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Rangers Sign Jeremy Guthrie

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The Rangers have signed free agent pitcher Jeremy Guthrie to a minor league contract, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com was the first to report the two sides were close to an agreement while T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reported it was a minor pact. The deal is pending a physical.

Guthrie, soon to be 37, is coming off the worst season of his career. Pitching for the Royals, he posted a 5.95 ERA (5.62 FIP), 5.10 K/9, and 2.67 BB/9 in 148 innings. A career high line drive rate led to an above normal .315 BABIP (career .284 BABIP). He also had an elevated 14.1% HR/FB ratio although that has been a common problem for him in recent seasons.

Given that Kauffman Stadium is one of the most home run suppressant parks in baseball, a move to Texas’ Globe Life Park is not promising. Guthrie will compete with Chi Chi Gonzalez, Nick Martinez, and others for the fifth starter’s role. Colby Lewis, penciled in as the fourth starter, is recovery from a knee injury. Yu Darvish will also eventually rejoin the rotation mid-season.

In addition to competing for a rotation job, Guthrie provides a very necessary safety in the case of injury to Derek Holland or Martin Perez. Both pitchers have missed most of the last two seasons with various injuries.

AL West Notes: Scheppers, Nuno, Guerrero

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Rangers reliever Tanner Scheppers will have surgery on his left knee to repair torn articular cartilage, and he will be unavailable for the first half of the season, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan writes. Scheppers suffered a bone bruise in his left knee last year, but the Rangers don’t think his current injury is related. “He woke up a few days ago and the knee was a little puffy,” says GM Jon Daniels. “He can’t think of a moment where he tweaked it.” Scheppers, 29, pitched 38 1/3 innings last season, posting a 5.63 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9. Here’s more from the AL West.

  • Mariners manager Scott Servais says lefty Vidal Nuno will pitch only in relief this Spring, MLB.com’s Greg Johns tweets. (Servais also notes that the same is true of Danny Hultzen, although that had previously been reported.) Nuno arrived from Arizona in the Mark Trumbo / Welington Castillo deal last June and posted a 4.10 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in four months in Seattle. The 28-year-old was far more successful (1.91 ERA) in 37 2/3 innings in relief than he was in 51 1/3 innings as a starter (5.08 ERA), and he had a large platoon split, so he might ultimately prove most useful to the Mariners coming out of the bullpen.
  • Longtime Expos and Angels star Vladimir Guerrero will return to the Halos this spring as a guest instructor, Guerrero himself tweets. The 41-year-old Guerrero has been out of affiliated baseball since playing briefly in the Blue Jays’ minor league system in 2012. He signed, but never played, with the independent Long Island Ducks in 2013 before officially retiring with the Angels in 2014. He has, however, remained on the periphery of the game, with his son Vladimir Jr. now a top Jays prospect.

Rangers Extend Jeff Banister

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The Rangers announced on Friday that they have exercised their 2018 club option over manager Jeff Banister and added a new club option for the 2019 season to his contract as well. Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets that Banister essentially receives an entirely new contract, as he not only secures a 2019 option but also receives a salary raise.

That the decision on Banister comes well before the Rangers had any urgency to make the call indicates how pleased the front office and ownership was with the job that Banister did in 2015 — his first year as a big league manager. In terms of on-field results, there’s little for Rangers decision-makers to be unhappy with. Few pegged the injury-ravaged Rangers to contend in 2015, especially after ace Yu Darvish missed the season due to Tommy John surgery, but Banister’s club ultimately won the America League West on the strength of an 88-74 record. The Rangers’ strong performance under Banister earned him American League Manager of the Year honors in his rookie season as a skipper.

Banister’s Rangers enter the 2016 season with greater expectations. Darvish will return to the picture for much of the upcoming campaign, and the Rangers will enjoy a full season of trade-deadline acquisition Cole Hamels as well. Derek Holland and Martin Perez each hope to be ready for a full season as well after missing significant time early on in 2015.

Quick Hits: Offseason Moves, Moreland, Nats, Story

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ESPN’s Jayson Stark polled a vast number of executives to get their take on the offseason’s dealings. Stark asked execs to name the most-improved and least-improved clubs from each league, the best and worst free-agent signings and trades as well as the most outrageous contract issued this winter (among other categories). The D-backs and Red Sox were runaway winners in the “most-improved” category in the NL and AL, and Stark notes that a common refrain was that this type of hyper-aggressive offseason for the Diamondbacks was “hard to fathom.” Zack Greinke and David Price top the list of best free-agent signings in Stark’s poll, which I find rather curious, as each was a record-setting agreement for players, with Price landing the biggest deal ever for a pitcher and Greinke setting his own record in terms of average annual value. (I’d have figured more execs would’ve been down on the overwhelming risk that accompanies each deal.) The next two names on the list — Ben Zobrist and especially Howie Kendrick — are more in the line with the type of “value” signings one would expect to draw praise from executives. Other categories from Stark include best one-year deal — where, interestingly, Yoenis Cespedes received four votes due to the fact that few believe there’s any realistic chance of him opting into the final two years of his deal — best signing for $3MM or less and best minor league signing. The whole piece is a fun read for those who track offseason dealings carefully.

A few miscellaneous notes from around the league…

  • Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland revealed today that he played the final two months of the 2015 season with a stress fracture in his left foot, according to MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan. Moreland believed the stress fracture stemmed from alterations he made to his foot positioning following 2014 ankle surgery, but he’s healed up now and ready to go for the 2016 campaign. The exact date that the injury crept up isn’t specified, but Moreland’s .269/.326/.425 batting line from the season’s second half, while solid in its own right, pales in comparison to the .286/.333/.532 line he posted prior to the All-Star break. Additionally, Moreland describes a spur-of-the-moment meeting that he initiated with assistant GM Thad Levine the night before his arbitration hearing was scheduled, during which the two talked for about 90 minutes and resolved the matter themselves.
  • James Wagner of the Washington Post examines what might’ve been had Ian Desmond, Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister accepted extension offers from the Nationals when they were made. Desmond somewhat famously rejected a contract said to be seven years and $107MM, although as Wagner points out, that’s a bit misleading due to the fact that Desmond’s two-year, $17.5MM deal that covered the 2014-15 seasons was folded into that value, and the extension (unsurprisingly, in light of this offseason’s happenings) came with deferred money. Zimmermann received an extension offer of $105MM over five years and was narrowly able to top that in free agency, Wagner notes. (He doesn’t list specific numbers in reference to a Fister extension offer.) While the Nats hoped to extend all three players at one point, their absence now clears the way for players like Joe Ross, Tanner Roark and Trea Turner as well as offseason addition Daniel Murphy, in some regards.
  • Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes is expected to be suspended under MLB’s domestic violence policy at some point before the season begins, and Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post tweets that manager Walt Weiss indicated that shifting DJ LeMahieu (who inked a two-year deal with Colorado earlier today) over to shortstop is not a consideration. LeMahieu was a shortstop for much of his minor league tenure but has developed into a very sound defender at second base, so it stands to reason that the Rockies don’t want to alter his routine with a temporary position change. Rather, Weiss said that well-regarded prospect Trevor Story is in the mix for playing time in the very likely event that the team is without Reyes. All of this, of course, could have some impact on the aforementioned Desmond, who just yesterday was linked to the Rockies by FOX’s Ken Rosenthal.

Rangers Monitoring Market For Outfielders

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Josh Hamilton reported to camp with inflammation in his recently-repaired left knee, as MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan reports. With ongoing uncertainty surrounding his availability, the Rangers are keeping an eye on several options for bolstering the club’s outfield depth, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reports.

No deals are close to being struck at present, per FOX Sports, but the club is monitoring multiple possibilities. If it adds a bat, Texas would rather a left-handed hitter, though that isn’t seen as essential. The club wouldn’t be looking for a full-time regular so much as a veteran part-timer, it would appear.

One possibility raised in the report is a swap for Mets outfielder Alejandro De Aza. He was only just signed this winter — for one year and $5.75MM — and would therefore have the right to reject any deal. But De Aza has been discussed as a possible trade piece due to New York’s subsequent signing of Yoenis Cespedes.

Alternatives include free agents David Murphy and Will Venable, Morosi adds. Those two former Rangers remain unsigned, among several other notable players lined up as Dexter Fowler and Austin Jackson look for new homes. (For what it’s worth, Fowler and Jackson have long seemed speculative matches with Texas, though there’s no indication they are a present consideration.)

It’s interesting to wonder to what extent the Rangers would prioritize the addition of a center field-capable player. After all, as Sullivan notes, some combination of Justin Ruggiano and Ryan Rua (from the right side) and Joey Gallo, James Jones, or even Ike Davis (from the left) could potentially form a platoon in left if Hamilton misses time. Meanwhile, a potential partner for Delino DeShields Jr. wouldn’t be the worst idea, with only the unproven Jones representing an in-house candidate for that role. Both De Aza and Venable could present such an option.

Latest On Adrian Beltre, Rangers

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There’s long been chatter of a possible extension between the Rangers and veteran third baseman Adrian Beltre, and Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reports that there’s cause for optimism that a deal can be reached this spring.

Beltre is entering the final season of the five-year deal that brought him to Texas before the 2011 campaign. Texas exercised a club option for the 2016 season this time last year, locking in the decision ahead of time in exchange for a bit of salary shuffling on the part of Beltre.

It’s been a productive relationship thus far, to be sure, and both sides appear inclined to continue things past the present season. GM Jon Daniels said earlier in the winter that the club has interest in a new deal, and Beltre expressed much the same recently.

Beltre’s agent, Scott Boras, tells Morosi that there’s reason to think something can get done during camp. “I’d say there are certainly grounds for a discussion of advancing Adrian’s contract, yes,” Boras said when asked whether a deal could be in place by the start of the season. “I think Adrian already had a discussion with them, in which he expressed a desire to stay,” he added. “They want him there, and we’re going to work on that.”

It’s unclear at this point what kind of contract would be considered. Beltre will soon turn 37, is coming off of thumb surgery, and did slip a bit at the plate last year — posting a still-strong .287/.334/.453 slash after carrying a .899 OPS over his five prior campaigns. Then again, it’s notable that he managed not only to stay productive at the plate but also to continue playing premier-level defense while battling through the serious thumb issue for most of the year.

Certainly, Beltre would have plenty of value on the open market if he can match his 2015 campaign, and would be pursued that much more heavily if he can bounce back to his lofty prior levels. There’s some uncertainty, but also some upside, that will surely impact his earning capacity. On the other side of the equation, Texas will need to weigh the presence of rising players in the organization, including top prospect Joey Gallo and even former top prospect Jurickson Profar, whose respective development paths could impact the team’s infield mix. But even if those players hit their ceilings, there’s probably enough flexibility to get all involved the plate appearances they’d need. While Gallo is a third baseman by trade, he has dabbled in the outfield and could also slide across the diamond with Mitch Moreland headed for free agency.

Minor MLB Transactions: 2-15-16

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We’ll kick off the week with today’s roundup of outright assignments and minor signings from around the league…

  • Right-hander Chad Jenkins, whom the Blue Jays designated for assignment upon signing Gavin Floyd to a one-year deal, has been outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo, according to the Jays’ transactions page at MLB.com. The 28-year-old posted a 3.25 ERA with the Blue Jays in 97 innings from 2012-14 but saw just 3 2/3 innings in the big league bullpen last season. Jenkins, the 20th overall pick in 2009, instead spent the bulk of the season in Buffalo, where he logged a 2.98 ERA with a 60-to-26 K/BB ratio in 93 2/3 innings (11 starts, 30 relief appearances).
  • The Rockies have signed a familiar face, per Baseball America’s Matt Eddy; infielder Chris Nelson is back with the club on a minor league deal. Nelson, now 30, spent 10 seasons in the Rockies organization after being selected ninth overall in the 2004 draft. He batted .279/.322/.416 in 212 big league games with the Rox from 2010-13 but went on to struggle away from the hitter-friendly Coors Field in stints with the Padres, Angels and Yankees.
  • Right-hander Clayton Mortensen, 31 in April, is back with the Royals on a minor league deal for the second consecutive season, according to Eddy. Another former top pick (36th overall in 2007), Mortensen was one of the players sent from the Cardinals to the A’s in the 2009 Matt Holliday trade. Mortensen posted solid big league numbers (3.59 ERA in 100 1/3 innings) from 2011-12 with the Rockies and Red Sox but hasn’t appeared in the Majors since 2013. He’s worked to a 5.12 ERA in 184 2/3 innings for Kansas City’s Triple-A affiliate across the past two seasons.
  • The Rangers signed shortstop Doug Bernier to a minors deal last week, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter). Bernier, 35, won’t receive an invite to Major League camp, but the veteran infielder will provide some up-the-middle depth for Texas’ Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock. Bernier spent the past three seasons in the Twins organization and was a feel-good story for the 2013 team, as he reached the Majors that year for the first time a brief two-game appearance with the 2008 Rockies (at the time, his only prior MLB experience). Bernier appeared in 44 games with Minnesota from 2013-15 and tallied 79 plate appearances, hitting .231/.351/.292. He’s a career .255/.346/.345 hitter in nine seasons at Triple-A and is known for his solid glove at shortstop, second base and third base.

Rangers To Sign Ike Davis To Minor League Deal

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8:59pm: The contract contains an invite to the Rangers’ big league Spring Training camp, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets.

8:20pm: The Rangers will sign first baseman Ike Davis to a minor league contract, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).  Reports earlier in the week suggested Davis was close to finding a new home, with the Yankees noted as one of the teams in the hunt for Davis’ services.  The Brewers were also linked to Davis earlier this winter.

Davis, 28, has spent the last three seasons looking to recapture the form that saw him slug 32 homers for the Mets in 2012.  Since that seeming breakout year, Davis has hit just .222/.328/.356 over 1043 plate appearances with the Mets, Pirates and Athletics, and his career-long struggles against southpaws has limited the left-handed hitting Davis to only part-time action against righty pitching.  His rough 2015 season in Oakland came to an abrupt end after undergoing hip labrum surgery in August, and the A’s then non-tendered Davis rather than pay him a projected $3.8MM in arbitration.

From the Rangers’ perspective, Davis is a low-cost reclamation project who can be used as minor league depth at the very least.  There isn’t a clear path to Major League playing time for Davis on the Texas roster, given that the Rangers’ other top first base/DH options (Prince Fielder, Mitch Moreland, Josh Hamilton) are all also left-handed hitters.

AL West Notes: Rangers, Trout, Davis, Astros, Castro

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Rangers GM Jon Daniels wouldn’t say that the Royals’ success served as the blueprint for constructing his team’s bullpen, but it’s clear that Texas is counting on big production from its relievers, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes.  Texas is optimistic about being able to get strong performances from Shawn Tolleson, Sam Dyson, Jake Diekman, Tom Wilhelmsen, Keone Kela, and Tony Barnette in 2016.  “You can dream it up to be a pretty powerful bullpen, and we have the luxury to shorten the game if we need to,” manager Jeff Banister said. “Our bullpen has an opportunity to be as strong a bullpen as there is in baseball.”

Here’s more from around the AL West…

  • Could the Angels trade Mike Trout?  It’s a far-fetched notion at the moment, though ESPN’s Keith Law off-handedly raised the subject in his recent farm system rankings when he opined that Anaheim might have to consider dealing Trout unless it drafts some good prospects for its beleaguered farm system.  Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register doesn’t think a Trout deal is anywhere near the Halos’ radar screen right now, though if the 2016 season is a disappointment, the Angels may indeed have to unload some Major League talent to get younger.  Even if this scenario happens, however, Garrett Richards or Kole Calhoun are more likely to be shopped than Trout.  Four of five executives and scouts polled by John Perrotto of Today’s Knuckleball wouldn’t trade Trout, and the fifth would only do so for a big package of MLB-ready talent and elite prospects.
  • Perrotto’s piece also contains comments from a scout who feels the Athletics made a “great pickup” in obtaining Khris Davis from the Brewers.  “Power has become so much more scarce in recent years that I’m surprised that Oakland could get a guy like Davis so cheaply,” the scout said.
  • The Astros’ rebuild may be over in the sense they reached the playoffs in 2015, though Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle observes that this offseason has given little indication as to how the team will operate in business-as-usual mode rather than as a team that’s still adding pieces.  Houston has had a relatively quiet winter, though two sources tell Drellich that the team made some strong pursuits for major free agents and also had “substantial” extension talks with core players.  GM Jeff Luhnow reiterated that the Astros is ready and willing to spend when the opportunity arises, though they won’t sign or extend players just for the sake of staying active if such deals aren’t a fit.
  • Also within Drellich’s piece, he mentions that the Astros and Jason Castro discussed multi-year contracts prior to the filing of arbitration numbers.  The two sides talked about two-year deals and a three-year deal with an option, though since no agreement was reached before the filing deadline, Houston took a “file-and-trial” stance and went ahead to an arbitration hearing.  (The club won that hearing.)  Castro is entering his last year under contract, and while the backstop’s hitting numbers have declined over the last couple of years, he is still a highly-regarded defender known to have a good relationship with the Astros’ starters.

International Notes: Gurriel Bros., July 2 Spending

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Cuban star Yulieski Gurriel, who reportedly defected recently with younger brother Lourdes Gurriel, may have an easier path to free agency than had been expected. Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald reports that both brothers have moved across the border from the Dominican Republic to Haiti, which is a popular launching point for Cuban players seeking to make it to the majors. (Spanish language link.) Importantly, per the report, the 31-year-old infielder has already established Panamanian residency, which might well provide a faster route to the open market since some hurdles would already be cleared. Ebro provides other interesting details on the situation of the famed elder Gurriel brother, who is apparently looking to take his last chance at playing in the majors in his prime. Though he’ll soon turn 32, Gurriel is considered a prime talent and will create an interesting market situation — remember, quality infielders such as Ian Desmond, David Freese, and Juan Uribe remain unsigned — if and when he is deemed eligible to sign. The younger Lourdes, meanwhile, still appears likely to wait until October to ink an agreement, when he’ll be old enough to fall ouside of international signing restrictions.

Here are some more notes on the international market:

  • The Brewers, Cardinals, Phillies, and Rangers are expected to have an active year in the coming July 2 market, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports, though it’s not yet clear to what extent any of those teams will be willing to go past their pool allocation. We’ve already heard that the Braves, Nationals, and Padres are expected to make significant moves this summer, likely incurring maximum penalties for exceeding their international spending limits. With numerous big spenders on the sidelines after blowing past their own caps in prior years, there’s some opportunity for other clubs to step in and seek to sign their own slate of talented youngsters out of Latin America.
  • Sanchez goes on to discuss the market more generally, explaining that expectations are the non-Cuban market will produce a few significant bonuses (around $3MM to $4MM) with several other players receiving seven-figure paydays as well. He further notes that there figures to be quite a bit of competition as teams capped at $300K bonuses look to add lower-bonus names. The Angels, Diamondbacks, Rays, Red Sox, and Yankees are halfway through their two-year restricted periods, while the Blue Jays, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, and Royals are set to join them for the coming signing period.
  • There’s a notable showcase event being held today in Santo Domingo that will feature many of the players being targeted by the aforementioned teams, as Sanchez further reports. 59 prospects from seven nations will be there, including top Venezuelan youngster Kevin Maitan (who is favored to sign with the Braves). Other intriguing players are on hand, per Sanchez, including Mexican outfielder Tirso Ornelas, Panamanian righty Edisson Gonzalez, and Dominican outfielder Jeisson Rosario.
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