Minor Moves: Jones, Twins, Berry, Snyder, Wolf, Blackley
Here are today’s outright assignments and minor moves from around the league…
- The Orioles are placing lefty Chris Jones on their 40-man roster, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun tweets. Jones, 25, posted a 2.67 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 70 2/3 innings for Triple-A Norfolk this year. The move will prevent them from losing him to minor-league free agency.
- Edgar Ibarra has been added to the Twins‘ 40-man roster, the team announced today. The 24-year-old Venezuelan left-hander posted a 1.93 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 60 2/3 innings of relief between Double-Aand Triple-A this season. By adding Ibarra to the 40-man roster, the Twins ensure that he cannot be selected in next month’s Rule 5 Draft.
- The Twins have also re-signed Wilkin Ramirez, Dan Rohlfing, Aaron Thompson, Jermaine Mitchell, Lester Oliveros, Doug Bernier and James Beresford to minor league contracts with invites to Spring Training, tweets MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger. Ramirez and Bernier each saw time with the big league club in 2013, and Oliveros was one of two pitchers received from the Tigers in exchange for Delmon Young in 2011.
- The Red Sox announced that they have outrighted outfielder Quintin Berry and infielder Brandon Snyder off their 40-man roster. Both are now free agents after spending the majority of this past season at Triple-A. Snyder hit .261/.332/.454 with 10 homers in the minors, while Berry slashed just .191/.309/.257 with three homers and 30 steals in 34 tries at Triple-A.
- Right-hander Ross Wolf has re-signed with the Rangers on a minor league contract with an invitation to 2014 Spring Training, the team announced. The 31-year-old posted a 4.15 ERA in 22 appearances (three starts) for Texas in 2013, averaging 4.0 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 47 2/3 innings. Wolf had been outrighted off the 40-man roster and cleared waivers before re-signing.
- In other Rangers news, left-hander Travis Blackley was also outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency. In 50 1/3 innings between the Rangers and Astros, compiling a 4.83 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9.
- The Padres announced that they have outrighted left-hander Tommy Layne to Triple-A Tucson. Layne, 29, pitched 8 2/3 innings of 2.08 ERA ball for the Padres in his second big league stint this season. He has a 4.50 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 704 career minor league innings between the Padres and Diamondbacks, who traded him to San Diego for cash considerations in the 2011-12 offseason. Layne was designated for assignment along with fellow lefty Colt Hynes to make roster space for Cory Luebke and Joe Wieland as they returned from the 60-day DL. Hynes has since been acquired by the Indians.
Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.
Indians Re-Sign Jason Giambi, Acquire Colt Hynes
The Indians announced that they have re-signed Jason Giambi to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training and also acquired left-hander Colt Hynes from the Padres in exchange for cash considerations.
Giambi will turn 43 in January and managed just a .183/.282/.371 batting line in 2013. He was a beloved member of the Indians clubhouse however, and provided a number of pinch-hit home runs, including a pair of dramatic walk-off shots. On a minor league deal, there's little risk for Cleveland to bringing him back and seeing if he can force his way onto their roster with a big Spring Training performance.
Hynes, 28, was one of two left-handers to be designated for assignment by the Padres last week in order to create roster space for starters Cory Luebke and Joe Wieland, each of whom was returning from the 60-day disabled list (Tommy Layne was also DFA'ed). A former 31st-round draft pick of the Friars, Hynes made his big league debut this season but allowed 17 runs in 17 innings of work with a 13-to-9 K/BB ratio. He was dominant in the minors, however, posting a 1.52 ERA with an otherworldly 58-to-2 K/BB ratio in 47 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A.
Padres Have Interest In Mark Trumbo
The Padres have interest in Angels first baseman Mark Trumbo, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports (on Twitter). The Angels are known to be interested in acquiring pitching for Trumbo, however, and Shaikin notes that San Diego might not be the best match — their collection of young pitching includes several players (Cory Luebke, Joe Wieland, Casey Kelly) who are in various stages of recovery from Tommy John surgery.
Yonder Alonso hit .281/.341/.368 as the Padres' primary first baseman in 2013. Trumbo would likely be an upgrade, although it remains to be seen how his power-dependent game would play in pitcher-friendly PETCO Park. Trumbo appears set to make about $4.7MM in 2014, his first year of arbitration eligibility.
Clayton Richard Rejects Outright Assignment, Elects Free Agency
Left-hander Clayton Richard has refused an outright assignment from the Padres and has elected free agency, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (on Twitter).
Richard, who turned 30 in September, was a clear non-tender candidate, and the Padres chose to address the issue immediately rather than wait until the non-tender deadline in early December. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected a $5.24MM salary for Richard, who posted a 7.01 ERA with 4.1 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 52 2/3 innings for the Padres this season. Opponents batted .308/.369/.578 against Richard in a season that saw him miss three weeks with a stomach virus before going down for the year with a shoulder injury in June.
The Padres originally acquired Richard from the White Sox aspart of their haul for Jake Peavy, and Richard rewarded them with 584 innings of 3.90 ERA prior to the 2013 campaign. Though he's never been one to miss many bats (career 5.6 K/9), Richard has shown the ability to be a durable innings eater, twice topping the 200-inning threshold with a sub-4.00 ERA for the Friars.
As noted by MLB.com's Corey Brock (on Twitter), Richard's departure means that the Padres have no one left in their system from the Peavy trade. Aaron Poreda, Dexter Carter and Adam Russell have all departed, with Carter no longer pitching in affiliated ball, Russell going to the Rays in the Jason Bartlett trade and Poreda going to the Pirates in the Rule 5 Draft. Poreda, who has since been released, recently signed a minor league deal with the Rangers.
Sherman On Cardinals, Posting System, Headley
While there is a common thinking that a team can never have "too much pitching," Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that the Cardinals may actually be able to boast that luxury. The team's incredible wealth of young, cost-controlled arms sets them up to be as aggressive as they'd like in addressing holes this offseason, opines Sherman, including shortstop and center field. The Cardinals likely have the young pieces to deal to acquire a marquee player like Troy Tulowitzki or a lesser, but strong option like J.J. Hardy. Their stock of young talent would even make the loss of a draft pick more palatable should they decide to be bold in free agency, as they were when they signed Matt Holliday to his seven-year deal. More from Sherman…
- In a second piece, Sherman reports that Major League Baseball and Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball are nearing an agreement on alterations to the posting system for Japanese players. Two sources told Sherman that MLB and NPB are hoping to have an agreement in place by Nov. 1 (this coming Friday). He adds that one scenario he's heard would allow the posted player to select one of the three highest bidders and negotiate solely with that club — a scenario suggested as a possibility last month by Newsday.
- From that same article, Sherman reports that the Padres recently completed their organizational meetings and feel that they will retain Chase Headley rather than trade him prior to his walk year. While they will still listen to offer on their switch-hitting third baseman, a trade doesn't seem likely.
- Padres officials that spoke with Sherman said the team doesn't feel the Yankees are a potential fit as a trade partner for Headley. San Diego wants to win now and would only deal Headley if the return included cost-effective players that are ready for the Majors or close to it. As Sherman points out, the Yankees' farm system doesn't include many players that fit that bill.
NL West Notes: Dodgers, Belisle, Crain, Giants
The MLBTR staff extends our condolences to the friends and family of NBA Hall-of-Fame player and coach Bill Sharman, who passed away today at age 87. Sharman is best known for his legendary basketball career but he also played in the Dodgers' minor system from 1950-55, doing well enough to earn a late-season callup in 1951. Sharman was a so-called "phantom ballplayer" (a player who spends time on a Major League roster but didn't actually appear in a game) yet his status afforded him a unique spot in baseball history. The entire Dodgers bench was ejected for arguing a call on September 27, 1951, thus making Sharman the only player to ever be ejected from a Major League game without appearing in one.
Here are some items from around the NL West, starting with Sharman's old team…
- J.P. Howell and Nick Punto are the only two of the Dodgers' free agents who Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles predicts will be back with the team next season. Saxon also predicts the Dodgers will decline Mark Ellis' $5.75MM club option and their side of Chris Capuano's $8MM mutual option.
- Letting that mostly veteran free agent group go is one of Saxon's five ways the Dodgers can reach their stated goal of getting younger in 2014. Other methods include trading Andre Ethier and acquiring David Price and Elvis Andrus.
- The Rockies will explore signing Jesse Crain if he's healthy and will look to re-sign Matt Belisle to a longer-term deal, Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes. Colorado has a $4.25MM option on Belisle for 2014 but Renck says the team will look to lower Belisle's base salary for next season in as part of a new contract.
- Renck also outlines several other Rockies offseason needs and notes that while they couldn't manage to sign Cuban first baseman Jose Dariel Abreu, the attempt at least showed that the club is trying and is willing to spend this winter.
- Also from Renck (via Twitter), he is "fascinated" by the Nationals' reported hiring of Matt Williams and notes that the Rockies came close to hiring Williams as manager last year before going with Walt Weiss.
- Even before their offseason moves have really begun, the Rockies and Giants are two of three teams projected by ESPN's Jared Cross (Insider subscription required) to have the best chance of improving by at least 20 wins in 2014. Cross also suggests a pair of free agents who could help the two clubs.
- A number of Padres topics are explored by Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune during a live chat with readers, including whether the Angels' Mark Trumbo would be a realistic trade option for the Friars as they look to add power to their lineup.
- USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweets that Dave Duncan is a "perfect fit" as the Diamondbacks' pitching coach and that we should "keep an eye on" him as a candidate for the job. Duncan took a leave of absence from the Cardinals in 2012 and recently said that he isn't interested in serving as a pitching coach again.
- In other NL West news from earlier today, the Giants officially announced Tim Lincecum's new contract….Lincecum's feelings about re-signing are included as part of a collection of Giants notes….the Padres designated southpaws Colt Hynes and Tommy Layne for assignment….MLBTR's Steve Adams wrote a Free Agent Profile of Dodgers reliever Brian Wilson.
Padres Designate Tommy Layne, Colt Hynes For Assignment
The Padres announced on Twitter that they have designated left-handers Tommy Layne and Colt Hynes for assignment in order to clear 40-man roster spots for right-hander Joe Wieland and left-hander Cory Luebke, each of whom has been reinstated from the 60-day disabled list.
Layne, who turns 29 next week, pitched 8 2/3 innings of 2.08 ERA ball for the Padres in his second big league stint this season. The St. Louis native has a 4.50 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 704 career minor league innings between the Padres and Diamondbacks (the team that originally drafted him). He was acquired by the Padres from the D-Backs for cash considerations early in the 2012 season.
The 28-year-old Hynes made his big league debut in 2013, but it didn't go as he'd hoped. Hynes allowed 17 runs in 17 innings for the Friars, striking out 13 and walking nine. He was significantly better for Triple-A Tucson, where he posted a sparkling 1.80 ERA with an eye-popping 42-to-2 K/BB ratio in 35 innings of work.
Both Luebke, 28, and Wieland, 23, looked to be establishing themselves as mainstays in the Padres' rotation prior to 2012 Tommy John surgery. Neither was able to make it back to the big leagues in 2013, but both figure to factor into the team's rotation in 2014. Luebke is especially likely, as GM Josh Byrnes rewarded his stellar 2011 efforts with a four-year, $12MM extension shortly before Opening Day in 2012.
New York Notes: Santana, Murphy, Headley
Here's a look at the latest on the Mets and Yankees..
- The Mets and Johan Santana are very likely to part ways this winter but team insiders say that the door is open a sliver of a crack for a return, writes Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. When Martino suggested to one team source that the Mets would definitely cut bait with the left-hander, the person said, “that’s probably fair, but it’s premature to say never.”
- A source told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com not to expect multi-year deals this offseason for notable players under the Mets' control. The Mets' best candidates for a deal like Jonathon Niese's five-year, $25.5MM pact from last offseason would be the arbitration-eligible Daniel Murphy, Dillon Gee, and Bobby Parnell.
- Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com asks if the Yankees should make a play for Chase Headley this winter. The Padres third baseman could be moved for the right package, but a baseball official familiar with the team's thinking says they'll need a "compelling offer" and the Bombers don't really have the necessary talent in their farm system to do that.
- Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada has returned to The Legacy Agency as a client after spending time with Praver/Shapiro, tweets Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal. You can keep track of everyone's representation with the MLBTR Agency Database.
Offseason Outlook: San Diego Padres
Injuries hurt the Padres in 2013, but that only tells part of the story. The Padres have some work to do in order to keep up in the competitive NL West.
Guaranteed Contracts
- Cameron Maybin, OF: $20MM through 2016
- Carlos Quentin, OF: $17.5MM through 2015
- Will Venable, OF: $8.5MM through 2015
- Cory Luebke, SP: $8.25MM through 2015
- Huston Street, RP: $7MM through 2014
- Nick Hundley, C: $4MM through 2014
- Chris Denorfia, OF: $2.25 through 2014
Arbitration Eligible Players (service time in parentheses)
- Chase Headley (5.123): $10MM
- Ian Kennedy (4.124): $5.8MM
- Clayton Richard (5.070): $5.24MM
- Luke Gregerson (5.000): $4.9MM
- Eric Stults (3.075): $3MM
- Andrew Cashner (3.126): $2.4MM
- Everth Cabrera (3.144): $2.2MM
- Tyson Ross (2.124, Super Two): $1.3MM
- Jesus Guzman (2.151, Super Two): $1.3MM
- Tim Stauffer (5.143): $1.2MM
- Kyle Blanks (4.029): $1MM
Free Agents
There have been non-stop questions about Chase Headley's future in San Diego for the last year but it seems like the Padres will come up with an answer, one way or another, this offseason. They could put the rumors to rest with a contract extension for their star or trade him at a time when the third base free agent market is thin. The Yankees have long had a soft spot for the 29-year-old and even though a new deal for Headley would be tricky given their budget constraints, he'd be a very welcome addition in light of the Alex Rodriguez saga. General Manager Josh Byrnes & Co. will surely be listening on offers for Headley, but both sides have stated their preference for a contract extension.
So, done deal, right? Not quite. There appears to be a pretty serious schism in negotiations between San Diego and agent Jim Murray of Excel Sports Management. Back in May, we heard that the Padres were looking to lock Headley up with something in the range of $75MM over five years. Headley, meanwhile, likely sees Ryan Zimmerman's six-year, $100MM deal as a baseline for his own deal. It's hard to say what kind of deal Headley could get out of the Padres. On one hand, the Zimmerman deal raised the bar for what a top third baseman should command. On the other hand, Headley is coming off of a down year and has really only had one season where he looked like an elite player. Headley hit .243/.335/.389 with 10 homers and a 2.1 WAR, a far cry from his 2012 campaign where he slashed .286/.376/.498 with 31 home runs and a 6.3 WAR on his way to capturing Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards. Pads skipper Bud Black attributes much of Headley's struggles to the thumb injury he suffered in Spring Training, but the dip in hitting is still a concern. Recently, Tim Dierkes opined that Headley will probably risk being traded elsewhere if he can't get something in the range of Andre Ethier's five-year, $85MM deal from San Diego.
Looking out-of-house, the Padres' top priority will probably be to bolster their rotation. Thanks to the progress of Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross and the July addition of Ian Kennedy, the top half of the starting five is taken care of. After that, San Diego will be waiting on the returns of Joe Wieland and Cory Luebke after Tommy John surgery. Eric Stults will probably stay in the starting five after posting a 3.93 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in 33 starts last season. The Padres are likely to non-tender Clayton Richard and they already purged Edinson Volquez from the roster, so there will be spots available. There will be plenty of affordable veterans for the Padres to choose from as they look to improve the rotation while saving some coin for the rest of the roster. Chris Capuano figures to be bought out of his $8MM mutual option with the Dodgers and will probably be willing to take a bit of a pay cut. A modest offer could also net them someone of Roberto Hernandez or Jason Hammel's caliber.
The bullpen also needs to be shored up as the Padres' middle relief was shaky for much of the year. Anthony Bass, Brad Brach, Brad Boxberger, and Miles Mikolas all had varying degrees of success in 2013, but they'll have to take a step or two forward to show that they can be reliable. Nick Vincent and Tim Stauffer were solid but San Diego will have to rebuild the bridge to Luke Gregerson and closer Huston Street. Speaking of Gregerson, San Diego will have to address his future as he enters his final year of arbitration eligibility. A club-friendly extension would be ideal, but the Padres will also find a lot of interested suitors if they shop him.
Ronny Cedeno saw a ton of playing time in 2013 thanks to Everth Cabrera's PED suspension and gave the Padres decent defensive play. He'll be a free agent, however, and they'll look for another shortstop/utility man if they don't retain him. If the Padres can trade Headley, they can cover for him easily by moving Jedd Gyorko over to third, but that will create something of a void at second. Logan Forsythe and Alexi Amarista can handle the position but they'd be better off with a full-timer who can replace some of Headley's offense.
You can expect 90 percent of San Diego's trade buzz to center on Headley, but its possible that they work the phones to fill other holes in the lineup. Recently, Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune suggested that the Padres could move either Will Venable or Chris Denorfia and a pitching prospect for an upgrade at a corner outfield slot. The Pads have gotten interest in both players in the past and with salaries of $4.25MM and $2.25MM, respectively, they could be attractive to other teams.
Headley figures to get the most ink of anyone tied to the Padres this offseason, but they'll have other matters to tend to as well.
Arbitration Eligibles: San Diego Padres
Matt Swartz has developed a very accurate model that MLBTR uses to project arbitration salaries, as explained in this series of posts. We've heard from many MLB teams and agencies that reference the projections in their work. The Padres are next in our series. Estimated service time is in parentheses, and estimated 2014 salary follows.
- Chase Headley (5.123): $10MM
- Ian Kennedy (4.124): $5.8MM
- Clayton Richard (5.070): $5.24MM
- Luke Gregerson (5.000): $4.9MM
- Eric Stults (3.075): $3MM
- Andrew Cashner (3.126): $2.4MM
- Everth Cabrera (3.144): $2.2MM
- Tyson Ross (2.124, Super Two): $1.3MM
- Jesus Guzman (2.151, Super Two): $1.3MM
- Tim Stauffer (5.143): $1.2MM
- Kyle Blanks (4.029): $1MM
After a disappointing season that made 2012's power output look like the outlier, Headley projects to receive a small raise through arbitration as he enters his contract year. Mutual interest in an extension remains, Headley told ESPN's Jerry Crasnick in September. Crasnick suggested Alex Gordon's five-year, $50MM deal as a potential comparable, a contract signed directly after Gordon's first elite season with the player two years away from free agency. We've seen contract year extensions for Carlos Gomez (three years, $24MM), Martin Prado (four years, $40MM), and Carlos Quentin (three years, $30MM), and Headley could regret sacrificing his first crack at free agency for that type of deal. Headley told Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times in September, "I'm not actively trying to get to free agency, but trying to get what you are worth is important. It would be foolish not to at least pay attention. I'm not going to sell myself short." I think if Headley can't get close to the five-year, $85MM range of the Andre Ethier deal, he'll hold off and risk a potential trade now or in July.
With Kennedy, Stults, Cashner, Ross, and Richard, the Padres have an entire rotation eligible for arbitration. After undergoing shoulder surgery in mid-July, expect Richard to be non-tendered, even without a raise in the cards. It's possible the Padres could look to bring him back on a much cheaper deal. The other four are secure, with newly-acquired workhorse Kennedy projecting for the largest salary. As a Boras Corporation client coming off a 4.91 ERA season, I don't expect him to sign an extension. Ross, acquired from the Athletics a year ago, posted a sparkling 3.06 ERA in 16 starts but may not have done enough in his career to justify an extension.
Stults and Cashner are a study in contrast: the soft-tossing, 33-year-old former journeyman southpaw, and the hard-throwing 27-year-old former first round draft pick. Stults led the Padres in innings this year and would probably jump at a multiyear guarantee. Cashner had a breakout, fully healthy year, logging a 3.04 ERA in 26 starts after joining the rotation in late April. With only 286 1/3 career innings, he's best compared to pitchers with less than three years of service, making five years and less than $30MM a possibility if both sides are thinking long-term.
Gregerson logged another sub-3.00 ERA season, showing a level of durability and consistency rarely found in a reliever. The market suggests a three-year deal in the $15-16MM deal range, though the Padres could consider trading him for a significant return if they'd prefer not to go long-term. After beginning the season in the minors, Stauffer fell short of six years of Major League service time. He should be retained after a solid campaign as a long reliever.
Cabrera earned his first All-Star nod from Giants manager Bruce Bochy, though it was tainted by the Biogenesis investigation. At the All-Star game, Cabrera maintained his innocence, which was ultimately revealed as a lie the following month when he accepted a 50-game suspension and apologized. It would be a difficult spot for the Padres to lock him up, plus he's a Boras client anyway.
Blanks set a career high with 308 plate appearances, including five home runs and 18 RBI in June. He later missed significant time with an Achilles injury. Guzman started over 60 games for the 2013 Padres with ugly results, failing to mash lefties as he did from 2011-12. Both are right-handed hitters who can handle first base and the outfield corners. They also both project to earn around a million bucks. If the Padres' projected starters are healthy, they may only have room for one of Blanks and Guzman, making a trade possible. As the younger of the two, Blanks seems more likely to stay.
Assuming Headley, Kennedy, Gregerson, Stults, Cashner, Cabrera, Guzman, Ross, Blanks, and Stauffer are tendered contracts, the Padres are looking at an estimated $33.1MM for ten arbitration eligible players.