Padres Rumors

Minor MLB Transactions: 11/26/15

By Mark Polishuk | November 26, 2015 at 5:54pm CDT

Here are the latest minor league signings from around baseball, all reported by Baseball America’s Matt Eddy unless otherwise credited…

The Rockies signed right-hander Brian Schlitter, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets. The 6’5″ righty saw significant action out of the Cubs bullpen in 2014 but threw only 7 1/3 innings last season while posting a 7.36 ERA. Schlitter has posted some strong minor league numbers over his career and (of particular interest to Colorado) he has a 60.7% grounder rate over the last two years in Chicago.
The Cubs signed righty Drew Rucinski. Rucinski has a 6.28 ERA over 14 1/3 career IP with the Angels, and was both designated for assignment and then outrighted by the Halos last September. He has a career 3.88 ERA, 2.98 K/BB rate and 8.1 K/9 over 326 2/3 career minor league frames.
The Indians announced that catcher Adam Moore has been re-signed. Moore has appeared in each of the last seven Major League seasons, though aside from a 60-game stint with the Mariners in 2010, he’s never appeared in more than nine games in any one campaign. This included 2015, when he played one game for Cleveland. The veteran catcher has posted a strong .291/.356/.465 career slash line over 2946 minor league PA.
The Athletics re-signed catcher Carson Blair. Blair made his MLB debut in 2015, receiving 35 PA over 11 games with the A’s. The catcher posted some solid numbers over eight minor league seasons but struggled in his first taste of Triple-A action this season. Oakland outrighted Blair off its 40-man roster earlier this month.
The Dodgers re-signed right-hander Matt West. Los Angeles originally purchased West from the Blue Jays in May. He appeared in two games for the Dodgers and spent most of 2015 in the minors, posting a cumulative 3.54 ERA over 53 1/3 innings but was hit hard in a stint at Triple-A Oklahoma City. West was a second-round pick for the Rangers in the 2007 draft.
The Pirates signed righty reliever Curtis Partch. The 28-year-old owns a 95mph fastball but that heater has only recently translated to big strikeout totals on the minor league level, and he has a 4.74 ERA over 820 IP in the minors. Partch posted a 4.75 ERA, 24 walks and 22 strikeouts over 30 1/3 relief innings with the Reds in 2013-14.
The Padres signed right-handers Johnny Hellweg and Daniel McCutchen. Once a notable prospect in Milwaukee’s system, Hellweg underwent Tommy John surgery in 2014 and struggled in 61 minor league innings last year after returning from injury rehab. McCutchen has appeared in one Major League game since 2012 and bounced around with a few teams before catching on with San Diego’s Triple-A affiliate last year.
The Cardinals signed right-hander Deck McGuire, best known for being picked 11th overall by the Blue Jays in the 2010 draft. McGuire has a 4.57 ERA, 7.4 K/9 and 2.26 K/BB over 713 1/3 career minor league IP.
The Royals re-signed veteran righty Roman Colon and catcher J.C. Boscan. Colon recorded 187 1/3 MLB innings from 2004-12 but hasn’t pitched in an affiliated minor league since 2013. Boscan will be returning for his 20th season of pro ball after spending last season with Triple-A Omaha. He’s received a few Major League cups of coffee over his long career, appearing in 17 games with the Braves and Cubs from 2010-13.
The Braves signed corner infielder Brandon Snyder. Snyder, picked 13th overall by the Orioles in the 2005 draft, appeared in 83 career MLB games with Baltimore, Texas and Boston from 2010-13. The 29-year-old spent much of last season at the Orioles’ Double-A affiliate.

Coaching Notes: McGwire, Henley, Magadan, Rowand

By Jeff Todd | November 26, 2015 at 8:36am CDT

Let’s catch up on the latest coaching signings as teams finalize their field staffs:

One-time superstar slugger Mark McGwire is set to join the Padres as the bench coach alongside new manager Andy Green, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com recently reports. (Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune first reported as a strong possibility.) McGwire has worked as a hitting coach with the Cardinals and Dodgers over the past six years. The 52-year-old’s ascension to a bench coach role suggests that a managerial opportunity might not be far off.
The Nationals have brought back Bobby Henley as the team’s third base coach, per a club announcement. Henley was set loose along with the rest of the staff (and manager Matt Williams) at the end of a disappointing 2015 campaign, but he’ll join hitting coach Rick Schu in reprising their roles. Most of skipper Dusty Baker’s staff is now set.
Dave Magadan has been announced as the Diamondbacks’ new hitting coach. A 16-year MLB veteran, Magadan has previously worked in the Padres, Red Sox, and Rangers organizations, most recently serving as the top batting instructor for Texas.
Former big leaguer Aaron Rowand will serve as a minor league outfield and baserunning instructor, the White Sox have announced. Rowand, 38, retired after the 2011 season. He’ll return to the place where he started his professional and MLB career.

Padres’ Preller Meets With Japanese Free Agent Nobuhiro Matsuda

By Jeff Todd | November 24, 2015 at 2:42pm CDT

Two top members of the Padres front office — GM A.J. Preller and director of player personnel Logan White — met recently with free agent third baseman Nobuhiro Matsuda, as reported by Japan’s Sponichi outlet (and as confirmed by Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, on Twitter). The Japanese star is interested in pursuing a deal with a major league club, per Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), who also reported San Diego’s interest.

Matsuda chose an opportune time to attempt the move across the Pacific. He hit 35 homers last season — aided, at least in part, by newly-reduced dimensions at his home park — and put up a strong .287/.357/.533 slash. That constituted a career year by many measures (home runs, OBP, OPS), but Matsuda has been a consistently strong offensive performer.

The 32-year-old slugger is a free agent, so his former NPB team — the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks — won’t be able to claim a release fee. It also means there are no time limitations on his signing.

For the Padres, it’s not entirely clear how pursuit of the veteran would serve the club’s overall roster construction efforts. It’s possible to imagine that Matsuda will be available at a reasonable price tag, and San Diego’s west coast location would hold obvious appeal. But the team already has several options at third, including Yangervis Solarte and Will Middlebrooks. The former could, theoretically, be traded or used in a reserve/super-utility role. And the latter is arguably a non-tender candidate.

The meeting occurred during a scouting trip to Asia, per Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune, so it’s probably not worth reading too much into the in-person contact — especially as contract terms were not discussed. On the other hand, it is notable that such key decisionmakers met with Matsuda, and Lin writes that the pair “used the meeting to express their interest in Matsuda.”

Relief Market Notes: Hunter, Nationals, Mets, Zagurski

By Steve Adams | November 23, 2015 at 7:59pm CDT

Right-hander Tommy Hunter is drawing interest on the free agent market, with the Padres, Tigers and Indians among the clubs teams intrigued by the former Orioles setup man, reports Rich Dubroff of CSNMidAtlantic.com. Hunter, 30 next July, split the season between the O’s and Cubs, though he enjoyed considerably more success in Baltimore than in Chicago. Hunter was surprisingly traded in exchange for Junior Lake in July after 44 2/3 innings of 3.63 ERA ball (3.38 FIP) but saw that mark soar to 5.74 (5.11 FIP) in 15 2/3 innings with the Cubs. Those late struggles notwithstanding, Hunter has a 3.26 ERA with 6.9 K/9 against just 1.7 BB/9 across 207 1/3 innings dating back to 2013, so he figures to draw further interest as the offseason wears on.

Here are a few more notes from the relief market…

MLB.com’s Bill Ladson joins others in characterizing the Nationals’ interest in Darren O’Day as serious, though he also notes that some clubs could offer O’Day the opportunity to close games, which Washington cannot currently promise. The market for O’Day is deep, Ladson adds, but he could be a much-needed reliable setup man for the Nats, who are “looking to trade” Drew Storen.
We’ve heard varying reports on the Nationals’ interest in shipping out Storen and Jonathan Papelbon, but Jayson Stark tweets that executives from three clubs have told him that the Nats are pushing to trade both righties. The club’s plan would be to rebuild the back of its relief corps with new acquisitions. Of course, as I explained in the Nationals’ offseason outlook, Washington is in need of pen additions regardless of what it does in the late innings.
The Mets’ bullpen focus, meanwhile, is on adding a lefty, per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. New York seems prepared to give Josh Smoker a chance at cracking the pen after adding him to the 40-man roster. And the team has indicated interest in bringing back Jerry Blevins. But a surer thing would be preferable, says DiComo, who says the team is prioritizing the acquisition of a quality LOOGY this winter.
Former big league lefty Mike Zagurski is hoping to return to the U.S. after pitching in Japan last season, MLBTR has learned. Zagurski has struggled in a handful of Major League chances but has a 2.68 ERA with 12.0 K/9 against 4.3 BB/9 in parts of six Triple-A seasons. The 32-year-old posted a 2.40 ERA in Japan last year, albeit in a small sample of 15 innings.

Kapler, Roberts Are Finalists For Dodgers’ Manager; Decision To Come By Monday

By Steve Adams | November 22, 2015 at 7:55am CDT

Since the Dodgers and manager Don Mattingly mutually agreed to part ways last month, the Dodgers have been conducting interviews to determine their next skipper. Farm director Gabe Kapler was said to be the early front-runner, although to this point, Los Angeles has also interviewed Padres bench coach Dave Roberts, Mets bench coach (and former A’s manager) Bob Geren and former big leaguer/current Nebraska head coach Darin Erstad. Last month’s updates on the search can be found here, and we’ll keep track of the November updates to the Dodgers’ managerial search in this post…

The Dodgers will decide on their next manager no later than Monday, sources tell Buster Olney of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The club’s choice still appears to be between Kapler and Roberts.

Earlier Updates

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that a decision has been delayed until Sunday or Monday, as some members of the Dodgers’ ownership group are traveling.
Bud Black “appears to be out of the mix,” ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports (Twitter links), suggesting that Gabe Kapler and Dave Roberts are the two finalists. Second interviews with finalists are ongoing, with the club expected to make its decision this Friday or Saturday. With Kapler and Roberts apparently the final two names under consideration, Los Angeles seems set to go with a skipper that has not previously run a big league dugout at the big league level.
Erstad has withdrawn from the search, telling Shaikin (Twitter link) that he’s committed to continuing with the University of Nebraska.
Gibson is not one of the four finalists, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, who tweets that the other four names just listed will be interviewed further next week.
There are five names still in the mix at present, ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden reports (Insider link): Black, Erstad, Kapler, Gibson, and Roberts. The team will move forward with four finalists, meaning that one of those candidates will not make it into the second stage.
Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi said the team expects to be down to 3-4 candidates by the end of the week, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles will interview Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Martinez, of course, also served under Chicago skipper Joe Maddon with the Rays back when Friedman ran the baseball operations there. He joins a still-growing list of possible candidates for one of the game’s premium field staff positions.
Former Diamondbacks skipper (and Dodgers World Series hero) Kirk Gibson will also interview for the job, ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden tweets. Gibson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s earlier this year, and discussed his treatment and life with the disease recently with Scott Miller of Bleacher Report. Needless to say, it’s remarkable and encouraging to hear that he is well enough even to be considered for the position.
Bill Plaschke of the L.A. Times hears that Kapler is no longer the favorite. That distinction, Plaschke writes, instead goes to Roberts. According to Plaschke, Dodgers ownership voiced a strong preference for an honest managerial search instead of simply anointing Kapler, and Roberts “aced” his interview with Dodgers decision-makers. Of course, it’s also worth bearing in mind that Rosenthal’s recent update said the team was only half-done with its initial wave of interviews, so there’s still time for this to change.
Bud Black, whose reported deal with the Nationals fell through last night, will interview for the Dodgers’ vacancy, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The Dodgers are about halfway through the interview process, according to Rosenthal, and the team could interview as many as 10 candidates.

NL West Notes: Rockies, Cueto, Puig, Padres

By Mark Polishuk | November 21, 2015 at 3:13pm CDT

With the Rockies in need of starting pitching and the Indians in need of outfield help, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post wonders if the two clubs could fit as trade partners. Carlos Gonzalez and Corey Dickerson could both be available if Colorado could land the right arm (or arms) in return, and Danny Salazar, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer have all been mentioned as possible trade chips for the Tribe this winter. As Saunders notes, Cleveland could balk at the remaining $37MM on Gonzalez’s contract and the fact that he’d only be controlled through 2017. Dickerson comes with four years of control and isn’t even eligible for arbitration until next winter, though he’s obviously a much less proven asset than Gonzalez and also missed a lot of time with injuries last season. Here’s some more from around the NL West…

The Diamondbacks have had internal discussions about possibly signing Johnny Cueto, ESPN’s Buster Olney reports (Insider subscription required). It’s no secret that Arizona has been targeting pitching this offseason, as they’ve been linked to such names as Shelby Miller, Yovani Gallardo and John Lackey on the trade and free agency fronts. Those pitchers carry a much lower price tag than Cueto would on the open market, however, and it would be surprising to see the mid-market Snakes make a big splurge on the type of nine-figure contract it would take to land Cueto.
The Dodgers aren’t likely to trade Yasiel Puig this offseason since his potential is still so high, his contract is reasonably priced and he brings some right-handed hitting balance to an L.A. outfield full of left-handed bats, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times writes. The Dodgers would also be selling low on Puig in the wake of his disappointing 2015 season.
Olney also addresses the Puig situation in his previously-linked column, reporting that Dodgers upper management “is much more open to the idea of moving Puig than they would’ve been, say, 18 months ago.” If Puig is really a clubhouse problem, Olney feels the Dodgers should cut their losses and trade him this winter, since they’re one of the few teams with the financial muscle to not have to worry about getting the best possible return back for a sell-low player.
The trades of Craig Kimbrel and Joaquin Benoit would seem to open the door for Brandon Maurer to take on a bigger late-game role in the Padres bullpen, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. The Padres are reportedly looking to add a mid-range bullpen arm, though Lin notes that the team could simply keep Maurer in relief to address that need. The team hasn’t closed the door on shifting Maurer back to starting pitching, however, since the Padres have rotation needs both this year and in coming seasons.
Also from Lin, he reports that the Padres are in talks with Mark McGwire about the ex-slugger becoming the team’s new bench coach, with a source calling McGwire “a very strong candidate for the job.” McGwire is currently the Dodgers’ hitting coach, though his role with that club is up in the air as they search for a new manager. Lin reports that the Diamondbacks were also considering McGwire as their new hitting coach but McGwire took himself out of consideration for that position. Ron Gardenhire had previously been linked to San Diego’s bench coach job, though it now appears as though if he was to join the club, it would be in a front office capacity rather than in the dugout.

Added To The 40-Man Roster: Friday

By Steve Adams | November 20, 2015 at 8:10pm CDT

Tonight at 8:00pm ET is the deadline for teams to add players to their 40-man roster and thereby protect them from this year’s Rule 5 Draft. In other words: there will be a significant amount of 40-man roster moves made over the course of the next 13 or so hours. Six clubs already made moves to protect prospects from the Rule 5 yesterday, and each of the remaining 24 clubs should make moves today as well.

In brief: players drafted/signed at 18 years of age or younger must be added to the 40-man roster within five years of signing or be exposed to the Rule 5 Draft. Players drafted/signed at 19 or older must be added within four years. Those interested in all of the specifics can refer to articles from MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo and J.J. Cooper of Baseball America. Perhaps of greater interest is that Mayo lists all of the prospects from MLB.com’s Top 100 list and from their organizational Top 30 lists that much be protected in advance of tonight’s deadline, while Cooper provides brief write-ups on each player that has been protected (and will continue to do so as additions are made).

Here are today’s additions to the 40-man roster. You can check out Baseball America’s coverage to learn more about the individual players listed below …

The last team to report is the Giants, who have added a host of names to their 40-man: pitchers Ty Blach, Clayton Blackburn, Kyle Crick, Ian Gardeck, Adalberto Mejia, Steven Okert, Jake Smith, and Chris Stratton. With the roster filled up with that many pre-MLB arms, it’s fair to wonder whether the team anticipates trading from among that group.
In their second set of 40-man promotions today, the Astros have selected the contracts of outfielder Andrew Aplin and infielder Nolan Fontana.
Moving onto the Marlins 40-man are lefty Jarlin Garcia and a trio of righties: Jacob Esch, Austin Brice, and Nick Wittgren.
The Cubs have placed backstop Willson Contreras, righty Pierce Johnson, third baseman Jeimer Candelario, and first baseman Dan Vogelbach onto their 40-man, the team announced.
The Phillies added outfielder Roman Quinn and righties Jimmy Cordero and Edubray Ramos.
Joining the Royals’ 40-man are pitchers Matthew Strahm, Alec Mills, and Kyle Zimmer, infielder Ramon Torres, and outfielders Brett Eibner and Bubba Starling, the club announced.
The Rockies have selected the contracts of righties Carlos Estevez and Antonio Senzatela, infielder Trevor Story, and outfielder Raimel Tapia.
The Rays will add righties Jacob Faria, Taylor Guerrieri, and German Marquez to the 40-man roster along with infielder/outfielder Taylor Motter and rising lefty prospect Blake Snell.
The Pirates have added top prospects Tyler Glasnow and Josh Bell to the club’s 40-man, along with fellow youngsters Harold Ramirez (an outfielder) and Max Moroff (a middle infielder).
Righty Victor Alcantara has been placed on the Angels’ 40-man, the club announced. As MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez notes on Twitter, Alcantara is probably now the team’s single best prospect.

Earlier Updates

Joining the big league side of the roster for the Yankees are righties Johnny Barbato and Rookie Davis along with outfielder Ben Gamel, the team announced.
The Reds announced the additions of right-handers Robert Stephenson, Sal Romano, and Stephen Johnson to the 40-man roster to keep them from Rule 5 eligibility.
Going onto the Rangers’ 40-man roster are outfielder Nomar Mazara, lefty Yohander Mendez, and righties Jose Leclerc and Connor Sadzeck.
The Dodgers brought righties Jharel Cotton and Ross Stripling onto their 40-man, per a team announcement.
Infielder Marco Hernandez, righty Pat Light, and lefty Williams Jerez are the newest members of the Red Sox 40-man, the club announced.
The White Sox have protected righties Brandon Brennan and J.B. Wendelken from the Rule 5 by giving them roster spots.
The Orioles have added a trio of pitchers, per an announcement. Parker Bridwell and Andrew Triggs throw from the right side, while Chris Lee is a southpaw.
Moving onto the 40-man for the Indians are righties Mike Clevinger, Shawn Morimando and Dylan Baker, as well as outfielders Tyler Naquin and James Ramsey, per the club.
The Mets announced the additions of outfielder Brandon Nimmo and righties Seth Lugo, Jeff Walters, and Robert Gsellman to the club’s major league roster.
Second baseman Joey Wendle and left-hander Jose Torres were added to the Athletics 40-man roster, per the club.
The Mariners announced that they have purchased the contracts of infielder Patrick Kivlehan and outfielder Boog Powell, thereby adding them to the 40-man roster and protecting them from the Rule 5 Draft.
The Astros announced the additions of catcher Alfredo Gonzalez and right-handers Jandel Gustave, Juan Minaya, Joe Musgrove and David Paulino to the 40-man roster. Notably, Gustave was a Rule 5 pick last year and found himself with both the Padres and Royals before ultimately being returned to Houston.
The Tigers announced that they’ve added right-handers Michael Fulmer and Montreal Robertson as well as left-hander Jairo Labourt to the 40-man. Fulmer was the main piece picked up in Detroit’s trade of Yoenis Cespedes, while Labourt was one of three lefties acquired from Toronto in the David Price trade.

Padres Sign Cesar Vargas To MLB Deal

By Jeff Todd | November 20, 2015 at 3:28pm CDT

The Padres have signed righty Cesar Vargas to a major league deal, the club announced. San Diego also added just-acquired outfielder Manuel Margot and infielder Jose Rondon to its 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft.

Vargas is a 23-year-old who spent the last seven seasons in the Yankees organization before reaching minor league free agency. He is the second former New York reliever to sign a major league deal as a minor league free agent in recent days, joining new Cubs pitcher Andury Acevedo.

It’s not clear exactly what San Diego’s plans are for its new right-hander, though the team will have several option seasons to work with. Vargas reached the Triple-A level late last season, but spent the bulk of his time at Double-A. In 67 2/3 innings there — his first stint at the second-to-last stop in the minors — Vargas worked to a 2.79 ERA with 8.6 K/0 against 2.9 BB/9.

Padres Claim Josmil Pinto From Twins

By Steve Adams | November 20, 2015 at 1:35pm CDT

The Padres announced that they’ve claimed catcher Josmil Pinto off waivers from the Twins.

Pinto, 27, was once viewed as Minnesota’s possible catcher of the future due to his outstanding bat in the minors and in his first September call-up back in 2013. Pinto raked at Double-A and Triple-A in ’13, hitting a combined .309/.400/.482 with 15 homers before earning a September promotion and announcing his presence with a .342/.398/.566 performance in that month-long audition.

Pinto, however, was always viewed as a poor defender behind the plate, so when his bat began to slip in 2014 and 2015, his future was called into question. He hit just .219/.315/.391 in 57 games with the Twins in 2014, and his 2015 season was marred by concussions and poor performance at the Triple-A level, where he batted just .228/.304/.354 in 68 games. If Pinto can return to health, he has the upside of being an above-average bat for a catcher, but it’s unlikely that he’ll demonstrate dramatic defensive improvement moving forward.

Added To The 40-Man: Reds, Padres, Braves, Jays, Cards, Nats

By Steve Adams | November 19, 2015 at 11:15pm CDT

The deadline for teams to add players to their 40-man roster and thereby protect them from this year’s Rule 5 Draft is tomorrow night at 8:00pm ET. As such, there will be a large volume of players added to 40-man rosters in the coming day as well as a handful of moves to clear 40-man space for those new additions. The Astros’ trade of Jonathan Villar and release of Robbie Grossman and Luis Cruz earlier today, for instance, created three new spots on their 40-man for the purpose of protecting prospects. Players who signed at 18 or younger must be added to the 40-man roster within five years of signing or be exposed to all 29 other teams in the Rule 5 Draft. Players who were 19 or older at the time they signed must be added within four seasons.

MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo has more specifics on the intricacies of the Rule 5 Draft for those that are interested. Mayo also notes that 11 of MLB.com’s Top 100 prospects are in need of protection from the Rule 5 Draft, and he goes on to list the players from each organization’s Top 30 prospects who must be added by tomorrow night in order to be protected.

With all of that said, here’s today’s list of players that have been added to the 40-man roster…

The Reds have added right-handers Robert Stephenson and Sal Romano as well as left-hander Stephen Johnson to the 40-man roster, per a tweet from MLBPipeline.com.
Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets that the Padres have added recently acquired outfielder Manuel Margot to the 40-man roster in addition to shortstop prospect Jose Rondon. Margot was one of the centerpieces in the trade that sent Craig Kimbrel to Boston.

Earlier Updates

Outfielder Mallex Smith and right-hander John Gant have been added to the Braves’ 40-man roster, the team announced today. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets that there won’t be any further additions before tomorrow’s deadline.
The Blue Jays have added right-handers Blake McFarland and Brady Dragmire to their 40-man roster, writes Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith. That still leaves five empty spots on the club’s 40-man roster, though there’s no guarantee that the Blue Jays will fill those voids prior to tomorrow’s deadline.
The Cardinals announced today that they’ve purchased the contracts of shortstop Aledmys Diaz, left-hander Dean Kiekhefer and outfielder Charlie Tilson, thus protecting them from the Rule 5 Draft (Twitter link).
The Nationals have selected the contracts of infielder Chris Bostick, catcher Spencer Kieboom and left-hander Nick Lee, per a team announcement (on Twitter).

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