Mariners Rumors

AL West Notes: Volquez, Astros, Mariners

By Steve Adams | February 28, 2019 at 12:03am CDT

Rangers righty Edinson Volquez pitched in a game setting for the first time in nearly 20 months Wednesday, and while he was tagged for four runs in an inning of work against the Cubs, there were nonetheless signs of encouragement, writes Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Volquez’s first pitch clocked in at 95 mph, and he immediately followed it with a 96 mph heater before eventually running that fastball up to 97 mph. “That’s about as happy as I’ve ever been after a four spot,” new manager Chris Woodward said in reference to Volquez’s day.

The Rangers originally inked Volquez to a two-year minor league contract following the 2017 season, knowing full well that he’d miss all of the 2018 campaign due to Tommy John surgery. Texas selected his contract in advance of the deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft this season and will be counting on him, along with holdover Mike Minor and new additions Drew Smyly, Lance Lynn and Shelby Miller, to comprise the team’s rotation early in the season.

Here’s a look at some spring scenarios around the AL West…

With the out-of-options Tony Kemp and Tyler White in line to make the Astros’ Opening Day roster, Houston seems likely to carry 13 position players and 12 pitchers, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. That’s a departure from the norm for the organization in recent years but likely a necessity, as the ’Stros would need to risk exposing one of Kemp or White to waivers in order to send either player to the minor leagues. Neither player’s performance in 2018 merits a trip back to Triple-A anyhow. The 27-year-old Kemp hit .263/.351/.392 in just shy of 300 plate appearances with the Astros last season, seeing action at all three outfield spots and at second base. White, meanwhile, turned in a massive .276/.354/.533 line with 12 homers, 12 doubles and three triples in 237 trips to the plate. Currently, White figures to get the lion’s share of plate appearances in the Astros’ designated hitter role, though he can also fill in at either corner-infield position.
Mariners camp in 2019 is filled with veterans who know they could be shipped out in trades at any moment, writes Larry Stone of the Seattle Times, who spoke to general manager Jerry Dipoto about how he manages a roster that is fully cognizant of that uncertainty. “Players generally do well when you tell them the truth,” said Dipoto in emphasizing that he’s been as up front as possible with veterans like Edwin Encarnacion and Jay Bruce (among others). Stone not only spoke with Dipoto, but Encarnacion, Bruce and Kyle Seager about the looming possibility of a trade to another club (be it now or during the regular season) and the manner in which they balance dealing with that knowledge and prepping for the 2019 season.

West Notes: Preller, Harper, Halos, Kikuchi

By Jeff Todd | February 25, 2019 at 10:59pm CDT

Padres GM A.J. Preller has a lot riding on his hand-picked roster, particularly with the team now having made a huge commitment to Manny Machado, and he laid out his belief in the club not long after announcing the Machado deal. As Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports, the top San Diego baseball decisionmaker turned in a fiery locker-room speech that seems to have made quite an impression on the players. It was a rare address for Preller, who sent the message that this group was compiled with winning intentions. There’s no shortage of interesting storylines to watch in San Diego — Machado’s impact, remaining roster needs, camp battles, prospect timelines — some of which may well carry into the regular season.

AL Notes: Yanks, Tulo, Voit, Bird, Mariners, Rays

By Connor Byrne | February 23, 2019 at 8:12pm CDT

When the offseason began in late October, the Yankees were a popular pick to become Manny Machado’s next team as he sought a record contract in free agency. As it turns out, though, the Yankees didn’t pursue Machado as aggressively as many expected them to, and he’s now a member of the Padres after signing a 10-year, $300MM guarantee with them this week.

On Friday, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman spoke about their decision to back off Machado, claiming the team’s league-minimum signing of oft-injured infielder Troy Tulowitzki in early January played a key part, per John Harper of SNY.tv. Tulowitzki was once an elite player, as Machado currently is, but he’s now a 34-year-old coming off a season lost to heel issues. Nevertheless, the Yankees are “banking on the problem being fixed,” according to Cashman, who signed Tulowitzki after the Blue Jays released him and ate nearly all of the $38MM left on his contract. Tulowitzki was one of several offseason acquisitions for the Yankees, though the big-spending franchise didn’t break the bank on any of its pickups – something it often did under late owner George Steinbrenner, who passed away in 2010.

“Those days are gone,” Cashman said of his former boss’ reign, owing to the “completely different” system the league operates under now compared to then. Cashman, who answers to Steinbrenner’s son Hal these days, contends that “the game now rewards — and reward might not be the right word — but it rewards losing. It drags teams that are struggling back up into the winning environment, and penalizes teams that have been winning by pushing them back.” As Harper points out, Cashman was likely alluding to the luxury tax, revenue sharing and the league’s capped spending on draft picks and international signings as detriments to the Yankees and other clubs of their ilk.

More from New York and a couple other AL cities…

Luke Voit and Greg Bird are competing to be the Yankees’ Opening Day first baseman, and it appears to be an all-or-nothing battle. It’s doubtful the loser will crack the team’s season-opening roster, George A. King III of the New York Post relays, which seems to rule out a platoon between the righty-hitting Voit and the lefty-swinging Bird. It looks as if free-agent signing DJ LeMahieu, a second baseman by trade, could serve as the team’s backup at first, as manager Aaron Boone said Saturday, “I see [DJ] LeMahieu getting some reps there.’’ Boone also declared that Bird is a superior defender to Voit, Coley Harvey of ESPN reports. Still, given that Voit far outdid Bird at the plate in 2018, it would be surprising if the latter wins back his old job coming out of camp. Both players have minor league options remaining, though, so the Yankees wouldn’t have any difficulty demoting the runner-up to Triple-A.
The Mariners have promoted Joe Bohringer to assistant general manager, per a team announcement. A special assistant to Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto since 2015, Bohringer will take over for Jeff Kingston, who left the M’s to become the Dodgers’ VP/AGM in December. Bohringer’s duties will include overseeing the Mariners’ analytics departments and acting as the primary liaison between their front office and medical staff, the club announced. Bohringer’s in his second run with Seattle, having previously worked as an area scouting supervisor with the franchise from 2002-06. Along with his Mariners stints, he has served in scouting capacities with the Dodgers, Diamondbacks and Cubs at the major league level.
Longtime FanGraphs writer Jeff Sullivan announced Friday that he has taken a job with the Rays. His departure from FanGraphs is a blow to the many who enjoyed reading his excellent pieces, but it should be a boon for Tampa Bay. While it’s unknown which role Sullivan has taken with the Rays, he’s an intriguing addition to a front office that’s known for its use of analytics and willingness to innovate.

Market For Denard Span “Picking Up”

By TC Zencka | February 23, 2019 at 11:29am CDT

Denard Span hasn’t been in the news much this free agent season, but the market is “picking up” for the corner outfielder, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter).

The financial commitment will certainly be low for whoever signs him, and Span has already collected a $4MM buyout from the Mariners. He turns 35-years-old later this week, but the gray-bearded veteran may have more to give. The lefty batsman remained productive at the plate with the Rays and Mariners last season – a .261/.341/.419 batting line, good for 1.5 fWAR. There’s not much power in his game – but there never was – and he maintains a good approach at the plate with the ability to put the bat on the ball. He walked at a 10.2% rate last year while only striking out 15.8% of the time. The .158 ISO doesn’t make him a commodity in the corner, but a 112 wRC+ suggests there’s still a place for Span somewhere in the league.

The biggest falloff in Span’s game has come on the defensive end. He doesn’t have the speed to cover center anymore, his arm doesn’t play particularly well in right, and defensive metrics haven’t cared for his performance in left field either (-1 DRS, -4.9 UZR). He still runs okay, swiping nine bags last year, but there is certainly a limit to his usefulness.

Heyman names the Tigers, Mets, Marlins, Indians and White Sox as potential suitors. Over an 11-year career, Span has hit .281/.347/.398, numbers that actually fall below his 2018 output, while still placing him about five percent better than your average hitter throughout his career.

AL West Notes: Astros, Mariners, Swarzak, Tropeano, Choo

By Steve Adams | February 20, 2019 at 11:41pm CDT

Astros owner Jim Crane spoke with reporters Wednesday and addressed a number of topics, including his thoughts on potential rule changes throughout the game, Manny Machado’s recent agreement with the Padres and the potential for some Astros moves (link via Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle). Crane acknowledged that the Astros “certainly are going to look at” the possibility of a contract extension with Justin Verlander and/or Gerrit Cole. However, he didn’t put a timeline on those talks and was generally vague, suggesting they could take place anytime between now and at the end of the season. “…[I]t just all depends on what they want to do and whether they want to stick here and for what number they want to stick here,” Crane said of his top two starters.

Crane wouldn’t comment much on former Astros Dallas Keuchel and Marwin Gonzalez, both of whom remain unsigned, though he didn’t expressly rule out a reunion. “Hopefully they’ll land in the right spot and certainly it could be one or two of them might be back here,” said Crane, though he declined to say whether Houston has made an actual offer to either player (beyond the qualifying offer which Keuchel rejected back in November).

Here’s more from the division…

The Mariners could be active in their efforts to pick up some bullpen depth over the course of Spring Training, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. Divish notes that right-hander Anthony Swarzak, acquired to help balance out the financial component of the Robinson Cano/Edwin Diaz blockbuster, isn’t likely to be ready for Opening Day (due to shoulder discomfort). With that in mind, Seattle is likely to take to the waiver wire in an effort to bolster its depth, though it doesn’t sound as if the club is intent on spending significantly in order to bolster its ’pen at this point.
Angels righty Nick Tropeano is still two and a half weeks from throwing a full bullpen session and is roughly five to seven weeks from being ready to pitch in a game setting, writes Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. Tropeano experienced a December setback in his rehab from shoulder issues that dogged him throughout the 2018 season, which has him behind schedule this spring. Tonight’s update provides a clearer timetable than was previously available. Tropeano tells Bollinger that he’s been doing increased video work with new pitching coach Doug White (formerly the Astros’ bullpen coach) to make adjustments to his delivery that’ll hopefully lessen the stress he places on his shoulder.
In a Q&A with Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Rangers designated hitter Shin-Soo Choo addressed a number of topics, including Adrian Beltre’s retirement, the atmosphere under new skipper Chris Woodward and his own future in baseball. Choo, who is signed for another two seasons, empathized with Beltre’s desire to spend more time with his family but also voiced a desire to continue playing so long as he is physically able to do so. “Baseball, sports, is a short career,” said the veteran slugger. “If you’re healthy and can perform on the field, I definitely can play. At the same time, I have a family. My wife has been a single mom for eight months for 16 years.” Choo’s bat cratered in the second half last season, but he was slashing a robust .293/.405/.506 at the All-Star break. He’s owed $21MM in each of the next two seasons.

Mariners Seek Right-Handed-Hitting Catcher, Have Shown Interest In Martin Maldonado

By Steve Adams | February 20, 2019 at 9:15pm CDT

Feb. 20: Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times takes a broader look, reporting that the Mariners are in the market for a right-handed-hitting catcher to pair with the left-handed-hitting Narvaez. The organization’s preference, per Divish, is to add a catcher on a minor league contract or a split MLB deal. Maldonado, however, is still seeking a fully guaranteed big league deal. The fact that he’s having a difficult time coming by one, given his defensive prowess, frankly comes as a surprise; Maldonado’s bat last season was light, but then again, so was that of the league-average catcher (84 wRC+). At the very least, one would think that Maldonado is a clear upgrade over a significant portion of backup catchers throughout the league.

At this point, the free-agent market offers little in the way of alternatives outside of switch-hitting Matt Wieters (who, like Maldonado, is represented by Scott Boras). That said, there will quite likely be numerous catching options that hit the market over the course of Spring Training, both in the form of players being exposed to waivers and other veterans opting out of minor league contracts.

Feb. 19: The Mariners are among the clubs that are interested in veteran catcher Martin Maldonado, reports MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter).

It’s been a quiet offseason for Maldonado, one of the game’s most highly regarded defenders behind the plate. While Maldonado doesn’t offer much help with the bat, he’s a former Gold Glove winner with a career 38 percent caught-stealing rate whose framing rates have never once rated as below-average at the Major League level, per Baseball Prospectus. Dating back to 2012, the only catchers in all of baseball with more Defensive Runs Saved than Maldonado’s 68 are Buster Posey (92) and Yadier Molina (83), though both have caught at least 2000 innings more than Maldonado.

Strong as his glovework might be, Maldonado is a career .220/.289/.350 hitter who has managed a lowly .223/.276/.360 (73 OPS+) line in 875 plate appearances across the past two seasons. Maldonado does have a bit of pop, as evidenced by the .137 ISO and 23 home runs he’s logged dating back to Opening Day 2017.

For the Mariners, Maldonado would provide a nice defensive-minded option to pair with offseason trade acquisition Omar Narvaez, who remains a shaky defender despite the fact that his bat took a step forward in 2018. Currently, journeyman David Freitas projects to be the primary backup to Narvaez, as he’s the only other catcher on the Mariners’ 40-man roster. Veteran Jose Lobaton is in camp with the Mariners on a minor league pact as well.

There’s been little in the way of reported interest in Maldonado since December, when the Mets and White Sox were both linked to him. New York, however, has has since added Wilson Ramos on a two-year contract, while the ChiSox picked up James McCann to pair with veteran Welington Castillo.

West Notes: D-backs, Greinke, Giants, Zaidi, Mariners, Ichiro

By Connor Byrne | February 16, 2019 at 10:48pm CDT

The Diamondbacks have waved goodbye to cornerstones Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock and Patrick Corbin in the past few months, leaving right-hander Zack Greinke as their best remaining player. In all, things haven’t gone according to plan for the Diamondbacks since they signed Greinke to a whopping six-year, $206.5MM contract heading into 2016, but he said Saturday that he has “(no) desire to be traded to any team,” Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. It stands to reason, then, that Greinke would block a deal to any of the 15 teams on his no-trade list should the Diamondbacks find an offer to their liking. Indeed, the Diamondbacks reportedly found Greinke’s limited no-trade clause to be a “major impediment” during the winter. In addition to his ability to block a trade to half the league’s clubs, Greinke’s a 35-year-old with $104.5MM left on his contract – two more factors that undermine his value. Still, Greinke did turn in yet another highly productive campaign in 2018, his second straight quality season after he began his D-backs tenure in somewhat disappointing fashion in 2016.

Their courtship of free agent Bryce Harper aside, the Giants haven’t made a lot of headlines since president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi took the reins in November. Thus far, Derek Holland and Drew Pomeranz – two relatively modest free-agent signings – are the only players who have received major league contracts on Zaidi’s watch. However, the former Dodgers GM has worked diligently to strengthen the Giants’ depth and improve their culture, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times explains. “Coming in, it was pretty clear that that second level of depth just wasn’t there for the organization,” said Zaidi, who has been plenty active via the minor league, waiver and Rule 5 routes early in his Giants stint. He’s also trying to form relationships with the Giants’ key players, some of whom he met with recently to discuss the team’s pitching plans, McCullough reports. While Giants starters Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija have made their disdain for the opener known lately, it seems Zaidi assured his pitchers the team won’t use relievers at the beginning of games as often as they may fear. Once the meeting ended, Bumgarner approached Zaidi and told him that the anti-opener comment he made to manager Bruce Bochy was in jest.
The Mariners will open the season in Japan, which could be outfielder Ichiro Suzuki’s major league sendoff, but the 45-year-old has informed the team he has no plans to retire, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. As he has done in the past, Ichiro told media Saturday he wants to play until he’s “at least” 50, though he did declare that he expects the Mariners uniform to be the last one he wears as a professional baseball player (via Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times). Unfortunately, in regards to playing another several years, odds are stacked against Ichiro. The future Hall of Famer posted dismal production in two of three seasons as a Marlin from 2015-17, after all, and then did the same over 47 plate appearances last season in his return to the Mariners. Seattle then moved him into a front office role in early May, ending his season, but brought him back on a minor league deal last month.
Sticking with the Mariners’ outfield, Mallex Smith will sit out “at least” the first few weeks of camp because of a strained flexor mass in his right forearm, Greg Johns of MLB.com writes. The injury doesn’t appear serious, but with the Japan-bound Mariners set to begin their season earlier than most teams, any setback could jeopardize Smith’s status heading into their March 20 opener, Johns points out. Smith, who notched 40 stolen bases and 3.4 fWAR with the Rays in 2018, joined the Mariners in an offseason trade which also featured Mike Zunino as a principal piece.

Doug Fister Retires

By Steve Adams | February 13, 2019 at 4:46pm CDT

Veteran right-hander Doug Fister has elected to call it a career after spending parts of 10 seasons in the Majors, agent Page Odle tells Jon Morosi of MLB.com. Fister, 35, received multiple Major League contract offers this winter, according to Odle, but is instead making a “100 percent family-driven” decision to spend time with his wife and two children.

A seventh-round pick of the Mariners back in 2006, Fister ascended to the Majors as a largely unheralded prospect with the Mariners in 2009. After establishing himself as a quality starter over his first 378 frames with the Mariners, Fister was flipped to the Tigers in a 2011 trade deadline deal, where he’d go on to thrive over another three seasons. Fister, in fact, was somewhat quietly one of the game’s better starters from 2011-14, pitching to a 3.11 ERA (129 ERA+) with 6.5 K/9, 1.7 BB/9 and 0.7 HR/9.

A 2015 forearm strain led to diminished velocity and diminished results for Fister, though he managed to make 32 starts for the 2016 Astros and served as a stabilizing force in their rotation. Hip and knee injuries slowed Fister in his most recent run with the Rangers, with the latter of the two issues ultimately ending his season after 66 innings.

All in all, Fister will walk away from his baseball career with a lifetime 83-92 record, a 3.72 ERA, 6.1 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 1422 1/3 big league innings. The towering 6’8″ righty also amassed an impressive postseason resume, tallying 56 2/3 innings of 3.02 ERA ball with a 41-to-17 K/BB ratio in five separate postseasons runs (three with the Tigers, one with the Nats and one with the Red Sox). He made one World Series start, with the Tigers in ’12, where he tossed six innings of one-run ball against the Giants.

Fister earned more than $36MM in player salaries over the life of a career that both Baseball-Reference and Fangraphs value at 20 wins above replacement. Best wishes to the former Tigers, Mariners, Nationals, Astros, Red Sox and Rangers righty in his life beyond baseball.

AL West Notes: Encarnacion, Ohtani, Athletics, Davidson

By Steve Adams | February 12, 2019 at 7:37pm CDT

Veteran slugger Edwin Encarnacion is expected to open camp with the Mariners after trade talks surrounding him failed to gain traction, per Jon Morosi of MLB.com (Twitter link). Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto is expected to continue exploring potential deals over the course of Spring Training as needs arise throughout the league, he notes. Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times wrote over the weekend that interest in Encarnacion had faded. Encarnacion, among the game’s steadiest sluggers, has one year remaining on his three-year, $60MM contract and is almost certainly limited to American League clubs at this point of his career. An injury to a contender’s DH this spring could create some additional interest in Encarnacion, but a trade at this juncture doesn’t seem all that likely.

AL West Notes: Angels, Eppler, Chapman, Lewis

By Mark Polishuk | February 10, 2019 at 6:01pm CDT

Some rumblings from around the AL West…

“We are a point where we feel complete with our club,” Angels GM Billy Eppler tells MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger, as the Halos feels they made enough short-term additions to be able to compete in 2019. The club was cautious about not dealing any of its top prospects from a farm system that has undergone a major rebuild in recent years, and Los Angeles didn’t splurge on any long-term free agent commitments. That said, the Angels’ focus on short-term signings “wasn’t scripted,” as Eppler put it. “There were some players that we engaged on and made offers to that would’ve been multi-year commitments. Those didn’t work out for a couple different reasons. But shorter-term deals work in a variety of ways — they keep you flexible, and they keep you open to doing things both during the season and in succeeding seasons.” Some type of a reload was necessary for the team, given both the sorry state of the Angels’ minor league pipeline just a few years ago and the number of ill-fated big contracts that didn’t pan out. Still, the Angels are on something of a clock to get back into contention, given that Mike Trout is only under contract for two more seasons.
Matt Chapman provided an update on his health status in the wake of offseason thumb and shoulder surgery, telling reporters (including the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser) that he’ll be in the lineup when the Athletics begin their season on March 20 in Tokyo. The third baseman could miss a few early Spring Training games as he recovers, however, noting “it’s hard to say when everything will be a full go.” Chapman expressed some regret at waiting until December to undergo his shoulder procedure, as he said the joint was giving him some discomfort during the season but he thought some downtime would correct the issue. While the A’s will certainly be cautious about their star during the spring, it doesn’t yet seem Chapman is in any danger of missing any regular season action.
Outfield prospect Kyle Lewis was invited to the Mariners’ big league Spring Training camp, a positive development for Lewis after an injury-plagued start to his pro career, TJ Cotterill writes for Baseball America. The 11th overall pick of the 2016 draft, Lewis has already undergone two knee surgeries, limiting him to just 711 plate appearances and 165 games over two-plus seasons. These injuries and a not-unrelated relative lack of production (.258/.328/.430 slash line in the minors) have caused Lewis’ prospect stock to drop, though the 23-year-old is entering a season healthy for the first time. “He’s missed so much time, but we feel better today than we’ve ever felt with his work and his progress. Most of us who have been around Kyle, we really don’t have a lot of concern about the ability. It’s the health,” Mariners farm director Andy McKay said.

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