Rays Rumors

AL Notes: Rays, Astros, Orioles, Red Sox

By Connor Byrne | February 12, 2017 at 10:43am CDT

Although Brad Miller said he’s “on the same page” with the Rays about potentially shifting from first base to second, he hasn’t necessarily embraced the move, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The 30-home run man from 2016 last played second two seasons ago as a member of the Mariners, and he has generally fared poorly as a middle infielder (minus-27 Defensive Runs Saved, minus-12.3 Ultimate Zone Rating as primarily a shortstop in 3,300-plus innings). Should Miller scuffle in his return to the keystone this year, the Rays would likely scrap the experiment and divide his playing time among first, designated hitter and short, per Topkin, who points to Tim Beckham, Nick Franklin and Daniel Robertson as their other in-house second base possibilities.

Minor MLB Transactions: 2/12/17

By Connor Byrne | February 12, 2017 at 10:00am CDT

Sunday’s minor moves from around baseball:

The Rays have signed right-handed reliever Jeff Walters to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). This will be the second major league organization for Walters, who had been with the Mets since they selected him in the seventh round of the 2010 draft. The 29-year-old never cracked the majors as a Met, and he’s coming off a season in which he struggled to a 5.89 ERA, 6.58 K/9 and 3.84 BB/9 over 65 2/3 Triple-A innings.

Free Agent Rumors: Hammel, Crisp, Carter, Moss, Fuld, Niese

By Steve Adams and Jeff Todd | February 9, 2017 at 5:37pm CDT

An unanticipated series of factors led starter Jason Hammel to sign with the Royals, as Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star writes. That included not only the fact that Hammel surprisingly reached and then remained on the open market, but also the untimely death of young Royals righty Yordano Ventura. First and foremost a human tragedy, Ventura’s passing also left the organization in need of another starter for the coming season — an uncomfortable situation which Hammel thoughtfully acknowledged in his introductory remarks. “I feel like I need to express my condolences to, first of all, Royals Nation and the Ventura family,” he said. “Just because, I truly feel that if that unfortunate passing doesn’t happen, you guys aren’t talking to me.”

Here are a few more notes on the free-agent market…

Coco Crisp doesn’t have a job for the 2017 season yet, but he tells John Hickey of the San Jose Mercury News that he isn’t ready to retire and hopes to latch on with a club. “Physically, I’m good,” says Crisp. “There’s nothing that would keep my from playing. My neck feels better, my body feels good.” Crisp’s agent, Steve Comte, tells Hickey that he has spoken to multiple clubs and continues to do so in hopes of securing a new contract for the 37-year-old outfielder. Crisp hit .231/.302/.397 with 13 home runs (plus two in the playoffs) last season and could conceivably help a club as a fourth outfielder and veteran influence. He has struggled against lefties in recent years but has logged a respectable .236/.324/.368 slash against righties (96 wRC+).
The Yankees discussed a potential Chris Carter trade with the Brewers before the slugger was non-tendered by Milwaukee, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney. Had that deal come to fruition, the Yankees would likely have been on the hook for an arbitration salary near $8MM for Carter, who instead agreed to a one-year, $3.5MM free-agent deal with the Yanks earlier this week. Certainly, that could’ve had a trickle-down effect on the Yankees’ offseason, as those talks would’ve occurred prior to the Yankees’ signing of Matt Holliday to a one-year deal. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times spoke to Carter’s agent, Dave Stewart, who wouldn’t directly comment on how the Rays’ bid compared that of the Yankees (Twitter link), though Stewart did note that Carter “felt the opportunity was the same.”
Topkin also tweets that the Rays are among the teams keeping tabs on free-agent outfielder Sam Fuld. The 35-year-old Fuld missed the 2016 season due to shoulder surgery and had a poor year at the plate in 2015 with the A’s, but he provided Oakland with solid defense and baserunning that season. Fuld can almost certainly be had on a minor league deal and would give Tampa Bay some depth behind current starters Colby Rasmus, Kevin Kiermaier and Steven Souza. Corey Dickerson figures to see some time in the outfield as well, and non-roster invitee could make the Rays’ roster as a right-handed-hitting complement to Rasmus. Utilityman Nick Franklin, too, could see some time in the outfield. None of those alternatives can play center field, though, so adding Fuld would give the Rays a veteran fourth outfielder while Mallex Smith gets some more work at Triple-A.
The Nationals “checked in on” first baseman/outfielder Brandon Moss before he signed with the Royals, reports Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. Moss would at least have represented a quality bench piece for the Nationals, whose depth is an issue, as FanGraphs’ Dave Cameron wrote last week. The lefty swinging Moss could theoretically have shared time (and provided insurance) for right-handed-hitting first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and left fielder Jayson Werth — a possibility that led MLBTR to guess that Moss would land in D.C. at the outset of the offseason.
Thirteen teams attended the workout hosted by free agent lefty Jon Niese earlier today, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link). The 30-year-old Niese, hoping to demonstrate his health for interested parties, threw a 40-pitch bullpen session for the scouts in attendance. Niese struggled through the worst season of his career in 2016 but was a solid fourth/fifth starter for the Mets for several years prior to the down season. He underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus late in the year.

Rays Acquire Jesus Sucre From Mariners

By Steve Adams | February 8, 2017 at 1:31pm CDT

The Mariners announced that catcher Jesus Sucre has been traded to the Rays in exchange for a player to named later or cash. The 28-year-old Sucre had recently been designated for assignment and outrighted off the 40-man roster, so he’ll head to camp with the Rays as a non-roster invitee.

Sucre has hit for average in the minors, batting .279/.312/.341 across parts of four Triple-A seasons, but he’s never been able to produce at the plate in the Majors. In parts of four seasons with Seattle, he owns a collective .209/.246/.276 batting line in 264 trips to the plate. There may be some temptation to assume that the pitcher-friendly Safeco Field has played a role in those struggles, but Sucre’s .640 OPS at home in his career dwarfs his .415 road mark.

Though he’s struggled at the plate, Sucre has proven to be an adept defender, throwing out 35 percent of attempted base thieves in his big league career. He’s routinely received average to above-average grades for his pitch-framing skills as well. Dating back to his prospect days with the Braves, Sucre has been touted as a strong overall defender, with Baseball America previously calling his arm a “cannon” and rating him as the best defensive backstop in Atlanta’s system in 2010.

The Rays signed Wilson Ramos earlier this offseason with the hope that he can eventually shoulder the load behind the plate following last September’s ACL tear. He’ll miss at least a couple of months of the 2017 campaign, leaving Curt Casali and Luke Maile to handle the bulk of the catching duties early in the year. Sucre could conceivably challenge that pair for playing time in Spring Training, or he could simply head to Triple-A as a defensive-minded depth piece.

There have also been rumors connecting the Rays to free-agent catcher Matt Wieters, although at this point there’s been nothing to suggest that Tampa Bay is in serious pursuit of the former Oriole or that any form of offer has been made.

Rays Re-Sign Logan Morrison

By Steve Adams | February 7, 2017 at 4:38pm CDT

The Rays have agreed to a one-year contract to bring first baseman/designated hitter Logan Morrison back to the organization, the team announced. To make room for Morrison on the roster, lefty Enny Romero has been traded to the Nationals in exchange for minor league right-hander Jeffrey Rosa (more details on that deal here).

Morrison, a client of ISE Baseball, will reportedly be guaranteed $2.5MM and can earn an extra $250K if he does not spend any time on the 60-day DL due to a specific set of injuries. He can also reportedly gain up to $1MM worth of incentives to boost the value of the deal.

Morrison, 29, posted a fairly pedestrian .238/.319/.414 batting line in 398 plate appearances with Tampa Bay last season, but that overall line is weighed down by a dreadful stretch early in the year. Morrison posted a .364 OPS through his first 95 plate appearances last season (in part due to a staggering .182 BABIP, though strikeouts were also an issue) but somewhat quietly enjoyed an excellent rebound beginning in mid-May.

From May 16 forth, the he totaled 303 plate appearances and logged a hefty .275/.350/.498 batting line and belted all 14 of his home runs. Given that finish and his relative youth, Morrison could likely have scored a larger payday were it not for an ill-timed September wrist injury that required surgery (and, obviously, ended his season prematurely).

Bringing Morrison back into the fold could very well mean that Brad Miller, who for much of the season was on track to be the team’s primary first baseman, will shift over to take the reins at second base on a regular basis. The Rays created a vacancy at second base last month when they traded Logan Forsythe to the Dodgers in exchange for young right-hander Jose De Leon, and Miller’s versatility allowed them to pursue myriad avenues to adding a bat to the lineup.

The Rays are still said to be pursuing a right-handed bat, though two of their reported targets — Chris Carter and Mike Napoli — agreed to one-year deals with the Yankees and the Rangers earlier today.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports first reported the agreement (Twitter link). Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported the deal’s incentives total (via Twitter). FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweeted about the health clause.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nationals Acquire Enny Romero From Rays

By Steve Adams | February 7, 2017 at 4:31pm CDT

The Rays and Nationals have announced a trade sending left-handed reliever Enny Romero to Washington for minor league right-hander Jeffrey Rosa The move will open a spot on the 40-man roster for first baseman Logan Morrison, whose one-year deal to return to Tampa Bay is now official. The Nationals, on the other hand, did not need to make a 40-man roster move to accommodate Romero. Even after this trade, their 40-man count is still just at 39 players.

[Related: Updated Washington Nationals Depth Chart and Tampa Bay Rays Depth Chart]

The 26-year-old Romero has had a pair of rough seasons in Tampa Bay, pitching to a 5.59 ERA in 75 2/3 innings at the Major League level from 2015-16. While he’s shown a penchant for missing bats (9.6 K/9), Romero has also averaged 4.9 walks per nine innings pitched and logged a slightly below-average ground-ball rate. However, his strikeout prowess and a power fastball that has averaged 96.1 mph over the past two seasons likely made him appealing to the Nationals.

Romero is out of minor league options, so he’ll have to break camp with the Nationals to open the season or first be exposed to waivers. He’ll head to Spring Training and give the Nats a third left-handed option behind veteran southpaw Oliver Perez and impressive young lefty Sammy Solis. If Romero ultimately proves able to harness his impressive velocity and strikeout potential, he’ll be a nice long-term option in the Nationals’ bullpen, as he’s controllable via arbitration through the 2021 season.

The 21-year-old Rosa has pitched 96 1/3 innings as a pro and pitched to a 3.83 ERA with a 103-to-49 K/BB ratio since signing as an amateur. He’s yet to crack any top prospect ranking within the Nationals organization, and that’s not terribly surprising given his age and the fact that he’s yet to advance beyond Rookie-level ball. But the out-of-options Romero was likely viewed as a potential 40-man casualty in Spring Training, as the Rays have Xavier Cedeno firmly ahead of him on the depth chart in addition to a slew of right-handed options that figure to merit spots.

It’s possible that Tampa Bay could seek further left-handed depth between now and Opening Day, though they could simply look at Cedeno, Alex Colome, Brad Boxberger, Erasmo Ramirez, Danny Farquhar and Shawn Tolleson as a likely front six in their relief corps. That would leave a number of other 40-man arms and non-roster invitees to battle it out for the final bullpen spot. All of those options can be seen on the Rays’ depth chart at Roster Resource.

Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times first reported that Romero was going to the Nats (on Twitter). Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post tweeted that the Nationals were sending a Gulf Coast League pitcher to the Rays in the deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Carter, Dodgers, Rays, Romo, Park

By Mark Polishuk | February 6, 2017 at 10:15pm CDT

Here’s the latest hot stove buzz from FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal…

The Dodgers checked in on free agent slugger Chris Carter, though Rosenthal has some doubts that the fit would work for either side. Carter might want too significant a salary for the Dodgers’ liking, as the team is already well over the luxury tax threshold. From Carter’s perspective, he’d likely want more playing time than L.A. could offer him as a part-time first baseman (spelling Adrian Gonzalez against lefty pitching) and receiving an occasional start in left field.
The Rays were the mystery team who submitted the highest bid for Sergio Romo’s services. Previous reports indicated that the Rays were in the mix for Romo and that the reliever declined a higher offer to stay on the west coast and sign with the Dodgers for a one-year, $3MM deal. With Romo off the board, the Rays are seemingly still in the hunt for another arm to join their bullpen.
The Rays earn $20MM per year on their current TV contract, which expires after the 2018 season. Club owner Stuart Sternberg recently said negotiations were taking place about a new deal, though nothing was close to fruition.
Rosenthal’s column takes a broader look at the Rays’ offseason, noting that the team is trying to both save money and stay competitive at the same time. Tampa could even project as an under-the-radar playoff contender if they catch a few breaks, such as better health from key players. Had the club received good offers for Chris Archer or Kevin Kiermaier this winter, however, the Rays would’ve embarked on a full rebuilding process, and they could still take that route next offseason or at the July trade deadline if this year’s roster doesn’t play up to expectations.
The Twins will release Byung Ho Park if they can’t find a trade partner for the recently-designated first baseman (update: Rosenthal has since corrected this). Minnesota’s decision to DFA Park was already rather unexpected, and it would be even more surprising if the club cut ties entirely, especially since earlier reports had the Twins intending to keep Park in the minors if he cleared waivers. The Twins would be on the hook for the remaining $9.75MM owed to Park through the 2019 season if they released him. Continuing the Tampa-centric theme, Rosenthal reports that the Rays are looking to add a right-handed bat and have Park on their list of targets. Rather than work out a trade, the Rays could wait to see if the Twins do release Park, in which case Tampa Bay could just sign him as a free agent. The Rays would then only owe Park a minimum salary while Minnesota covers the rest of the $9.75MM.

New York Notes: Yankees, Mets, Romo, Betances, Bullpens

By Mark Polishuk and Steve Adams | February 6, 2017 at 7:41pm CDT

Here’s the latest baseball news from both Big Apple teams…

Both the Yankees and Rays made late pushes to sign right-hander Sergio Romo before he agreed to sign with the Dodgers, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports. Romo, a southern California native, preferred to remain on the west coast, as FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman tweets. Heyman noted earlier that Romo had larger offers, including one from a “mystery” team that made a late increase in its offer to Romo. The New York Post’s Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the Yankees never made a formal offer to Romo, so the late increase would’ve had to have come from Tampa Bay or perhaps another mystery team in the mix.
There hasn’t been any change in the Yankees’ “file-and-trial” stance towards Dellin Betances’ arbitration hearing on February 17, George A. King III of the New York Post writes. “Nothing has changed, we haven’t talked. We have no intention of talking. It’s not close. Somebody else will make the decision,” GM Brian Cashman said. As King notes, other teams who have recently taken firm stances against negotiating prior to an arb hearing have instead worked out an agreement (such as the Royals and Kelvin Herrera or the Orioles and Kevin Gausman). Betances filed for a $5MM salary in 2017 while the Yankees countered with a $3MM proposal.
In another piece from Joel Sherman, he looks at the contrast between how the Mets and Yankees are pursuing relief pitching upgrades. Both teams seem to be operating under stringent budgets, though the Mets showed flexibility and a bit more of a win-now mentality in adding Jerry Blevins and Fernando Salas on deals that aren’t guaranteed beyond 2017. The Yankees, meanwhile, missed out on Romo and don’t seem to have much willingness to add another veteran arm to their bullpen unless that pitcher meets their asking price. It should be noted that the Yankees did make a big splash to sign Aroldis Chapman and, with the Chapman/Betances/Tyler Clippard trio in place at the end of games, the Yankees had less of a pressing need in the pen than the Mets did. Still, as Sherman points out, the Yankees would like to add another experienced reliever to both add depth to the bullpen and to possibly allow the team’s young starters to stay stretched out in Triple-A rather than requiring them for relief work.
Better health from the rotation will be the biggest change to a Mets team that saw little roster turnover, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo writes. Yoenis Cespedes, Neil Walker, Salas and Blevins are all returning to a roster that managed to reach the NL wild card game in 2016 despite injuries to virtually every member of the starting staff. The Mets are aiming to keep their pitchers healthy by cutting short starts if necessary or skipping starts altogether, and by deploying a six-man rotation to keep everyone fresh. If the rotation is healthier, it stands to reason the Mets could equal or surpass their 87-win total from last season.

Quick Hits: Rays, Pirates, Pace Of Play, Prospects

By Connor Byrne | February 4, 2017 at 10:40pm CDT

Since Stuart Sternberg purchased the Rays in 2005, the franchise has “lost money from every point in time you can pick,” he told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. In spite of that, Sternberg has no interest in selling the team and is optimistic about keeping it in Tampa Bay with a new stadium to replace Tropicana Field. “If we are going to propose it, it will be because we believe it works for generations,” said Sternberg, who is encouraged that local politicians – including the mayors of both Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg – have been cooperative in the process. Sternberg & Co. are working on cutting down a half-dozen potential stadium sites to a “pin-perfect” choice. He’s also looking to land a new TV deal sometime in the near future, but he admitted it could be years before that comes to fruition.

Market Notes: Trends, Wood, Rays, Rockies

By Jeff Todd | February 3, 2017 at 10:33pm CDT

Looking at this winter’s free-agent market broadly, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes (Insider link) that it produced generally poor results from the players’ side. The trend, he and the agents he spoke with suggest, is one of elite players continuing to earn while others are increasingly forced into one-year pacts. That could, in turn, continue to suppress the market for sub-elite players next year, since there’ll again be a larger pool of talent. This certainly seems to be an area that warrants a closer look once the market fully settles out. As of three years ago, the trend had been in favor of multi-year deals as teams competed to land talent on the open market.

Here are some more market notes:

With southpaws flying off the board, things are “heating up” for Travis Wood, according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter). It’s possible he’ll choose his landing spot by the end of the weekend, per the report, though it’s still not clear whether he’ll be heading for a rotation or pen spot (let alone where that might be).
Despite picking up Logan Morrison and Rickie Weeks, the Rays still intend to remain involved on some of the better hitters still available, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (links to Twitter). In particular, slugger Chris Carter and even catcher Matt Wieters seemingly remain of interest to Tampa Bay. Another righty bat, notes Topkin, might step into a platoon in the first base and DH spots. The club could take a look at Byung Ho Park, who was just designated by the Twins, and others under consideration include Mike Napoli and Franklin Gutierrez (who’d spend time in the outfield).
The Rockies are unlikely to make further additions to their major league roster, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding suggests in response to a fan inquiry. Even if someone like starter Jason Hammel represents a screaming value, Harding hints, the organization may not have the roster or payroll flexibility to give out a MLB deal.

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