Reds Sign Nick Castellanos
The Reds have officially struck a four-year, $64MM pact with free agent outfielder Nicholas Castellanos. The Scott Boras client also obtains opt-out opportunities after the 2020 and 2021 campaigns.
Castellanos will be paid in the form of a $16MM salary in 2020, $14MM in 2021 and $16MM salaries in 2022-23. There’s also a $20MM mutual option for a fifth season that comes with a $2MM buyout. Those salaries are impacted by a series of deferrals that alter the payout structure.
This is a fascinating agreement for a variety of reasons. It represents a finishing flourish from Boras, who orchestrated a masterful winter of signings. MLBTR had predicted a four-year, $58MM deal for Castellanos. The young slugger had been the last major free agent left unsigned; attention now will turn to an uncertain but highly interesting trade market. And the Cincinnati organization has now poached a top performer from a division rival — and not for the first time this winter. (This deal matches the guarantee the team used earlier in the winter to lure Mike Moustakas.)
Most of all, it’s a deal that may portend more action to come. The Reds outfield picture is so fully loaded that one or more current players will surely end up out of the frame — perhaps with another organization entirely.
When the Reds added Shogo Akiyama, we noted the resulting roster crunch and wondered whether the club might spin off a younger talent via trade. Thus far, the Reds have only shed Nick Martini. But with Castellanos on board the case for a blockbuster is arguably all the more compelling.
Akiyama and Castellanos figure to command fairly regular playing time. Jesse Winker could take the larger side of a platoon situation. Perhaps Nick Senzel will be included in that group to form a strong four-man primary unit. But that’d mean optioning Aristides Aquino … and figuring out what to do with players like Scott Schebler, Travis Jankowski, Phil Ervin, Jose Siri, and Rule 5er Mark Payton.
Both Senzel and Aquino are potentially intriguing trade candidates, depending upon the Reds’ plans. In the wake of the Castellanos news, it has emerged already that the former is being dangled on the market to some degree.
While we wait to see whether there’s any broader fallout from this move, there’s one takeaway that we can make straight-away: the Reds’ lineup is now rather loaded. Castellanos will presumably slot into the middle of a unit that now features Akiyama and Moustakas along with preexisting stars Joey Votto and Eugenio Suarez.
Castellanos has had some ups and downs but the numbers have been there at the end of each of the past several seasons. He has produced at about 20% north of the league-average rate since the start of the 2016 season. And Castellanos ended 2019 on a tear, mashing out a .321/.356/.646 run in 225 plate appearances with the Cubs.
Could there be more in the tank? A voluminous accumulator of doubles, Castellanos began to find his long ball stroke late last year and could be a breakout candidate in the homer-friendly environs of Great American Ballpark. And he won’t even reach his 28th birthday until March.
On the other hand, there’s some downside that must be considered here as well. Castellanos runs rather well (73rd percentile sprint speed) but has rarely translated that into contributions on the basepaths (-9.8 career BsR) or in the field (-100 career DRS). While the DRS and UZR grading systems both saw some improvement in Castellanos’s glovework in 2019, neither graded him as even an average performer. And Statcast’s outs above average measure placed him in just the 4th percentile leaguewide.
C. Trent Rosecrans and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the deal (Twitter link). Contract details were reported by Jon Heyman of MLB Network (links to Twitter), Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer (on Twitter), MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon (via Twitter), and ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan (via Twitter).
Brewers Sign Shelby Miller To Minor League Deal
The Brewers announced that they’ve signed right-hander Shelby Miller to a minor league contract. The Roc Nation Sports client will be in Major League camp as a non-roster invitee this spring.
It wasn’t long ago that the 29-year-old Miller was considered to be among the game’s rising young pitchers, but he fell on hard times following a 2015 trade to the Diamondbacks. An All-Star who posted a 3.02 ERA in 205 1/3 innings back in 2015, Miller posted an unexpectedly poor 6.15 ERA in 101 frames in his first season with the D-backs. A year later, he underwent Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for more than a year. He wasn’t able to regain his form upon returning and ultimately was non-tendered in the 2018-19 offseason.
Following that disappointing run in Arizona, Miller inked a one-year, $2MM deal with the Rangers but saw his struggles persist. In 44 innings with Texas last year, he allowed nearly a run per frame before being cut loose. Miller latched on with the Brewers on a minor league deal over the summer but didn’t make it to the big leagues. He’ll now return as a no-risk flier, giving the Milwaukee organization a free look in Spring Training.
Diamondbacks Designate Pat Valaika For Assignment
The Diamondbacks announced that they’ve designated infielder Pat Valaika for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to new center fielder Starling Marte, whose acquisition from the Pirates has been formally announced by the team.
It’s the third time this winter that Valaika, 27, has been jettisoned from a 40-man roster. The former ninth-round pick began the offseason with the Rockies and was briefly property of the Orioles before being claimed off waivers by the D-backs just 11 days ago.
The younger brother of former Reds, Marlins and Cubs infielder Chris Valaika, Pat has spent his entire career in the Rockies organization, appearing in the big leagues in each of the past four seasons. He’s a career .214/.256/.400 hitter who has shown plenty of pop from the right side of the dish and some infield versatility.
However, the younger Valaika brother has punched out in nearly 29 percent of his trips to the plate in the big leagues and generally struggled to get on base at a passable clip. He has a minor league option remaining and a career .275/.315/.498 slash 695 Triple-A plate appearances, so it’s possible another club will take a look at claiming him as a depth option. If not, he’ll remain in the D-backs system and presumably head to Spring Training as a non-roster invitee to Major League camp.
Arizona will have a week to trade Valaika, place him on outright waivers or release him.
Diamondbacks Acquire Starling Marte
The Diamondbacks were handsomely rewarded when last they dealt for a player named Marte, and they’ve doubled down on that strategy. The Snakes announced on Monday that they’ve acquired outfielder Starling Marte from the Pirates. High-upside youngsters Liover Peguero and Brennan Malone are going back in return, along with $250K in international spending money moving to Pittsburgh. The Pirates will also reportedly pay down $1.5MM of Marte’s remaining obligations.
It’s another fascinating gambit from the Arizona front office in what has been a perhaps unexpectedly aggressive winter. When the offseason opened, there was more talk of trading Robbie Ray than of pushing to dethrone the Dodgers in the NL West. But Ray remains with the club. And after dealing away Zack Greinke at the 2019 trade deadline, the D-Backs have now added multiple veteran pieces to the roster — including veteran hurler Madison Bumgarner — and seem poised to contend.
In making this swap, the Diamondbacks are adding a consistently above-average offensive performer who is fresh off a robust .295/.342/.503 slash with 23 homers, 31 doubles, six triples and 25 steals in 586 plate appearances in his final season with the Pirates. The 31-year-old Marte has been at least 12 percent better than a league-average hitter in every season dating back to 2013, with the exception of 2017, by measure of wRC+. He doesn’t walk much but also boasts a low strikeout rate (16 percent in 2019) and high-end baserunning value.
If there are questions about the now-former Pirates center fielder, they center around his glovework. Marte won a pair of Gold Gloves with the Buccos back in 2015-16, but that was when he was playing left field alongside a still-in-his-prime Andrew McCutchen in center. Marte took over center field on a full-time basis in 2018 and delivered above-average to excellent marks in Defensive Runs Saved (+1), Ultimate Zone Rating (+3.2) and Outs Above Average (+10). However, those metrics soured on his skills across the board in 2019 (-9 DRS, -7.6 UZR, +2 OAA).
That 2019 downturn notwithstanding, Marte now seems poised to step into an everyday center field role in Arizona, thus allowing rising star Ketel Marte to settle in at second base on a full-time basis. The pair would anchor a revamped Arizona lineup that has already gained Kole Calhoun and Stephen Vogt this winter. Marte — the prospective new acquisition, that is — is earning $11.5MM in 2020. Because Pittsburgh is paying $1.5MM of that sum, he’ll tack another $10MM onto the 2020 payroll for the D-backs. He’s controllable for another season through a $12.5MM club option that can alternatively be bought out for $1MM buyout.
That contract was a major part of Marte’s appeal. He signed it back in the spring of 2014 — a hopeful time for him and the Pirates organization. Things didn’t quite develop according to plan, though both player and team found success at times. Marte sat out for half of the 2017 season owing to a violation of the league’s PED policy. The Bucs took three-straight Wild Card appearances (2013-15) but haven’t been back to the postseason since.
The situation in Pittsburgh reached a boiling point after a highly disappointing 2019 campaign that significantly downgraded the team’s near-term outlook. This move represents the first major decision for a new leadership team — president Travis Williams, GM Ben Cherington, and manager Derek Shelton — that was installed after the offseason was already underway.
It’s not especially surprising to see Marte on the move. He sat atop our most recent ranking of the top trade candidates in baseball. Given the rough seas the Bucs had sailed upon of late, it made good sense for the organization to cash in the veteran and set the looking glass to the horizon.
Cherington is hunting for gold with this move. Both of the young players acquired are seen as possessing massive ceilings, but they’re also still a long ways off. While it’s tough to glean too much from a singular trade, it’s nevertheless notable that the newly minted Pirates’ baseball ops boss opted for high-ceiling teenagers that aren’t close to MLB-ready rather than focusing on players who could make an impact in 2020 or 2021. That’s not to say that the Pirates did poorly in their return, but perhaps a hint that Cherington and his staff believe the timeline to contention isn’t exactly a short one. Baseball America and FanGraphs each graded both Peguero and Malone among the top 10 prospects in an Arizona farm that has drawn increasing praise for its depth of quality talent.
The 19-year-old Peguero split this past season between the Rookie-level Pioneer League and the short-season Class-A Northwest League, hitting a combined .326/.382/.485 with five homers, 11 doubles, five triples and 11 steals in 249 plate appearances. Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen favorably compare him to Jean Segura in their scouting report, noting astonishingly similar body types and quick hands at the plate; however, they also tout him as a potentially superior defender to Segura.
Malone, also 19, was the 33rd overall pick in this past year’s draft. He draws praise for a heater that has topped out at 99 mph, a plus slider and another pair of potentially average offerings in his curve and changeup. Like Peguero, he’s years from making an impact in the big leagues but possesses a notable ceiling on which the Pirates can dream.
John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (via Twitter) reported that the sides were closing in on a deal. Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter) reported it was done. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter), Robert Murray (Twitter link), Heyman (in a tweet), and Gambadoro (via Twitter) had details.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Mets Sign Erasmo Ramirez To Minor League Deal
The Mets have signed right-handed pitcher Erasmo Ramirez to a minor league deal, according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. He’ll get a non-roster invite to big league camp.
Ramirez, 29, spent last year in the Red Sox organization, pitching mostly in Triple-A and making one appearance with the big league team. In 125 1/3 innings with Boston’s Triple-A affiliate, Ramirez notched a 4.74 ERA and struck out 95 batters. In his last stint of sustained big league action, he made 10 starts with the 2018 Mariners, working to a 6.50 ERA.
With the Mets’ rotation mix looking full with the signings of Michael Wacha and Rick Porcello, Ramirez looks mostly like a depth signing who can start in the minor leagues and offer emergency innings in the Majors if necessary.
Royals Re-Sign Alex Gordon
TODAY: Gordon has agreed to waive his 10-and-5 no-trade rights beginning on June 16, as per The Associated Press. Talking with MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan and other reporters about the signing, GM Dayton Moore referred to the unusual provision as a way to “eliminate the red tape” and “take out the dynamics of going through the union” if a trade offer from a contender emerged. Moore also implied that Gordon would still have an unofficial veto about any trade proposal, saying “anything we do with Alex, we would have a conversation with him first. It’s really important to know that. It’s always about the players….If you decide together at some point [that a trade] could benefit Alex, you want to have very easy conversations about things.”
JANUARY 22, 5:33pm: Gordon’s contract pays him an extra $500K upon reaching 250 plate appearances, tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. There’s also a $500K assignment bonus in the event that he’s traded, although as a player with 10-and-5 rights, Gordon can veto any proposed swap.
9:15am: The Royals have struck a new deal with outfielder Alex Gordon, as first reported by MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan (via Twitter). The pact is said to guarantee him $4MM for the 2020 season. Righty Heath Fillmyer was designated for assignment to create roster space.
Gordon’s second free agent return to Kansas City comes with less drama and a much lower cost than did his prior one. The veteran previously inked a four-year deal in January of 2016, all but ensuring he’d never wear another uniform.
Entering the 2019-20 offseason, the only question was whether Gordon would decide to continue his career for an additional season. He and the K.C. organization decided upon at least one more.
That aforementioned contract hasn’t worked out at all from an on-field perspective. Gordon, who’ll soon turn 36, has yet to turn in even an average offensive campaign under the new deal. He carries an ugly .237/.320/.366 batting line over the four-season span.
On the other hand, Gordon has continued to turn in sterling defensive work in the outfield. And his bat did trend up in 2019, as he slashed .266/.345/.396 (96 wRC+) with 13 home runs.
While there was never any chance the Royals would pick up a high-priced option over Gordon, it’s not hard to understand the rationale for this move. The money, roster spot, and playing time surely could’ve been appropriated elsewhere, but every team needs some veterans around and the Royals are as familiar and comfortable with Gordon as any club could be with any player.
As for Fillmyer, the 25-year-old has thrown 104 2/3 MLB frames over the past two seasons, working to a 5.07 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9. He turned in solid results while working his way through the farm, but has also struggled at the Triple-A level, where he owns a 5.48 ERA over 116 2/3 innings in 2018-19.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Marlins To Sign Brandon Kintzler
The Marlins have agreed to a one-year contract with right-hander Brandon Kintzler, ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers reports. The deal will pay Kintzler $3.25MM in guaranteed money — $3MM in 2020 salary, and a $250K buyout of a $4MM club option for the 2021 season. In the event of a trade before the 2020 season is out, the 2021 club option increases to $5MM with a $500K buyout. Kintzler is represented by Kevin Kohler.
Miami has been linked to the 35-year-old Kintzler for the last few weeks, with MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reporting earlier today that the two sides were “working on a deal.” With Kintzler now in the fold, it would seemingly put an end to the Marlins’ pursuit of Pedro Strop, another former Cubs reliever Miami was also considering as a ninth-inning option.
Now, Kintzler will step back into a closer’s role for the first time since the 2017 season. Kintzler has spent the bulk of his career outside of save situations, though he did total 46 saves with the Twins and Nationals over the 2016-17 seasons. 2018, however, was a rougher ride for Kintzler, who struggled to a 7.00 ERA over 18 innings with the Cubs after the Nationals dealt him at the trade deadline.
After working to “simplify my mechanics” last Spring Training, Kintzler bounced back in impressive fashion, posting a 2.68 ERA, 3.69 K/BB rate, 7.6 K/9, and 54.7% grounder rate over 57 innings out of the Chicago bullpen in 2019. Despite being in the bottom eighth percentile of hard-hit ball rate, opposing batters couldn’t do much with that hard contact, as Kintzler also posted a low exit velocity (19th percentile) and limited batters to a .265 wOBA that was only slightly lower than his .286 xwOBA.
Kintzler brings some closing experience and, with 10 MLB seasons to his name, simply some experience overall to a mostly-young Marlins bullpen. With Kintzler looking like the favorite to handle the ninth inning, Miami can deploy Jose Urena, Ryne Stanek, Drew Steckenrider, or any other potential closer candidates in other high-leverage roles to gauge their readiness for any save situations. Since the Marlins are still rebuilding, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Kintzler shopped at the trade deadline if the right-hander is pitching well, and the extra control offered by the 2021 club option could increase his trade value over pure rental pitchers.
Mets, Eduardo Nunez Agree To Minor League Deal
The Mets have agreed to a minor league deal with free-agent infielder Eduardo Nunez, according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. It includes a non-roster invite to Major League Spring Training.
Nunez, 32, is coming off a dreadful year that ended in July with his release from the Red Sox, with whom he had played since mid-2017. Nunez played in just 60 games for the Sox last year, and yet he accumulated -1.5 WAR thanks largely to an unsightly .228/.243/.305 batting line.
Those numbers are hard to swallow, but Nunez really isn’t that far from removed from a couple of seasons in 2016 and 2017 in which he provided above-average offensive output to go with his signature aggressive baserunning. Splitting the 2017 season between San Francisco and Boston, he posted an .801 OPS to go with 24 stolen bases. He’s never received high marks as a defender, but he’s at least capable of playing second and third base.
He will join an already crowded Mets infield mix with a chance to compete for a roster spot in the spring. The starting infield looks pretty well solidified, but Nunez may have a shot at supplanting Luis Guillorme, who’s a more polished shortstop but also has a patchy offensive track record, for bench at-bats.
Blue Jays To Sign Rafael Dolis
JANUARY 25: Dolis will make $1MM plus incentives, while the option for 2021 has a base of $1.5MM with bonuses, per Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi. The Blue Jays can cut ties with Dolis before 2021 at no cost.
JANUARY 24: The Blue Jays have reached a one-year agreement with right-hander Rafael Dolis, Scott Mitchell of TSN tweets. The deal includes a club option for 2021. Dolis is a client of Moye Sports Associates.
The 32-year-old Dolis is now in position to return to the majors for the first time since 2013, when he threw a mere five innings for the Cubs in his third season with the club. Overall, he pitched to a 5.48 ERA/5.39 FIP with more walks (26) than strikeouts (25) in 44 1/3 frames for Chicago before seeing Triple-A action with the Giants and Tigers from 2014-15.
Dolis headed for Japan after his MLB chances dried up a few years ago, and it proved to be an excellent decision. The hard thrower posted a tremendous 2.49 ERA with 96 saves and 9.9 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9 over 206 innings with the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball from 2016-19. Dolis’ success in Asia put him back on the major league map, and he now looks primed to win a season-opening spot in Toronto’s bullpen.
Giants Outright Jake Jewell, Trevor Oaks
The Giants continued their roster-churning efforts by outrighting pitchers Jake Jewell and Trevor Oaks. Among those to tweet the news was Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter).
Both of these 26-year-old right-handers were acquired earlier in the offseason through waiver claims, then dropped to allow the club to acquire two additional hurlers. Jewell and Oaks are now lodged in the San Francisco system without occupying 40-man roster space, which was perhaps the plan all along.
The voluminous waiver activity of the Giants has brought in a host of new players. Whether any will provide much value remains to be seen.
Jewell is coming off of a tough 2019 effort in which he was bombed at both the MLB and Triple-A levels. But he features a mid-to-upper-nineties fastball and has shown some swing and miss potential. Perhaps the Giants can re-think his approach and help improve the results.
For Oaks, the standout skill is groundball induction. The soft-tossing sinkerballer has worked almost exclusively as a starter and was successful in that role last year at Triple-A. Though he recorded just 4.9 K/9, he drew grounders on 50.2% of the balls put in play against him and allowed just five home runs in 128 1/3 innings — no small achievement given the offensive explosion in the highest level of the minors.