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NL West Notes: Gonzalez, Kazmir, Cain/Blach, Vargas, Weaver

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Adrian Gonzalez will return to playing first base for the Dodgers tomorrow before joining Team Mexico for the WBC, as Alana Rizzo of Sportsnet LA tweets. The veteran first baseman has been battling a minor injury described as “tennis elbow,” but it seems that it has improved enough to allow participation in the global tournament.

Here’s more from the rest of the NL West:

  • We already checked in on Dodgers lefty Scott Kazmir, who left his spring outing today with hip tightness. We’ll need to wait for more news, though it seems he won’t head straight for an MRI; instead, as Eric Stephen of SB Nation tweets, Kazmir will be reevaluated tomorrow. The veteran southpaw clearly wasn’t pleased with the health issue, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports. “The frustration is through the roof right now,” said the veteran southpaw, who bemoaned the need to “manipulate my body just to be able to get through an outing.”
  • While there’s nominally a competition for the Giants’ fifth starter role, primarily featuring Matt Cain and Ty Blach, Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News writes that it may not be much of a battle. Though manager Bruce Bochy says nothing has been decided, he did intentionally bring Blach on in the middle of an inning in his most recent outing. Per Bochy, it could be that the young southpaw opens the year in the bullpen, functioning as the club’s long man and/or in a setup capacity. (Certainly, utilizing him to piggyback with Cain could make some sense, if there’s roster space. There are loads of competitors for the club’s few open pitching jobs.)
  • There’s little doubt that the Padres are open to multiple possibilities in their rotation. As MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell writes, though, the club has begun to pare down the number of competitors. Righty Cesar Vargas was the first to go; he was sent down to minor-league camp in part to give him enough time on the hill to build back to full strength after dealing with a flexor strain in 2016. Vargas, 25, had turned in six eye-opening starts before the day of his injury, and could certainly still enter the picture at some point during the season to come.
  • One Padres starting job will go to righty Jered Weaver, who Cassavell spoke with about his progress thus far. The 34-year-old says that focusing on flexibility has allowed him to make huge strides in his mechanics, calling it “night-and-day from last year.” He’s hoping the change will make him looser and allow better extension, while also preventing the neck and shoulder issues that plagued him previously.

NL West Notes: Solarte, Casilla, Seager, Nakaushiro

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Yangervis Solarte enjoyed a very good season for the Padres in 2016 despite dealing with unimaginable tragedy off the field.  Yuliette Solarte, Yangervis’ wife, was diagnosed with liver cancer in late 2015 and passed away last September at age 31.  As the infielder tells Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Solarte was prepared to skip last year’s Spring Training to spend time with his wife and their three daughters, but Yuliette urged him to focus on baseball in order to continue providing for their family’s future.  Yuliette saw her husband secure his first life-changing payday last spring in the form of a $3.15MM brand contract with Fantex, and Solarte gained even more financial security by signing a two-year extension with the Padres this past January.  Sanders’ touching piece is well worth a full read, chronicling the couple’s life together, Solarte’s journey to the big leagues and Yuliette’s battle after her heartbreaking diagnosis.

Here’s more from around the NL West…

  • Santiago Casilla is happy to be back in the Athletics organization after not being offered a contract by the Giants this last winter, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. A reunion between Casilla and the Giants never seemed likely given how Casilla became a virtual afterthought for the team after he was removed from the closer’s job in September, and the two sides didn’t do much in the way of offseason negotiating.
  • Corey Seager has missed the Dodgers’ last two games and will miss Monday’s game as well due to a minor back injury suffered while turning a double play on Friday.  Both Seager and manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times) that the injury isn’t considered serious, and the team isn’t even sending Seager in for tests.  Seager has seen little action on the field during Spring Training as he was previously sidelined with a shin injury, though it sounds like the Dodgers are simply playing it safe with their young star.
  • Lefty Yuhei Nakaushiro was one of the first cuts from the Diamondbacks’ spring camp but manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including MLB.com’s Chris Gabel) that the Japanese southpaw isn’t far off from his big league debut. “Instead of putting pressure on himself [in big league camp] and every third day getting a look, we felt like he could go down to player development.  The last thing we said to him is that he’s very close,” Lovullo said.  “We will see him at some point during the year. We know that. We feel very comfortable with that.”  The 27-year-old signed a minor league deal with Arizona last winter and posted very strong numbers in his first taste of North American baseball; Nakaushiro rose from rookie ball to Triple-A, posting a combined 1.23 ERA, 12.3 K/9 and 3.08 K/BB rate over 29 1/3 combined innings.

NL Notes: Giants, Brewers, Mets

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There was a scary scene during the San Francisco-Kansas City game Saturday in Phoenix, as a line drive off the bat of Royals third baseman/outfielder Hunter Dozier struck Giants first base coach Jose Alguacil in the face, Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News was among those to report. Alguacil suffered a fractured nose, a deep facial laceration and fractures in his left eye socket, and he was airlifted to a Phoenix trauma center to undergo surgery. He’s now resting with his family, tweets Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area. MLBTR wishes Alguacil a fast recovery as he prepares for his first season on the Giants’ coaching staff.

In lighter news from San Francisco and two other National League cities…

  • Giants right-hander Johnny Cueto will be able to opt out of his contract after this season, but the longtime ace told Chris Haft of MLB.com that’s not on his mind. “To me, this is just a regular year,” he said. “I signed for five [more] years, and I’m not thinking anything past that. It’s just another year for me.” Cueto will earn $106MM if he sticks with the Giants through 2022, though another great season would put him in prime position to land a more valuable pact next winter. In his age-30 campaign last year, Cueto pitched to a pristine 2.79 ERA, logged a 50.2 percent ground-ball rate and recorded 8.11 K/9 against 1.94 BB/9 in 219 2/3 innings.
  • Brewers infielder Jonathan Villar addressed his recent decision to turn down a $20MM extension Saturday, telling Adam McCalvy of MLB.com that it wasn’t difficult to reject. “In my house, I feel good,” he said. “I’m comfortable. … I told my family [about the offer], and they told me, ’It’s up to you. If you want, fine. If no, no.’ I can wait for arbitration.” Villar, who will become arbitration eligible next offseason, noted that he doesn’t harbor any ill feelings toward the Brewers. He’ll now try to build on a breakout 2016 in which he slashed .285/.369/.457 with 19 home runs and a major league-best 62 stolen bases over 679 plate appearances.
  • Given that he was the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason, Mets right fielder Jay Bruce did not expect to return to the club this year, he told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. “The whole time I just assumed I was going being traded,’’ said Bruce. “Honestly, the way everything went down, I did not think I would be back. Not to sound like a (jerk), but I knew I was going to be the opening-day right fielder somewhere.” The Mets then informed Bruce in January he’d stick around, which he’s “very, very happy” about. Although Bruce batted a paltry .219/.294/.391 in 187 PAs with the Mets last year after joining the club in a deadline trade with the Reds, his rocky off-field transition from Cincinnati to New York didn’t help matters, Nightengale notes. Bruce stayed in six hotels as a Met down the stretch and was apart from his wife and 4-month-old son, who remained in Texas. The three of them will live in an apartment on New York City’s Upper East Side this year, per Bruce.

NL Notes: Hamilton, Aguilar, Lugo, Marrero, Guerrero

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Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton has gained perspective heading into his fourth full season in the majors, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes. Learning to manage the tension of the game, and picking up some of Joey Votto’s preparation routines, have Hamilton sporting a newfound confidence that comes from being “relaxed going to the plate.” Rather than overthinking things when he goes to bat, Hamilton says, “I know what I want to do before I go in the box.” That approach helped the 26-year-old put up a strong .369 OBP and swipe 36 bags over the final 45 games of the 2016 season; combined with an outstanding glove, that made him quite a productive player. Heading into his first season of arbitration eligibility, with two more to go, Hamilton could establish himself as a strong everyday center fielder (and, perhaps, an extension candidate) if he can continue that performance.

Here’s more from the National League:

  • The Brewers are set to give Jesus Aguilar a shot at winning a bench job with the club, as Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports on Twitter. Claimed off waivers earlier in the winter from the Indians, the 26-year-old Aguilar is out of options. While he hasn’t seen much MLB action, Aguilar does own a productive .271/.346/.472 batting line at the Triple-A level and could share time at first with new Milwaukee signee Eric Thames if he impresses this spring.
  • Likewise, the Mets seem to be giving righty Seth Lugo a shot at showing he deserves the team’s fifth rotation slot after a surprising showing in 2016. As Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports, Lugo will do battle with fellow righty Robert Gsellman in camp, with the former receiving the starting nod on Friday. New York plans to keep one on the staff, with the other working from the Triple-A rotation rather than the pen, while Zack Wheeler catches up and hopefully reclaims his spot on the MLB roster.
  • Chris Marrero represents something of a dark horse in the Giants’ active battle for bench spots — which we covered earlier tonight — as Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News writes. San Francisco placed a call to his representatives right at the start of free agency, and the 28-year-old jumped at the opportunity. “If this team wants you, it’s a good thing,” he says. Once a highly regarded prospect with the Nationals, Marrero has scant MLB time, but did slash a productive .284/.344/.494 and hit a career-best 23 home runs in 544 Triple-A plate appearances last year with the Red Sox organization.
  • Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald tells the interesting tale of an unlikely Marlins pitcher, righty Tayron Guerrero. A towering, hard-throwing reliever, Guerrero hails from a tiny island in Colombia; learning to play ball there required a two-hour walk through the jungle and a boat ride to the mainland. Guerrero cracked the majors briefly with the Padres before being shipped to Miami as part of last summer’s Andrew Cashner trade. If he can refine his control — he averaged a career-low 4.0 BB/9 in the upper minors in 2016 — Guerrero could turn into a factor in the Marlins’ pen.

Camp Battles: San Francisco Giants

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While the Giants already had a host of internal options for their few MLB openings, the club brought in a wide range of alternatives to compete for jobs in camp. It’s possible to imagine the team sticking with some old favorites, but the added contenders create some intrigue as the club looks to overtake a powerful Dodgers team in the NL West.

Here are San Francisco’s ongoing camp battles; click here for previous entries in MLBTR’s Camp Battles series.

THIRD BASE/INFIELD BENCH
Eduardo Nunez
Age: 29
Bats: R
Contract Status: 1 year, $4.2MM
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

Conor Gillaspie
Age: 29
Bats: L
Contract Status: 1 year, $1.4MM (second of three seasons of arbitration eligibility) 
Options remaining: Out of options

Jae-gyun Hwang
Age: 29
Bats: R
Contract Status: Minor-league contract ($1.5MM on active roster)
Options remaining: 3

Kelby Tomlinson
Age: 26
Bats: R
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; cannot become free agent until at least the 2021-22 offseason
Options remaining: 2

Orlando Calixte
Age: 25
Bats: R
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; cannot become free agent until at least the 2022-23 offseason
Options remaining: 2

Gordon Beckham
Age: 30
Bats: R
Contract Status: Minor-league contract ($1.25MM on active roster)
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

Aaron Hill
Age: 34
Bats: R
Contract Status: Minor-league contract ($2MM on active roster)
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

Jimmy Rollins
Age: 38
Bats: S
Contract Status: Minor-league contract ($1MM on active roster)
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

 

A pair of deadline swaps drastically altered the outlook for the Giants at the hot corner — out went Matt Duffy, in came Nunez — and the team has gone on to add a whole host of competitors for time there. Given the commitment to Nunez, and his lack of an obvious alternative position, it seems likely that he’ll earn the lion’s share of the time, but perhaps it’s not etched in stone. Also at stake in this battle is a job as a utility infielder.

Hwang represents the most intriguing alternative. He showed a fantastic blend of power and plate discipline last year, though it came in the hitter-friendly KBO and he had to settle for a minor league deal in his bid to make it in the majors. But if any of these players is a threat to Nunez as a semi-regular at third, it may be the unknown Hwang.

Of course, Hill has shown life in the not-so-distant past, and could also be a real contender with a big spring. Beckham would have quite an uphill climb to lay such a claim himself, though the team thought enough of him in a brief cameo late last year to bring him back on a minors deal. Gillaspie was a surprising postseason hero, and may be a favorite for an Opening Day nod, though he’d likely factor as a platoon candidate at the hot corner.

Rollins may fight with Tomlinson and Calixte for a true utility spot. All are capable of playing shortstop, which doesn’t hold for any of the other players — excepting Nunez, who could conceivably add value as a heavily used multi-position player rather than parking on third base.

Prediction: Nunez holds serve, with Gillaspie seeing time against righties. But I’ll guess Hwang stakes out a roster spot, too, and plays third on occasions when Nunez spells left-handed-hitting middle infielders Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik.

LEFT FIELD/BENCH BAT
Jarrett Parker
Age: 28
Bats: L
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; cannot become free agent until at least the 2022-23 offseason
Options remaining: Out of options

Mac Williamson
Age: 26
Bats: R
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; cannot become free agent until at least the 2022-23 offseason
Options remaining: 2

Gorkys Hernandez
Age: 26
Bats: R
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; cannot become free agent until at least the 2021-22 offseason
Options remaining: Out of options

Michael Morse
Age: 34
Bats: R
Contract Status: Minor-league contract (terms unreported)
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

Justin Ruggiano
Age: 34
Bats: R
Contract Status: Minor-league contract (terms unreported)
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

Kyle Blanks
Age: 30
Bats: R
Contract Status: Minor-league contract (terms unreported)
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

Chris Marrero
Age: 28
Bats: R
Contract Status: Minor-league contract (terms unreported)
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

The Giants have made clear they’d like someone to take the job as a semi-regular in left, which makes this a true battle for an important role — albeit one that could change as the season goes on. Indications are that the out-of-options Parker will battle with Williamson for the job. Both have shown signs of promise in the upper minors and in their brief time in the bigs, though neither has yet been given a full opportunity to sink or swim at the game’s highest level.

While a platoon makes sense at first glance, it’s trickier in practice. Indeed, GM Bobby Evans has strongly suggested that he doesn’t really love the idea of both Parker and Williamson being on the same roster. The former hasn’t shown evidence that he can succeed against lefties, making him a prime candidate to be spelled by a lefty bench bat. But the latter is also better historically against right-handed pitching, meaning he’s not an optimal candidate to do so.

Given the array of veterans assembled here, it seems that San Francisco is giving thought to a few scenarios. If Parker can win the job, as Evans says is his hope, then the club could option Williamson and keep a lefty masher on hand to share time in left and perhaps also spell Brandon Belt at first. Morse and Ruggiano will try to show what they have left this spring, while Blanks will look to get his career on track after a series of injuries, but Marrero could also be a real consideration given that the team targeted him early in the offseason. Any of those players could also conceivably coexist with Williamson, though that would leave just one left-handed-hitting outfielder in Denard Span.

Hernandez, meanwhile, occupies a somewhat different place in the picture. Despite a lack of significant MLB time, he has shown a high-OBP approach in the upper minors. Hernandez could ease the burden on Span in center; he’s also out of options.

Prediction: This is an exceedingly difficult situation to prognosticate, but sometimes you have to go with your gut. I’ll guess that the Giants preserve their control rights and flexibility by handing near-regular duties to Parker, with Williamson optioned back to Triple-A to open the year. Hernandez will be the fourth outfielder, seeing most of his time in center, while one of the four righty bench bat candidates will take a job as well. My guess is Ruggiano, who has actually been rather productive in recent years when healthy and given a MLB opportunity.

ROTATION (ONE SPOT)
Matt Cain
Age: 32
Throws: R
Contract Status: 1 year, $20MM (club option for 2018 at $21MM, with $7.5MM buyout; vests with 200 IP if Cain doesn’t end year on DL for elbow/shoulder injury)
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

Albert Suarez
Age: 27
Throws: R
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; cannot become free agent until at least the 2022-23 offseason
Options remaining: Out of options

Ty Blach
Age: 26
Throws: L
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; cannot become free agent until at least the 2022-23 offseason
Options remaining: 2

Clayton Blackburn
Age: 24
Throws: R
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; cannot become free agent until at least the 2022-23 offseason
Options remaining: 2

Chris Stratton
Age: 26
Throws: R
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; cannot become free agent until at least the 2022-23 offseason
Options remaining: 2

This certainly appears to be Cain’s job to lose; barring injury, it’s difficult to imagine he won’t get another shot at rediscovering his form. Given his salary and history with the organization, he’ll have every chance of proving that he’s back to health — and that his last two seasons (combined 5.70 ERA over 150 frames) aren’t a reflection of his true talent going forward.

While there’s limited opportunity for other hurlers to snatch the job based solely on their performances in camp, there are contenders. Suarez is perhaps a swingman option after giving the Giants 84 serviceable frames in 2016. Blach had a nice debut last year, though it was brief and he doesn’t carry overwhelming minor-league numbers. Much the same holds true of Stratton. Meanwhile, Blackburn has shown signs of greater upside, though he managed only a 4.36 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in his repeat of Triple-A last year.

Looking somewhat further down the line, Tyler Beede headlines the team’s prospect pool in the rotation department, and he could soon be ready after strong year at Double-A in 2016.

Prediction: Cain gets the job out of camp, but could be pressured relatively early in the season.

BULLPEN (THREE  or FOUR SPOTS)
Cory Gearrin
Age: 30
Throws: R
Contract Status: 1 year, $1.05MM (two remaining years of arbitration eligibility)
Options remaining: Out of options

George Kontos
Age: 31
Throws: R
Contract Status: 1 year, $1.75MM (two remaining years of arbitration eligibility)
Options remaining: Out of options

Steven Okert
Age: 24
Throws: L
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; cannot become free agent until at least the 2022-23 offseason
Options remaining: 2

Josh Osich
Age: 28
Throws: L
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; cannot become free agent until at least the 2022-23 offseason
Options remaining: 3

David Hernandez
Age: 31
Throws: R
Contract Status: Minor-league contract ($1.5MM on active roster) 
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

Matt Reynolds
Age: 32
Throws: L
Contract Status: Minor-league contract (terms unreported) 
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

Bryan Morris
Age: 29
Throws: R
Contract Status: Minor-league contract ($1.25MM on active roster) 
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

Neil Ramirez
Age: 27
Throws: R
Contract Status: Minor-league contract (terms unreported)
Options remaining: 1

The wild card here is the health of lefty Will Smith, who has been slowed early. Any setback could not only open up another job (at least temporarily), but lock up Okert’s already strong hold on an Opening Day roster spot.

While he only threw 14 MLB frames in his debut last year, Okert recorded a strikeout per inning and also racked up sixty punchouts to go with just 11 walks in his 47 1/3 Triple-A frames. Osich was a similar story entering camp last year, but struggled badly in his sophomore campaign (4.71 ERA, 6.2 K/9, 4.7 BB/9 in 36 1/3 innings) and seems destined for a reboot. The other lefty, Reynolds, has an outside shot at factoring in despite his lack of recent contributions in the majors, though perhaps that’s mostly plausible in the event that Smith is shelved.

On the righty side of the equation, Gearrin and Kontos seem to have the inside track. Gearrin bounced back from two injury-limited seasons to post a 4.28 ERA, though it came along with a solid 8.4 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9. Kontos, meanwhile, has produced outstanding results in recent years (2.49 ERA in 159 innings); while he has averaged only 6.0 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9, he has managed to suppress the runs by generating lots of weak contact (.260 lifetime BABIP).

Those pitchers could be challenged, though, and it’s worth bearing in mind their arb deals aren’t guaranteed (so far as has been reported, at least). Hernandez is fresh off of an uneven year in which he landed with a 3.84 ERA over 72 2/3 innings; while he coughed up four free passes per nine, he also racked up 9.9 K/9 and showed he was healthy. Morris and Ramirez have more to prove, given their health situations, but have big arms and have had success in the majors in the past.

The above-noted Suarez (if not one of the optionable rotation candidates) could also factor here if the Giants elect to keep a long man — and especially if they choose to forego an extra position player on the bench. Dan Slania is another name to consider, perhaps; he showed well in the upper minors last year and could surprise in camp.

Prediction: I’ll go with a somewhat conventional outlook here, predicting that Gearrin and Kontos keep their jobs and are joined by Okert. Just to mix things up, though, I’ll also guess that Smith is unable to start the year in the majors, opening the door to the team preventing Hernandez from opting out by placing him on the active roster.

[RELATED: San Francisco Giants Depth Chart]

NL Notes: Smith, Wieters, Drew, Franco

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Giants lefty Will Smith has been shut down for a week after experiencing inflammation in his pitching elbow, Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News was among those to report (Twitter links). Fortunately, an MRI has already returned clean, so it seems there’s no worry of a major injury. But while it’s still early, San Francisco’s plan to get Smith ready for Opening Day is already on a tight timeline, Baggarly notes. So long as he can progress after his rest, Smith will be given six spring appearances in preparation for the season.

Here’s more from the National League:

  • The Brewers, like the Rays, kept tabs on Matt Wieters up to his agreement with the Nationals, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. Though Milwaukee GM David Stearns wouldn’t acknowledge whether an offer was made, he acknowledged that there was contact. “I would say we have regular contact with many agents, including Scott,” Stearns explained. “So Matt’s name came up, and we made sure we understood where the market was for him and what the potential fits were. But nothing really beyond that.”
  • Infielder Stephen Drew likely won’t see as much time with the Nationals as he could have elsewhere, but as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com writes, he nevertheless chose to reprise his role as a key reserve in D.C. His comfort with the team came into play, along with family considerations. Drew also discussed his bout of vertigo last year, which occurred due to an ear infection. He dealt with symptoms through the postseason and into the offseason, but seems to be back to normal as camp opens.
  • While Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco is entering only his second full season in the majors, there’s still plenty at stake, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com writes. Refining his approach at the plate and work in the field certainly seem to be on the agenda, and whether he can successfully turn his talent into consistent productivity could have a major impact on the organization’s plans. Salisbury suggests that a player such as Manny Machado could become a serious consideration for the team — he’ll be a free agent after 2018 — depending upon how Franco progresses. While it’s obviously too soon to factor in players such as Machado in any meaningful way, as Salisbury acknowledges, Philadelphia is no doubt already thinking about where Franco will end up in the long run. It does seem worth noting that, even if he isn’t able to lock down the job at third for the foreseeable future, he could ultimately be a candidate to shift across the diamond to first base.

Quick Hits: Giants, Giolito, Peralta, Kinsler

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Here’s the latest from around baseball as we head into the new week…

  • The Giants may carry five outfielders on the 25-man roster in an effort to keep Hunter Pence and Denard Span fresh, MLB.com’s Chris Haft writes.  Giants skipper Bruce Bochy said the club may also carry four outfielders plus one bench player capable of backing up at both an infield position and an outfield spot.  Pence, Span, Jarrett Parker and Mac Williamson are expected to be regulars in the San Francisco outfield this year, with Parker and Williamson platooning in left field (unless one wins the job outright).  Gorkys Hernandez, Mike Morse, Kyle Blanks, Kelby Tomlinson, Justin Ruggiano and Slade Heathcott are a few of the well-known names fighting for jobs in the Giants’ camp.
  • Lucas Giolito sees his trade to the White Sox as “an immediate breath of fresh air,” the young righty tells USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.  The highly-touted Giolito struggled in his MLB debut last season, posting a 6.75 ERA and walking 12 batters (against just 11 strikeouts) over 21 1/3 innings with the Nationals while being promoted and demoted multiple times.  “Every start was like I have to do well or I’m going to get sent down to Triple-A.  The team wanted to win, and if I wasn’t going to give them an opportunity to win, then they wouldn’t want me there.  It made sense,” Giolito said.  With the Sox in more of a rebuilding phase, Giolito is looking forward to getting more for an opportunity to properly acclimate himself to the majors.
  • Jhonny Peralta is fully healthy and fully prepared for a move to third base, the veteran Cardinals infielder tells MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch.  Bothered by a thumb injury for much of 2016, Peralta batted only .260/.307/.408 over 313 PA as he lost his starting shortstop job to Aledmys Diaz.  Peralta will now battle Jedd Gyorko for regular playing time at the hot corner while looking to re-establish himself before hitting free agency next winter.  Peralta, who turns 35 in May, is hopeful of continuing to play “for a couple more years.”
  • Offseason trade rumors ended up being “just talk” and thus of no concern to Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler, the Associated Press reports.  Kinsler and several other Tigers veterans were mentioned as potential trade candidates this winter, and Kinsler praised GM Al Avila for being straight-forward about what was happening.  “To be up front and honest is always the best way to act in my opinion. That’s the way that I like to approach people, and that’s the way he approached us as a whole, as a team.  Was it different? Absolutely, it was different. Most GMs would not do that,” Kinsler said.

NL West Notes: Gonzalez, Hill, Arroyo, Morse, Hwang, Stewart

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Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is dealing with what he has described as a case of tennis elbow, as Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports. The veteran says that he suffered the malady due to an active offseason workout program. While he’s set to be shut down for about two weeks, Gonzalez says he expects to be back to full strength after some rest. Chase Utley is expected to see some time in camp at first, McCullough notes, as the team prepares in the event that Gonzalez does end up missing some time early.

Here’s more from the NL West:

  • The Giants may have the game’s most interesting aggregation of veterans competing for limited bench roles in camp, as Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News writes. “No promises, no guarantees,” GM Bobby Evans said of the signing of Aaron Hill. “Just creating competition. We’ll see how it plays out.” If there is a drawback to the large number of competitors, it’s probably the lack of reps available to young players — particularly top prospect Christian Arroyo. However, as Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area writes, GM Bobby Evans says that the organization already feels confident that Arroyo is capable of handling the bat at the major league level, suggesting that the club doesn’t need a long look this spring to determine his timeline.
  • As Baggarly notes, the right-handed-hitting Hill is competing to some extent not only with the array of infielders, but also players such as Michael Morse for a role as a righty bench bat. Morse returned to San Francisco after unexpectedly hammering out a deal at Hunter Pence’s wedding — an interesting story that also comes via Baggarly. Perhaps the single most intriguing player in camp, though, is Korean infielder Jae-gyun Hwang. As Baggarly also writes, agent Han Lee says that the KBO star is committed to pitting himself against MLB pitching. “A lot of people assume if he doesn’t make it, he’s just going to run back to Korea, but that’s not his mentality,” says Lee. “I’ve told him it’s very much possible he could start at Sacramento, and if that’s the case, he’ll just have to work his way up.”
  • Former Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart discussed his tenure in a recent appearance on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (audio link). Stewart expressed disappointment with the fact that he wasn’t given a longer leash in Arizona, suggesting he hadn’t received a “true opportunity to do the job.” That said, he acknowledged the error behind one of the moves that perhaps helped spell the end of his time in Arizona — the infamous deal that sent Dansby Swanson, Ender Inciarte, and Aaron Blair to the Braves for Shelby Miller. “My gut that whole time said that I should not move Dansby Swanson,” he said, though he stressed that he still believes in Miller. “If anything, maybe substituting [him] with another player” would have been something he would like to “have a redo” on, said Stewart.

Minor MLB Transactions: 2/17/17

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Plenty of players are still looking for opportunities as Spring Training gets underway in earnest. Among them is former White Sox lefty Scott Snodgress, who worked out for teams this week and will likely choose his landing spot tomorrow, per MLBTR’s Zach Links (via Twitter). Snodgress played indy ball last year after a rough 2015 season in the upper minors with the Angels.

Here are the latest minor moves from around the game, featuring a host of other southpaws:

  • The White Sox have added lefty Tyler Matzek on a minors pact, per Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter). A 2009 first-rounder, Matzek worked through control problems and showed promise upon reaching the majors in 2014 with the Rockies. But his struggles with the strike zone returned with renewed vigor the next year, and Matzek was ultimately diagnosed with anxiety. Though he was able to make 33 minor-league appearances in 2016, he was outrighted off of Colorado’s 40-man and ended up issuing as many walks as strikeouts (11.1 per nine) on the year.
  • Former first-round pick Chris Reed has decided to retire from the Marlins, Eddy tweets. Just 26 years of age, Reed worked to a 3.65 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 81 1/3 innings in the upper minors last year. That represented progress after he struggled badly with control in 2015, but it seems that Reed will move on to other pursuits. The Dodgers, who originally took him 16th overall in 2011, will still get something out of their investment, though, as the trade that sent Reed to Miami netted southpaw Grant Dayton.
  • Outfielder Slade Heathcott has landed with the Giants on a minor-league deal that includes a camp invite, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). The 26-year-old, who was taken after Reed in the first round in 2009, has long been viewed as a talented player but hasn’t yet earned a full MLB opportunity. He showed well in his lone stint in the bigs, in 2015, but hit only .254/.359/.380 in his 247 Triple-A plate appearances last year.
  • Lefty Hung-Chih Kuo is attempting a comeback with the Padres, as Bill Plunkett of the Orange County-Register reports on Twitter that he has struck a minor-league deal with San Diego. Now 35 years of age, the Taiwanese native provided the division-rival Dodgers with 292 1/3 innings of 3.73 ERA ball over 2005 through 2011. Kuo has been pitching in Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League for the past two campaigns.

Giants Agree To Minor League Deal With Aaron Hill

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The Giants have agreed to a minor league contract with veteran infielder Aaron Hill, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The 34-year-old Legacy Agency client will head to camp and compete for a roster spot in San Francisco. Hill’s deal comes with a $2MM base salary if he makes the Majors, according to FanRag’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link), and ESPN’s Buster Olney adds that Hill can also earn up to $1MM worth of incentives.

Hill split the 2016 season between the Brewers and Red Sox, hitting a combined .262/.336/.378 with 10 homers in 429 plate appearances. Hill was among the game’s most productive second basemen back in 2012-13, but his bat has gone quiet in the three seasons following that strong stretch of production. Since 2014, Hill has batted a collective .246/.305/.365 (81 OPS+) in 1323 Major League plate appearances.

While he was primarily a second baseman earlier in his career, Hill has spent more time at third base than at second in the past two seasons. The Giants’ starting infield is largely set with Brandon Belt at first, Joe Panik at second, Brandon Crawford at shortstop and Eduardo Nunez at third base. But, San Francisco doesn’t have a clearly defined bench just yet, and Hill will seek to earn a reserve role with the club. He’ll join Korean star Jae-gyun Hwang in that regard, as Hwang (who also plays both third base and second base) also inked a minor league pact with the Giants earlier this winter.

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