AL West Notes: Beltre, Parker, Mariners
Rangers GM Jon Daniels says he will speak to Adrian Beltre‘s agent, Scott Boras, this weekend, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes (Twitter links). Daniels apparently did not reveal much about the content of those talks, but said the Rangers would like to keep Beltre, who is eligible for free agency after the season. As Gerry Fraley of the Morning News notes, Beltre would prefer not to negotiate in-season, and the two parties would have to reach a deal by Monday to prevent that from happening. At last check, there was a “significant gap” between the two sides, with the soon-to-be-37-year-old Beltre looking for a hefty three-year deal. Both parties have, however, shown interest in reaching a deal. On a separate note, Daniels also suggested it was unlikely the Rangers would make an outside addition to their roster before Opening Day. Here’s more from the AL West.
- Athletics righty Jarrod Parker has now undergone surgery, as expected, to repair his ulnar collateral ligament and flexor tendon, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. The procedure was described as successful, but the 27-year-old faces yet another lengthy and uncertain rehabilitation process after already working back from two prior Tommy John surgeries. This time, of course, it will be even less straightforward (though he didn’t require a new UCL), since he’s also suffered two fractures to the medial epicyndyle area that typically anchors the UCL. The Chronicle’s Susan Slusser takes a closer look at the medicine involved.
- It isn’t official yet, but the Mariners‘ Opening Day roster appears set, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune writes. Steve Clevenger appears likely to win the backup catcher job over Rob Brantly. Both are out of options, so one will need to go through waivers. Relievers Charlie Furbush (shoulder) and Evan Scribner (lat), meanwhile, seem likely to head to the 15-day DL. 1B/OF Efren Navarro, outfielder Daniel Robertson and pitchers Donn Roach and Blake Parker appear likely to head to Triple-A Tacoma, leaving the Mariners with a 25-man that would require extra 40-man space only for non-roster reliever Joel Peralta.
Rangers, Indians Discussing Reliever-For-Starter Scenarios
The Rangers have yet to declare a fifth starter as they work to assess possible trade scenarios for adding another rotation piece, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Most recently, the club has engaged the Indians in talks about a swap that would send a reliever from Texas to Cleveland in exchange for a starting pitcher.
Texas appears to have interest in improving over A.J. Griffin for the final rotation slot while strengthening its long-term depth. As for Cleveland, the team’s pen currently projects to include several reclamation arms — including Joba Chamberlain, Ross Detwiler, and Dan Otero — and could certainly benefit from an acquistion.
As Grant notes, there’s little question that the top three Indians’ arms aren’t changing hands. But the next three men up — Cody Anderson, Josh Tomlin, and Trevor Bauer — are seemingly in play. Bauer, of course, was just bumped to the pen in a surprising move after a strong spring. It’s not clear which of the three is under discussion.
It’s also not apparent which member of the deep Texas pen could be parted with. Grant says that the club had previously talked about both Shawn Tolleson and Keone Kela with the Diamondbacks, though that was in an effort to get Archie Bradley. Other Rangers’ late-inning arms with appeal include Tom Wilhelmsen, Sam Dyson, and lefty Jake Diekman.
Of course, it’s also possible that a less significant match-up could make sense. Cleveland has other rotation options — T.J. House comes to mind — that could probably be had for less. And Texas has a number of other pen candidates, including just-designated southpaw Sam Freeman.
West Notes: Dodgers, Wood, Wolters, Bush
After a Spring Training in which they’ve beset by injuries, the Dodgers‘ thrifty offseason looms large, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes. The Dodgers’ lengthy injury list (including players who were hurt before the spring started) currently features Andre Ethier, Brett Anderson, Hyun-jin Ryu, Brandon McCarthy and Frankie Montas, who all figure to miss significant time, along with Howie Kendrick, Yasmani Grandal, Mike Bolsinger and others, whose maladies currently appear to be somewhat less serious. “It’s one of those freak things, that everything is happening at once,” says Kendrick. “Better it happen here than later, and then hopefully we get on with our season.” The Dodgers’ core issue, as Nightengale sees it, is that despite being a financial powerhouse, they want to succeed by accumulating depth and staying patient, rather than by paying the prices (either in money or in top prospects, of which they have many) necessary to acquire star players. That means they won’t be willing to trade their best young talent for upgrades now, even when they’ve been bitten by the injury bug. Here’s more from the West divisions.
- Dodgers starter Alex Wood looks like a rebound candidate, FanGraphs’ Jeff Sullivan writes. That would be a bit of good news for the team’s beleaguered rotation. Wood has raised his release point, which had fallen during his uneven 2015 season. He might also be in the process of regaining some of the velocity he’s lost as well — it fell from an average of 91.7 MPH in 2013 to 89.3 last season, and his pitches this spring have been closer to his 2013 levels.
- Catcher Tony Wolters was an unlikely choice to make the Rockies‘ roster, but he’ll head north with the big-league team thanks in part to his ability to play at the middle infield positions as well as behind the plate, Nick Groke of the Denver Post writes. When the Rockies claimed Wolters in February, he had never played above the Double-A level. He initially played shortstop in the Indians organization before switching to catching in 2013. That versatility could make him more useful in extra-inning games — and, I’d think, in long games in general, of which Coors Field has many. “We didn’t know the kid until spring training started,” says manager Walt Weiss. “Over the course of six weeks, he won a lot of people over. That’s hard to do in this game.”
- The Rangers believe Matt Bush could pitch in the Major Leagues in 2016, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. Bush, of course, was the first overall pick by the Padres in the 2004 draft, but the path he’s taken since then has been rocky, to say the least. He flamed out as a shortstop, and more troublingly, had a number of run-ins with the law, including a drunk-driving incident that resulted in him hitting a motorcyclist and spending more than three years in jail. But one member of the Rangers’ minor-league staff, Roy Silver, was in contact with Bush during his incarceration and had experience working with Josh Hamilton and other addicts. Bush, now a pitcher, is currently hitting 100 MPH from the mound.
AL Notes: Furbush, Blue Jays, Athletics, Rangers, Holaday
Mariners southpaw Charlie Furbush is undergoing a blood injection therapy to his shoulder in hopes of speeding his recovery, MLB.com’s Greg Johns reports, but he might not return to action for “several months.” Furbush suggested that he could resume throwing in about three weeks’ time, but given his rotator cuff issues last year and continued difficulties, it certainly seems likely that the club will bring him along cautiously.
Here’s more from the American League:
- We checked in earlier today on Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion, as he’s not expected to engage in further contract talks before the season starts. Jon Heyman of MLB Network joins Ben Nicholson-Smith in reporting that there’s nothing scheduled with Encarnacion (Twitter link).
- Heyman also adds on Twitter that Jose Bautista could be willing to consider a four-year arrangement to stay in Toronto, despite his ask of five or even six years in an extension. Of course, that would be at a superstar rate of pay — Heyman suggests $30MM annually. The club, meanwhile, is believed to be interested in a three-year pact that might looking something like the Yoenis Cespedes deal.
- The Athletics could continue to hold contract talks with outfielder Josh Reddick into the regular season, John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group reports. (Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle noted yesterday evening that talks between the two sides were “percolating a little bit.”)While previous indications were that there’d be a deadline at the end of the spring, it appears there’s a willingness to keep talking if negotiations are showing sufficient promise of completion. If a new deal can’t be struck, Reddick will reach free agency after the season. He currently sits at sixth among pending free agents on the pre-season power rankings by MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes.
- Athletics righty R.J. Alvarez underwent a procedure to remove bone chips from his pitching elbow, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. Alvarez was roughed up in his twenty MLB innings last year and has yet to harness his command, but has generated some whiffs with his mid-90s fastball and slider combo.
- The Indians have shifted Trevor Bauer into the bullpen to open the season, as Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal was among those to report. That leaves Cody Anderson and the just-extended Josh Tomlin as the four and five starters as things get underway. As Lewis notes, both Bauer and Anderson have displayed significant increases in their fastball velocity this year. Both president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and manager Terry Francona emphasized that Bauer remains in the rotation picture and will play a significant role — indeed, he had strong results this spring — but it’s certainly an interesting decision on a highly promising player who has yet to fully settle in at the major league level. It bears noting that the 25-year-old is all but certain to qualify as a Super Two after the season, so any loss of innings could have a significant impact on his future earnings.
- Injured catcher Chris Gimenez will suit up for the Rangers on Wednesday in a “last-ditch effort” to make the team, Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram tweets. Gimenez currently appears to be on the outside looking in after the Rangers acquired Bryan Holaday from the Tigers. The catcher will now have to make a big impression on team brass while dealing with an infected left leg.
- At one point, the Tigers would have asked for catcher Brett Nicholas and more for Holaday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets. However, the Rangers were able to acquire Holaday while hanging on to Nicholas. Instead, they parted only with right-hander Myles Jaye and catcher Bobby Wilson. Meanwhile, Detroit plans on slotting the newly-acquired Jaye in their Double-A rotation, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. In the long term, he says, the club believes that Jaye can be a major league reliever.
Rangers Acquire Bryan Holaday From Tigers
The Rangers announced that they have acquired catcher Bryan Holaday from the Tigers in exchange for right-hander Myles Jaye and catcher Bobby Wilson. In a related move, the Rangers have designated left-handed pitcher Sam Freeman for assignment.
The Rangers have been on the lookout for a catcher this offseason and it appears that the asking prices for their more ambitious targets were too high. Texas was connected to Brewers backstop Jonathan Lucroy as well as Padres catcher Derek Norris. A little over a week ago, however, Rangers GM Jon Daniels said that he was prepared to go into the season with the catchers he already had in camp.
“At this point I anticipate both our catchers are in camp,” Daniels said. “We are open if there is a true improvement to the team, but we’re not going to change for change’s sake.”
Now, Daniels has found what he perceives to be a better understudy for Robinson Chirinos. The Rangers will presumably use Holaday as their No. 2 catcher instead of Chris Gimenez, Michael McKenry, or 2010 sixth-round pick Brett Nicholas, who was said to be having a strong spring. Holaday is not as big of a name as Lucroy, but he came at a much lower cost than the Brewers catcher would have and is also more affordable (Lucroy will earn $4MM in 2016).
Holaday was out-of-options and didn’t have a spot in Detroit with James McCann and Jarrod Saltalamacchia ahead of him. The 28-year-old TCU product has appeared in the majors in each of the last four seasons for the Tigers. Over a combined 282 plate appearances, he owns a .251/.283/.340 slash line. In parts of three Triple-A seasons, he has slashed .245/.305/.339.
Wilson, 32, spent time with the Rays and Rangers in 2015 and didn’t do much with his bat in 147 plate appearances (.189 /.255/.250). Of course, Wilson isn’t known much for his offense and instead has built his reputation as an excellent defensive catcher.
Jaye is a 24-year-old right-handed starter. A former 17th round pick of the Blue Jays in 2010, Jaye pitched to a 3.29 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 26 Double-A outings last year.
Freeman is out-of-options and the Rangers did not have a spot for him on their 40-man roster. The 28-year-old seems likely to get picked up by a team in need of relief help. For his career, Freeman owns a 3.23 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 across four big league seasons.
AL West Roster Decisions: Rangers, Angels, A’s
Hanser Alberto, Ryan Rua, and Justin Ruggiano will all make the Rangers‘ roster, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News was among those to tweet. Ruggiano, 34 in April, inked a one-year, $1.65MM major league deal with the Rangers in December. Even though the late-February addition of Ian Desmond has made Ruggiano’s presence something of a luxury, it sounds like Texas will hang on to the veteran to start the year.
Here’s a rundown of some of the more important roster decisions to take place in the AL West today:
- Nick Martinez has been optioned by the Rangers, which will likely make A.J. Griffin the team’s fifth starter, as The Associated Press writes. Griffin, 28, has not pitched in a major league game since 2013 thanks to a Tommy John operation in the spring of 2014. In 47 starts between 2012 and 2013, Griffin pitched to a 3.60 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9.
- Veteran righty Al Alburquerque has been optioned by the Angels, per a club announcement. That may line up Cam Bedrosian for the final pen spot. He’s rung up an impressive number of opposing hitters via strikeout this spring. Alburquerque had a rough year in 2015, but he chalked up his struggles to an offseason battle with the Chikungunya virus. Last year, the 29-year-old (30 in June) pitched to a 4.21 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9.
- The A’s have optioned Jesse Hahn, as MLB.com’s Jane Lee tweets. The move likely means that Felix Doubront will serve as Oakland’s fifth starter. The A’s acquired Doubront from the Blue Jays at last year’s trade deadline in exchange for cash. The left-hander went on to make eight starts and three relief appearances for Oakland and posted a 5.81 ERA.
Rangers Release Drew Stubbs
The Rangers have released outfielder Drew Stubbs, per an announcement from club executive VP of communications John Blake.
He had exercised his opt-out provision, Jeff Wilson of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram reports (Twitter links). Texas would likely welcome a reunion on a new minors deal if Stubbs can’t find a gig elsewhere, Wilson adds.
There were several factors at play here for Texas in deciding not to add Stubbs to the 40-man. His most valuable assets are speed and defense up the middle, and Ian Desmond‘s work at center in the spring may reduce their appeal of carrying a backup for Delino DeShields Jr. And, of course, there’s reason to believe that one or both of fellow right-handed-hitting outfield options Justin Ruggiano and Ryan Rua could provide more with the bat.
Stubbs, 31, has had a couple of solid seasons on offense, but on the whole carries a batting line that is about 10% below the league mean. He’s never graded as a standout defender, but has a solid glove. And while he hasn’t always maintained a sky-high stolen base total, Stubbs has rated as a truly elite baserunner.
AL Notes: Panda, Rangers, Sanchez, White, Angels
The Padres have sent a scout to watch Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports. It’s far from clear whether that is an indication of serious interest, of course, let alone whether the scout is watching more than just Sandoval. Regardless, it’s the latest hint that there could be some remaining trade chatter to be held between these organizations, who already struck a significant swap early in the offseason.
Here’s more from the eastern divisions:
- The Rangers are not only continuing their search for another catcher, but could look outside the organization for rotation help, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. A.J. Griffin may have the inside track to take the fifth starter’s job at present, says Grant, but there’s some concern about the overall starting pitching depth as camp comes to a close. As for the backstop situation, it doesn’t appear that much has changed, but Texas is still looking to improve upon its reserve options — if not to strike a more significant upgrade. (Grant notes that the club has inquired on Derek Norris of the Padres and Bryan Holaday of the Tigers.)
- Of course, interest doesn’t always mean that a deal gets done, and significant spring trades are rare. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports also reports that the Rangers have real interest in both areas (Twitter links), but he says the club thinks it has only an “outside chance” at adding a catcher and is “doubtful” to find a new pitcher. All in all, both reports suggest that Texas is looking at its options but is hardly certain to add outside pieces. And still others suggest there’s not much reason to expect movement. Jeff Wilson of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram tweets that outside inquiries have mostly been tire-kicking exercises, while MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan adds on Twitter that club officials have suggested to him that the final rotation piece will come from inside the organization.
- Reclamation righty Matt Bush isn’t in the mix for an Opening Day pen spot with the Rangers, Grant also writes, but he has been enormously impressive this spring and could be an option later in the season. Bush’s story is well-known, of course — the former first overall draft pick recently finished a prison term for severely injuring a man in a DUI.
- Aaron Sanchez has been named as the Blue Jays‘ fifth starter, manager John Gibbons told reporters (including John Lott of Blue Jays Nation) this morning. It won’t be a season-long assignment for Sanchez, however, as the righty seems to be under an innings cap and will eventually be transitioned into the bullpen as he approaches his limit. The 23-year-old has never thrown more than 133 1/3 innings in a season. Sanchez and Gavin Floyd emerged as the top two contenders for the fifth starter’s job during camp, and Floyd will join Jesse Chavez in the bullpen while Drew Hutchison has been optioned to Triple-A. It stands to reason that Floyd, Chavez or Hutchison will all be rotation candidates when Sanchez is moved back to relief pitching.
- The Astros have decided to give an Opening Day roster spot to young first baseman Tyler White, as Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports. Houston’s first-base situation has been in flux all spring, but it appears that the 33rd-round draftee is in line for a significant opportunity to take the position and run with it. He is one of several players in the organization who have impressed this spring; third base prospect Colin Moran has also compiled a 1.000+ OPS in more than thirty plate appearances, though Drellich notes on Twitter that he’s not considered a roster option at this point. The same holds true of A.J. Reed, of course, who could also have a chance to make an impact later in the season.
- Angels GM Billy Eppler says that he is “not optimistic” of adding to his roster before the season starts, MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez reports. Gonzalez provides a deep rundown of the club’s remaining roster considerations.
Rangers Release Jeremy Guthrie
The Rangers have released veteran starter Jeremy Guthrie, as per Rangers executive VP of communications John Blake (on Twitter). Guthrie was let go by the club after he exercised the opt-out clause in his minor league contract, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.
Guthrie, who turns 37 in April, earned a World Series ring with the Royals last season though he didn’t make the club’s postseason roster. The right-hander suffered through the worst season of his 12-year career, posting a 5.95 ERA, 5.1 K/9, a career-worst 14.1% home run rate and a league-leading 29 homers allowed over 148 1/3 innings. Kansas City declined its end of Guthrie’s $10MM mutual option for 2016, giving him a $3.2MM buyout instead.
Guthrie has been a reliable innings-eater over the years, and despite his struggles, he could get another look from teams. The righty told reporters (including Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram) that he is receiving consideration from two clubs about a new contract.
With Guthrie out of the mix, A.J. Griffin and Nick Martinez are the remaining contenders for the fifth spot in the Texas rotation. One of those two will hold down the fort until Yu Darvish makes his expected return from Tommy John rehab in late May or early June.
AL West Notes: Lee, Peralta, Ruggiano, Rangers
Some news from the AL West…
- Dae-Ho Lee can opt out of his minor league deal with the Mariners on Sunday and become a free agent if he isn’t on the 40-man roster, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune writes. It seems as if Lee is on track to indeed make the M’s as the right-handed side of a first base platoon with Adam Lind, and Lee will earn a $1MM base salary if he makes the MLB roster (plus another $3MM in possible bonuses). If Lee beats out Jesus Montero for the job, Dutton figures the M’s will try to deal the out-of-options Montero before exposing him to the waiver wire.
- Also from Dutton’s piece, the Mariners face the Tuesday deadline for Article XX(B) free agents to let Joel Peralta know if he’s made the roster, though Dutton figures Peralta is a pretty safe bet. Peralta signed a minor league deal with Seattle last month that will pay the 11-year veteran $1.25MM in guaranteed salary if he makes the M’s roster. While Peralta hasn’t had a great spring, his case has been helped by some injuries to other Mariners relievers.
- Rangers outfielder Justin Ruggiano could become a trade target for clubs looking for outfield help, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal opines (Twitter link). Ruggiano signed a one-year, $1.65MM Major League deal with Texas in December to provide depth in left given Josh Hamilton‘s injured status, though with Ian Diamond now signed as the regular left field, Ruggiano has become a bit of a surplus. Ruggiano turns 34 in April and owns an impressive .272/.336/.520 career slash line after left-handed pitching.
- The Rangers could use a modified four-man rotation as a way of sidestepping a roster crunch in April, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News opines. The club’s fifth starter candidates operate as swingmen to cover both those spot starts and the role as eighth man in the bullpen. This could also allow Texas to keep out-of-options Sam Freeman rather than exposing him to waivers.
- “A baseball team can’t ever be carried by one individual player. Yet Mike Trout comes the closest,” Fangraphs’ Jeff Sullivan writes in a piece about his site’s outfield projections. Trout’s projected 8.8 fWAR for 2016 almost single-handedly gives the Angels the best projected outfield in baseball (with right fielder Kole Calhoun contributing 2.8 fWAR and the Daniel Nava/Craig Gentry platoon in left at 0.7 fWAR). Sullivan feels Trout alone is keeping the Halos competitive, as without him, “the Angels are a group we’d think ought to be rebuilding….the Angels’ situation is miserable. They’d be a bad team with a bad farm system. That’s the worst situation to be in.”
- In other AL West news from earlier today, the Astros released veteran southpaw Neal Cotts…the Angels shut down C.J. Wilson‘s throwing program, and thus the lefty will be sidelined until at least May.