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Minor MLB Transactions: 1/29/16

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Here are the day’s minor moves:

  • Righty Steve Johnson has signed on to a minor league pact with the Rangers, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets. He’ll get a spring invite. Johnson lost his 40-man spot with the Orioles earlier in the winter. The 28-year-old has seen limited major league time over the past several years, but has put up some intriguing numbers in the upper minors. Last year, he threw 54 2/3 Triple-A frames with a 2.30 ERA and 11.0 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9.
  • The Reds have agreed to terms with lefty Jonathan Sanchez, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports on Twitter. Sanchez, 33, hasn’t seen the majors since a brief stop with the Pirates in 2013. Best known as a former starter with the Giants, Sanchez has seen only minimal action in organized ball over the last two seasons and will be looking to get back to action in the Cincinnati organization.
  • Veteran infielder Maicer Izturis has joined the Blue Jays and will head to major league camp, the team announced. The 35-year-old switch-hitter missed last year with shoulder surgery. Izturis will presumably try to battle onto the roster as a utility candidate. It’s been a while since he’s posted league-average numbers at the plate, but he is a versatile defender.

Avoiding Arbitration: Jake Diekman, Robbie Ross

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We’ll track the day’s lower-value arbitration settlements right here:

  • Lefty Jake Diekman has agreed to a $1.255MM deal with the Rangers, Heyman adds on Twitter. The 29-year-old put up stellar results in Texas, though he still ended the year with a 4.01 ERA after a tough start in the run prevention department before his mid-season trade from the Phillies. He had projected at $1MM, so he’ll beat that while falling just shy of the midpoint between his $1.55MM request and the team’s $975K filing.

Earlier Updates

  • The Red Sox have avoided arbitration with lefty Robbie Ross Jr. by agreeing on a $1.25MM salary, Jon Heyman tweets. That’s just a shade over the $1.2MM midpoint between his and the team’s filing numbers, as well as the projected $1.1MM tab. The 26-year-old reached arbitration eligibility for the first time after throwing 60 2/3 innings of 3.86 ERA ball last year for Boston. He struck out 7.9 and walked 3.0 batters per nine in the bounceback campaign.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1-27-16

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Here are today’s minor league signings from around baseball…

  • The Cubs and left-handed reliever Nick Greenwood have agreed to a minor league contract, MLBTR has learned. The 28-year-old Greenwood was originally drafted by the Padres in 2009 but traded to the Cardinals in the three-team Jake Westbrook/Corey Kluber/Ryan Ludwick trade back in 2010. Greenwood made a brief appearance in the Majors last season but was more heavily relied upon in 2014, when he pitched 36 innings with a 4.75 ERA and a 17-to-5 K/BB ratio for St. Louis. The Rhode Island product has been used as both a starter and a reliever throughout his minor league career, though he’ll return to working primarily as a reliever in 2016 after starting for much of the 2015 campaign. Greenwood has a lifetime 4.99 ERA at the Triple-A level, where he’s averaged 4.9 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9 in 313 2/3 innings of work. Greenwood’s deal doesn’t contain an invite to big league Spring Training, so he’ll hope to earn his way back to the Majors by replicating his 2014 performance from Triple-A.
  • The Astros announced yesterday that they’ve signed left-hander Edwar Cabrera and infielder Danny Worth to minor league deals. The 28-year-old Cabrera briefly saw Major League time with the Rockies in 2012 but has otherwise spent his career in the minors, where he owns a 4.21 ERA with 9.4 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9 in 77 innings at the Triple-A level and a 3.15 ERA, 7.1 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 277 innings at Double-A. As for Worth, the 30-year-old has considerably more big league experience, having tallied 292 plate appearances with the Tigers from 2010-14. He’s a career .230/.293/.295 hitter in the Majors but can play all over the infield and owns a .256/.335/.374 batting line in parts of eight seasons at Triple-A. Both Worth and Cabrera were invited to Major League Spring Training.
  • The Rangers announced today that they’ve re-signed right-hander Nick Tepesch to a minor league deal and invited him to Spring Training. The 27-year-old missed the 2015 season and underwent thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in August, but the press release announcing the move indicates that he’s throwing off a mound and will be ready for Spring Training. Tepesch appeared in 42 games — 39 of them starts — for the Rangers from 2013-14, logging a 4.56 ERA with 5.4 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 in 219 innings of work. Presumably, he’ll serve as rotation depth.

Shawn Tolleson, Charlie Blackmon Avoid Arbitration

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While the majority of the 156 players that filed for salary arbitration last week have agreed to terms with their teams, either on a one-year deal for 2016 or on an extension, the cases of more than 20 players remain unresolved. You can track the status of each case using MLBTR’s 2016 Arbitration Tracker, and we’ll keep track of all of today’s smaller deals to avoid arbitration in this post (all referenced projections via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)…

  • Center fielder Charlie Blackmon and the Rockies have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $3.5MM, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The Rockies had filed for a $2.7MM salary figure against Blackmon’s number of $3.9MM. That placed the midpoint at $3.3MM, which Blackmon cleared by $200K. The 29-year-old Blackmon is coming off a season in which he slashed .287/.347/.450 with 17 home runs and 43 stolen bases in 157 games/682 plate appearances. That served as a strong followup to a breakout 2014 campaign and cemented Blackmon as fixture in the Colorado outfield (though his name has come up in trade speculation this winter).

Earlier Updates

  • The Rangers announced that they’ve signed closer Shawn Tolleson to a one-year deal, thus avoiding arbitration. Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets that the right-hander will earn $3.275MM next season. Tolleson, 28, broke out as a setup man with the Rangers in 2014 and seized the keys to the ninth inning from Neftali Feliz early this season. It was a seamless transition from the seventh/eighth inning to the ninth inning for Tolleson, who worked to a strong 2.99 ERA with 9.5 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and a 42.4 percent ground-ball rate in 72 1/3 innings. Tolleson racked up the first 35 saves of his career along the way, cementing himself at the back of the Texas bullpen. Tolleson had filed for a $3.9MM salary, while the team countered at $2.6MM. The eventual landing spot agreed upon is $25K higher than the $3.25MM midpoint between those two figures and comes in considerably north of the $2.6MM projected by Swartz’s model. With Tolleson’s case settled, the Rangers have just Jake Diekman and Mitch Moreland remaining as unresolved arbitration cases, as can be seen in the tracker linked to above.

West Notes: Darvish, Ethier, Wilson, Hamilton, Gallardo

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Major league baseball has determined Rangers’ starter Yu Darvish was not involved in the gambling ring operated by his brother, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The story broke last week, although at no point in time was Darvish directly implicated. Based on the most recent reports, Darvish remains on pace to return to the Rangers in mid-May.

Here’s more from the western divisions:

  • Dodgers’ outfielder Andre Ethier is set to earn 10-and-5 rights in April, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times. The club has long been rumored to be shopping the outfielder who has two years and $38MM guaranteed on his contract. He could also earn an additional $15MM in 2018 via a vesting option (550 PA in 2017). After a shaky 2014 that saw him relegated to a bench role, Ethier rebounded in 2015 with a .294/.366/.486 line over 445 plate appearances. However, the team used him in a strict platoon. The Dodgers may find it difficult to find a suitor unless they pick up a large portion of his remaining contract. On the plus side, the platoon role almost ensures he won’t trigger his vesting option. Now that Dexter Fowler is the top free agent outfielder on the market, the Dodgers may find it easier to shop Ethier.
  • Teams have asked about Angels’ starter C.J. Wilson, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Per Heyman, clubs view Wilson as a buy-low candidate, but the Angels have yet to receive an acceptable offer. I would add that the team’s starting pitching depth is a bit of a concern. While they have eight starting pitchers on the 40-man roster, names like Matt Shoemaker, Tyler Skaggs, Nick Tropeano, and Andrew Heaney are either coming of a bad season, recovering from injury, or unestablished at the major league level. However, escaping from part of the $20MM owed to him in 2016 could help the club address another position.
  • Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton will have his playing time carefully managed in 2016 due to knee inflammation, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Hamilton received a cortisone shot on Thursday. GM Jon Daniels described the joint as structurally sound. The aftermath of two surgeries could result in occasional flare-ups like this. Texas has plenty of outfield depth, particularly on the farm where Joey Gallo, Nomar Mazara, Lewis Brinson, and others wait in the wings. Gallo and Mazara are on the 40-man roster.
  • Rockies GM Jeff Bridich has downplayed Colorado’s interest in free agent starter Yovani Gallardo, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. In recent days, there have been several reports linking the Rockies with Gallardo as one of three finalists. While Bridich characterized talks as merely “checking in,” Saunders speculates that a signing could still come. At the very least, there appears to be some degree of mutual interest.

AL West Notes: Hultzen, Beltre, Profar, Astros

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This year in Spring Training, Mariners pitcher and 2011 No. 2 overall draft pick Danny Hultzen will make the transition to pitching in relief, Ryan Divish notes for Baseball America (subscription only). It’s been a long fall for Hultzen, who was outrighted in November after his career was derailed by shoulder issues. Hultzen has pitched only 43 2/3 innings in the last three seasons. “Anybody in the league is making that same pick,” says GM Jerry Dipoto, who wasn’t in the organization when the Mariners selected Hultzen. “It’s unfortunate that it has worked out the way it has. But as I said to Danny on the phone when I told him we were removing him from the roster—I want to see him pitch in the big leagues.” Here’s more from the AL West.

  • Adrian Beltre, who is eligible for free agency next winter, sees no reason why he wouldn’t consider an extension with the Rangers, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan writes. Sullivan further notes that Beltre and the Rangers have had preliminary conversations. “[GM Jon Daniels] did what he promised in keeping the team around to win,” Beltre says. “Right now I’m confident with the way everything is going, there is no reason why I don’t want to stay here.” The Rangers have had a quiet offseason, with Tom Wilhelmsen, Tony Barnette and Justin Ruggiano among their key acquisitions. (They also re-signed Colby Lewis to bolster their rotation.) Obviously, though, their in-season addition of Cole Hamels, and subsequent division win, might have some impact on Beltre’s thinking. Beltre will be 37 near the start of the 2016 season, and he took a step back offensively last year, although his still-excellent defense continues to make him an impact player.
  • The Rangers could effectively add another player this season in Jurickson Profar. Profar is throwing 135 feet expects to be 100% by mid-March, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. The former top infield prospect missed the entire 2015 season due to shoulder trouble, although he hit well in the Arizona Fall League after the season.
  • The Astros might have another move or two up their sleeves this offseason, Jon Heyman tweets. They were in on Justin Upton and have checked in on starting pitching, and owner Jim Crane tells Heyman the team has been “nosing around” for more talent. Lately, they’ve been connected to Yovani Gallardo, the top starting pitcher left on the free agent market.

Brewers, Angels, Rangers, Cubs Among Possible Austin Jackson Suitors

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The Brewers, Angels, and Rangers are among the teams that have at least some level of interest in outfielder Austin Jackson, according to a report from ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter). Meanwhile, he adds, the Cubs could conceivably bring Jackson back “for the right price.”

We haven’t heard much at all on the market for Jackson, who has endured  a tough run of late but remains an intriguing player as he nears his 29th birthday. He’s queued up behind Dexter Fowler among center fielders, and Fowler could well be waiting to see what happens with Yoenis Cespedes before he commits to a contract.

But Jackson is a notable free agent in his own right. He entered the offseason placing 35th on the top-fifty list of MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes, landing with a one-year, $12MM prediction. As Dierkes noted at the time, it has always been unclear whether Jackson would land with some kind of multi-year arrangement or instead take a one-year pillow deal in hopes of finding a bigger contract next winter.

At his best, Jackson has delivered pop and speed to go with a quality glove in center — rather a difficult mix to find. Indeed, he tallied over 15 rWAR in his first three years in the league. Things have trended downward since, as Jackson owns a cumulative .269/.319/.382 batting line since the start of 2013.

While teams probably won’t be expecting a return to his established ceiling, even the diminished Jackson looks to be a useful performer. He’s still a capable center fielder with near a league-average bat, and has traditionally performed about as well against both left-handed and right-handed pitching. And it isn’t difficult to see the reasoning behind the interest from the clubs that appear in Crasnick’s report.

As MLBTR’s Steve Adams explained in today’s podcast (around the 21:00 mark), in fact, Jackson looks like a nice fit with Texas since he could fill in all across the outfield. Los Angeles has long been seeking a solution in left field, while the Brewers’ could certainly stand to add a solid veteran in center — potentially with the hope of flipping him at the deadline or extending a qualifying offer after the season. And Chicago obviously was interested enough to add Jackson late last year. He’d possibly add an up-the-middle option to the Cubs’ outfield mix, especially if the team were to strike a trade involving Jorge Soler.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1-20-16

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Here are today’s minor moves from around the league…

  • The Rangers and outfielder Jordan Danks agreed to a minor league contract yesterday, reports Jon Heyman (Twitter link). The younger brother of White Sox left-hander John Danks, Jordan spent the 2015 season in the Phillies organization, where he received four big league plate appearances but was otherwise a fixture in the club’s Triple-A lineup, batting .257/.318/.368 with six homers and five steals in 448 plate appearances. Danks has a considerable amount of time in the Majors under his belt, having accumulated 390 big league plate appearances over the years — with 386 of them coming as a teammate of his brother with the ChiSox. He’s a career .224/.300/.322 hitter in the Majors and is capable of playing all three outfield positions.

Reactions To And Effects Of The Justin Upton Deal

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Last night’s news that the Tigers had landed Justin Upton surprised some, who felt that his market may have dried up. But while pitching was first in the queue this winter, we’ve seen a steady stream of position player signings at or near expectations ever since we hit 2016.

With the agreement set to be announced tomorrow after a physical, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter link), here are some reactions to and ramifications of the move:

  • Both the Nationals and Astros had expressed interest in Upton, and “may” look instead at top remaining free agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. Neither team looks in need of a player at that position, of course, but both are in position to be opportunistic. (Houston has been fairly quiet after a bold trade deadline, while Washington still appears to be about $30MM shy of its 2015 payroll after several moves.)
  • The Braves also had conversations with Upton, says Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, but the club was only discussing a six-year deal at a “significantly lower average annual value” than Upton’s new contract provides. GM John Coppolella acknowledged the chats, adding that his club will “remain both opportunistic and disciplined.”
  • Tigers owner Mike Ilitch was “absolutely ready” to sign Chris Davis, tweets Jon Heyman, but GM Al Avila talked him out of taking that route. From where I stand, that seems wise; unless Detroit was convinced that Davis could play the corner outfield on a regular basis for at least another year or two, it’s hard to see how he’d fit.
  • Once the decision was made to focus on Upton, Avila and skipper Brad Ausmus went to Phoenix and negotiated with Upton over the weekend, Nightengale reports. Per the report, the White Sox, Rangers, and Astros were other key teams in the hunt for Upton.
  • A source with knowledge of the Astros’ side of things tells Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle that the interest was never very “serious.” It does not appear that the ’Stros talked about much more than a three-year scenario. (While it isn’t clear what kind of ideas might have been batted around, MLBTR’s Steve Adams has written about the plausibility of an opt-out-driven, high-AAV, multi-year pillow contract concept.)
  • Ilitch’s latest big move proves that he’s the “most munificent owner in professional sports,” Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports argues. Certainly, he’s proven willing on plenty of occasions to plunk down the cash needed to arm his ballclub, this time cracking the luxury tax ceiling to add Upton. (They’ve done so previously on at least one occasion.)
  • From my perspective, it seems that Detroit got a nice price on a prime-aged free agent. The price comes in well below our expectations here at MLBTR, and even further below what Upton might have commanded with a bigger platform year. It may or may not be reasonable to hope that he has some growth remaining as a player, but even the current package makes for a solid investment given his age. As always, there’s risk. But as major win-now, open-market moves go, it’s hard to do much better.

AL West Notes: Sucre, Cespedes, Rangers’ Rotation

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Mariners catcher Jesus Sucre suffered a fractured fibula this weekend playing in the Venezuelan Winter League, the Mariners confirmed to Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. (Venezuelan journalist Marcos Grunfeld first reported the injury.) The 27-year-old Sucre received a career-high 142 plate appearances last season, serving as a backup catcher in Seattle. The offseason additions of Chris Iannetta and Steve Clevenger make it unlikely that Sucre would’ve broken camp with the Mariners, but the fact that he may miss the beginning of Spring Training, per Dutton, clouds his role with the club even further. Sucre is a lifetime .178/.206/.229 hitter in 235 plate appearances at the Major League level. While his bat is light, Sucre has caught 40 percent of potential base-stealers in his big league career and rated as a well above-average pitch framer in 2015.

Here’s more from the AL West…

  • Despite a number of executives recently speculating to MLB Network’s Peter Gammons that the Astros could be a landing spot for Yoenis Cespedes, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle spoke to a source that made a Cespedes/Houston match unlikely. A separate source confirmed to Drellich that Cespedes is still seeking a very lucrative long-term deal, and as he notes, there’s no precedent of current Astros ownership green-lighting a $100MM+ contract. Drellich hears that the Astros, for instance, never pursued Chris Davis despite the possible need of a first baseman. GM Jeff Luhnow wouldn’t rule out further moves for his club this offseason, but he also didn’t sound to be aggressively seeking any upgrades. “We’re monitoring the players that are available and trying to figure out if there’s a fit, and when I say available, I don’t mean only via free agency. There’s discussions with other teams about trade possibilities as well.”
  • If the Rangers make another move to add to their rotation, it’d likely be a depth piece, GM Jon Daniels told reporters, including Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News, earlier today. “If we do anything else where the rotation is concerned, it would be more along the lines of depth,” said Daniels. “There have been physical issues with some of our guys, and we’re cognizant of that.” As Fraley notes, Texas has four locks for the rotation in the form of Cole Hamels, Derek Holland, Martin Perez and the recently re-signed Colby Lewis. Ace Yu Darvish won’t be back until mid-May, at the earliest, Fraley writes, so the Rangers could pursue a possible piece to fill his rotation spot until then. Of course, Texas also has Chi Chi Gonzalez and Nick Martinez as depth options on the 40-man roster, in addition to non-roster invitees A.J. Griffin and Cesar Ramos (who will be stretched from reliever to starter this spring, the club revealed when announcing his signing).
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