Mariners Acquire Richie Shaffer, Taylor Motter From Rays
The Rays have traded infielder/outfielder Richie Shaffer and infielder/outfielder Taylor Motter to the Mariners in exchange for minor league first baseman Dalton Kelly and minor league right-handers Andrew Kittredge and Dylan Thompson, the teams announced.
The 25-year-old Shaffer (pictured) was the 25th overall pick in the 2012 draft but has yet to live up to cement himself as a Major League contributor. He’s spent parts of the 2015-16 seasons at the Major League level, hitting .213/.310/.410 in 142 plate appearances. He’s been considerably more productive at the Triple-A level, where he’s slashed .243/.338/.445 with 30 homers in 188 games. The right-handed-hitting Shaffer has experience at all four corner positions but has spent the majority of the time at first base. In his big league career, he’s actually been better against right-handed pitching than left-handers, but he doesn’t come with much of a platoon split looking back throughout his minor league career.
Motter, 27, made his big league debut with Tampa Bay in 2016 and hit .188/.290/.300 in 93 plate appearances while seeing time at all four infield positions and both outfield corners. The bulk of his work came in left field and at the two middle-infield slots, but Motter’s versatility is undoubtedly an appealing factor to the Mariners, especially when considering the fact that he carries a fairly solid .266/.338/.437 slash with 27 homers and 45 steals in parts of two seasons at the Triple-A level (215 games).
Thompson rated as the Mariners’ No. 22 prospect, according to MLB.com, whose scouting report gives the former fourth-round pick (No. 125 overall, 2015) a chance to develop three average-or-better offerings. His fastball currently sits in the low 90s and touches 93 mph, though there’s some room for further growth, according to MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis, so he could add some heat down the line. He also has the makings of at least an average slider and changeup, though they’re both inconsistent, the MLB.com duo notes. Thompson just turned 20 in September and has a 2.87 ERA with 8.9 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 in 31 1/3 professional innings — all of which have come with the the club’s Rookie-level affiliate.
Kittredge, 27 next March, split this season between Seattle’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, posting a 3.50 earned run average with 10.5 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 72 innings of work. He made five starts but worked primarily out of the bullpen.
Kelly, 22, was a 38th-round pick by Seattle in 2015 but turned in a strong 2016 season despite that modest draft pedigree. In 564 plate appearances in the Class-A Midwest League, Kelly batted .293/.384/.416 with seven homers and 21 stolen bases. The UC Santa Barbara product sports a .384 OBP through parts of two professional seasons, having slashed .219/.385/.333 in 31 games after being drafted in ’15.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cubs Claim David Rollins
The Cubs have claimed lefty David Rollins off waivers from the Mariners, per a team announcement. He can be controlled at the league minimum salary.
It could be that Chicago intends to try to slip Rollins through waivers itself. After all, the Cubs are at the end of the line for waiver claims, meaning that every other organization passed on a chance to snag the 26-year-old.
There’s plenty to like about the numbers Rollins has posted at Triple-A over the past three years. Over 60 2/3 innings, he owns a 2.82 ERA with 7.1 K/9 against just 1.2 BB/9. But things haven’t quite worked out yet in the majors. He owns a grisly 7.60 ERA in 34 1/3 frames over the past two years, and struggled in particular in 2016 — with 12 hits and seven walks against just six strikeouts in his 9 91/3 innings. Rollins also showed a drop in average fastball velocity in 2016 (91.1 mph) as against his debut year (92.4 mph).
Clearly, though, the Cubs are intrigued enough by Rollins to place a claim. Whether or not he’ll have much of a shot there, or whether he’ll instead largely serve as depth, remains to be seen.
Trade Chatter: Sale, Astros, Votto, Watson, Marlins
Though the Braves already added R.A. Dickey and Bartolo Colon this winter, it seems they aren’t quite done shopping for starters. They have joined the division-rival Nationals, and probably a sizable portion of the rest of baseball, in reaching out to the White Sox about lefty Chris Sale, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag. Atlanta is among the organizations “trying hardest” to pry Sale loose from Chicago, per the report, with some around the league believing that he could change hands this winter. Of course, yesterday’s report regarding the Nats also suggested that the South Siders have yet to engage in serious chatter as of yet, and the Braves are looking at a variety of options, so it’s a bit soon to dwell heavily on the Sale/Braves connection. Atlanta has also inquired with the Rays on Chris Archer and the Athletics on Sonny Gray, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman notes.
A few more notes on some trade situations from around the league…
- Astros GM Jeff Luhnow told reporters today, including MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, that he still hopes to have one or two transactions completed before the Winter Meetings (video link). Luhnow said as much when leaving the GM Meetings last week, but the Houston GM offered indications today that the club has narrowed its focus. “I think instead of working on 12 things right now, we’re working on four, which gives us a little bit more focus,” said Luhnow. “…We’re in a position where we did all of our homework ahead of time, we know what resources we have, we know what needs we need to fill, and we can be a little bit more aggressive this year than we have in years past.” Asked about his potential areas of focus, Luhnow spoke generally about needing “some pitching help” and “a bat or two,” though he did say that his team is willing to act as quickly as a trade partner or agent will allow.
- Reds GM Dick Williams continues to downplay any notion that Joey Votto could be traded, as MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon writes. Speaking at last week’s GM Meetings, Williams said that he “certainly [hasn’t] had any discussions with [Votto]” about waiving his no-trade clause, per Sheldon. Williams said that the constant speculation is understandable for a player of Votto’s caliber but believes the first baseman will be at the center of the team’s lineup throughout the rebuild and beyond. As we’ve pointed out here at MLBTR many times, Votto also has a full no-trade clause and has gone on record as saying he has no desire to leave Cincinnati. Sheldon offers another quote from Votto, from 2015: “I just absolutely love playing here. I really like where I live. … I like the location of the ballpark and the fans and the clubhouse and the uniform and the number on my back — all the littlest things that people take for granted are very comfortable to me and something I look forward to. I don’t think of myself as anything other than a Cincinnati Red. It’s one of the really cool things about having a no-trade clause.”
- The Mariners may not feel comfortable spending enough to compete with the Blue Jays for the services of free-agent lefty Brett Cecil, which could lead them to the trade market, writes Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. Per Dutton, Pirates left-hander Tony Watson is one name to monitor as Seattle looks for a late-inning lefty, noting that Watson is “believed to be available.” The 31-year-old stepped into Pittsburgh’s closer role last year following the trade of Mark Melancon and performed well, as he’s done in virtually every role he’s been used over the past several seasons. Dating back to 2012. Watson boasts a 2.40 ERA with 8.0 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and a 45 percent ground-ball rate in 345 1/3 innings. He’s lefties to a downright pitiful .190/.253/.273 slash but also more than held his own against righties, yielding a collective .214/.280/.346 batting line in that time. Watson has one more year of club control and is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $5.9MM in his final trip through the arbitration process.
- Though the Marlins are exploring the trade market for rotation help, they’re not willing to part with either Christian Yelich or J.T. Realmuto, per MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro. There have also been no indications that they’d consider moving Giancarlo Stanton, Frisaro continues, although with a full no-trade clause and the largest contract in history, that could potentially be a moot point anyhow. Marcell Ozuna and Adeiny Hechavarria are the most oft-mentioned names the Fish could look to move, though Hechavarria’s anemic bat offsets a great deal of his defensive talent.
Mariners Remain Interested In Zack Cozart
The Mariners nearly acquired Reds shortstop Zack Cozart prior to the non-waiver trade deadline, and their interest in the veteran infielder has persisted into the offseason, reports Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. Dutton has previously reported that back on Aug. 1, the Mariners and Reds were in talks that would’ve sent Cozart and a minor leaguer to Seattle in exchange for minor league left-hander Luiz Gohara and another prospect, but the deal never materialized, as Dutton suggested that Cincinnati simply ran out of time to complete the deal after dedicating so much effort to completing its Jay Bruce trade with the Mets.
Seattle still holds interest in Cozart, according to Dutton, but the team seemingly considers a shortstop upgrade more of a luxury than a necessity. “We don’t need a shortstop,” one Seattle exec told Dutton. “We have [Ketel] Marte, and we think he’s going to be fine in the long term. Now could he benefit from some additional development time in the minors? Yes. We did that with [Mike] Zunino, and we think that really helped him. But it’s not the same. Zunino absolutely needed that development time. With Marte, we think it would be beneficial, but it’s not a must.”
If the Mariners do feel that Marte would benefit from additional time in the minors, then Cozart, on paper anyway, would seemingly be an excellent stopgap. The 31-year-old is somewhat OBP-challenged (.309 OBP over the past two seasons) but is one of the game’s premier defenders at shortstop and has demonstrated considerably improved power numbers in the past two seasons as well. Cozart hit 15 homers as a rookie in 2012 but saw that number dip to 12 in 2013 and just four in 2014. He belted nine long balls in just 53 games in 2015, though (his season was cut short by a knee injury), and connected on a career-best 16 homers last year despite playing in just 121 games.
The abbreviated nature of those past two seasons illustrates a potential area of concern when it comes to Cozart: his durability. Cozart suffered a torn ACL and LCL that ended his 2015 season in mid-June, and on multiple occasions in 2016 he missed a handful of games due to knee problems that didn’t necessitate a trip to the disabled list. However, his season did ultimately come to an end in September when his right knee forced him to the disabled list. Cozart’s final game of the year came on Sept. 10.
As for Marte, the 23-year-old looked to have solidified his place in the Mariners’ lineup with a terrific rookie season (2015) during which he slashed .283/.351/.402, but his offensive production cratered in 2016. In 466 plate appearances for Seattle this past year, Marte hit just .259/.287/.323 and saw his walk rate plummet from 9.7 percent to 3.9 percent. On top of that, he drew negative marks for his defense at shortstop. Marte debuted as a 21-year-old and played the entire 2016 season at the age of 22, so recommending some additional minor league time would hardly mean the organization has given up on him.
Even if the Mariners aren’t the team to ultimately acquire Cozart, it does seem like there’s a solid chance he’ll be moved this offseason. Cincinnati general manager Dick Williams said at last week’s GM Meetings that a Cozart trade was “something we’d have to consider” if it could put the club in a better position for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. And the Reds have a pair of intriguing middle-infield prospects in Jose Peraza and Dilson Herrera that the team would like to work into the lineup in 2017, which should lead to plenty of chatter about both Cozart and second baseman Brandon Phillips as the winter progresses.
Minor MLB Transactions: 11/12/16
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league:
- The Braves have signed catcher/first baseman David Freitas to a minor league contract, according to Chris Cotillo of SB Nation (Twitter link). Freitas spent last season with the Cubs, his fourth organization since Washington chose him in the 15th round of the 2010 draft. The 27-year-old hasn’t yet cracked the majors, but he has hit a solid .273/.361/.421 across seven seasons in the minors.
- The Mariners have re-signed righty Ryan Cook to a minor league deal, writes MLB.com’s Greg Johns. Cook signed a one-year, $1.1MM deal with the M’s last offseason but never actually pitched for them, sitting out the season due to injury. He had Tommy John surgery last month and will miss the 2017 season as well. Cook has pitched parts of five seasons in the big leagues, pitching the majority of his innings with the Athletics, and has a career 3.43 ERA, 9.1 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9.
- The Dodgers have signed lefty Patrick Schuster to a minor league deal, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy tweets. The 26-year-old struggled in 8 2/3 innings with the Athletics and Phillies in 2016, although he pitched well at the Triple-A level, where he had a 1.21 ERA, 9.3 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 and dominated fellow southpaws over 46 2/3 frames. The Phillies outrighted him at the end of the season.
- The Padres have signed 31-year-old 1B/OF Jamie Romak to a minor league deal, Eddy tweets. Romak played sparingly for the Yokohama Bay Stars in Japan in 2016 and produced just a .113 batting average over 85 plate appearances, but he had been a reliable minor league slugger before that. He has 200 minor league home runs to his name, including 27 in a .284/.363/.549 season with Reno in 2015.
Jerry Dipoto, David Forst On Danny Valencia Trade
The Mariners’ acquisition of utilityman Danny Valencia from the Athletics in exchange for right-hander Paul Blackburn is likely to end the Seattle tenures of two free agents – first baseman Dae-ho Lee and outfielder Franklin Gutierrez – general manager Jerry Dipoto revealed Saturday (via Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune).
“There’s very little likelihood that both (Valencia and Lee) will fit on the same roster,” Dipoto said. “I (also) don’t think we have to go out and focus on getting a right-handed-hitting outfielder just to have one.”
Valencia expects his role with the Mariners will be “to play first base, probably some right field,” which would make both Lee and Gutierrez superfluous to the club. All three are right-handed hitters, and barring more moves, Valencia is a strong candidate to complement lefty-swingers Dan Vogelbach at first base (previously Lee’s role with now-free agent Adam Lind) and Seth Smith in the outfield (fomerly Gutierrez’s job). Valencia seems likely to see most of his action at first, as Dipoto said Saturday that August acquisition Ben Gamel is slated to start in one outfield corner and Nelson Cruz and Guillermo Heredia will join Valencia in platooning with Smith. However, given that it’s so early in the offseason, Dipoto unsurprisingly isn’t ruling out further acquisitions.
“If we see a good fit, or the ability to go acquire a player who makes us better, we’re not going to hesitate. Valencia’s flexibility allows that,” he commented.
Mariners Acquire Danny Valencia From Athletics
The Mariners have acquired Danny Valencia from the Athletics, Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan tweets. In exchange, Oakland will receive righty Paul Blackburn, tweets MLB.com’s Greg Johns.
[Related: Updated Seattle Mariners Depth Chart]
The 32-year-old Valencia has hit well in each of the past two seasons, most recently posting a .287/.346/.446 line in 517 plate appearances with Oakland in 2016. He also logged substantial playing time at three positions (third base, first base and right field), giving him a bit of defensive versatility. He graded poorly at third, though, and got in a clubhouse altercation with Billy Butler that resulted in Butler heading to the 7-day concussion DL.
Butler was released soon after, and although the Athletics said Butler’s release was unrelated to the clubhouse fight, it seemed by season’s end that the A’s were looking to move on from Valencia. Youngster Ryon Healy received the bulk of the Athletics’ available playing time down the stretch at third base. It already looked possible the A’s could look outfield help this winter, and now it looks even more likely that they will.
Valencia has one more year of club control remaining before he’s eligible for free agency, and we project he’ll make $5.3MM next season. The Mariners obviously have a good third baseman in Kyle Seager, but Valencia could be a factor at first base and/or in the outfield. At first, his right-handed bat might pair well with that of lefty Dan Vogelbach.
The 22-year-old Blackburn, who arrived with Vogelbach in the Mike Montgomery deal in July, ranked as the Mariners’ 18th-best prospect, according to MLB.com. The Cubs made him the 56th overall pick in the draft in 2012. He throws sinkers in the low 90s and has what MLB.com describes as solid secondary stuff and a good feel for pitching, so perhaps he could profile as a back-of-the-rotation type in the big leagues. He produced a 3.27 ERA, 6.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 143 Double-A innings in 2016.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AL West Rumors: Profar, Astros, Street, Angels, Mariners
Jurickson Profar could be one of the Rangers‘ biggest trade chips this offseason in their search for starting pitching, writes MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan, although GM Jon Daniels spoke highly of Profar and said he expects him to be with the team next year. “As we sit here today, I expect him to be a part of the club in a winning role,” said Daniels of the 23-year-old Profar, who missed both 2014 and 2015 due to shoulder injuries but returned to play 90 games for Texas in 2016. The former No. 1 overall prospect batted just .239/.321/.338 in 307 plate appearances while playing first base, second base, shortstop, third base and left field. Daniels did acknowledge that he’s aware of Profar’s desire to play shortstop on an everyday basis, though there’s no avenue for him to do that with Elvis Andrus coming off a career year. However, as Daniels noted, the increase in roster versatility around the league has allowed utility players to effectively become regulars — a role that Profar could hold next year. Profar is under control through the 2019 season.
More from the division…
- Astros GM Jeff Luhnow tells Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle that he and the rest of his front office are leaving this week’s GM Meetings with a lengthy list of “leads” to pursue in terms of both free agents and trades. “I think we’re going to start making some offers right away, both with teams as well as with agents and players,” said Luhnow. “Whether or not it leads to anything next week, I don’t know. But I would like to have one or two things done before the winter meetings if possible.”
- Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets that Angels GM Billy Eppler has informed Huston Street that he’ll have to win the closer’s role in a competition during Spring Training. Young righty Cam Bedrosian, who took over the ninth inning when Street hit the disabled list with a season-ending knee injury, will also be in the mix. The 33-year-old Street missed a month with an oblique strain early in the year before requiring knee surgery in August, limiting him to just 22 1/3 innings. Street recorded a brutal 6.45 ERA in that time and posted a 14-to-12 K/BB ratio while his fastball averaged a career-low 88.2 mph. Bedrosian, meanwhile, turned in a dominant 1.12 ERA with 11.4 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 49.5 percent ground-ball rate in 40 1/3 innings. The 25-year-old saw his own season end preemptively as well, however; he first hit the DL due to a tendon strain in the middle finger on his right hand before undergoing surgery to repair a blood clot in his arm.
- Fletcher also reports that the Angels turned down a trade offer for an offensive-minded second baseman at this week’s GM Meetings due to the fact that the unnamed player was a defensive liability (Twitter link). It’s not clear who, exactly, is being referenced with the report — speculate away in the comments section — but Fletcher gets the impression that defense will be a high priority for the Halos as they look to fill add a second baseman. (Of note, Fletcher implied in a followup tweet that the second baseman in question wasn’t exactly a big name.)
- Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto suggested that his club will pursue a more targeted offseason than it did last year, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports. “Last year was about heavy lifting and effectively re-creating the way we played,” he said. “This year is about focusing on ways we can get better in the parameters we set up last year.” With some “freedom” in the payroll, Seattle will still be looking to add a right-handed-hitting option at first, a righty-swinging outfielder, and a lefty reliever. Divish ticks through some of the many options on the market.
Mariners Have Interest In Brett Cecil, Boone Logan
The Mariners have expressed some early interest in free agent lefty Brett Cecil tweets Jon Morosi of the MLB Network, and the M’s are also likely to take a look at southpaw Boone Logan in free agency, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets. Morosi notes that the Mariners are “determined” to add a lefty reliever, although that much has been known for quite some time, as GM Jerry Dipoto has previously expressed his desire to add a left-handed reliever to the back of his bullpen.
Cecil, 30, registered an inflated 3.93 ERA in an injury-shortened season in 2016, but he was much better after returning from a strained left triceps than he was when pitching earlier in the year. And dating back to the 2013 campaign, Cecil has somewhat quietly been a stellar left-handed option for Toronto, pitching to a 2.90 ERA with 11.5 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 50.2 percent ground-ball rate. In that time, he’s held lefties to a feeble .215/.270/.310 slash but also suppressed opposing right-handers, who batted a mere .218/.306/.350 against Cecil in that four-year span. Cecil’s velocity was down a bit early in the season, but it bounced back as he further distanced himself from from the aforementioned DL stint. Overall, he averaged 92.2 mph on his heater this season.
Logan’s recent track record isn’t as strong as that of Cecil, but his 2016 campaign was arguably superior. The 32-year-old posted a 3.69 ERA with 11.1 K/9, 3.9 BB/9 and a 49.2 percent ground-ball rate in 46 1/3 innings with the Rockies. However, Logan was limited to facing primarily lefties and used in more situational roles than was Cecil, as he faced 68 right-handers against 119 lefties. He’s probably best deployed as a specialist as opposed to a true setup option that would face both left- and right-handed hitters, although there’s no question that escaping a hitter-friendly park would be beneficial to him as well. Logan has spent all but one season of his career calling either U.S. Cellular Field, Yankee Stadium or Coors Field home (2009 with the Braves), so he could relish the chance to play in a more pitcher-friendly setting such as Seattle’s Safeco Field. He’s already been loosely connected to the Blue Jays and Giants this winter.
Other left-handed options available to the Mariners on the free agent market include the likes of Jerry Blevins and Mike Dunn, though it’s worth noting that a couple of the available names — Travis Wood and Clayton Richard — seem likely to market themselves as starting pitchers this winter. And, as Dipoto demonstrated in making 11 trades last offseason, he’s hardly shy about making deals with other clubs to augment his roster.
Minor MLB Transactions: 11/10/16
Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league…
- The Giants have agreed to a minor league deal with first baseman/outfielder Chris Marrero, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). The 28-year-old is a former first-round pick (Nationals, 2006) that spent the 2016 campaign with Boston’s Triple-A affiliate and hit quite well, slashing .284/.344/.494 with 23 homers and 30 doubles in 544 plate appearances. Marrero appeared in the Majors with the Nats back in 2011 and 2013 but batted a disappointing .232/.256/.272 in 133 PAs across those two stints. He’s a consistently solid bat in the minors though and could provide San Francisco with some depth both at first base and in left field.
- The Mariners announced yesterday that catcher Steven Baron has been released following last week’s DFA. The No. 33 overall pick in the 2009 draft, Baron has just 11 big league plate appearances under his belt but has hit for respectable average and gotten on base at a solid clip in the upper minors. He’ll turn 26 next month and could serve as a depth piece for clubs that are seeking a relatively young catcher to pick up some playing time in Triple-A next year.
- The Orioles announced that left-hander Jed Bradley has been outrighted off their 40-man roster yesterday. Baltimore claimed the former first-round pick and top prospect off waivers from the Braves last month, though his stay on the 40-man roster didn’t last long. Bradley made his Major League debut with Atlanta this season, yielding four runs on seven hits and six walks (two intentional) with four strikeouts in seven innings. He also posted a 3.09 earned run average with 108 strikeouts against 40 walks in 107 2/3 innings between the rotation and bullpen at Triple-A this year (13 starts, 22 relief appearances).
- Outfielder Noel Cuevas has re-signed a minor league deal with the Rockies, the team announced. Cuevas, who turned 25 a month ago, began his pro career with the Dodgers but has spent the past two seasons in the Rockies organization and enjoyed one of his most productive minor league seasons to date in 2016. Splitting time between Double-A and Triple-A — his first action at the Triple-A level — the Puerto Rican center fielder hit .296/.331/.414 across 360 plate appearances.