had tweeted yesterday that the club was interested in Justin Upton and Yoenis Cespedes, Bob Nightengale of USA Today said after the Span signing (via Twitter) that the organization “never considered” a long-term arrangement with either player before locking up Span.
Here’s more from the NL West:
- While all involved acknowledged that the MRI results led to Kenta Maeda signing a lighter-than-expected deal with the Dodgers, club president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman says that the righty is “totally asymptomatic,” as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter links). The concerning results were not discovered during a team physical after a deal, Shaikin adds, but were apparent from the medicals submitted by Maeda to all MLB teams — which may explain why his market was so quiet.
- The Rockies are “making a push” for free agent outfielder Gerardo Parra, Jon Heyman reports on Twitter, though they aren’t alone. He previously noted Colorado’s interest, which would seem to make the most sense if the club is prepared to ship out one of its current starting outfielders.
- Padres righty Colin Rea moved quickly to reach the majors last year, and MLB.com’s Corey Brock writes that he’s looking forward to competing for a rotation spot this spring. Rea, 25, did end up being shutdown with elbow/forearm soreness, though he says that was precautionary.
Quick Hits: Buehrle, Rodney, Nationals, Rangers, White Sox, Uggla
Free agent left-hander Mark Buehrle is not planning on playing in 2016 at this time, though the veteran isn’t yet prepared to announce his retirement from baseball, either, according to SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter link). The soon-to-be 37-year-old’s future has been a debated topic in the past, as some reports indicated that he was planning to retire before Buehrle himself told ESPN Chicago’s Doug Padilla back in October that he’d yet to make a decision on the matter. Another report indicated that if Buehrle were to pitch in 2016, it’d most likely happen if St. Louis showed interest in the Missouri native. Buehrle’s 2015 season wasn’t as strong as his 2014 season, but he nonetheless recorded a solid 3.81 ERA across 198 2/3 innings. That final innings tally left him just four outs shy of recording his remarkable 15th consecutive season of 200+ innings.
A few more notes from around the league…
- Cotillo also tweets that right-hander Fernando Rodney is in “active talks” with multiple clubs, noting that the Padres, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks and Cubs are all in the mix at this time. San Diego, Chicago and Toronto have previously been linked to Rodney, though Arizona would seem to represent a fairly new entrant into his market. Rodney had a dreadful season with the Mariners in 2015 but turned it around following a trade to the Cubs, yielding just one earned run in 12 innings with a 15-to-4 K/BB ratio down the stretch (Rodney did, however, also plunk three batters in his brief Cubs tenure).
- We’ve heard about the Nationals‘ interest in Gerardo Parra before, and James Wagner of the Washington Post writes that it’s still alive. GM Mike Rizzo was Arizona’s scouting director when the club signed Parra, and the Nats also tried to acquire him from the Brewers this summer, Wagner reminds. Wagner notes that Parra’s so-so OBP and declining defensive ratings make him a questionable fit in Washington, but the team’s goal remains adding some outfield depth to protect against injuries to Jayson Werth and uncertainty surrounding the talented but raw Michael A. Taylor. Wagner opines that from a purely speculative standpoint, Shane Victorino makes some sense for the Nationals as a player who can cover the outfield corners and play center in a pinch if need be.
- Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes that Rangers fans shouldn’t expect to see Justin Upton, Yoenis Cespedes or Yovani Gallardo in a Rangers uniform next season, as the team doesn’t have the payroll capacity to add any of the three. A trade for Marcell Ozuna is also unlikely, per Wilson, though the Rangers do still hope to add some rotation depth before the offseason is up. GM Jon Daniels tells Wilson that there are still some affordable names on the open market that have piqued the Rangers’ interest. Wilson also notes that Colby Lewis‘ physical — the final step before his reported one-year, $6MM contract becomes official — is slated for next Monday.
- The White Sox aren’t in a rush to add a big-ticket outfielder to the mix, writes MLB.com’s Scott Merkin. The Sox “seem content to wait and ensure that any free-agent deal would fit their need and parameters,” he continues, writing that it’s likely that Upton and Cespedes will eventually be offered more years and dollars than the ChiSox care to place on the table.
- Dan Uggla has spoken to three or four teams that are eyeing infield depth, Cotillo tweets. Uggla is set to turn 36 this March and is coming off a season in which he batted just .183/.298/.300 in 141 plate appearances with the Nationals, so any contract to which he agrees figures to be of the minor league variety.
- Zach Buchanan of the Arizona Republic spoke to executives and scouts from each league to ask which NL West division rival has the better pitching staff heading into the 2016 season: the D-backs or the Giants. While the officials to whom Buchanan spoke seemed to agree that, in a vacuum, the D-backs made more impactful acquisitions this offseason (referring to Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller in comparison to Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija), when factoring in the cost of said acquisitions, there’s an argument to be made for the Giants’ side of the equation. Buchanan also polled officials on which club’s top three starters were more impressive, adding lefties Patrick Corbin and Madison Bumgarner to the mix, which generated mixed responses.
Arbitration Breakdown: Tyson Ross
Over the next few weeks, I will be discussing some of the higher profile upcoming arbitration cases. I will rely partly on my arbitration model developed exclusively for MLB Trade Rumors, but will also break out some interesting comparables and determine where the model might be wrong.
Tyson Ross enters his third year of arbitration eligibility coming off a very strong performance but a weak win-loss record which, while not indicative of his actual talent and performance, still holds weight in the arbitration process. Ross finished below .500 with a 10-12 record, although he had a 3.26 ERA in 196 innings and struck out 212 hitters. The strong performance combined with his poor record have given our model some trouble this year, and I believe that the $4.75MM raise it projects him to get to reach $10MM for 2016 is probably too high. However, I do still think that Ross is due for a large raise.
One of the benefits of using a quantitative model to project arbitration salaries is that it enables us to get reasonably accurate estimates for players with atypical numbers. Few pitchers with ERAs as low as Ross have had losing records, and fewer still have been held to only 10 wins. However, the model still had some trouble with Ross this year. So, let’s examine a few pitchers that stand out as reasonable statistical comparables but got raises less than Ross’ projected $4.75MM.
Last year, Jeff Samardzija had a losing record of 7-13 despite a fantastic 2.99 ERA in 219 2/3 innings, ultimately resulting in a $4.46MM raise. Although he had 10 fewer strikeouts overall than Ross and obviously had three fewer victories, his ERA and innings were much better, and I suspect it would be tough to argue that Ross should get a raise $300K larger than the one awarded to Samardzija. If those three victories loom important, it’s conceivable that Ross will in fact hit his projection, but other players suggest more downside is possible.
Two other recent pitchers had exactly 10 wins in their third year of arbitration eligibility and also had about as many innings. In 2012, Matt Garza went 10-10 with a 3.32 ERA 197 strikeouts in 198 innings. He received a $3.55MM raise. Although Ross had two more losses, his case looks similar otherwise. More recently, David Price in 2014 had a 10-8 record with a 3.33 ERA in 186 2/3 innings, but he only struck out 151 hitters. Price had generally similar numbers to Garza but with fewer strikeouts, resulting in a raise of $3.89MM. Price’s similar numbers and larger raise suggest that a panel would agree that the market has shifted, making the Garza result stale. As a result, Ross could argue that Price’s $3.89MM raise a couple of years ago should be a floor, considering Ross’ similar ERA and innings total but vastly superior strikeouts numbers.
Digging further yet, Justin Masterson could also be a plausible ceiling. His 14-10 record clearly topped Ross’ 10-12 record, while his 3.45 ERA was similar to Ross’ 3.26. Masterson had 193 innings and 195 strikeouts, which are not that much less than Ross’ 196 and 212. As a result, the extra wins could suggest Masterson’s $4.07MM raise might be a ceiling for Ross.
Putting these together, it seems clear that the range of potential raises for Ross is probably around $3.9MM to $4.45MM, which would put him between $9.15MM and $9.7MM in 2016. While this is not appreciably less than his $10MM salary projection, it does appear that guessing low on this is the safer bet.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Padres, Ian Desmond Having Ongoing Discussions
TODAY: Discussions between the two sides are “very preliminary,” according to Jon Heyman (via Twitter). While there is an expectation that the Pads will have talks this week with Desmond’s camp, Heyman says the purpose will be “to see if there’s anything to talk about.”
YESTERDAY: The Padres and free agent shortstop Ian Desmond are having ongoing discussions, according to major league sources who spoke with Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Even though that match would make a lot of sense, no deal appears to be imminent between Desmond and San Diego, Morosi adds.
Morosi notes that Desmond hit 88 home runs over the past four seasons and in that same span the Padres scored the second-fewest runs in the majors. Meanwhile, their 2015 shortstop Alexi Amarista had the worst OPS (.544) of any National League player with at least 300 at-bats last season. Financials and, perhaps, their timeline for contention aside, the Padres sound like the perfect landing spot for Desmond.
Desmond picked up three straight Silver Slugger awards from 2012 through 2014, and owns a .264/.317/.443 since he began his breakout in 2012. While that line was down overall in 2015, his .307 BABIP did fall shy of his career .322 mark and he showed more life at the plate at times later in the season. The 30-year-old’s calling card is his ability to deliver power from a middle infield position, but his reps have also been highlighting his defensive ability when meeting with teams. The Padres would slot Desmond in as their starting shortstop without hesitation, but Desmond appears to be open to playing other positions in an effort to broaden his market.
Desmond declined his qualifying offer from the Nationals back in November, but San Diego’s top pick (8th overall) is protected. The team also stands to add two compensatory picks if and when Justin Upton and Ian Kennedy land elsewhere. At the outset of the offseason, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicted that Desmond would land a five-year, $80MM deal.
West Notes: Dodgers, Prospects, Closers, A’s
Let’s take a look in at the latest from the game’s western divisions:
- The Dodgers‘ front office has “underwhelmed” since taking command after the 2014 season, argues Jon Morosi of FOX Sports. In particular, he says, the team erred this offseason when it failed to meet the pre-offseason “expectations” that it would “re-sign Zack Greinke and lure David Price to L.A. with an astronomical offer, creating a rotation for the ages.” The FOX Sports reporter goes on to argue that letting Greinke go to the division-rival Diamondbacks — who swooped in at the last minute with an astronomical contract offer — sapped Los Angeles not only of half of its outstanding top-of-the-rotation duo but also the “swagger of outspending any team in the industry, on any player, whenever it fancied them.”
- With all due respect to Morosi, it seems rather odd to suggest there was ever any realistic likelihood of one club adding both of those top starters. And, frankly, I don’t think I’m alone in disagreeing with his assessment that it would have been wise to meet or exceed Arizona’s stunning offer to the 32-year-old Greinke, even for a team with L.A.’s deep pockets. After all, getting the best player by dangling the most money is easy enough to do; the real trick is knowing when to pull out of the bidding. Whether or not the D’Backs’ investment will pay off remains to be seen, but it is laden with risk, and no team operates without financial limitations. It bears noting, too, that it’s a bit premature to place final judgment on the roster construction efforts of the Friedman administration — or, for that matter, most other teams around the league — with such a large portion of the offseason business still left to be transacted. The proof will be in the pennants, but in assessing the Dodgers front office’s efforts to date, it’s worth remembering that the organization still has financial flexibility and extremely valuable young players to work with (both now and over the course of the season).
- As always, prospects make for powerful trade currency, and J.J. Cooper of Baseball America rates the youngsters that were dealt over the last couple of months. Teams from the game’s western divisions featured heavily. They combined to enrich the Braves‘ system with the three top names on the list (Dansby Swanson and Aaron Blair, from the Diamondbacks, and Sean Newcomb, from the Angels). The Padres got two of the next three youngsters in Cooper’s ranking from the Red Sox in Javier Guerra and Manuel Margot. And there were others, too, as the Astros sent Mark Appel to the Phillies and four of the players involved in the three-team Todd Frazier deal either went to (Jose Peraza) or from (Frankie Montas, Trayce Thompson, Micah Johnson) the Dodgers.
- Of course, a good portion of the players just listed featured in the winter’s trade activity for closers, a topic recently taken up by BA’s John Manuel. While Craig Kimbrel and Ken Giles drew returns featuring some of those well-regarded young players, of course, Aroldis Chapman ended up bringing a much less hyped return due to the stunning domestic violence allegations that emerged. (It’s worth remembering, in assessing the Dodgers‘ efforts to date, that they were lined up to add the top-shelf reliever before the controversy erupted.) Manuel goes on to discuss the interesting question of the difficulty of rating and valuing premium relief prospects.
- The Athletics are in a nice position to roll the dice on an expensive but potentially undervalued asset this winter, per a recent SB Nation/Athletics Nation blog post, but it’s not clear whether there’s a worthwhile investment on the market. Previously, Oakland hit it big by landing Yoenis Cespedes for just $36MM over four years before the 2012 campaign. I certainly agree that there don’t appear to be any players with quite that profile, but it does seem plausible to think — and this is all my speculation — that the A’s could line up to bail out someone like Denard Span, Ian Desmond, Austin Jackson, or Ian Kennedy, should their markets collapse, or make an upside play for Cuban pitcher Yaisel Sierra.