Giants Trade Chris Heston To Mariners
The Giants have traded righty Chris Heston to the Mariners, FOX Sports’ Jon Morosi tweets. The Giants will receive a player to be named in return, according to FanRag’s Jon Heyman (on Twitter). Morosi had previously tweeted that the two teams were discussing a deal involving Heston.
The Giants were hoping to trade Heston by tonight, Alex Pavlovic of the Mercury News wrote (Twitter links). They had planned to designate Heston for assignment to open a roster spot for incoming closer Mark Melancon when Melancon’s deal became official later today. By trading Heston, they will at least receive a prospect in return. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweeted earlier today that the Giants were shopping Heston.
The 28-year-old Heston had an effective season in the Giants rotation in 2015, posting a 3.95 ERA, 7.1 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a robust 53.0 GB% over 177 2/3 innings. He began the 2016 season in the bullpen, however, and was eventually optioned to Triple-A Sacramento, where he posted a somewhat disappointing 4.54 ERA, 5.9 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 over 81 1/3 innings while also dealing with an oblique injury. He has less than two years of service time and has an option remaining, so he figures to provide the Mariners with a controllable starter.
Tigers Notes: Wilson, Iglesias, Martinez
The Tigers haven’t yet made much noise at the Winter Meetings, but they’ve been involved in discussions throughout the week. Here are some of the latest:
- Lefty reliever Justin Wilson has been among the Tigers’ most popular players this week. But it appears the Tigers aren’t sitting back and letting potential trade partners come to them. The Tigers asked the Marlins, who are known to be looking for bullpen help (albeit mostly of the closer variety), whether they might have interest in trading for Wilson, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press tweets. The Marlins don’t currently have much lefty relief help beyond Hunter Cervenka.
- Tigers GM Al Avila says shortstop Jose Iglesias has recently drawn interest, MLB.com’s Jason Beck writes (Twitter links). If the Tigers were to trade Machado, they might turn to Dixon Machado at short — some in the Tigers organization believe Machado could hit enough to start. The 26-year-old Iglesias would make an interesting acquisition for a team hoping to upgrade its up-the-middle defense — he’s made little progress on his hitting, batting just .255/.306/.336 this season, but he retains good value thanks to his defense. He has two years of team control remaining before he’s eligible for free agency.
- The Giants do not seem likely to trade for J.D. Martinez, the San Francisco Chronicle’s John Shea tweets. They would likely only make a deal for someone in Martinez’s position if they were to also able to trade a player making a similar salary. Martinez will make $11.75MM next season as part of the two-year deal he signed with the Tigers in March.
Giants To Sign Bryan Morris To Minors Contract
The Giants are “finalizing” a minor league contract with right-hander Bryan Morris, GM Bobby Evans told reporters (including Janie McCauley of the Associated Press). Amusingly, the news was officially broken by Mark Melancon, as the new Giants closer off-handedly mentioned Morris being part of the club during a conference call with the media on Tuesday. Morris’ contract contains an invitation to the Giants’ big league spring camp, and SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reports that Morris will earn $1.25MM if he reaches the majors, plus up to $750K in further incentives.
Morris, who turns 30 in March, had a 3.06 ERA over his first 17 2/3 innings of the 2016 campaign before undergoing season-ending back surgery in June. The Marlins outrighted Morris off their 40-man roster in late September and he chose to become a free agent.
Over five seasons and 215 career relief innings with the Marlins and Pirates, Morris has posted a 2.80 ERA and a whopping 58.6% ground ball rate that has helped outweigh his rather pedestrian strikeout (6.4 K/9) and walk (3.77 BB/9) totals. ERA predictors haven’t been so high on Morris, though he shown a knack for inducing soft-to-medium contact on all those balls put into play. If he regains his old form in the wake of his back surgery, Morris could be a nice bargain signing for the Giants, particularly since their outstanding defense is a particularly good fit for Morris’ grounder-heavy game.
Minor MLB Transactions: 12/7/16
Amidst all of the big headlines from the Winter Meetings, here are some minor moves from around the game, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…
- The Twins have re-signed right-hander Yorman Landa to a minor league deal with an invite to the team’s big league Spring Training camp, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports (Twitter link). Landa was non-tendered to create 40-man roster space last week. The 22-year-old righty worked mostly as a reliever in his 223 career IP in Minnesota’s system, posting an 2.66 ERA and 8.6 K/9 but he has battled control issues to the tune of a 5.1 BB/9.
- The Astros signed southpaw C.J. Riefenhauser to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports. Riefenhauser was traded from the Rays to the Mariners to the Orioles last winter before being claimed off waivers by the Cubs in February, and he posted a 4.55 ERA over 27 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level. Chicago released him in August. In 20 career MLB innings with the Rays in 2014-15, Riefenhauser posted a 6.30 ERA, nine strikeouts and nine non-intentional walks.
- The Giants are “set to sign” catcher Tim Federowicz, 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine reports (Twitter link). The deal is presumably of the minor league variety, though Federowicz could provide some veteran competition for Trevor Brown for the backup role behind Buster Posey. Federowicz spent 2016 with the Cubs, getting outrighted off their 40-man roster twice, appearing in 17 big league games, and hitting .293/.352/.450 in 253 Triple-A plate appearances.
NL West Notes: Turner, Rockies, Bridich, Bumgarner, Giants
Justin Turner is “still the favorite” to return as the Dodgers third baseman, but the team is also exploring some other options, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times writes (Twitter links). The Dodgers have checked in on White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier, and McCullough figures L.A. would also explore such Sox options as Jose Quintana or David Robertson if Chicago went into rebuild mode. Given that the Sox dealt Chris Sale earlier today, it stands to reason that more moves could be on the way for the Pale Hose, and the Dodgers stand out as a logical trade partner. Here’s more from around the NL West…
- Rockies GM Jeff Bridich confirmed reports that his team had spoken to the White Sox about first baseman Jose Abreu, speaking with MLB.com’s Thomas Harding and other reporters on Tuesday. “We have been paying attention to any and all avenues of trying to upgrade ourselves at first base, and just like we’re in touch with a lot of teams, we have been in touch with the White Sox about, not just Abreu, but also a variety of their players, because they have expressed an interest in seeing what they can get,” Bridich said. This is just my speculation, but with the Rockies looking for both back-end relief help and starting pitching, Robertson and Quintana would stand out as obvious players of interest on the Sox roster. Bridich also said he had talked with the Royals “about a number of different things a number of times,” with Harding reporting that Wade Davis was one player under discussion.
- Rockies owner Dick Monfort spoke of a payroll increase earlier this offseason, and Bridich confirmed that the team is still prepared to spend in the right circumstance. Given that Colorado has been linked to such pricey names as Edwin Encarnacion and Mark Trumbo, it would indeed seem like the Rox have some money to spend.
- The Giants aren’t in ongoing negotiations with Madison Bumgarner about a contract extension, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. In October, Giants CEO Larry Baer cited a desire to keep Bumgarner in the fold well past 2019 (the star lefty’s last year of control under his current contract), though the lack of talks shouldn’t necessarily indicate a change in the team’s thinking, as most teams often wait until offseason business is concluded before focusing on extensions.
- In another tweet from Schulman, he reports that the Giants are exploring possible trades for left field help, with free agency a less likely avenue. San Francisco’s “plan A” for left field, however, is a platoon of youngsters Mac Williamson and Jarrett Parker.
Trade Rumors: Straily, Reds, McCutchen, Rays, Twins, Wilson, Davis
The Rangers were rumored yesterday to have interest in Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that Texas also asked the Reds about right-hander Dan Straily. Nothing is close on either front, he notes, but Straily would give Texas a controllable option for the back-end of the rotation. A waiver claim by the Reds last spring, Straily had a nice season in the Cincinnati rotation, tossing a career-high 191 1/3 innings with a 3.76 ERA, 7.6 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9. However, Straily also posted just a 32 percent ground-ball rate and was very homer-prone, yielding an average of 1.5 big flies per nine innings pitch, which could give interested parties some pause.
A few more notes on the trade market…
- Rosenthal also notes in the above-linked tweet that the Reds are trying to move both Brandon Phillips and Zack Cozart in separate deals. Moving one or both would allow the Reds to open some playing time for younger middle infield options like Jose Peraza and Dilson Herrera, each of whom has been acquired via trade in the past calendar year. Phillips has full no-trade protection but has been said this winter to be more open to waiving that protection than he was in recent years. Cozart has been linked to the Mariners on multiple occasions and would give any team an affordable one-year stopgap at shortstop that can provide premium offense and a bit of pop before hitting free agency next winter.
- Giants GM Bobby Evans tells John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that he checked in with the Pirates on Andrew McCutchen, but Evans didn’t imply that there was anything more than due diligence behind the call. “When you invest heavily in your rotation and you invest heavily in your bullpen and you invest heavily in your first baseman, your shortstop, your catcher, your right fielder, your center fielder, at some point, you need your farm system to raise up,” Evans tells Shea. “…Ultimately, you can’t lose sight of the fact your farm system is there for a reason. Successful organizations give their farm systems a chance to produce, and some of that production doesn’t get realized until it’s at the big-league level.” The Pirates’ reported asking price for McCutchen has been lofty, and based on Evans’ comments, it doesn’t seem that San Francisco would be interested in gutting its minor league ranks to insert McCutchen into its lineup.
- The Rays are “almost certain” to deal a starting pitcher, tweets Yahoo’s Jeff Passan, and interest in right-hander Alex Cobb and left-hander Drew Smyly has been “strong,” Passan hears. ESPN’s Buster Olney, meanwhile, spoke to an exec who called Tampa Bay’s asking price on Chris Archer “beyond prohibitive,” prompting Olney to call Cobb and Smyly considerably likelier candidates to be traded (Insider subscription required and recommended). As Passan further notes, the Rays don’t necessarily feel like the return on Archer right now will be drastically superior to the return for Archer two years from now (when he still has three years of control remaining), so there’s little urgency to deal him unless they’re bowled over.
- The Twins are seeking controllable starting pitching in all of their trade talks, tweets Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Minnesota has reportedly received a number of inquiries on slugging second baseman Brian Dozier, and other logical trade candidates on their roster (in my view) include right-hander Ervin Santana and reliever Brandon Kintzler. Dozier is controlled through 2018 for a total of $15MM, while Santana is guaranteed $28MM through 2018 and has a club option for the 2019 campaign as well. Kintzler quietly had a rebound season in the Minnesota ‘pen last year and can be a free agent next winter.
- Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets that the Rangers asked the Tigers about southpaw Justin Wilson, though he characterizes the scenario as a long shot. Wilson, though, would give the Rangers a couple of years of control over a quality southpaw reliever and give the team flexibility to make further roster alterations.
- The Mets inquired wih the Royals about closer Wade Davis, reports SNY’s Andy Martino (on Twitter), but he also notes that it’s hard to see the two sides lining up on a deal given the fact that Davis will command a $10MM salary next season and would also require the Mets to surrender with upper-echelon prospects. Were Davis controlled for multiple years, perhaps it’d be more appealing to the Mets, but the Kansas City relief ace is set to hit the open market next winter.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Fowler, Turner, Bautista, Ross
The Cardinals have been connected to free agent center fielder Dexter Fowler throughout the offseason, and the club made him an initial offer Monday during a meeting with his representatives, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports. That’s at least the second offer Fowler has received – the Blue Jays have reportedly proposed a four-year deal in the $60MM neighborhood. Fowler is seeking $18MM annually on a multiyear pact.
More from Rosenthal:
- It’s likely the Dodgers and free agent third baseman Justin Turner will work out a new deal, which is the two sides’ hope, according to Rosenthal. It could come at a lower cost than expected, notes Rosenthal, who points to a lack of clear fits for Turner’s services. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicts Turner will return to the Dodgers on a five-year, $85MM accord.
- With teams reluctant to surrender a first-round pick to sign free agent outfielder/designated hitter Jose Bautista, it’s possible the 36-year-old will sign with a club that has a protected selection, contends Rosenthal. The only teams that wouldn’t have to give up a first-rounder for Bautista are those that finished in the bottom 10 in the standings last season. Bautista could be limited to signing with an American League team because of the DH, and Rosenthal points out that the Twins, Rays, Athletics and Angels are the AL franchises with protected first-rounders. However, there’s not a logical landing spot in that group, Rosenthal observes. Sources told Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi that Bautista’s “market is picking up,” so he might not have to settle for a deal with a low-tier club.
- Free agent right-hander Tyson Ross, who has been recovering from thoracic outlet surgery since October, is likely to sign with a team that’s adept at “handling and rehabilitating pitchers,” Rosenthal writes. One such club is the Padres, who non-tendered Ross last week in lieu of paying him an estimated $9.6MM in 2017. San Diego and Ross have mutual interest in a reunion, though, and Rosenthal notes that Ross’ affinity for Friars pitching coach Darren Balsley could help their cause. Other possibilities for Ross include the Cubs – who have tried to acquire Ross in the past – as well as the Indians, Pirates, Mariners and Giants, per Rosenthal.
Bullpen Rumors: Yankees, Brach, Dunn, Davis, Howell, Red Sox, Ziegler
Virtually every team in baseball is looking for bullpen help, and here’s the latest in relief pitching buzz…
- The Yankees are pursuing Aroldis Chapman and will “compete to a certain extent” for his services, GM Brian Cashman told media, including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (Twitter links). The club is also talking to Kenley Jansen and looking at trade opportunities, so the Yankees are clearly flexible in their search for back-end relief help if Chapman’s bidding gets too high.
- The Mets are interested in swinging a deal for Orioles right-hander Brad Brach, tweets ESPN’s Buster Olney. The Mets have been rumored to be seeking right-handed help in the ‘pen but aren’t pursuing top-tier free agents. Brach would represent an affordable setup option, but with two years of club control and a 2.39 ERA over his past 158 1/3 innings, Brach should come with a high asking price. The Orioles have been linked to Mets outfielders Jay Bruce and Curtis Granderson (they’re said to prefer the latter), but neither of those outfielders would be enough to get the O’s to part with Brach.
- The Mets haven’t ruled out Mike Dunn as a possible signing, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports via Twitter, but the club is “not so high” on the veteran left-hander.
- The Cubs are one of the more serious early suitors for Royals closer Wade Davis, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (via Twitter).
- The Giants are one of the teams who have asked about veteran lefty J.P. Howell, Olney tweets. Howell is reportedly only looking for a one-year contract. San Francisco has an open LOOGY role with Javier Lopez hitting the open market. Howell posted a mediocre 4.09 ERA last year, and though his peripherals were in line with his prior years’ work, Howell was uncharacteristically vulnerable to lefty hitters (.302/.343/.417) in 2016.
- Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters (including ESPN.com’s Scott Lauber) that the Sox “haven’t closed any doors” on re-signing Koji Uehara or Brad Ziegler. Both pitchers fit Boston’s desire for a setup man with closing experience.
- The Blue Jays are one of a number of organizations that have had contact with Ziegler, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith tweets. Toronto is presumably looking to add to to its setup corps in front of closer Roberto Osuna.
- Ziegler has also drawn some attention from the Nationals, per Chris Cotillo of SB Nation. The Nats are also considering fellow free agent Neftali Feliz as they look to bolster their bullpen. Of course, D.C.’s top priority in the relief ranks is surely in the ninth inning, and it is hard to imagine either of those players being trusted with the closing role.
Giants Sign Mark Melancon
4:54pm: Melancon will earn $4MM in 2017, $10MM in 2018, and then $14MM in both 2019 and 2020, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Twitter links). Melancon will receive a $20MM signing bonus, $12MM of which will be paid up front and the other $8MM deferred until after the contract is up. The deal contains a full no-trade clause, as per Alex Pavlovic of CSNBayArea.com. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the contract is that Melancon can opt out of the deal after the first two seasons, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports.
2:52pm: The Giants have announced the signing of Melancon, pending a physical, as John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets.
12:48pm: Melancon’s deal is for exactly $62MM over four years, tweets Rosenthal.
11:57am: Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (on Twitter) that it’s a four-year deal in the $62MM range for Melancon. That contract shatters the previous record by $12MM, though it of course isn’t likely to stand all that long given the other names available in free agency this winter.
11:42am: Melancon has agreed to terms with the Giants, and the deal will be finalized once he passes a physical, reports ESPN’s Buster Olney (on Twitter).
10:45am: The Giants are close to a deal with free agent closer Mark Melancon, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area tweeted recently that there was a belief in the organization had a strong belief that a deal would get done, and Les Shapiro of Mile High Radio first tweeted that Melancon was wrapping up negotiations with San Francisco. Melancon is represented by ISE Baseball.
[Related: Mark Melancon Free Agent Profile]
San Francisco made a run at Melancon prior to the non-waiver trade deadline this summer but came up short to the Nationals, who acquired him for lefties Felipe Rivero and Taylor Hearn. Bullpen struggles wound up being a defining characteristic for the Giants down the stretch, as Santiago Casilla in particular struggled late in the year and lost his hold on closer’s duties. Giants general manager Bobby Evans has implied publicly in the past that perhaps he should’ve made a stronger play to get Melancon into the organization, and it appears now that the Giants made the strongest push of any team to land the highly coveted Melancon in free agency. There are no numbers attached to reports on him just yet, but Melancon reportedly has received four-year offers worth more than $60MM, which would eclipse Jonathan Papelbon‘s four-year, $50MM mark and set a new record for a relief pitcher.
The 31-year-old Melancon (32 in March) has been an All Star in three of the past four seasons and has worked to a cumulative ERA of 1.80 across 290 innings in that time (plus 10 innings in the postseason). He doesn’t flash the extreme velocity and/or strikeout rates as free agent counterparts Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen, but Melancon misses bats at a slightly above-average rate and also boasts tremendous control and ground-ball tendencies. In that four-year run of dominance, he’s averaged 8.3 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 to go along with a 57.4 percent ground-ball rate. Those immaculate ratios have led to 147 saves for Melancon since 2013, including an NL-best 51 in 2015. He also finished a league-high 67 games between the Pirates and Nats last season.
Turnover in the bullpen has long looked possible for the Giants, who saw stalwarts Casilla, Sergio Romo and Javier Lopez all hit the open market this winter. Melancon, of course, would immediately move to the top of the food chain in the San Francisco bullpen, where he’s likely to be joined by Hunter Strickland, Derek Law, Will Smith, George Kontos and Cory Gearrin. Steven Okert and Josh Osich are both present as left-handed options to fill out the ‘pen, while Chris Heston could try to crack the relief corps after a tough go of things in 2016.
Bullpen Rumors: Melancon, Marlins, Lefties, Diamondbacks
There’s plenty of bullpen chatter circulating as the Winter Meetings get underway. Here’s the latest…
- The latest updates on Mark Melancon last night revealed that the three-time All-Star has received multiple four-year offers, potentially in excess of $60MM in some cases. The Nationals have indeed made a four-year offer to closer Mark Melancon, according to Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post, but their offer was for less than $60MM guaranteed. That makes a reunion look unlikely for now, barring an increase in the offer from the Nats.
- FanRag’s Jon Heyman writes that Melancon is the Giants‘ top target, and Greg Holland could be their primary alternative, as opposed to either Aroldis Chapman or Kenley Jansen. Heyman feels it’s unlikely that they’d pursue either Jansen or Chapman if they fall to land Melancon. The Giants and Nationals are pushing the hardest for Melancon, tweets Heyman.
- The Nationals, Marlins, Cubs, Dodgers, Yankees and Giants are all in on Kenley Jansen, per ESPN’s Jim Bowden. Heyman tweets that the Marlins are intent on adding a top closer, and owner Jeffrey Loria is a fan of Chapman in particular. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that Loria is at the Winter Meetings and is participating in meetings with the representation for top-tier bullpen arms.
- The Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays, Indians, Dodgers, Rockies and Diamondbacks are all in the market for a bullpen lefty, putting names like Mike Dunn, Boone Logan and Jerry Blevins in a good position, Heyman tweets. Heyman also tweeted this morning that the D-backs are focused on the bullpen at the moment and have no plans to “shock the world” like they did last offseason.
- Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets that veteran southpaw Joe Beimel is at the Winter Meetings and is seeking a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training. Beimel, 40 in April, hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2015 but had a nice two-year stretch in Seattle from 2014-15, posting a 3.12 ERA in 92 1/3 innings.