Blue Jays Rumors

Blue Jays Notes: Storen, Osuna, Saunders

By charliewilmoth | January 9, 2016 at 2:43pm CDT

Earlier this afternoon, we checked in with the Nationals to hear about the Ben Revere / Drew Storen trade from their perspective. Also this afternoon, new Jays GM Ross Atkins and Storen spoke to the media about the deal.

Atkins says the team will be flexible at closer, Sportsnet.ca’s Ben Nicholson-Smith tweets. The team isn’t yet committing to either Storen or Roberto Osuna to close games. Osuna, of course, was quite successful in his rookie season in 2015, posting a 2.58 ERA, 9.7 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 while saving 20 regular season games.
According to Atkins (via Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star on Twitter), one factor in the deal was that it allowed the Jays to “better maximize” their roster. The Jays felt that both Revere and Michael Saunders were “everyday players,” and while they didn’t mind having depth in the outfield (with Revere and Saunders potentially joining a group of outfielders that included Jose Bautista, Kevin Pillar and Dalton Pompey), they felt they could deal an outfielder for additional pitching.
The team feels that Saunders, who missed much of the 2015 season with knee trouble, will be ready to go at the beginning of Spring Training, Kennedy tweets. “We feel great about him,” says Atkins.
Storen says he would have been fine remaining in Washington, but he’s excited to be headed to Toronto, James Wagner of the Washington Post tweets. Via John Lott of the National Post (on Twitter), Storen says he struggled down the stretch last season with getting enough rest between outings, and feels he would be fine if placed in a setup role, as long as he has enough days off.

Blue Jays Could Consider R.A. Dickey Trade

By charliewilmoth | January 9, 2016 at 11:07am CDT

The Blue Jays could consider trading R.A. Dickey, Jeff Blair of Sportsnet.ca and Sportsnet 590 tweets, citing a scout. Dickey has been a reliable part of the Jays’ rotation over the past three seasons, throwing over 200 innings in each, and the Jays exercised his $12MM option after the season. While Dickey is no longer the ace he was with the Mets, the 41-year-old knuckleballer remains effective in his old age, posting a 3.91 ERA last season.

With the additions of J.A. Happ and Jesse Chavez this offseason, though, the Jays have six potential starting pitchers (also including Marcus Stroman, Marco Estrada and Drew Hutchison), and they will also have to decide whether talented 23-year-old Aaron Sanchez has a future in the rotation. “It’s tough because, if he’s in the bullpen this year, it’s tough to turn him back into a starter because he’s really still developing his secondary pitches,” says manager John Gibbons (via Sportsnet’s Nick Ashbourne). Moving Dickey could give the Jays’ rotation a bit more flexibility while allowing them to add talent elsewhere, either through the trade itself or through spending the additional money they would have available with Dickey’s salary off the books.

Nationals Acquire Ben Revere From Blue Jays For Drew Storen

By Jeff Todd | January 8, 2016 at 9:24pm CDT

The Nationals and Blue Jays have officially struck a deal that will send outfielder Ben Revere to the Washington and reliever Drew Storen to Toronto, as Jon Heyman first reported on Twitter. A player to be named later will also head to D.C., and the Nats will kick in cash sufficient to offset the differences in the players’ anticipated 2016 salaries, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets.

MLBTR projects Revere to earn $6.7MM this year in arbitration. He’s also eligible for one more season of arb control thereafter. Storen, meanwhile, projects at a $8.8MM salary in his final year of eligibility.

While it isn’t quite a blockbuster, this move certainly rates as a significant trade for both clubs. As I noted in breaking down the Nats’ offseason back in November, a deal along these lines between these two clubs has long made conceptual sense — though it’s also understandable that both wanted to explore other possibilities before pulling the trigger. Much like the deal that sent Jon Niese to the Pirates for Neil Walker earlier this winter, this trade involves two similarly-priced assets being exchanged as each organization seeks to address their respective needs.

For the Nats, adding a left-handed-hitting outfielder who is capable of playing center field has long been a priority. While there have been suggestions at times that the club might have looked for a more significant piece to build out its outfield, it ultimately settled on a solid option in Revere who can share time in center with Michael Taylor and spell Jayson Werth in left, potentially creating a three-man rotation for two slots that should function well alongside Bryce Harper. In some ways, he’s a faster, younger, lighter-hitting version of the just-departed Denard Span, though it’s certainly arguable that the former Nat had a better glove.

The team’s relationship with Storen had long seemed destined to end. After replacing him once in the closer’s role with Rafael Soriano, the Nats ruffled some feathers by adding Jonathan Papelbon down the stretch last year. Needless to say, that move blew up in spectacular fashion, and seemingly created some tension between the organization and its former first-round draft pick.

On the Jays’ side of the equation, Revere was something of a luxury. Acquired at the trade deadline last summer, his essential role can be filled by Michael Saunders, who missed all of last year but is expected to return to full strength in 2016. And Dalton Pompey also joins Kevin Pillar in the outfield mix (along with superstar Jose Bautista, of course).

By bringing in Storen, the Jays have added a big arm to the back of the pen without taking on a lengthy commitment. There’s no denying that the 28-year-old has struggled at times, but he’s also been dominant for lengthy stretches. Whether he’s serving in a set-up capacity in front of Roberto Osuna or even taking the 9th himself, there’s good reason to believe that Storen can be a valuable late-inning arm.

Of course, both players in this trade come with their share of demerits. Revere, 27, doesn’t hit for power or draw walks. Though he’s always made a ton of good contact and doesn’t strike out much, any dip in contact ability or speed could spell trouble. And he’s a mystery on the defensive side of the equation. After garnering strong defensive metrics at times with the Twins, Revere has looked lost at times on his routes and generally received quite poor ratings in recent seasons.

So long as he can get on base enough, though, Revere seems a good bet at least to function as a solid fourth outfielder. He’s still plenty young, and delivers serious value with his legs. He has 80 steals on the ledger over the last two years and is second only to speed demon Billy Hamilton in Fangraphs’ total baserunning value measure (BsR) over those seasons. Notably, Revere has also generally posted neutral platoon splits, though he was quite a bit more effective last year against right-handed pitching.

And Storen has been somewhat fickle on the mound, with his general excellence sometimes punctured with ill-timed lapses. It’s all but impossible to know whether that’s a genuine cause for concern or just a sample blip, but there is a perception that he’s faltered in the brightest lights. Of course, he’s also locked up 95 saves, so it isn’t as if he’s a stranger to succeeding in high-leverage spots.

All told, Storen owns a 3.02 ERA in his 334 big league frames. He’s struck out an average of 8.6 and walked 2.6 batters per nine for his career, but his K rate jumped significantly last season. Storen’s average fastaball velocity trended up, topping 94 mph for the first time since 2012, and he got big results with his slider. He ended the season with a 12.2% swinging-strike rate that was the second best of his career. On the other hand, Storen also put up wider-than-usual platoon splits.

There are broader impacts here, too. For one thing, it now seems rather unlikely that the Nats will re-enter the outfield market. The move seemingly takes them out of the running for Gerardo Parra and would make a play for Justin Upton or Yoenis Cespedes seem even more remote. On the other hand, Washington could still stand to add to the bullpen and has been rumored to be considering moves in the starting staff as well. The Jays seem less likely to tinker at this point, though making a bullpen upgrade without taking on more salary could in theory open some creative options.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nationals, Blue Jays Nearing Swap Of Ben Revere For Drew Storen

By Jeff Todd | January 8, 2016 at 8:57pm CDT

9:20pm: The Nationals and Blue Jays are nearing a deal that would send Revere to D.C. in exchange for Storen, Heyman reports on Twitter.

9:13pm: Washington’s interest is “very strong,” Heyman tweets, who says it is indeed “possible” that Storen could be a key piece in a trade scenario. The Jays are looking to add to their relief corps in a deal involving Revere, per the report.

8:57pm: The Nationals are at least considering making a play for Blue Jays outfielder Ben Revere, Jon Heyman reports on Twitter. Washington has long been said to be seeking a center-field-capable outfielder, especially one that swings from the left side.

Obviously, Washington just saw precisely such a player — incumbent starter Denard Span — leave by way of free agency. It never seemed there was much of a chance of a reunion, particularly after the Nats decided not to make him a qualifying offer.

Revere, 27, is projected by MLBTR to earn a healthy $6.7MM through arbitration this year and can be controlled for another season thereafter through the arb system. He’s coming off of his best overall season at the plate as a big leaguer, having posted a .306/.342/.377 slash over 634 plate appearances split between the Phillies and Blue Jays. Revere rarely strikes out, but also doesn’t walk much at all, making him highly dependent on sustaining a high batting average — which he’s done by making loads of solid-enough contact and then turning on the jets.

Of course, Revere’s biggest assets are his legs. Not only has he swiped eighty bags over the past two years, he’s also been second in all of baseball in total value on the basepaths in that span. Curiously, though, he’s seen his defensive valuations plummet despite his obvious athleticism. Revere rated as a well-above-average outfielder during his last two years with the Twins, but has ranged between below average and rather awful over his three most recent campaigns. Poor routes have often been cited as an explanation, though it remains curious that Revere was able to draw high marks from metrics previously.

Obviously, any effort to add Revere would require the Nats to dangle something appealing to the Blue Jays. Toronto certainly seems to be in a position to ship him out, as the team could rely upon players such as Kevin Pillar, Michael Saunders, and Dalton Pompey to occupy center and left. But sacrificing that depth, after having given value to get Revere last July, would surely come at a price.

One concept that I’ve seen floated as a hypothetical possibility would be to structure a swap around Nationals reliever Drew Storen. He’s projected to take home $8.8MM via arbitration before hitting the open market after the season, and Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post tweeted today that he’s still very much available.

There are certainly other ways to imagine a deal coming together, depending on the respective motivations of each team to move these not-inexpensive pieces, but the pen is one area that the Jays could stand to upgrade. And the concept of exchanging players with roughly similar salaries often holds appeal. (Consider, for instance, the recent Jon Niese–Neil Walker swap or the Nationals’ own deal last year sending Tyler Clippard for Yunel Escobar.)

Arbitration Breakdown: Josh Donaldson

By Matt Swartz | January 7, 2016 at 8:48am CDT

Over the next few weeks, I will be discussing some of the higher profile upcoming arbitration cases. I will rely partly on my arbitration model developed exclusively for MLB Trade Rumors, but will also break out some interesting comparables and determine where the model might be wrong.

The reigning Most Valuable Player of the American League enters his second year of arbitration eligibility due for a healthy raise on the $4.3MM he earned in his award-winning season. Josh Donaldson hit .297 with 41 home runs and 123 runs batted in 711 plate appearances, with an All-Star appearance and a Silver Slugger Award to add to his MVP honors.

It was the third baseman’s first year with the Blue Jays after a solid career in Oakland, and he certainly made a great impression on his new employers. Now, they will have to pay up in his second year of arbitration. Our model and several knowledgeable sources have confirmed that after the first year of arbitration eligibility, most players’ cases are treated as raises based almost exclusively on the previous year’s statistics. This helps explain why the model projects that Donaldson will receive a $7.7MM raise to a total of $12MM, which would be a record raise for a second-time eligible player.

The model’s projection of a record raise seems appropriate. The current record belongs to Chris Davis in 2014, who did not win an MVP Award when received a $7.05MM raise. Davis did out-homer Donaldson, 53 to 42, and had 138 RBIs — 15 more than Donaldson — as well. But, Donaldson had a higher average, .297 versus .286, and played a harder defensive position (third base versus first base) and is known for his excellent defense. While defensive performance usually does not matter much in arbitration cases (other than position played), I believe that Donaldson should be able to use his defense and his hardware to argue that he should have a bigger raise than Davis did– probably something in line with the $12MM projection, I would guess.

The last hitter to enter his second year of arbitration eligibility after winning an MVP Award was five years ago, when Josh Hamilton earned a $5.5MM raise. Hamilton had hit .359 with 32 home runs and 100 RBIs, but in only 571 plate appearances. Donaldson’s 140 extra trips to the plate with nine more home runs and 23 more runs knocked in should help him argue for a much larger raise than Hamilton received on the heels of his MVP season in 2010. Even if Donaldson cannot effectively argue that his raise should be larger than Davis’ due to the power gap, he should have less trouble arguing that he is deserving of a bigger raise than Hamilton received five years ago.

Few other players seem likely to make better arbitration cases for Donaldson than Hamilton and Davis. As a result, I think the case will likely come down to an argument about whether Donaldson should get something like a $6MM raise to top Hamilton by a decent margin, or whether Donaldson should get a $7.5MM raise to set a new record beyond Davis. It’s unlikely that Donaldson out-earned the $12MM salary I have projected for him, but I think it is more likely than not that he is close to this range. If he cannot argue that his case is stronger than Davis, though, he might end up around $10.3MM — a hefty raise, to be sure, but a fair margin shy of the current record increase that our model currently projects.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Quick Hits: Buehrle, Rodney, Nationals, Rangers, White Sox, Uggla

By Steve Adams | January 6, 2016 at 11:29pm CDT

Free agent left-hander Mark Buehrle is not planning on playing in 2016 at this time, though the veteran isn’t yet prepared to announce his retirement from baseball, either, according to SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter link). The soon-to-be 37-year-old’s future has been a debated topic in the past, as some reports indicated that he was planning to retire before Buehrle himself told ESPN Chicago’s Doug Padilla back in October that he’d yet to make a decision on the matter. Another report indicated that if Buehrle were to pitch in 2016, it’d most likely happen if St. Louis showed interest in the Missouri native. Buehrle’s 2015 season wasn’t as strong as his 2014 season, but he nonetheless recorded a solid 3.81 ERA across 198 2/3 innings. That final innings tally left him just four outs shy of recording his remarkable 15th consecutive season of 200+ innings.

A few more notes from around the league…

Cotillo also tweets that right-hander Fernando Rodney is in “active talks” with multiple clubs, noting that the Padres, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks and Cubs are all in the mix at this time. San Diego, Chicago and Toronto have previously been linked to Rodney, though Arizona would seem to represent a fairly new entrant into his market. Rodney had a dreadful season with the Mariners in 2015 but turned it around following a trade to the Cubs, yielding just one earned run in 12 innings with a 15-to-4 K/BB ratio down the stretch (Rodney did, however, also plunk three batters in his brief Cubs tenure).
We’ve heard about the Nationals’ interest in Gerardo Parra before, and James Wagner of the Washington Post writes that it’s still alive. GM Mike Rizzo was Arizona’s scouting director when the club signed Parra, and the Nats also tried to acquire him from the Brewers this summer, Wagner reminds. Wagner notes that Parra’s so-so OBP and declining defensive ratings make him a questionable fit in Washington, but the team’s goal remains adding some outfield depth to protect against injuries to Jayson Werth and uncertainty surrounding the talented but raw Michael A. Taylor. Wagner opines that from a purely speculative standpoint, Shane Victorino makes some sense for the Nationals as a player who can cover the outfield corners and play center in a pinch if need be.
Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes that Rangers fans shouldn’t expect to see Justin Upton, Yoenis Cespedes or Yovani Gallardo in a Rangers uniform next season, as the team doesn’t have the payroll capacity to add any of the three. A trade for Marcell Ozuna is also unlikely, per Wilson, though the Rangers do still hope to add some rotation depth before the offseason is up. GM Jon Daniels tells Wilson that there are still some affordable names on the open market that have piqued the Rangers’ interest. Wilson also notes that Colby Lewis’ physical — the final step before his reported one-year, $6MM contract becomes official — is slated for next Monday.
The White Sox aren’t in a rush to add a big-ticket outfielder to the mix, writes MLB.com’s Scott Merkin. The Sox “seem content to wait and ensure that any free-agent deal would fit their need and parameters,” he continues, writing that it’s likely that Upton and Cespedes will eventually be offered more years and dollars than the ChiSox care to place on the table.
Dan Uggla has spoken to three or four teams that are eyeing infield depth, Cotillo tweets. Uggla is set to turn 36 this March and is coming off a season in which he batted just .183/.298/.300 in 141 plate appearances with the Nationals, so any contract to which he agrees figures to be of the minor league variety.
Zach Buchanan of the Arizona Republic spoke to executives and scouts from each league to ask which NL West division rival has the better pitching staff heading into the 2016 season: the D-backs or the Giants. While the officials to whom Buchanan spoke seemed to agree that, in a vacuum, the D-backs made more impactful acquisitions this offseason (referring to Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller in comparison to Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija), when factoring in the cost of said acquisitions, there’s an argument to be made for the Giants’ side of the equation. Buchanan also polled officials on which club’s top three starters were more impressive, adding lefties Patrick Corbin and Madison Bumgarner to the mix, which generated mixed responses.

Blue Jays Acquire Arnold Leon

By Jeff Todd | January 5, 2016 at 1:19pm CDT

The Blue Jays have acquired righty Arnold Leon from the Athletics, Oakland announced via press release. Toronto will send cash or a player to be named to the A’s.

Leon, 27, was designated recently by Oakland. He reached the majors for the first time last year, putting up 26 1/3 innings of 4.39 ERA pitching with 6.4 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9. He has averaged better than one strikeout per inning at Triple-A over the last several years, though he’s also permitted more than four free passes per nine at that level.

Quick Hits: Free Agents, Pompey, Yankees

By Mark Polishuk | January 3, 2016 at 11:59pm CDT

Here’s some news from around baseball as we wrap up the first weekend of 2016…

“So many teams have spent their money on pitching that they don’t have much left for hitting,” an executive tells John Perrotto of TodaysKnuckleball.com in explaining why so many of the biggest free agent bats are still available. This could mean that some of the notable names may end up for signing than less than expected due to lack of a hot market. Then again, the inverse could also be true — an unexpected trade or injury could suddenly create a suitor willing to pay top dollar to fill a lineup need. Perrotto’s piece also includes his guesses about where 10 of the top remaining free agents will land.
The Angels, Giants, Cardinals, Orioles and White Sox seem to be the teams most poised to make a big move or two in January, MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince writes.
Dalton Pompey is an important depth piece for the Blue Jays in 2016 and a big part of their future outfield plans, MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm writes as part of a reader mailbag. Given Ben Revere’s rising arbitration price tag and the fact that Jose Bautista is a free agent next winter, Pompey may be called upon as a regular in 2017, so Chisholm doubts the Jays would make Pompey a trade chip unless they’re able to obtain a big return. While Pompey hasn’t shown much in limited MLB action, he’s also just 23 and a year removed from being a consensus top-50 (or better) prospect.
Also from Chisholm’s piece, he lists the 11 member of the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster who are out of options, with outfielder Ezequiel Carrera, catcher A.J. Jimenez, and righty relievers Steve Delabar and Chad Jenkins standing out as “ones to watch” on the roster bubble. The Jays would ideally like to use Jimenez in Triple-A while Carrera, Delabar and Jenkins will be in the mix for jobs on the Opening Day roster.
In another reader mailbag, MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch addresses the idea of whether or not the Yankees could retain the likes of Alex Rodriguez, C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira or Carlos Beltran on one-year contracts after their expensive multi-year deals expire within the next two seasons. Hoch feels it’s probably a longshot for any of them to remain in New York since the team wants a younger team and more roster flexibility — Greg Bird and Aaron Judge are poised to replace Teixeira and Beltran, for instance. Sabathia may be the best candidate to be retained given how expensive pitching is, though that also may be unlikely given Sabathia’s ongoing knee issues.

Quick Hits: Shapiro, Kendrick, Chapman, Parra

By Jeff Todd | December 30, 2015 at 11:42pm CDT

Mark Shapiro’s tenure as president of the Blue Jays hasn’t exactly been met with a full embrace by the team’s fans, but he tells John Lott of the National Post that he’s focused on the job at hand rather than worrying about criticism. “I think it’s just inefficient for me to spend a lot of time and energy on that,” says Shapiro. “What I think fans ultimately want is for me to work for this team and make it as good as it can possibly be. If I spend my energy worrying about how to be popular, it’ll be time away from doing the job. That’s not what I’m going to do.” The piece offers a lengthy and interesting look at the veteran executive, and is well worth a full read.

Here are a few more stray notes from around the game:

When asked about free agent second baseman Howie Kendrick today, Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi said that the organization “feel[s] pretty set” at the position at this point, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times tweets. The Dodgers will utilize Chase Utley and Kike Hernandez there, he said, indicating that there’s little reason for the club to pursue a reunion with Kendrick. Otherwise, per Zaidi, the team could still add another starter and is “still evaluating” its options in the bullpen (via J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles News Group, on Twitter).
Zaidi also addressed the Dodgers’ reported deal with the Reds for Aroldis Chapman, via another Shaikin tweet. Los Angeles wasn’t “comfortable making the move” and “moved on” after allegations of a domestic dispute involving Chapman surfaced.
Unsurprisingly, Gerardo Parra is expected to wait to sign until the top of the outfield market sheds some names, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. He is still drawing interest from the Royals, Nationals, Giants, and Angels, per the report.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post takes a broader look at the outfield market and wonders what teams could be readying to spring. The Nats top his list, followed by four AL clubs: the White Sox, Orioles, Tigers, and Angels. I agree with Sherman’s assessment that the market will still likely pay these players, as I recently wrote. As an anonymous GM told Sherman: “You will have some owners soon say, ‘Wow, we can have this guy rather than what we have now.’ That is when the aggressiveness comes back in.”

Scott Boras On Free Agency, Davis, Span, CBA

By Jeff Todd | December 29, 2015 at 5:14pm CDT

Earlier today, super agent Scott Boras joined MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM to discuss the state of the free agent market. Here are a few highlights:

While there are a variety of notable names still available in free agency Boras suggests that isn’t any cause for concern for those players. As he put it: “in free agency, I’m not sure you can put a calendar on it.” Boras went on to note that, of the $1.6B or so in free agent spending thus far, about $1.2B has gone to pitching. If you’re interested in more details on the current market setting, we broke down the spending to date and the outlook for still-unsigned players in a post yesterday.
While he attributed the big starting pitching salaries this year to a natural reflection of last year’s Max Scherzer contract, Boras says there has been a “definite advance in the relief market.” He attributes that observation to a copycat phenomenon as teams seek to emulate the success of the Royals.
As for his own clients that still remain on the market, Boras called slugger Chris Davis a “rare opportunity.” That’s due in large part to his undeniable power, but also — per Boras — because he can hit opposing lefties and provides more defensive versatility than one might think. Interestingly, Boras also noted that several American League East clubs (the Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Yankees) are presently reliant on aging power sources that will hit free agency or retirement in the near future — hinting that those teams should be considering Davis not only for his immediate impact but also future organizational need.
Boras also discussed center fielder Denard Span, who he says is recovering nicely from hip surgery. Some teams have already “been down to see him,” said the agent. He adds that he expects Span to find a deal “in the very near future.”
While there were other topics of conversation as well, Boras also fielded an interesting question regarding what issues his clients see as having primary importance in the coming year’s CBA negotiations. Boras focused in on the qualifying offer system and limitations on draft spending, which he tied together by citing the obvious value that teams place on top selections.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Blue Jays Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect