Phillies Sign David Robertson
7:00pm: Robertson’s deal does contain a range of incentives, per Jon Heyman of Fancred. The 33-year-old will be awarded $50K each for an All-Star appearance, Gold Glove award, or League Championship Series MVP award, and $100K if he’s awarded MVP of the World Series or wins the Cy Young (plus $50K for finishing second, and $25K for a third-place finish). He’ll also donate 1% of his salary to the team’s charity fund.
1:00pm: The Phillies have announced the signing. Because they had two open spots on the 40-man roster, a corresponding move was not necessary.
12:29pm: The Phillies have agreed to a two-year, $23MM contract with free-agent reliever David Robertson, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (via Twitter). The contract contains a $12MM club option for a third season, and Robertson has already passed his physical. He’ll earn $10MM in 2019, $11MM in 2020 and is guaranteed at least a $2MM buyout on the 2021 option. If the option is picked up, the self-represented Robertson would take home a total of $33MM over three years.
Robertson, 33, has been among the game’s most consistent relievers since emerging as a regular more than a decade ago. He’s totaled at least 60 innings and 60 appearances per season dating back to 2010 and hasn’t been on the disabled list since 2014, when he missed the minimum amount of time due to a mild groin strain.
Robertson is fresh off a quality 3.23 ERA with 11.8 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, 0.9 HR/9 and a 45.3 percent ground-ball rate in 69 2/3 innings with the Yankees. He kept his ERA south of 3.50 and averaged at least 10.8 punchouts per nine innings in all four seasons of his the four-year $46MM pact he signed with the White Sox. His 2017 season — 1.84 ERA, 12.9 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 2.57 FIP, 2.76 xFIP through 68 1/3 innings between Chicago and New York — was particularly brilliant.
After spending his entire career to date in the American League, Robertson will head to the National League for the first time, where he’ll pair with breakout 2018 rookie Seranthony Dominguez at the back of a Philadelphia bullpen that also features veterans Tommy Hunter, Pat Neshek and Juan Nicasio, in addition to lefties James Pazos and Jose Alvarez. Hector Neris, Edubray Ramos, Yacksel Rios and Victor Arano are among the other bullpen options for the Phillies, but it presently stands to reason that Dominguez and Robertson will team to handle the majority of the high-leverage innings in Philadelphia.
To that end, Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets that the Phillies’ intention with Robertson is to use him “whenever the game is on the line, regardless of inning.” That should put Robertson firmly in the mix for some saves in Philadelphia, but he’ll also likely be called upon to help escape jams earlier in the game. In those instances, Dominguez could then be in line for more conventional save opportunities.
Robertson is the latest addition in an offseason that has been rife with turnover for the Phillies after GM Matt Klentak promised changes were coming on the heels of a historic late collapse. Since their season ended in catastrophic fashion, the Phillies have shipped out Carlos Santana, signed Andrew McCutchen and acquired each of Nicasio, Pazos and Jean Segura on the trade market. The heaviest lifting for the Phillies may very well be yet to come, though, as the Phillies have been linked to top free agents Bryce Harper and Manny Machado more strongly than virtually any team in baseball.
The Robertson contract falls rather closely in line with the two-year, $25MM contract that Andrew Miller landed with the Cardinals, perhaps further serving to establish the market for the tier of veteran relievers just below top available arm Craig Kimbrel. The Phillies and Yankees were both rumored to be in the mix for Robertson, Zach Britton and Adam Ottavino, so with Robertson now off the board, both Britton and Ottavino could see their markets accelerate.
Fancred’s Jon Heyman first suggested that a deal between the two sides appeared to be getting close (via Twitter), and The Athletic’s Jayson Stark had reported shortly beforehand that there was “lots” of talk surrounding the Phillies and Robertson (Twitter links).
Indians Sign Justin Grimm To Minor League Contract
The Indians announced Thursday that they’ve signed right-hander Justin Grimm to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training. Grimm is represented by the Bledsoe Agency.
The 30-year-old Grimm split the 2018 season between the Royals and Mariners but struggled through the worst season of his career. The former Cubs reliever was clobbered for a combined 20 runs in 17 1/3 innings and walked more hitters (14) than he struck out (11).
Grimm did improve upon landing in Seattle, allowing just one run in 4 2/3 innings as a Mariner. It’s been awhile since Grimm enjoyed success at the MLB level, but he was excellent back in 2015 when he tossed 49 2/3 innings of 1.99 ERA ball with 12.1 K/9 against 4.7 BB/9. Control has long been an issue for the righty, but he’s also consistently demonstrated an ability to miss bats both in the upper minors and at the Major League level.
Twins Designate Aaron Slegers For Assignment
The Twins announced Thursday that they’ve designated right-hander Aaron Slegers for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster for newly signed designated hitter Nelson Cruz.
Slegers, a towering righty, stands at 6’10” and has pitched 29 innings for the Twins across the past two seasons but struggled to a 5.90 ERA in that time. Although Slegers hasn’t had much experience at the MLB level, he’s had quite a bit of success in Triple-A, where he’s pitched to a 3.54 ERA in 233 2/3 innings with 6.8 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and average or better ground-ball tendencies. As a starting pitcher who has had some success in the upper minors and has a pair of minor league options remaining, Slegers could hold some appeal to clubs in need of some depth and options at the back of the rotation. If he clears waivers, he’ll presumably head the Twins’ top affiliate on an outright assignment.
Angels Sign Jonathan Lucroy
January 2, 5:26 pm: Fancred’s Jon Heyman has the full breakdown of incentives in Lucroy’s deal. The backstop will stand to make $50K if he notches 100 starts in 2019, $75K each for hitting the 105, 110, 115, 120, 125, and 130 games started marks, and $100K if he starts 135 games. He’ll also earn $50K each for notching 350 and 375 plate appearances, respectively, and $75K if he accrues 400, 425, 450, 475 and 500 PA. In the event he reaches the 525 PA plateau, the 32-year-old will earn an extra $100K.
December 28, 9:58pm: Factoring in incentives, the max value of Lucroy’s deal is $4.525MM, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweets.
December 28, 7:36pm: The Angels have agreed to a one-year, $3.35MM guarantee with free-agent catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who has already taken a physical, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports tweets. Jon Heyman of Fancred first reported the two sides were closing in on a contract. Lucroy, a client of Excel Sports Management, will have a chance to earn upward of $4MM on his new deal, according to Passan.
The 32-year-old Lucroy will stay in the American League West, where he played with the Rangers from 2016-17 and the Athletics last season. After a down 2017 split between Texas and Colorado, the former Brewers star had to settle for a one-year, $6.5MM guarantee with the A’s just a few weeks before the 2018 campaign started. Lucroy ended up drawing raves from his teammates and coaches in Oakland, which surprisingly earned a wild-card berth. However, he easily endured the worst statistical season of his career.
Once among the majors’ elite all-around backstops, Lucroy limped to a .241/.291/.325 line across 454 plate appearances last year. Of hitters who racked up at least 400 PAs, he ranked sixth from the bottom in ISO (.084) and ninth last in wRC+ (70), continuing an abrupt fall from grace for someone who was a formidable offensive presence as recently as 2016. Worsening matters, for the second straight year, the former pitch-framing darling had extreme difficulty as a defender, according to Baseball Prospectus. To Lucroy’s credit, though, he did throw out an above-average 30 percent of would-be base stealers.
Despite his issues over the past couple years, it appears the Angels will count on Lucroy to play an important role in 2019. The club entered Friday with no truly established options behind the plate, as Kevan Smith (497 major league PAs) and Jose Briceno (128) were the lone catchers on its 40-man roster. Given that Smith’s out of minor league options, it’s likely he has the inside track to back up Lucroy. But whether Lucroy’s a significant enough pickup for the Angels to stop seeking help at the position is debatable. In the event the Halos are content with Lucroy, Smith and Briceno, it’ll remove a suitor for the top free-agent catcher available, Yasmani Grandal, whom they’ve reportedly chased.
For the Angels, the Lucroy signing is the fourth notable move they’ve made in free agency this winter. The team previously inked first baseman Justin Bour and a pair of right-handers in Matt Harvey and Trevor Cahill – all of whom also received one-year commitments. The Angels have been linked to other free agents – including reliever David Robertson and infielder Josh Harrison on Friday – and considering they still have obvious needs, general manager Billy Eppler may not be done this offseason. For now, the Angels’ hope is that their quartet of free-agent additions will help provide a better supporting cast to the game’s foremost player, center fielder Mike Trout, as he heads into his penultimate year of team control. The Angels have managed just one postseason trip and zero playoff wins since the future Hall of Famer debuted in 2011, and they’re currently mired in a four-year drought.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor MLB Transactions: 1/2/19
The latest minor league transactions from around baseball….
Latest Moves
- Per mlb.com’s transaction page on Dec. 14, the Dodgers have re-signed righty Daniel Corcino to a minor league pact. Corcino, 28, made two late-season appearances for Los Angeles last season after being a fixture in the AAA-Oklahoma City rotation for much of the year. The 5’11 righty was mostly excellent for the team’s chief affiliate, offering an 8.88 K/9 against 3.57 BB/9 with just 9 HR allowed in 103 1/3 IP, his first AAA exposure since 2013. Corcino, who made five appearances for the 2014 Reds, had worked mostly as a reliever since, appearing in 56 games at the High-A and Double-A levels from 2015-17.
- The Rockies have signed right-hander Jairo Diaz to a new minors contract, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports. The deal, notably, doesn’t seem to include an invitation to the team’s big league Spring Training camp. That could be an indication that the Rox don’t want to pressure Diaz into trying to win a big league job and are simply focused on getting the injury-plagued righty on track. Diaz missed all of 2016 due to Tommy John surgery, and subsequent forearm and elbow issues have limited him to just five MLB innings in 2017 and 32 1/3 total innings in the minors over the last two seasons. Diaz did toss 30 1/3 IP in Venezuelan Winter League ball this year, so there is some sign of progress.
Earlier Today
- The Dodgers have signed outfielder Shane Peterson to a minor league deal. The contract contains an invitation to the team’s Major League Spring Training camp. Peterson, who turns 31 in January, spent 2018 with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate, and he has a .254/.319/.359 slash line over 322 career MLB plate appearances. The bulk of that action (226 PA) came with Milwaukee in 2015, and Peterson last appeared in the Show in 2017 when playing for the Rays. Peterson has seen a lot of work at all three outfield positions over his 11-year professional career plus substantial time as a first baseman, giving L.A. another versatile asset to deploy as a bench piece or as minor league depth.
Mariners Sign Yusei Kikuchi
The Mariners have spent much of the offseason making trades to aggressively reshape their roster, but they announced on Wednesday what figures to be one of the largest pitching signings of the offseason: a four-year contract for free-agent left-hander Yusei Kikuchi. The Scott Boras client, who had been posted for MLB clubs by the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball, will reportedly receive a guaranteed $56MM on a uniquely structured contract.
The first three years of Kikuchi’s contract will reportedly pay him $43MM, and at that point he’ll have a player option for the 2022 season that is valued at $13MM. However, the Mariners can also preemptively exercise a four-year club option on Kikuchi that would promise him an additional $66MM. In doing so, they’d effectively be extending his contract to a seven-year, $109MM deal. Conceptually, the deal is similar to the contract that Boras brokered between the Phillies and Jake Arrieta last year, though the overall length of the two pacts differs (as one would expect give the age discrepancy between the two).
Kikuchi, 27, was one of the more intriguing players available on this year’s free-agent market. He was free to sign with any team that he wanted after being posted by the Lions, but he had until early January to come to terms with a new team after being posted in early December, as the current posting agreement between Major League Baseball and NPB gives MLB clubs a 30-day window from the onset of the posting period. As part of that agreement, the Mariners will pay the Lions a release fee equal to 20 percent of the contract’s first $25MM, 17.5 percent of the next $25MM and 15 percent of anything on top of that. In other words, the Mariners are effectively agreeing to pay the Lions as much as $10.275MM on top of Kikuchi’s guarantee. If the four-year option/extension is picked up in 2022, they’d pay the Lions a total of $19.725MM in addition to the full $109MM guaranteed to Kikuchi.
The connection between Kikuchi and the M’s has long been obvious, particularly since the organization has made no secret of its interest. Though the Seattle club has made clear it’s taking a step back from competitiveness, it hopes to bounce back to contention by 2020 or 2021. That has been a driving factor in Seattle’s acquisition of young, controllable players such as Mallex Smith, Omar Narvaez, Domingo Santana, J.P. Crawford and Justus Sheffield.
The still-youthful Kikuchi seems to fit that timeline. It’s also hard to ignore the simple geographical match. Seattle and other west coast clubs are more convenient locales for Japanese players; the M’s have previously enjoyed positive stints from players such as Ichiro Suzuki and Hisashi Iwakuma and were selected as a finalist for Shohei Ohtani‘s services last winter as well.
The addition of Kikuchi will give the Mariners’ rotation some upside to line up alongside young southpaw Marco Gonzales and veteran hurlers Felix Hernandez, Mike Leake and Wade LeBlanc. Bringing Kikuchi into the fold will give the Mariners the luxury of being able to ease Sheffield and/or righty Erik Swanson (acquired alongside Sheffield in the James Paxton swap with the Yankees) into the mix rather than forcing one or both into the rotation out of necessity. Of course, that complexion could still change over the course of the offseason; the Mariners are reportedly still exploring the market for Leake and other veterans.
Over the past four seasons, Kikuchi has worked to a pristine 2.58 ERA with averages of 8.9 strikeouts, 3.1 walks and 0.68 home runs per nine innings pitched. He’s said to have a fastball in the low to mid 90s and multiple average-or-better secondary offerings to pair with that heater. Though the M’s are committing a fairly substantial sum to a pitcher who is largely a wildcard, if Kikuchi is able to find success at the MLB level, that contract could quickly become a bargain. And while that $56MM guarantee is fairly hefty for a player who has yet to throw a pitch in the Majors, it’s more along the lines of the contract a mid-rotation starter would expect to receive on the open market here. If Kikuchi can prove himself as a quality big league arm, it’s quite possible that there’ll even be surplus value on the deal.
The Kikuchi signing is somewhat of a rarity among non-contending clubs these days: a move designed to improve the team for the upcoming season even as it looks to retool/rebuild its organization for the long haul. In an era of tanking teams that are motivated by a collective bargaining agreement that heavily incentivizes losing, few teams make this type of investment early in the rebuilding (or, to use GM Jerry Dipoto’s term, “re-imagining”) process. But the acquisition of Kikuchi and the focus on MLB-ready or near-MLB assets in the majority of the growing web of trades Dipoto has made this winter do all speak to the fact that, as opposed to the arduous multi-year rebuilds on which so many other organizations have embarked, the Mariners hope to be competitive far sooner than later.
Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports first reported that the two sides were nearing a deal (Twitter link). Fancred’s Jon Heyman tweeted that the two sides had reached an agreement. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported the length of the contract (via Twitter), and Heyman added further details on the contract structure (also via Twitter).
Marlins Claim Rosell Herrera
The Marlins announced that they have claimed infielder/outfielder Rosell Herrera from the Royals. Herrera was designated for assignment by K.C. last month.
The 26-year-old Herrera made his Major League debut last season, hitting .234/.286/.317 over 302 combined plate appearances with the Reds and Royals, as Kansas City claimed him off waivers from Cincinnati last June. In this brief time in the big leagues, Herrera has already played all three outfield positions as well as time at second base and third base, so he offers quite a bit of versatility to a Marlins team that parted ways with Derek Dietrich earlier this winter. Herrera doesn’t have Dietrich’s upside at the plate, of course, so he could perhaps fit better as competition or perhaps a replacement for current utilityman Miguel Rojas.
Herrera has been added to Miami’s 40-man roster, giving the Marlins a full 40-man complement.
Twins Sign Nelson Cruz
TODAY: The Twins have officially announced Cruz’s signing.
DEC.27: The Twins are in agreement on a contract with free-agent slugger Nelson Cruz, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). It’s a one-year deal with an option for a second season, according to Fancred’s Jon Heyman (on Twitter). Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes further reports that Cruz will earn $14MM in 2019, and the contract contains a $12MM club option with a $300K buyout (Twitter link). Cruz is represented by the Primo Sports Group.
Cruz, 38, was frequently linked to the Twins throughout the offseason. Minnesota stood out as a logical landing spot for the ultra-consistent slugger, as one of the few teams with a clear vacancy at designated hitter following the retirement of Joe Mauer and the decision to decline a club option over Logan Morrison. That pairing of Mauer and Morrison, then, will be swapped out for a more powerful combo of Cruz and C.J. Cron, whom Minnesota picked up from the Rays earlier this offseason.
Although he’s well into his late 30s, Cruz has shown little to no semblance of decline. His four-year, $57MM contract with the Mariners raised some eyebrows initially, but he not only lived up to every bit of that deal but actually provided Seattle with a fair bit of excess value. Over the life of that four-year pact, Cruz raked at a .284/.362/.546 pace despite playing half his games at Seattle’s pitcher-friendly Safeco Field. Cruz’s .256/.342/.509 batting line from 2018 was the weakest output of his four seasons in Seattle, but that was largely attributable to an uncharacteristic dip in his average on balls in play (.264 in 2018; .305 career). That BABIP drop came despite the fact that Cruz actually increased his hard-hit rate over his 2017 levels.
Adding Cruz will presumably push fellow righty slugger Tyler Austin into a bench role; the 27-year-old Austin showed huge power with the Twins following a midseason acquisition but remained strikeout-prone and OBP challenged. He can spell either of Cron or Cruz from time to time and has some corner outfield experience in the minors as well.
With Cruz in the fold, the Twins’ lineup will have the potential for quite a bit of power — particularly from the right side of the dish. Cruz has averaged 41 homers per season over the past half-decade, and he’ll slot into the heart of the order alongside Cron (30 homers in 2018) and Miguel Sano, who hit 28 home runs in just 114 games for the Twins in 2017
Of course, Sano’s status is one of the true mysteries for Minnesota heading into 2019; a fractured shin suffered by Sano late in 2017 ultimately led to offseason surgery that saw a titanium rod inserted into his leg, which prevented him from a full offseason of conditioning. If the lingering effects of that surgery are behind him and Sano can return to something approximating his 2017 levels of production, the Twins will possess a trio of right-handed sluggers to pair with lefty-swinging Eddie Rosario. Given the uncertainty surrounding Sano, Byron Buxton and fellow free-agent signing Jonathan Schoop, adding a player with Cruz’s perennial stability is all the more important for the Twins.
Financially speaking, the Twins can easily afford to add Cruz at $14MM for the upcoming season and still make additional moves. Cruz’s contract will boost the Twins’ 2019 payroll to just north of $100MM — a mark that is well shy of both the $112.6MM they’ve averaged over the past four seasons and the $128.7MM payroll they carried into the 2018 season a year ago. Beyond that, the fact that Cruz was added on a one-year guarantee means that the Twins still don’t have a single guaranteed contract on the books for the 2020 season, leaving them with more flexibility than any team in the Majors from a long-term vantage point.
Further additions would appear prudent for Minnesota. Though the Twins had a disappointing 2018 season, the American League Central still looks quite weak. The Tigers are still in the midst of a full-scale rebuilding effort, and though the Royals have indicated that they’ll aim to be more competitive in 2019, they’re in a largely similar situation. The White Sox have been rebuilding for a longer period of time and are showing signs of pushing closer to contention, but the 2020 season likely presents a more realistic timetable for the South Siders. Even the Indians, who have won three consecutive division titles, have weakened their roster to an extent this offseason, which at least creates an opportunity for the Twins to make another relatively surprising run. They’ll need bouncebacks from Sano and Buxton and could stand to further augment the pitching staff, though as noted above, they certainly have the financial resources available to make those moves.
Cubs Sign Jim Adduci, Phillip Evans To Minors Contracts
Catching up on some transactions from December, the Cubs signed first baseman/outfielder Jim Adduci and infielder Phillip Evans to minor league contracts. Zone Coverage’s Brandon Warne (Twitter link) had the news on Adduci, while MetsMerized’s Michael Mayer (via Twitter) was first with the Evans signing.
After posting 241 Major League plate appearances in parts of three previous big league seasons, Adduci received a career-high 185 PA for the Tigers in 2018, hitting .267/.290/.386 with three homers. Adduci broke into the Show with the Rangers in 2013-14, before spending the next two seasons with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization, and then returning to North America on a minor league deal with Detroit prior to the 2017 campaign. This will be Adduci’s second stint with the Cubs, as he played in their farm system from 2007-12.
Evans is moving on to a new organization for the first time in his pro career, after spending his first eight seasons with the Mets. A 15th-round pick for New York in the 2011 draft, Evans cracked the big league roster in each of the last two seasons, appearing in 34 games for the Mets and posting a .606 OPS over 61 career plate appearances. Evans fits the Cubs’ preferred model of a versatile player, as he has logged extensive time at second base, shortstop, and third base, and has also played some left field and first base.
Pirates Sign Tyler Lyons
The Pirates have signed left-handed reliever Tyler Lyons to a minor league pact, John Dreker of PiratesProspects.com reports.
Pittsburgh’s plenty familiar with Lyons, who had been with NL Central rival St. Louis since it selected him in the 2010 draft. Lyons, a former starter, debuted with the Cardinals in 2013 and later emerged as an effective piece out of their bullpen. Over 97 appearances (89 in relief) and 162 innings from 2015-17, Lyons posted a 3.33 ERA. He was particularly excellent in 2017, a 54-frame showing in which he logged a 2.83 ERA with 11.33 K/9, 3.33 BB/9 and a 41.9 percent groundball rate.
The Redbirds were likely expecting more of the same from Lyons in 2018, but the 30-year-old’s season went awry as he battled back and elbow injuries. While Lyons continued to strike out hitters at a solid clip (10.26 per nine), his walks increased (4.32 BB/9), his grounder rate dropped to alarming degrees (28.3 percent) and his home run rate went from .5 per nine the previous season to 1.62. He also surrendered a ridiculously high .412 batting average on balls in play and only recorded a 60.4 percent strand rate. All of that led to an 8.64 ERA across 16 2/3 innings for Lyons, whom the Cardinals designated for assignment in late July. Lyons spent the rest of the season at Triple-A, where he offered far better production (2.49 ERA, 8.72 K/9, 2.49 BB/9 in 21 2/3 innings), and then elected free agency in October.
Considering Lyons’ past success and the makeup of the Pirates’ bullpen, he could earn a major league shot in Pittsburgh in 2019. Aside from closer Felipe Vazquez, the only lefty reliever on the Bucs’ 40-man roster is Steven Brault, who has struggled in the bigs since debuting in 2016.