Diamondbacks Win Arbitration Hearing Against Shelby Miller
The Diamondbacks have won their arbitration hearing against right-hander Shelby Miller, tweets Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. As can be seen in MLBTR’s 2017 Arbitration Tracker, Miller had filed for a $5.1MM salary, with the D-backs countering at $4.7MM. He’ll now earn the lesser of those two amounts in 2017 after earning $4.35MM last season. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had projected a $4.9MM salary for Miller this season.
The 26-year-old Miller struggled through a nightmarish season in his debut campaign with the Diamondbacks, pitching to a 6.15 earned run average in 101 innings of work. The former Cardinals/Braves righty saw his K/9, BB/9 and ground-ball rates all trend in the wrong direction as he also became increasingly susceptible to home runs in his new hitter-friendly environs. Beyond that, Miller suffered a finger injury that landed him on the disabled list for about a month, and he was also demoted to Triple-A for roughly six weeks due to his struggles.
That demotion not only cost Miller in arbitration, but it delayed his free agency by a year. Miller finished the 2016 campaign six days shy of a full season of service, meaning he’ll still be controllable for another three years (through 2019). He’ll be eligible for arbitration in each of the upcoming offseasons until that juncture, though he’ll need to rebound in 2017 to avoid becoming a non-tender candidate next December.
Despite Miller’s 2016 struggles, he’ll presumably have every opportunity to do just that in 2017, though. The right-hander is only one season removed from a 3.02 ERA over the life of 205 innings with the Braves, after all, and has been a largely effective pitcher at the big league level throughout his career since debuting with St. Louis back in 2012.
Miller figures to be slotted into the rotation alongside Zack Greinke, Patrick Corbin, Robbie Ray and newcomer Taijuan Walker in 2017, and while he’ll be working with the same pitching coach (Mike Butcher), a new D-backs front office will be charged with finding the root of his downturn in performance.
With Miller’s case now taken care of, Walker remains the only unresolved arbitration case on the D-backs’ plate.
Indians To Sign Boone Logan
6:49pm: Logan will earn a $5.5MM base salary in 2017, tweets Hoynes. His 2018 club option is worth $7MM and comes with a $1MM buyout.
2:31pm: It’s a one-year deal with a club option, per Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer (via Twitter).
1:55pm: The Indians have agreed to a deal with free-agent lefty Boone Logan, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Terms remain unknown at this time; the deal is pending the results of a physical.
Logan, 32, has reportedly sought a two-year deal, with indications he’d be able to command that. Before the offseason, MLBTR predicted a two-year, $12MM contract for the veteran. He just wrapped up a three-year, $16.5MM pact with the Rockies that didn’t really pan out for the team, though Logan certainly ended his tenure in Colorado on a strong note.
In 2016, Logan worked to a 3.69 ERA — all the more impressive that he did so while pitching at Coors Field — with 11.1 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 over 46 1/3 innings. With a 93 mph fastball and a devastating slider, he racked up an outstanding 16.4% swinging-strike rate that rates among the game’s best. He typically produces solid groundball rates, too, with a lifetime 46.4% mark.
Of course, Logan wasn’t nearly as good over the two prior seasons, over which he carried a 5.37 ERA — due, at least in part, to elevate BABIP totals (.379 in 2014 and .374 in 2015). He has also dealt with elbow issues at times, which presents not-unfamiliar risk.
The bigger issue, though, may be in his usage limitations. While he’s dominant against opposing southpaws, Logan isn’t nearly as effective against righties. Over 847 total plate appearances during his career, righty hitters own a .288/.376/.478 slash.
[RELATED: Updated Indians Depth Chart]
For the Indians, though, Logan still offers plenty of functionality. The club already has the dominant Andrew Miller available as the southpaw piece of a high-leverage mix that includes righties Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw. With those three arms already in place, skipper Terry Francona ought to have plenty of flexibility in deploying Logan to take full advantage of his skillset.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Twins To Sign Matt Belisle
The Twins and right-handed reliever Matt Belisle have agreed to a one-year deal, reports FanRag’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link). The CAA Sports client will earn a guaranteed $2.05MM, tweets Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press.
[RELATED: Updated Twins Depth Chart]
After its bullpen finished 2016 with the majors’ fifth-worst ERA and eighth-worst fWAR, rebuilding Minnesota has spent the past few months searching for capable relievers. Belisle, who’s coming off a terrific campaign with the Nationals, is the Twins’ first notable bullpen addition of the offseason. The 36-year-old yielded a minuscule 1.76 ERA in 46 innings, compiled 6.26 K/9 against 1.37 BB/9 and posted a 47.2 percent ground-ball rate in 2016.
Belisle was also effective at preventing runs as a member of the Cardinals in 2015, when he posted somewhat similar numbers to last season (2.67 ERA, 6.68 K/9, 52.4 percent grounder rate), though he did record a lofty BB/9 (4.01) across 33 2/3 frames.
The Twins will be the sixth major league team for Belisle, who spent time as both a starter and reliever with the Reds between 2003-08 before a six-year run in Colorado from 2009-14. Belisle was eminently reliable from 2010-12; at his best in Colorado, he tossed a career-high 92 innings of 2.93 ERA pitching and logged 8.9 K/9 against 1.57 BB/9 in 2010. He’ll now aim for another successful year in Minnesota, which will add Belisle to a late-game mix that will also feature the likes of Brandon Kintzler, the currently rehabbing Glen Perkins, Ryan Pressly and Trevor May, among others.
Given that the Twins don’t figure to contend for a playoff spot in 2017, Belisle could find himself on the move around the summer trade deadline if he fares well over the first few months of the season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor MLB Transactions: 2/2/17
We’ll keep tabs on the latest minor moves here:
- The Indians have outrighted corner infielder/outfielder Richie Shaffer after he cleared waivers, the team announced. That brings to an end his winter tour d’waiver, which saw him spend time on the rosters of the Rays, Mariners, Phillies, and Reds before he landed with Cleveland. The 25-year-old, who’s primarily a third baseman, wasn’t able to capitalize on his opportunity with Tampa Bay, as he slashed .213/.310/.410 over 142 plate appearances over the past two campaigns. But he does own a solid .243/.338/.445 batting line with thirty long balls over his 788 career trips to the Triple-A dish.
- The Athletics have signed minor-league deals with two young Cuban players, as MLB.com’s Jane Lee tweets. Righty Luis Miguel Romero and outfielder Enry Pantojas have both joined the Oakland organization. Neither player has received much in the way of prospect attention, so there’s little public information available. The 23-year-old Romero last appeared in Cuba’s Serie Nacionale in 2015, when he pitched to a 3.31 ERA over 35 1/3 innings and managed just 23 strikeouts to go with 16 walks. Of course, that was just his age-21 campaign. Pantojas, who just turned twenty, has even less of a track record. He hit .304/.429/.348 in Cuba’s top league back in 2015, but that came over just thirty plate appearances.
Brewers Claim Jesus Aguilar, Designate Ehire Adrianza
The Brewers have claimed first baseman Jesus Aguilar off waivers from the Indians, Milwaukee announced. Infielder Ehire Adrianza was designated for assignment to clear roster space.
In Aguilar, Milwaukee has acquired a 26-year-old power bat who has a track record of production in the upper minors. He has spent quite a bit of time at Triple-A, compiling a .271/.346/.472 slash across 1,647 plate appearances. That success hasn’t carried over to the majors, though Aguilar has received only 64 opportunities to bat at the game’s highest level. He’s out of options, though, after bouncing up and down over the past three seasons.
As for Adrianza, who was just claimed from the Giants and is also out of options, Brewers GM David Stearns notes that the organization hopes to keep him as a non-roster player if he clears waivers, as Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets. The 27-year-old, a switch-hitting utility infielder, has slashed .220/.292/.313 in his 331 MLB plate appearances across the past four years. Adrianza previously inked a deal with San Francisco that would pay him $600K in the majors or $300K in the minors for the coming season.
Orioles Win Arbitration Hearing Against Caleb Joseph
The Orioles have won their arbitration hearing against catcher Caleb Joseph, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports (on Twitter). As such, Joseph will earn the $700K figure submitted by the team as opposed to the $1MM sum submitted by his camp.
Joseph was a solid fill-in for the injured Matt Wieters for much of 2015, hitting .234/.299/.394 with 11 homers, but he faced an uphill battle in an arbitration hearing coming off a dreadful 2016 campaign. In 49 games and 141 plate appearances, Joseph batted .174/.216/.197 and, remarkably, did not drive in a run. While there’s a greater focus on more modern statistics throughout the industry, the arbitration process still focuses heavily on “baseball card” stats such as runs batted in. That, a lack of playing time and a just three extra-base hits on the season (all doubles) all seem to have outweighed Joseph’s status as a strong defensive catcher. He threw out 31 percent of attempted base thieves in 2016 and graded as a decidedly above-average pitch framer once again, per Baseball Prospectus, as he has throughout his Major League and minor league career.
The 30-year-old Joseph figures to be a backup in Baltimore again in 2017, though he’s behind Welington Castillo and not Wieters this time around. The Orioles still control Joseph through the 2020 season, and he’s arb-eligible another three times along the way. With Joseph’s case out of the way, Baltimore can shift its focus to its remaining two arbitration cases: right-handers Kevin Gausman and Brad Brach (as can be seen in MLBTR’s 2017 Arbitration Tracker).
Cardinals Extend Carlos Martinez
The Cardinals have locked up a new core piece, announcing on Thursday that they’ve signed right-hander Carlos Martinez to a five-year extension that includes a pair of club options for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Martinez, who is represented by Octagon, will reportedly be guaranteed $51MM with the new contract, which pays him $4.5MM in the upcoming season ($1MM of which is a bonus) and $11.5MM in each of the four subsequent seasons. The club options are said to be valued at $17MM and $18MM, and each comes with a $500K buyout. The deal also includes a trade bonus provision, under which Martinez would receive $500K if dealt over the next two years or $1MM if he’s moved during the remainder of the deal.
Martinez and the Cards have long been engaged on a long-term deal, and the two sides were successfully able to wrap up negotations before even getting to Spring Training. The new five-year pact was hammered out in lieu of a hearing over the 25-year-old’s first-year arbitration salary. Martinez had filed for $4.25MM, while the team countered with a $3.9MM submission. (MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz, for what it’s worth, wrote recently that he felt Martinez was worth a lot more in view of his arb comps.)
We recently assessed Martinez’s extension candidacy, which in many ways lacked appropriate comparables to help guide a deal. As explained in that piece, a contract that landed somewhere between those reached by Corey Kluber ($38.5MM over five years, with two options) and Matt Harrison ($55MM over five years, with one option) seemed to make sense. Indeed, that’s just what appears to be in the works. As Heyman notes, the deal constitutes a record for a first-time, arb-eligible pitcher.
With the move, the Cards now control Martinez through at least 2021 — his age-29 season. A power righty with two outstanding breaking balls and a useful changeup, Martinez carries an ace’s arsenal. He hasn’t quite reached that lofty status, but could well be on his way. Martinez owns a 3.02 ERA since the start of the 2015 season, so the results are already excellent. Though he hasn’t yet sustained top-end strikeout numbers — he owns 8.5 K/9 and 10.4% swinging-strike rate for his career — Martinez arguably has the capacity to do so. He also boosted his groundball rate to a robust 56.4% in 2016 and has a track record of limiting hard contact and home runs. If Martinez can continue to improve his change, and further boost his performance against left-handed hitters, he has a chance to deliver enormous value over the life of the contract.
Durability, of course, is another key factor. Martinez did approach the 200-inning level last year, notching 195 1/3 frames after spinning 179 2/3 the season prior, but still needs to prove he can chew up innings year-in, year-out. He’ll surely be given the opportunity now to work later into games and establish himself as a true workhorse. A related area to watch is health. Though Martinez’s track record in that regard is a good one — he’s been on the disabled list just once, for a shoulder strain in September 2015 — youngsters who throw so many hard pitches have been shown to have slightly elevated risk of requiring Tommy John surgery. (For more, check out the work of MLBTR contributor Bradley Woodrum; see here for an explanation; here for individual player results.)
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported that the two sides were making progress in talks. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported the financial terms that were expected to be finalized. MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch added that the deal included a pair of club options (via Twitter). Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post Dispatch was the first to report that an agreement had been reached. Heyman later reportted (Twitter links) the financial breakdown of the deal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Orioles To Sign Johnny Giavotella
The Orioles have agreed to a minor-league deal with second baseman Johnny Giavotella, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). He can earn $1.1MM annually at the MLB level in the deal, which also includes incentives.
Presumably, Giavotella will compete for a bench spot in Spring Training. If he fails to make the roster, he’ll have a chance to opt out at the end of camp (March 27th). If he ends up opening the year in the minors, and isn’t later promoted, he can also request his release on July 31st.
Giavotella, 29, spent the better portion of the past two seasons as the Angels’ near-regular at second. Though he put up a serviceable .272/.318/.375 batting line in 2015, however, he fell off last year. After 367 plate appearances of .260/.287/.376 hitting, the Halos outrighted Giavotella, who has generally rated as a somewhat below-average defensive performer. Though he hit well in his brief stay at Triple-A, he wasn’t recalled when rosters expanded. Because he had been outrighted earlier in the year, Giavotella was eligible to take free agency after the season.
For the O’s, the move bolsters their infield depth with little in the way of a commitment. It’s possible that Giavotella could push Ryan Flaherty for the team’s utility job, though the left-handed-hitting Flaherty makes for a more natural pairing with the team’s righty bats.
Royals Sign Brandon Moss
The Royals on Wednesday announced that they’ve agreed to a two-year contract with free-agent first baseman/outfielder Brandon Moss. The ACES client will reportedly be guaranteed a total of $12MM, which comes in the form of $3.75MM in 2017, $7.25MM in 2018 and a $1MM buyout on a $10MM mutual option for the 2019 campaign.
[Related: Updated Royals Depth Chart]
Beyond the money that is guaranteed on his contract, Moss can reportedly earn up to $500K per season based on plate appearances. He’ll take home $50K for reaching 275 plate appearances and an additional $50K for every 25 plate appearances from that point forth, up to 500 PAs. Those incentives apply to each year of the deal.
Signing with the Royals will keep the 33-year-old Moss in Missouri, where he played the past season-plus as a member of the Cardinals. (Moss was traded from Cleveland to St. Louis in a trade that sent southpaw Rob Kaminsky to Cleveland.) In 2016, his only full campaign in St. Louis, the powerful Moss slugged 28 home runs in 464 plate appearances and posted a .259 ISO. The latter figure ranked 13th among major leaguers with at least 450 PAs, though Moss didn’t register a particularly impress overall line (.225/.300/.484) and hit just .191/.248/.392 after the All-Star break. Moss’ second-half woes offset the red-hot .256/.344/.566 triple slash he logged in the first three-plus months of the year.
Moss also had a relatively mediocre 2015, which was thanks in part to a hip injury, but the lefty-swinger is a well-regarded clubhouse presence and a four-time 20-home run hitter who should at least give the Royals a capable bat against right-handed pitchers. Plus, Moss has typically been usable against southpaws, although they stymied him last season.
Defensively, Moss spent the lion’s share of 2016 in the corner outfield and also saw plenty of time at first base – areas where the Royals already possess everyday-caliber players. Eric Hosmer is set to occupy first again in 2017, while Alex Gordon and offseason acquisition Jorge Soler are the team’s top options in the corner outfield. Moss will likely slot in primarily at designated hitter if the deal goes through, then, as the Royals have been lacking there since Kendrys Morales signed with the Blue Jays in November.
Kansas City will be the seventh major league team for Moss, who debuted with the Red Sox in 2007 and then broke out with the Athletics in 2012. Nearly all of Moss’ big league homers (123 of 138) have come since then.
ESPN’s Jim Bowden first reported that Kansas City was nearing an agreement with Moss. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported the agreement and the terms (Twitter link). Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star reported that the deal was heavily backloaded. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports provided the exact financial breakdown (via Twitter). MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan reported the value of the 2019 option and the incentives structure (Twitter links).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor MLB Transactions: 2/1/17
Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league…
- The Mariners announced that right-hander Jonathan Aro and catcher Jesus Sucre, each of whom had been designated for assignment over the past week, have been sent outright to Triple-A Tacoma. Both will be in Major League camp as non-roster invitees come Spring Training. Aro, 26, lost his roster spot when the Mariners claimed Tuffy Gosewisch from the Braves. He’s tallied 11 big league innings between the Red Sox and Mariners in the past two seasons and had a solid showing in Triple-A last year, tossing 36 1/3 innings with a 2.48 ERA. In 88 career Triple-A innings he has a 2.86 ERA with 8.0 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9. As for Sucre, the 28-year-old backstop was out of options and lost his 40-man spot when Seattle acquired Dillon Overton from Oakland. A solid defensive backstop, Sucre has never hit much in the Majors or minors and owns a .209/.246/.276 in 264 big league plate appearances.