Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Transactions

Cubs To Sign Brandon Workman

By | at

8:38am: The two sides have a Major League deal in place, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.

8:34am: The Cubs are closing in on a one-year, Major League deal with right-hander Brandon Workman, reports Patrick Mooney of The Athletic (Twitter link). The deal in question would guarantee Workman $1MM with another $2MM available via incentives. The Workman deal comes one day after Cubs president of baseball operations signaled that he expected to soon add one more reliever on a Major League deal.

Brandon Workman | David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Outside of a catastrophically bad 13 2/3 innings with the Phillies last year, Workman has ranged anywhere from a solid to shutdown late-inning arm in recent years. From 2017 up until last year’s trade to Philadelphia, the 32-year-old Workman gave the Red Sox 159 1/3 innings of 2.65 ERA ball with a 28.8 percent strikeout rate, an 11.8 percent walk rate and a 46.4 percent grounder rate.

Workman’s 2019 season, in particular, was a source of intrigue. The righty stepped up as Boston’s primary closer and posted a 1.88 ERA with a ridiculous 36.4 percent strikeout rate, but he also turned in a bloated 15.7 percent walk rate that was far and away the highest of his career.

In 2019, Workman scaled back the use of his four-seamer and cutter that year and leaned into his curveball at a career-high 47.2 percent, perhaps contributing both to the spike in walks and the much larger spike in strikeouts. He was following the same gameplan in 2020, and doing so with better control of the strike zone in a limited sample, before greatly reducing his curveball usage in Philadelphia. Whether Workman lost the feel for his curveball with the Phillies or lost confidence in the pitch (perhaps both), the once-wipeout offering quickly became the source of his struggles. After hitting just .135/.250/.195 on plate appearances ending with Workman’s curveball in 2019, opponents uncorked a staggering .436/.511/.641 slash against that same hook in 2020.

The Cubs will obviously look to restore Workman’s curveball to peak levels. If they’re able to do so, Workman ought to be a considerable bargain at his modest price point. He should have the opportunity to pitch in high-leverage situations, reprising his role as a setup man for former Boston teammate and current Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel.

Phillies, Tony Watson Agree To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Phillies are in agreement on a minor league contract with veteran left-handed reliever Tony Watson, reports Todd Zolecki of MLB.com (via Twitter). He’ll be in Major League Spring Training and compete for a bullpen job.

Watson, a client of the Boras Corporation, would earn $3MM if he makes the big league roster, per Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports (Twitter link). As with fellow Phillies non-roster invitee Brandon Kintzler, that $3MM sum represents a relatively large potential salary for a minor league signee. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale further adds that Watson could earn an additional $1MM via incentives.

There’s been some surprise that Watson settled for a minor league arrangement after the veteran lefty notched a tidy 2.50 ERA in 18 innings with the Giants last year and generally pitched well for them. However, Watson’s fastball velocity plummeted by more than three miles per hour in 2020, dropping from just over 93 mph to 89.9 mph. Watson still managed a strong 12.9 percent swinging-strike rate and a career-high 40.6 percent opponents’ chase rate, but the velo dip for a pitcher in his mid-30s was likely something of a concern for interested parties.

It’s not the first time that Watson’s market (or lack thereof) has been a source of some surprise. Watson had a $2.5MM player option with the Giants last offseason that seemed like a no-brainer to decline, but he instead reworked that contract and took a one-year, $3MM deal with the Giants in early November rather than actually exploring the market. Given a solid 2018-19 showing in San Francisco (3.30 ERA, 23 K%, 5.3 BB%) and a generally thin market for lefty relief, that decision was also rather unexpected.

It’s possible that, like Kintzler, Watson had some smaller Major League offers but chose to bet on himself with a non-guaranteed deal and the appeal of a potentially more lucrative base salary. Regardless of the market factors that led to today’s agreement, it looks to be a nice pickup for a Phillies club in desperate need of a bullpen makeover. Watson has a long track record of success, pitching 10 years at the MLB level with a composite 2.80 ERA and only one single-season ERA north of 4.00 (4.17 in 2019). He’s worked as both a closer and a setup man, and unlike many lefties he doesn’t carry a sizable platoon split.

Since naming Dave Dombrowski president of baseball operations, the Phillies have signed Archie Bradley, traded for Jose Alvarado and brought in Watson, Kintzler, Hector Rondon and Neftali Feliz on non-guaranteed deals. On the starting staff, they’ve signed both Chase Anderson and Matt Moore as back-of-the-rotation options while inking Ivan Nova and Bryan Mitchell to minor league deals. At the very least, the Phils should have a deeper staff — starters and relievers alike — than in 2020.

Rays Trade John Curtiss To Marlins

By | at

The Marlins and Rays are in agreement on a trade sending right-hander John Curtiss from Tampa Bay to Miami in exchange for minor league first baseman Evan Edwards, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link).

John Curtiss

Curtiss, who’ll turn 28 in early April, had his first taste of Major League success with the Rays in 2020. The former Twins draftee ranked as one of the more promising relief prospects in the organization as he climbed through the minors, but he struggled in the big leagues with two teams (Twins, Angels) and in Triple-A with a third (Phillies) before finally landing with the Rays and ostensibly breaking through.

In 25 innings last year, Curtiss posted a 1.80 ERA with a 25.3 percent strikeout rate and just a three percent walk rate. He’s never displayed that level of command before last year’s shortened season, however, and walks have often been his undoing when he’s struggled. Curtiss also benefited from an 87.2 percent strand rate that he’s not likely to sustain. Curtiss has slightly above-average spin and velocity on his fastball, though he also yielded one of the highest average exit velocities in the game last year (92 mph).

Clearly the Marlins are of the belief that Curtiss can continue to thrive in the big leagues, even if he takes a step back from last year’s sub-2.00 ERA. Curtiss does have multiple minor league option years remaining, so he’ll give the club some depth and flexibility in the ’pen for the foreseeable future. He’s controllable all the way through the 2025 campaign if he can manage to solidify himself as a consistent big league presence.

In return for Curtiss, the Rays will receive the 23-year-old Edwards — a 2019 fourth-rounder out of North Carolina State. He only has half a season’s worth of pro experience due to last year’s lack of minor league games, but Edwards was productive in that time. In 308 plate appearances following the draft, Edwards batted .281/.357/.442 with nine homers, 15 doubles and a triple.

It should be noted, though, that the Marlins weren’t particularly aggressive with Edwards’ assignments that year, sending him to short-season Class-A and then the Class-A Midwest League where most of the competition he faced was younger than him. He also posted a 26.9 percent strikeout rate, so he’ll likely need to improve his bat-to-ball skills as he climbs the minor league ladder. Edwards didn’t rank among the Marlins’ top 30 prospects heading into the 2021 season, per Baseball America.

Yankees Sign Derek Dietrich, Nick Goody

By | at

The Yankees announced their full slate of non-roster invitees to Spring Training on Wednesday, and while the bulk of them have already been reported over the course of the offseason, there are a few new attendees among the bunch. Infielder/outfielder Derek Dietrich, right-handers Nick Goody and Luis Garcia, outfielder Ryan LaMarre and southpaw Lucas Luetge are will all be in camp as non-roster players with the Yanks.

Dietrich, 31, has gravitated toward a three-true-outcomes skill set over the past couple of seasons as his power, strikeout rate and walk rate have all spiked. Since being cut loose by the Marlins after the 2018 campaign, he’s spent time with the Reds and Rangers, batting a combined .189/.332/.462 with 24 home runs, a 9.7 percent walk rate and a 25 percent strikeout rate. Dietrich has experience at first base, second base, third base and in left field, and his increasingly powerful left-handed swing would be a good fit at Yankee Stadium if he were to crack the MLB roster at some point.

Goody, 29, was a Rangers teammate of Dietrich’s in 2020 but struggled in his lone season with Texas. The former Indians setup man served up 11 runs in 11 innings last year but had strong showings in Cleveland both in 2019 and in 2017. Yankees fans quite likely recall Goody from his prospect days and his 2015-16 big league debut as a Yankee. His best season came with the 2017 Indians when he tossed 54 2/3 innings of 2.80 ERA ball with a huge 32.6 percent punchout rate and a respectable nine percent strikeout rate, though his ’19 season was also sound: 40 2/3 innings, 3.54 ERA, 28.9 K%, 12.7 BB%. His 2018 season was shortened by elbow troubles, and last year’s struggles came in a season marred by back spasms.

Garcia, 34, makes a trifecta of 2020 Rangers joining the Yankees organization. He’s spent parts of eight seasons in the big leagues, mostly with the Phillies, but was knocked around for seven runs on 10 hits and nine walks with 11 strikeouts in 8 1/3 frames as a Ranger last year. Garcia was excellent with the 2017 Phillies but hasn’t had much success since — just a 5.26 ERA in 116 1/3 frames. He still averaged 97.2 mph on his four-seamer in 2020, however.

The 2020 season was the first that LaMarre, 32, didn’t log some big league time since 2014. He’s been an up-and-down fourth outfield type with the Reds, Red Sox, A’s, Twins and White Sox since making his MLB debut with Cincinnati in ’15, hitting .236/.286/.338 in 246 plate appearances along the way. LaMarre is a right-handed hitter who can play all three outfield spots and who carries a .281/.349/.415 career batting line in parts of seven Triple-A seasons.

Luetge, 34 in March, pitched in the Majors with the Mariners from 2012-15 but hasn’t been in the big leagues since. He’s bounced around the Triple-A clubs of the Orioles, Reds, Angels and D-backs in the meantime and owns a 4.22 ERA and 24 percent strikeout rate at that level. In 89 MLB innings he has a 4.35 ERA with pedestrian K/BB numbers but an above-average 47.7 percent grounder rate.

The Yankees also confirmed previously reported minor league agreements with several former big leaguers, including righties Kyle Barraclough, Jhoulys Chacin, Adam Warren and Asher Wojciechowski; lefties Nestor Cortes Jr. and Tyler Lyons; outfielders Socrates Brito and Jay Bruce; catchers Rob Brantly and Robinson Chirinos; and infielder Andrew Velazquez.

Giants Sign Nick Tropeano

By | at

9:02pm: The Giants have announced the move, Maria Guardado of MLB.com was among those to report.

8:17pm: It’s a minor league deal that features a $1.1MM base salary, and it could end up around $2MM if Tropeano reaches the incentives included, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

8:03pm: The Giants are signing free-agent right-hander Nick Tropeano, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com tweets. Details of the contract are unknown as of now.

Tropeano began his career with the Astros in 2014 and then went to the division-rival Angels in a trade before 2015, though he dealt with several injuries in his time with the Halos. As an Angel, Tropeano logged a 4.51 ERA/4.48 SIERA in 195 2/3 innings, most of which came as a starter.

Tropeano, 30, joined the Pirates before last season and held his own as a reliever, recording a 1.15 ERA/3.32 SIERA with his best-ever strikeout and walk percentages (28.8 and 6.1, respectively) in 15 2/3 innings and seven appearances. But the Pirates let Tropeano go on waivers in October to the Mets, who later non-tendered him. He’s not eligible to become a free agent again until after 2022, so whether as a starter or reliever, Tropeano could help the Giants for more than one season if he’s able to carry over his 2020 success going forward.

Brewers To Sign Travis Shaw

By | at

8:02pm: Shaw will make $1.5MM with another potential $1.5MM in incentives if he earns a roster spot, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com relays. There’s a March 15 opt-out date in the pact.

7:14pm: Shaw will get a non-guaranteed deal, per Bradford.

6:48pm: A Shaw signing “is imminent” for the Brewers, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com tweets.

6:19pm: Free-agent corner infielder Travis Shaw and the Brewers are “in serious talks” on a contract, Robert Murray of FanSided tweets. It’s “likely” they’ll reach a deal, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reported earlier Tuesday that Shaw could come off the board soon.

There is plenty of familiarity between the Brewers and Shaw, who spent 2017-19 with the team after it acquired him from the Red Sox in December 2016. Shaw was an offensive standout as a Brewer in his first two years, in which he hit .258/.347/.497 with 63 home runs in 1,193 plate appearances, but his numbers have dropped off significantly since then. He batted a horrific .157/.281/.270 with seven homers over 270 PA in his final year with the team, and the Brewers non-tendered him after that.

Shaw joined the Blue Jays on a $4MM guarantee heading into last season, and though he did post better numbers, he still wasn’t a major threat. The 30-year-old slashed .239/.306/.411 with six HRs across 180 PA. If he goes back to Milwaukee, though, Shaw could compete for at-bats at both first and third. The Brewers are slated to start Keston Hiura and Luis Urias at those two positions, while Daniel Vogelbach and Daniel Robertson are on their 40-man roster as potential bench options.

Dodgers, Matt Davidson Agree To Minor League Deal

By | at

6:55pm: First baseman/outfielder Rangel Ravelo is also among the Dodgers’ non-roster invitees to camp, Kyle Glaser of Baseball America tweets. The 28-year-old batted .189/.250/.351 in 84 PA as a Cardinal from 2019-20. Ravelo has hit a much more productive .293/.369/.452 over 1,652 trips to the plate at the Triple-A level.

6:41pm: The Dodgers have reached a minor league agreement with corner infielder Matt Davidson, according to J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group. The deal includes an invitation to major league spring training.

Davidson, the 35th overall pick of the Diamondbacks in 2009 and a well-regarded prospect in the ensuing years, debuted in the bigs with the club in 2013. The Diamondbacks traded Davidson to the White Sox prior to 2014 for reliever Addison Reed, however. Davidson didn’t make his White Sox debut until 2016, but the now-29-year-old owns a lifetime .223/.292/.433 line with 52 home runs in 1,075 plate appearances. He was a 20-home run hitter in both 2017 and ’18.

Davidson spent last year as a member of the Reds, with whom he struggled to a .163/.264/.395 mark at the plate with three HRs in 47 PA. He also appeared in three games as a pitcher, tossing 3 1/3 innings of two-earned run ball. Davidson threw three scoreless innings while with the White Sox in 2018.

In all likelihood, Davidson won’t help the Dodgers’ pitching staff. But he’ll at least try to earn a backup role as an infielder behind third baseman Justin Turner, whom the Dodgers just agreed to re-sign, and first baseman Max Muncy.

Nationals To Sign T.J. McFarland To Minors Deal

By | at

The Nationals are signing free-agent reliever T.J. McFarland to a minor league contract, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com tweets.

The 31-year-old McFarland spent last season as a member of the Athletics, with whom he logged a 4.35 ERA/4.56 SIERA in 20 2/3 innings. McFarland didn’t have control problems, as he issued walks to just 5.4 percent of batters, but he struck out a mere 9.8 percent of hitters. That’s not atypical for McFarland, who has combined for a 13.6 percent strikeout rate and a 7.6 percent walk rate in 401 innings divided among the Orioles, Diamondbacks and A’s. He owns a 4.08 ERA/3.83 SIERA since his career started in 2013, and has thrown 50-plus innings in five seasons.

McFarland will now compete for a spot in the Washington bullpen, which lost fellow lefty Sean Doolittle to the Reds in free agency. Before signing McFarland, though, the Nationals added southpaw Brad Hand on a guaranteed contract and LHP Luis Avilan on a minor league pact. It’s worth noting that McFarland has been much better versus lefties (.295 weighted on-base average) than righties (.352).

Braves Win Arbitration Case Against Dansby Swanson

By | at

The Braves have won their arbitration case against shortstop Dansby Swanson, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. Swanson will earn $6MM, not the $6.7MM he requested, according to Heyman.

The 2021 campaign will be the penultimate season of arbitration control for Swanson, whom the Braves acquired from the Diamondbacks in a December 2015 blockbuster. Swanson was the first overall pick in the draft during the previous summer, but he never played for the D-backs. Since debuting with Atlanta in 2016, Swanson has put together a .249/.321/.396 line with 50 home runs and 31 stolen bases in 2,038 plate appearances. The 27-year-old has been a mixed bag at short, where he has totaled 18 Defensive Runs Saved and recorded a minus-4.4 Ultimate Zone Rating.

Last season was likely the best yet for Swanson, who batted .274/.345/.464 with 10 homers and five steals in 264 PA. He complemented his above-average offensive performance with 10 DRS and a 0.2 UZR.

Dodgers Trade Josh Sborz To Rangers

By | at

The Dodgers have traded recently designated-for-assignment righty Josh Sborz to the Rangers, reports Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). The Rangers announced the move quickly after that initial report, revealing that they’ll send minor league righty Jhan Zambrano to L.A. in return. Fellow right-hander Jimmy Herget was designated for assignment by the Rangers in order to create roster space for Sborz.

Sborz, 27, lost his roster spot when the Dodgers made their three-year deal with reigning NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer official. He’s seen action in the Majors in both 2019 and 2020, pitching to a combined 6.08 ERA and 5.14 SIERA in a tiny sample of 13 1/3 innings.

On the minor league side, Sborz has had a bit more success, logging a 4.55 ERA in 87 Triple-A frames. That mark still isn’t especially eye-catching, but it’s come in a decisively hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League setting. Furthermore, Sborz’s 30.5 percent strikeout rate and 7.7 percent walk rate in Triple-A both give a bit more reason for optimism.

Sborz, a 2015 Competitive Balance draft selection (Round B), has a mid-90s heater with an average or better slider and, perhaps most importantly, a minor league option remaining. He’ll compete for a job in the Texas bullpen this spring and will head to Triple-A to serve as a depth piece if he can’t crack the Opening Day roster.

Texas will have a week to trade the 27-year-old Herget, attempt to run him through outright waivers or simply release him. The right-hander posted a 3.20 ERA in 19 2/3 innings with Texas last year, though the fact that he walked 14 of the 87 batters he faced and plunked another two suggests that he’s not likely to repeat that level of success over a larger sample of work.

Zambrano, 19, tossed 60 innings with the Rangers’ affiliates in the Dominican Summer League in 2019, notching a 2.55 ERA with 52 punchouts and 16 walks. He didn’t pitch in 2020 due to the lack of a minor league season and doesn’t rank among the organization’s top prospects.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top