Angels To Acquire Dexter Fowler
9:57pm: The Angels are receiving $12.75MM in the deal, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times tweets.
9:28pm: The Angels will acquire switch-hitting outfielder Dexter Fowler from the Cardinals, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Along with Fowler, they’re getting cash considerations from the Cardinals, per an announcement from the Halos. That makes it clear this is a salary dump on the Cards’ part. Fowler waived a no-trade clause to make this swap possible.
The Cardinals signed Fowler to a five-year, $82.5MM contract before the 2017 campaign, but the former Rockie, Astro and Cub hasn’t necessarily lived up to the deal so far. Fowler, who will turn 35 next month, batted .233/.334/.408 with 49 home runs and 21 stolen bases in 1,500 plate appearances as a Redbird. He’s owed another $14.5MM in 2021, the final year of his deal, but the Cardinals are moving on after acquiring former Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado‘s massive contract earlier this week. Harrison Bader, Tyler O’Neill and Dylan Carlson look as if they’ll be the team’s starting outfielders in 2021.
Fowler should be a stopgap for the Angels, who have the preeminent player in the game in center fielder Mike Trout. Left fielder Justin Upton is also still in the fold, while high-end prospects Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh haven’t established themselves in the bigs yet. Fowler, who played under now-Angels manager Joe Maddon as a Cub, should keep the seat warm in right until one of those two are ready to take over for good.
“We think there’s a lot left in the tank,” Angels general manger Perry Minasian said of Fowler (via Nightengale).
Twins, Giants Swap LaMonte Wade Jr., Shaun Anderson
The Twins have traded outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. to the Giants for right-hander Shaun Anderson, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said earlier Thursday the team was looking for a left-handed-hitting outfielder whom they could option to the minors if necessary, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweeted. Wade checks those boxes. The 27-year-old has one option left, though whether he’ll prove to be a solution for the Giants at the major league level remains to be seen. He batted an unspectacular .211/.336/.347 in 113 plate appearances as a Twin from 2019-20, but Wade has put up decent production in the minors and always shown that he has a good eye. So far in the majors, Wade has amassed almost as many walks (15) as strikeouts (18). He’ll now attempt to join the Giants as a backup outfielder, as they already have Mike Yastrzemski, Alex Dickerson, Mauricio Dubon and Austin Slater in line for jobs.
Anderson, 26, pitched to a 5.17 ERA/5.26 SIERA with below-average strikeout and walk rates of 17.8 and 10.1 percent, respectively, as a Giant in 111 1/3 innings from 2019-20. But Anderson averaged almost 95 mph on his fastball last year, owns a 3.99 ERA in 85 2/3 frames in Triple-A frames, and has two options left. The Twins’ rotation is largely set with Kenta Maeda, Jose Berrios, Michael Pineda, J.A. Happ and Randy Dobnak, but Anderson adds some depth as a starter or reliever for the organization.
White Sox To Sign Jonathan Lucroy To Minor League Deal
The White Sox are signing free-agent catcher Jonathan Lucroy to a minor league contract, pending a physical, Robert Murray of Fansided reports.
Now 34 years old, Lucroy was one of baseball’s finest all-around backstops during his heyday with the Brewers and Rangers from 2010-16. But Lucroy’s production, both behind the plate and as a hitter, has since deteriorated. Dating back to 2017, the two-time All-Star has batted .253/.319/.348 with 10 home runs in a combined 935 plate appearances with the Rangers, Rockies, Athletics, Angels and Cubs, and his once-elite pitch-framing skills have also eroded. While Lucroy did spend time with the Red Sox and Phillies last season, he didn’t pick up a plate appearance with either team.
Lucroy will now try for a backup role with the White Sox, who have an outstanding starter in Yasmani Grandal. He and James McCann were Chicago’s top two options in 2020, but the latter departed in free agency for a four-year, $40MM contract with the Mets. McCann’s exit left the White Sox with Grandal and Zack Collins as their No. 1 and 2 catchers. Fellow backstops Seby Zavala and Yermin Mercedes are also on the team’s 40-man roster.
Indians Sign Eddie Rosario
FEB. 4: Cleveland has announced the signing. The deal also includes up to $600K in incentives, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets.
JAN. 29, 8:01pm: It’s a one-year, $8MM deal, pending a physical, per Jon Becker of Roster Resource. The deal is done, Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com reports.
7:27pm: The Indians and free-agent outfielder Eddie Rosario are nearing an agreement, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweets. Rosario is represented by Kyle Thousand of Roc Nation Sports.
If this deal goes through, it would keep Rosario in the American League Central, where he played with the Twins from 2015-20. Rosario was a three-time 20-home run hitter as a Twin who put up a .277/.310/.478 line over 2,830 plate appearances in their uniform, but the club nonetheless moved on from him after last season. While Minnesota could have kept the 29-year-old for a projected $8.6MM to $12.9MM via arbitration next season, it decided to non-tender him. Rosario then reportedly drew interest from at least a few teams (including the Red Sox, Giants and Brewers) before the Indians landed him.
Cleveland entered the offseason in obvious need of help in the grass, as its outfield finished last in the American League in fWAR with a minus-0.9 fWAR mark in 2020. Their most used holdovers – Oscar Mercado, Jordan Luplow, Josh Naylor and Bradley Zimmer – all endured subpar years, but there wasn’t much expectation the small-budget Indians would sign someone as high-profile as Rosario. They did, after all, start the winter by cutting ties with closer Brad Hand – who had an affordable $10MM option – and they said goodbye to face-of-the-franchise shortstop Francisco Lindor in a trade with the Mets three weeks ago.
Although this has largely been a lean offseason for Cleveland, the team has been busy this week, as it re-signed second baseman Cesar Hernandez before potentially landing Rosario. The latter’s a longtime left fielder who should be the Indians’ top option there, considering Luplow, Naylor and the rest of their choices at the position can’t match his resume.
Twins To Sign Alex Colome
Feb. 4: The option on the deal is mutual, La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune indicates. If the Twins decline the $5.5MM option, they’ll owe Colome a $1.25MM buyout. If the Twins pick up the option but Colome declines in favor of free agency, he won’t receive any buyout.
Feb. 3: The Twins are signing free-agent reliever Alex Colome to a one-year deal, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. The contract includes a $5MM salary for 2021 and an option. In all, it’s a $6.25MM guarantee, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
The Twins were mentioned as suitors for Colome earlier Wednesday, so it isn’t surprising they’re bringing in the former Ray, Mariner and White Sox. The 32-year-old right-hander could now be the closer for Minnesota, having saved 138 games in the bigs. He converted 12 of 13 saves with the division-rival White Sox last year.
Colome, who averages 94 mph-plus on his fastball, has saved nearly 86 percent of chances in his career. At times, though, his strikeout numbers have fallen short. Last season, for instance, he ranked 126th out of 141 relievers with at least 20 innings in strikeout percentage (17.8). Colome did, however, finish better than average in walk and groundball rates (9.2 percent and 52.4 percent, respectively). He was also a Statcast darling who ranked above the vast majority of hurlers in several of its important categories.
The Twins’ bullpen checked in third in the majors in fWAR in 2020, though it has since lost Trevor May to the Mets in free agency, while Tyler Clippard and Sergio Romo – who combined for 43 frames – remain available. The addition of Colome should help plug those holes for Minnesota.
Giants Announce Tommy La Stella Signing
The Giants have made their previously reported agreement with infielder Tommy La Stella official, announcing on Thursday that he’s been signed to a three-year contract. The deal reportedly guarantees the Beverly Hills Sports Council client a total of $18.75MM, which will be paid out in heavily backloaded fashion: $2MM salary in 2021, $5.25MM in 2022 and $11.5MM in 2023.
La Stella was the No. 30 free agent on our board early in the offseason, with a projected two-year, $14MM deal ahead of him — a mark he’s surpassed. As for the Giants, their books are almost entirely clear following the 2022 season, where a $13MM club option for Evan Longoria is the only contract currently on the payroll. The $5MM buyout attached to that deal is the only guaranteed money on the books for the 2023 season, so a third year for La Stella is hardly prohibitive, even with the backloaded structure of this arrangement.
La Stella’s story is one of perseverance, as there was a time he considered retirement prior to the 2016 season. Again at the deadline, when the Cubs optioned the then-27-year-old La Stella to Triple-A, he thought about hanging it up rather than continue the grind back and forth between the minors and the Show. He returned, however, to resume his role as a professional pinch-hitter, winning a ring with the 2016 Cubs. When he reached free agency, La Stella looked for an opportunity to play full-time, and he found it with the Angels. He broke out with an All-Star season in 2019 when he slashed .295/.346/.486 with 16 home runs across 321 plate appearances.
He kept it up during the truncated 2020 season, producing 1.2 fWAR and 129 wRC+ that took the shape of a .281/.370/.449 line, solid 11.8 percent walk rate, and minuscule 5.3 percent strikeout rate. Though those numbers came in just 228 plate appearances, the Giants figure they are adding a tough out to the top of their lineup in the form of La Stella, who turns 32 years old at the end of the month.
For the Giants, La Stella fits a need as a left-handed bat that slides into the top of the order. Defensively, La Stella should take over the majority of reps at second base, pushing Donovan Solano back into a utility role. La Stella can also play third base. The Giants can now roll with a starting infield of Brandon Belt, La Stella, Brandon Crawford, and Longoria. Solano, Mauricio Dubon, Wilmer Flores, and Jason Vosler are capable of infield reps off the bench. Buster Posey, if healthy, would figure to spend some time at first base as well. In all, it’s a crowded, if versatile group. It also likely means Dubón spending most of his time in the outfield.
Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area first reported (via Twitter) that the two sides were close to a deal. ESPN’s Jeff Passan added that the deal would be three years in length (Twitter link). MLB.com’s Jon Morosi tweeted that a deal had been reached. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser reported the terms of the deal (Twitter links).
Indians Re-Sign Mike Freeman To Minor League Deal
The Indians announced this morning that they’ve re-signed infielder Mike Freeman to a minor league pact and invited him to Major League Spring Training. Cleveland also inked righty DJ Johnson to a minor league deal and will bring him to Major League camp.
Freeman, 33, has spent the past two seasons in the Cleveland organization, working in a utility capacity and slashing a combined .270/.352/.377 in 256 plate appearances. He’s seen time at all four infield spots and in both outfield corners along the way, with the majority of his work coming at second base and at third base. While he doesn’t have much power, Freeman has a productive track record in Triple-A and a history of average or better walk rates. He could join Yu Chang in vying for a bench spot this spring.
Johnson, meanwhile, spent the 2020 season pitching in Japan between the Hiroshima Carp and the Rakuten Eagles. He had some struggles with the Carp but did pitch to a 3.07 ERA with a 16-to-6 K/BB ratio in 14 2/3 innings with the Eagles.
Prior to that NPB stint, Johnson saw big league action with the Rockies in 2018-19, logging a 4.88 ERA and 4.93 SIERA with average strikeout and walk rates but a 14.7 percent walk rate that was far too high for sustained success. Johnson has punched out a quarter of the minor league hitters he’s faced in his career, including exactly one third of the 453 hitters he’s faced in Triple-A.
Cubs Agree To Minor League Deals With Rex Brothers, Joe Biagini
The Cubs have agreed to a handful of minor league pacts, Baseball America’s Chris Hilburn-Trenkle reports in his latest minor transactions roundup. Left-hander Rex Brothers, right-hander Joe Biagini, outfielder Nick Martini and corner infielder Patrick Wisdom have all joined the organization. Presumably, they’ll all be in big league camp.
Brothers, 33, tossed 3 1/3 innings with the Cubs last year and was tagged for three runs in that time. He spent the bulk of the season at Chicago’s alternate training site. Brothers looked the part of a potential lights-out reliever early in his career, logging a 2.82 ERA and 29.2 percent strikeout rate through his first 175 2/3 innings with the Rockies in 2011-13.
Brothers struggled through a brutal 2014 season, however, and he’s only pitched sparingly in the Majors since that time (37 1/3 total innings). Overall, the lefty carries a 3.84 ERA in the big leagues, but all of his success came in that early Rockies run. He’s punched out nearly 34 percent of hitters faced in parts of six Triple-A seasons, though, and his ability to miss bats continues to intrigue teams even if it’s paired with shaky control.
Biagini, 30, had a strong rookie season with the Blue Jays as a Rule 5 pick back in 2016. Toronto tried to move him into the rotation in 2017, though, and over the next two years he struggled in that role and in a return to the bullpen.
Biagini looked to have righted the ship in 2019, pitching to a 3.78 ERA through 50 frames before being traded to the Astros alongside Aaron Sanchez, but his brief tenure in Houston proved to be a nightmare. In 19 innings from 2019-20, he yielded 22 runs on 31 hits (seven homers) and 13 walks. He’s had success out of the ‘pen on multiple occasions with the Jays, and he can perhaps give Chicago some right-handed depth in that regard.
Martini, also 30, has been an OBP machine in the upper minors and even in his brief time at the MLB level. From 2018-19 between the A’s and Padres, he slashed .269/.372/.380 in 288 trips to the plate. The left-handed-hitting Martini has had similar OBP-driven value at the plate in Triple-A, where he’s a .305/.401/.435 hitter in more than 1400 plate appearances. For a Cubs team that has wanted to cut down on its strikeouts, he’s an intriguing depth option to stash in the event of an injury at the big league level. Martini has experience at all three outfield spots but has worked mostly in the corners in recent minor league seasons.
The 29-year-old Wisdom was hitless with two plate appearances as a Cub in 2020 and carries a .218/.299/.397 batting line through 88 plate appearances over the past three seasons. The longtime Cardinals prospect has shown some power at the Triple-A level but has also been prone to strikeouts there. He’s a .252/.328/.478 hitter in parts of four seasons of Triple-A ball but has experience at both first base and third base.
Josh Phegley Announces Retirement
Backstop Josh Phegley announced today that he is hanging up his spikes. He appeared in each of the prior eight MLB campaigns.
Phegley, who’ll celebrate his 33rd birthday later this month, opened and closed his career in Chicago but spent most of his time with the Athletics. He finishes with 1,203 plate appearances of .225/.268/.381 hitting and 35 home runs.
A first-round draft pick out of Indiana, Phegley debuted with the White Sox in 2013. He had yet to fully establish himself in the majors when he was shipped to Oakland as part of a memorable swap.
Phegley launched his career with the A’s with a strong showing in 2015, when he slashed .249/.300/.449 in 73 games of action. Unfortunately, that proved to be a high-water mark. Phegley served as a reserve until 2019, when he appeared in a personal-high 106 contests and posted a .239/.282/.411 batting line with a career-best dozen long balls.
In his first trip onto the open market, Phegley settled for a minor-league deal with the Cubs. He cracked the Opening Day roster but only saw limited action. Phegley will bow out of the game now rather than battling for another opportunity. MLBTR wishes him the best in his future endeavors.
Giants To Sign Zack Littell
The Giants have inked reliever Zack Littell to a minor-league pact, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). He’ll receive an invitation to participate in MLB camp this spring.
Littell, 25, has thrown 63 2/3 total innings over the past three seasons, recording a cumulative 4.52 ERA. He has a pedestrian 49:23 K/BB ratio in that span.
It’ll be interesting to see if Littell can regain his footing with a new organization. He produced quite promising results in 2019, but lost his roster spot with the Twins last year after five of the 31 batters he faced went deep.