Rangers Rumors

Pitching Notes: Cardinals, Red Sox, Yankees, Rangers

By Connor Byrne | March 19, 2017 at 12:51pm CDT

The Cardinals have tabbed Michael Wacha to begin the season as their fifth starter, tweets Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com. That’s not particularly surprising, as St. Louis optioned one of Wacha’s competitors, Luke Weaver, to Triple-A on Saturday after he showed poorly over five spring training innings. The other contender for the Redbirds’ last starting role, former closer Trevor Rosenthal, fell behind the 8-ball when he dealt with right lat muscle soreness earlier this month. Barring an injury, the other four-fifths of the Cardinals’ season-opening rotation will consist of Carlos Martinez, Adam Wainwright, Mike Leake and Lance Lynn.

Red Sox knuckleballer Steven Wright finally seems to be putting his long bout with right shoulder bursitis behind him, writes Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald. Wright, a 2016 All-Star whose season ended in August after he injured his shoulder as a pinch-runner, threw three hitless innings against the Twins on Saturday. The 32-year-old indicated afterward that he’s “in good position to be ready for Opening Day.”
Ernesto Frieri served as a more-than-capable reliever with the Padres and Angels from 2010-13, when he combined for a 2.79 ERA, 12.28 K/9 and 4.36 BB/9 over 229 1/3 innings, before he flamed out over the next two seasons with the Halos, Pirates and Rays. After taking 2016 off to repair his mechanics, the 31-year-old Frieri believes he’s poised for a career renaissance with the Yankees, per Brendan Kuty of NJ.com. “Before, I was a thrower,” Frieri said Saturday. “I’d just throw fastballs and I got away with that, too. But I had that deception. And now I have that deception back.” Frieri, who’s attempting to make the Yankees’ roster after signing a minor league contract Thursday, threw two scoreless innings for Colombia during the World Baseball Classic and touched 95 mph. His average fastball velocity in 2015 was 91.2.
Rangers right-hander Tyson Ross will throw live batting practice for the first time this year on Wednesday, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Ross, who’s on the mend from October surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, “has met all checkpoints on time or early so far,” Grant adds. The expectation when the Rangers signed Ross in January was that he’d be ready for major league action by May or June.

AL Notes: A’s, Red Sox, Rangers

By Connor Byrne | March 18, 2017 at 1:22pm CDT

The Athletics optioned highly touted shortstop prospect Franklin Barreto to Triple-A on Friday, though it seems he could enter the picture in Oakland sometime this year. “I think we’d all like to see him up here at some point and that’s our anticipation,” executive vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane said of Barreto, who slashed .481/.500/.667 in 27 spring at-bats (Twitter link via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). Because Marcus Semien occupies short for the A’s, Barreto’s major league debut is likely to come at second base, per Beane, who noted Friday that the keystone is “probably his quickest path to the big leagues” (via Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area). The 21-year-old Barreto, whom Oakland acquired from Toronto in 2014 in the A’s ill-fated Josh Donaldson trade, tops out as Baseball America’s 40th-ranked prospect.

Chi Chi Gonzalez Diagnosed With Partial UCL Tear

By Jeff Todd | March 17, 2017 at 6:29pm CDT

Rangers righty Chi Chi Gonzalez has been diagnosed with a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News was among those to report. For the time being, he’ll receive a platelet-rich plasma injection and stop throwing for at least six weeks.

At this point, the course of treatment does not include any plans for Tommy John surgery or another procedure to address the injury. Given the promise some other pitchers have shown in bids to avoid such an invasive approach, with the lengthy attendant rehab timeline, perhaps Gonzalez too can return to action without going under the knife.

Indeed, just that hope explains the organization’s decision to pursue treatment at this stage. Club doctor Keith Meister “felt that with the area where the injury is, he has historically had a pretty good success rate for the conservative route of the [PRP] injection,” says assistant GM Josh Boyd. After the six-week layoff, the club will order up another examination to check the progress and determine the next steps.

Gonzalez, 25, worked to a 3.90 ERA in his first 67 MLB frames upon his 2015 call-up. But he managed only thirty strikeouts to go with 32 walks in that span. Though he was able to generate a strong 48.6% groundball rate and limit opposing hitters to a sparse tally of 49 base hits, he was aided by an unsustainable .206 BABIP.

The results didn’t carry over into 2016. Gonzalez spent most of the year at Triple-A, where he compiled a 4.70 ERA in 138 frames with 5.9 K/9 to go with 2.9 BB/9. He did move into the MLB rotation briefly, but was shelled for ten earned runs on 21 hits — with seven punchouts against nine free passes — in his 10 1/3 innings.

A former top-100 prospect and first-round selection, Gonzalez has long been expected to provided Texas with useful major league innings. But his pronounced struggles over the past two seasons were met with further difficulties this spring, and the injury clouds his future yet more.

In the near term, the loss of Gonzalez for at least a significant chunk of the upcoming season depletes the Rangers’ rotation depth. The organization has seen some promising signs from Andrew Cashner, at least, but at present appears likely to utilize A.J. Griffin and Dillon Gee to open the year while awaiting the return of Cashner and Tyson Ross. There are some other options on hand: Nick Martinez, Eddie Gamboa, Tyler Wagner, and Yohander Mendez all pitched in the majors last year and occupy 40-man spots. Still, the appeal of bringing back the still-unsigned Colby Lewis has only increased since camp opened, though there’s still no apparent movement on that front.

Heyman’s Latest: Quintana, Pagan, Cozart, Padres, Bautista, Giants

By Steve Adams | March 16, 2017 at 5:09pm CDT

In his latest notes column, FanRag’s Jon Heyman reports that while teams such as the Astros, Pirates, Rangers and Yankees were all linked to Jose Quintana in trade rumors this offseason, the best offer the White Sox received came from an unnamed club that is currently perceived as more of a rebuilding team. That could mean any number of teams — the Braves, Phillies, Twins, Reds, Brewers and Padres are all in the midst of retooling their organizations — and further context is seemingly unknown at this time. A trade of Quintana, at this point, seems far likelier to occur this summer than during the final days of Spring Training, though Heyman’s note is a reminder that Quintana would appeal to virtually any club in baseball. With four years and $36.85MM remaining on his contract, Quintana’s affordable level of excellence can help clubs looking to win now or those looking to contend more in 2018-19.

A few more highlights…

The Braves have made “multiple” attempts to sign free-agent outfielder Angel Pagan, but the veteran has been holding out for a big league deal worth around $5MM. Heyman notes that Pagan has received some guaranteed offers, but they’ve come with very low base salaries. Atlanta has also been tied to another reunion with infielder Kelly Johnson, but Heyman notes that Johnson, too, is seeking a Major League contract.
Zack Cozart is still available in trade talks, but the Reds haven’t gotten much in the way of appealing offers due to the fact that few clubs are looking for a shortstop right now. The Padres have talked to Cincinnati about Cozart, but Heyman notes that they’re not keen on giving up top-tier talent for a player with only one year of club control remaining before free agency. Heyman notes that San Diego is still on the lookout for a shortstop upgrade.
The Rangers would want a Major League ready starting pitcher in any trade involving Jurickson Profar, Heyman notes. The Padres like Profar but wouldn’t be willing to surrender right-hander Luis Perdomo in order to obtain him, he adds. That may raise an eyebrow for some fans, but I’d point out that Perdomo has five years of control remaining (to Profar’s three) and posted a 4.47 ERA with 6.0 K/9, 2.2 BB/9 and a 61.4 percent ground-ball rate across his final 110 2/3 innings in 2016 after a dismal start in the bullpen. In that time, he posted a 3.84 xFIP and 3.88 SIERA. Profar hit .239/.321/.338 in 307 plate appearances last season.
Right-hander Jered Weaver tells Heyman that he considered retirement this offseason following a career-worst year in 2016. However, Weaver began to feel stronger after a month of rest, ultimately landing with the Padres on a one-year, $3MM deal. Weaver says that he’s “10 steps above last year” in terms of how he feels physically at this point.
The Indians made an offer to Jose Bautista that was for roughly the same $18.5MM guarantee he received with the Blue Jays, Heyman reports, and they weren’t entirely closed off to a multi-year deal. However, Bautista’s preference was to head back to Toronto.
The Pirates sought right-hander Derek Law (among other pieces) in trade talks centering around Mark Melancon with the Giants at last year’s trade deadline, per Heyman. It seems that the Pirates were focused on adding an MLB-ready replacement arm for the bullpen in Melancon talks, which they received in the form of left-hander Felipe Rivero. San Francisco, of course, signed Melancon to a four-year deal this winter.

AL West Notes: De Aza, Mariners, Cashner, Astros

By Steve Adams | March 15, 2017 at 1:46pm CDT

The injury to Athletics outfielder Jake Smolinski gives non-roster invitee Alejandro De Aza a considerably stronger chance of making the roster, writes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. While both De Aza and fellow NRI Jaff Dacker have impressed the A’s in camp, De Aza appears to have an edge due to the fact that he has an opt-out in his contract at month’s end if he has not made the roster. Decker, meanwhile, does not have that luxury. Slusser notes that it’s possible that Mark Canha will be the only outfield reserve to break camp with the team, should the A’s wish to carry eight relievers (thereby allowing them to retain out-of-options righty Raul Alcantara), but that’d also leave them without much of a backup option in center field.

The Mariners, too, could open the year with an eight-man bullpen, according to manager Scott Servais (as Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune writes). Edwin Diaz is locked in as the team’s closer, and he’ll be joined by righties Nick Vincent and Evan Scribner as well as southpaw Marc Rzepczynski. Servais listed Dan Altavilla and Casey Fien as candidates as well. The Seattle ’pen picture is a bit muddied by the fact that Steve Cishek will open the season on the disabled list and that Shae Simmons is being slowed by forearm soreness. Other candidates for the bullpen include Tony Zych, James Pazos, Chris Heston and Ariel Miranda (as can be seen on the team’s depth chart at RosterResource.com).
Ailing Rangers right-hander Andrew Cashner had a good week of throwing, he told reporters earlier today (Twitter link via MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan). He’s set to meet with doctors on Friday of this week and added that he “should take off from there.” It’s already been reported that Cashner won’t be ready to begin the 2017 season, but an exact timetable for his regular-season Rangers debut is not yet known.
The Astros have made an unorthodox coaching appointment, reports Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle. Sig Mejdal, who was hired by the Astros in 2012 and given the title of “director of decision sciences” and more recently named a special assistant to GM Jeff Luhnow, will continue to fulfill those duties while also serving as a coach with the team’s short-season Class-A affiliate in 2017. Mejdal will be a “development coach” and be on the road with the team full-time when their season begins in June. He’ll help both the players and his fellow coaches to utilize the increasing amount of technology that is becoming available to them (in addition to more traditional coaching duties). Luhnow tells Kaplan that Mejdal, a former NASA researcher, will still be involved in all front office processes even when he relocates to upstate New York for the new position this summer.

Andrew Cashner Won’t Be Ready For Opening Day

By Steve Adams | March 12, 2017 at 9:33pm CDT

TODAY: The Rangers may hold off on acquiring a starter due to Cashner’s relative progress, Sullivan writes. While the righty still may be a longshot to make Opening Day, Cashner might not be out of action for too long, so Texas could get by with internal options. Griffin, for instance, improved his stock with a good four-inning outing on Saturday.

FRIDAY: Cashner’s outlook seems reasonably positive, per an update from MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan tweets. The righty will have an injection before beginning a new throwing program this weekend, says Sullivan. Notably, follow-up visits to the doctor have not revealed any “major” problems with his arm.

YESTERDAY, 1:00pm: Rangers pitching coach Doug Brocail now says, more definitively, that Cashner will not be ready for the start of the season, tweets Wilson.

10:07am: Right-hander Andrew Cashner has suffered a setback in his recovery from biceps tendinitis and will be shut down for another few days, per Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The latest injury troubles for Cashner now have his readiness to open the season in doubt, and Cashner is likely to undergo an MRI to give the Rangers more information on the issue.

Beyond that, the Rangers saw their catching depth take a hit, as Brett Nicholas will require surgery to repair a torn meniscus and be sidelined into April (Twitter link via MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan). Furthermore, Sullivan tweets that Jurickson Profar jammed his left middle finger while playing in the World Baseball Classic, though there’s no indication that the issue is serious.

Certainly, the larger issue for the Rangers is Cashner’s timeline. Signed to a one-year, $10MM contract this winter, the oft-injured Cashner was penciled in as a likely fourth starter behind Yu Darvish, Cole Hamels and Martin Perez. Tyson Ross was signed this winter to serve as a fifth starter as well, but it was known at the time his deal was finalized that he wouldn’t be ready come Opening Day.

Cashner been dealing with biceps tendinitis since at least last week but was at least playing catch from a distance of 120 feet on Tuesday, Wilson notes. Even that level of activity, it seems, will be halted for the time being, however.

Texas does have a number of alternative options for the final two spots in the rotation, though none is without his question marks. A.J. Griffin is once again in the mix, though he posted an ERA north of 5.00 in 119 innings with the Rangers last season. Former first-rounder Chi Chi Gonzalez is another option, but the 25-year-old had an unimpressive season in Triple-A last year. Nick Martinez, Eddie Gamboa, Tyler Wagner and Yohander Mendez are all also on the 40-man roster, though Mendez has already been optioned out of big league camp. Veteran righty Dillon Gee is also in camp on a non-roster deal and has been healthy to this point.

While pulling one starter (or a combination of starters) from that mix to fill one spot in the rotation seems doable, it may be asking a lot of that group to ably fill two slots in the rotation of an expected contender in the American League West. It’s not yet known exactly how long Cashner will miss, but if he’s deemed to require a significant absence, then certainly one can imagine the Rangers looking to the remaining free agents or to some lower-profile trades to help fill out the rotation. Longtime Rangers fixture Colby Lewis remains unsigned, as do righties Doug Fister and Edwin Jackson (though Texas reportedly decided against making an offer to Jackson after watching him throw last month). Any talk of Texas adding an arm is, of course, speculative in nature to this point, however.

As for Nicholas, his injury thins out the Rangers’ catching depth but isn’t likely to have a significant impact on the team’s big league roster. Jonathan Lucroy and Robinson Chirinos are the clear top two catchers in the organization, although with each playing in the WBC, Nicholas’ injury does leave Texas a bit thin on catching options in camp while that tournament is in progress.

Pitching Notes: Rangers, Astros, Marlins, O’s, Red Sox, Jays

By Connor Byrne | March 11, 2017 at 10:21pm CDT

While it’s possible the Rangers will bring back right-hander Colby Lewis to compete for a spot in their banged-up rotation, there hasn’t been any movement toward re-signing the free agent, general manager Jon Daniels told Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News. The 37-year-old Lewis is unwilling to take a minors deal, reports Fraley, so the Rangers will have to remove someone from their 40-man roster if they hand him a major league contract. Nearly all of Lewis’ career has been spent in Texas, where he pitched his first three seasons (2002-04) and the past seven (2010-16). He threw 116 1/3 innings of 3.71 ERA ball last season, though his FIP, xFIP and SIERA each hovered around the 5.00 mark.

The latest on a few other American League pitchers:

No full-time reliever eclipsed the 90-inning mark in either of the previous two seasons, but several could do it this year, observes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. There’s “a growing desire” among GMs and managers to utilize certain relievers for multiple innings, relays Sherman, who writes that the Astros’ Chris Devenski and the Marlins’ David Phelps are prime candidates to serve as bullpen workhorses in 2017. “Not every reliever is built for a versatile role. [Devenski] is,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. The right-hander was sensational across 108 1/3 frames as a rookie last year, when he threw 83 2/3 innings out of the bullpen and delivered a 1.61 ERA, 8.98 K/9 and 1.26 BB/9. Phelps was great at preventing runs in both roles (2.22 ERA in 24 1/3 innings as a starter, 2.31 ERA in 62 1/3 relief frames), but the righty only worked an inning at a time from the bullpen. Miami’s now stretching him out to throw 50 pitches in a given appearance, if necessary. “I look at Phelps like Andrew Miller,” manager Don Mattingly told Sherman. “I can use him in multiple ways. I can pitch him a few innings or I can have him close a game. You can’t do it on a daily basis. He still needs his rest. You know in bigger situations in the fifth and sixth innings you can see him.”
One of the Orioles’ top starters, righty Chris Tillman, will open the season on the 10-day disabled list, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Tillman has been dealing with shoulder issues for the past few months, and he underwent a platelet-rich plasma injection in December. The Orioles won’t need a fifth starter until April 15, notes Kubatko, who lists Mike Wright, Tyler Wilson, Gabriel Ynoa, Jayson Aquino and Chris Lee as possibilities to slot into their rotation during Tillman’s absence.
Red Sox left-hander David Price threw Saturday for the first time since suffering a flexor strain earlier this month, per Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald. Manager John Farrell came away encouraged, calling it “a good day for David,” but a return still doesn’t exactly seem imminent for the ace. “All of the early phase of throwing are going to be short, controlled effort and energy,” said Farrell. “We’re not even mapping out distances right now. We’re more interested in seeing how his arm responds to even the light throwing.”
Blue Jays southpaw T.J. House left the team’s game against the Tigers in an ambulance Friday after a line drive struck him in the head. Fortunately, he didn’t suffer any skull fractures and is “doing well,” GM Ross Atkins told Jayson Stark of ESPN on Saturday. The club will be “extremely conservative” in deciding when to clear House to return to the mound, Atkins added.

Pitching Notes: Rockies, Gee, Kendrick, Wheeler

By Jeff Todd | March 10, 2017 at 10:30pm CDT

With today’s awful news about righty Chad Bettis, the Rockies face a dilemma in the rotation. As Nick Groke of the Denver Post writes, the club had believed it was looking for one starter to step up in camp, but now it needs two. It was debatable already whether the club ought to have added a starter, but now the need is all the more apparent. A variety of youthful competitors are on hand, of course, along with 30-year-old southpaw Chris Rusin, who’s probably best suited for a return to the bullpen. While there’s plenty of interesting talent, the Rockies may feel a need to find more certainty as they seek to push toward contention.

Here’s more on a few pitching situations from around the game:

Signed to provide the Rangers with depth, righty Dillon Gee may now be in position to take a spot in the Opening Day rotation with Andrew Cashner sidelined. As T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com writes, Gee says he feels healthy and likes the way he’s throwing. As he works back to full health following thoracic outlet surgery, Gee is also working to smooth out mechanical issues he identified in his work last year with the Royals.
It’s a similar story for Kyle Kendrick, who’s importance to the Red Sox has risen with David Price’s health issues. Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald reports that the 32-year-old won’t have an opt-out opportunity until June 15th, which gives the club some flexibility, though it’s possible he’ll be needed earlier. As Drellich writes, the Sox are encouraged by Kendrick’s initial showing, with manager John Farrell noting that the team likes that he’s working off of his sinker and cutter rather than relying on the four-seam fastball. From Kendrick’s perspective, “I feel right with where I’m at with my stuff.”
Mets righty Zack Wheeler is drawing some good reviews from his early showing on the mound, as Marc Carig of Newsday reports on Twitter. An “evaluator” tells Carig that Wheeler is showing a “smooth delivery” and that the ball is coming out of his hand well. That’s encouraging for the Mets, who have the depth to account for any further delays from the righty but no doubt want to see him contributing in the majors sooner than later.

Pre-Arb Deals: Lindor, Duvall, Sano, Franco, Odor, Realmuto

By Jeff Todd | March 10, 2017 at 8:46pm CDT

You can find a primer on how pre-arbitration salaries work right here. In essence, teams can renew players at whatever price they wish, so long as it meets or exceeds the MLB minimum — which currently sits at $535K. But all teams consider at least nominal raises for players with prior experience. If you really want to dig into the details of the process — and how different teams approach it — be sure to check out this close look from MLBTR’s Zach Links.

We have already covered a few notable salaries for 2017: Kris Bryant set a record at $1.05MM; Mookie Betts didn’t agree with the Red Sox, but still got $950K; and Astros star Carlos Correa was renewed at the minimum after failing to see eye to eye. Here are a few of the latest numbers, all via the Twitter feed of Jon Heyman of Fan Rag unless otherwise noted:

The Indians agreed to a $579,300 salary with star shortstop Francisco Lindor. A well-rounded performer at just 23 years of age, Lindor made his first All-Star team after landing just shy of Correa in the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year voting. It’ll be interesting to see whether the sides continue to talk money over the next few years in an effort to reach a long-term deal.
The Reds renewed outfielder Adam Duvall at $577,500. He was evidently looking for more after a breakout 2016 campaign in which he hit 33 homers but lagged in the on-base department (.297 OBP). Duvall has established himself as the team’s regular left fielder, though, and did out-earn two other power-hitting players in the same 1+ service class.
Third baseman Miguel Sano agreed to a $572,500 payday from the Twins, as Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports. The 23-year old swatted 25 long balls but fell off a bit from his torrid rookie year. He’ll still get a fairly solid pay boost, though, in his 1+ service-class year.
Fellow young hot corner slugger Maikel Franco agreed to a $560K deal with the Phillies. Franco, 22, went through a similar sophomore slump as Sano while matching him in the long ball department. These two seem likely to be compared for years to come. Franco, though, will likely qualify for arbitration a year earlier, as he’ll easily reach Super Two status next winter so long as he stays on the MLB roster for the bulk of the upcoming season.
The Rangers will pay second baseman Rougned Odor $563,180 in their agreement. The hard-nosed 23-year old delivered 33 bombs from the middle infield, though like Duvall he also fell short of hopes with a .296 OBP. Texas is already weighing a much heftier commitment, though, with reports suggesting the sides are in talks on a deal that could exceed $50MM in guaranteed money.
Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto was rewarded for his promising 2016 campaign with a $562,500 deal, per Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Realmuto, who’ll soon turn 26, will reach arbitration next winter, where he’ll be paid handsomely if he can repeat his numbers from last season. Over 545 plate appearances, Realmuto slashed .303/.343/.428 and provided 11 home runs and a dozen steals — though he was aided by a .357 BABIP.

Heyman’s Latest: Maddon, Braves, Rockies, Hammel, Kenley, Napoli, Lucroy

By Steve Adams | March 9, 2017 at 3:54pm CDT

The Cubs’ World Series victory triggered an escalator clause in manager Joe Maddon’s five-year, $25MM contract, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. Maddon’s annual salary will now be bumped from $5MM to $6MM in the final three years of the deal, though the skipper claims to ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers that he wasn’t even aware of the clause. “I’ve never seen a paycheck,” Maddon tells Rogers.

Here are some highlights from Heyman’s latest lengthy Inside Baseball column…

The Braves are in the market for a right-handed-hitting outfielder that can handle center field. Currently, Atlanta lacks a clear-cut fourth outfielder and is set to deploy two left-handed-hitting starters in Ender Inciarte and Nick Markakis.
Rockies right-handers Jason Motte and Chad Qualls, each of whom disappointed in the first season of their respective two-year contracts last year, are both available in trade, per Heyman. Motte hasn’t enjoyed a strong season since 2012 and has undergone Tommy John in the interim (making the two-year deal all the more surprising). He’s owed $5MM in 2017. As for Qualls, the 38-year-old is more affordable at $3.25MM this season, but he’s also considerably older and coming off a worse year.
Jason Hammel and the Mariners were discussing a one-year deal in the $10MM range before he switched agents this offseason. Following the change in representation, Hammel shifted course and took a larger guarantee but a lower annual value, inking a two-year deal worth $16MM with the Royals. Seattle, in turn, picked up Drew Smyly and Yovani Gallardo via the trade market.
The Marlins’ offer to Kenley Jansen this winter was, perhaps unsurprisingly, extremely backloaded, Heyman reports. The deal would’ve paid Jansen something in the vicinity of $7MM in year one, $9MM in year two, $11MM in year three and $25MM in each of the final two years. That’d obviously be an advantageous structure for owner Jeffrey Loria, who is looking to sell the team.
The Padres and Tigers are both still looking to add to their roster, with San Diego focusing on shortstop options while Detroit pokes around the market for center field help. Heyman notes that the Friars would prefer a shortstop who is controlled beyond the 2017 season. Currently, the only MLB-ready, in-house option that fits that bill is Luis Sardinas.
The Twins were willing to pay Mike Napoli $11MM on a one-year deal or $16MM on a two-year pact, but Napoli instead is headed back to the Rangers on a one-year, $8.5MM deal with an option for the 2017 season that would allow him to match the $16MM total he could’ve made over two years in Minnesota. The slugger tells Heyman that he’s already made a lot of money in his career and instead prioritized winning.
The Rangers are still hoping to talk extension with Jonathan Lucroy and Yu Darvish. Lucroy tells Heyman that he “would absolutely love to stay” in Texas, adding that he likes the culture, the coaches and his teammates. The former Brewers backstop conceded that he at one point regretted signing his initial contract — a five-year deal with a club option that will end up paying him a total of $15.5MM over the six years — though it sounds like those days are behind him. (And, obviously, he’s poised to do quite well for himself in the very near future.) As for Darvish, Heyman notes that his agents may well try to use Stephen Strasburg’s seven-year, $175MM contract as a comp in negotiations, but the Rangers aren’t willing to push it that far to retain Darvish.

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