Rockies Sign Greg Holland
1:38PM: Holland earns $6MM in salary and there is a $1MM buyout of his 2018 option, FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reports (Twitter links). If Holland either pitches in 50 games or finishes 30 games this season, the option vests into a $15MM player option for 2018 that Holland can either accept or reject in search of a larger multi-year deal on the open market. If the option doesn’t vest, it turns into a $10MM mutual option for 2018 that contains another $8MM in incentives.
9:55AM: The Rockies have landed one of the offseason’s most sought-after bullpen arms, as the club officially announced its one-year deal with right-hander Greg Holland. The contract also contains a vesting option for the 2018 season. Holland is represented by the Boras Corporation.
Holland will earn $7MM in guaranteed money in 2017, though he can earn substantially more in incentives that vary based on his role with the Rockies. Holland has $3MM worth of non-closing incentives in his contract and can earn up to $14MM next season if he serves as the Rockies’ closer. Presumably, the non-closing incentives are based on factors such as innings pitched and appearances, and the deal also contains bonuses for games finished.
[Related: Updated Colorado Rockies Depth Chart]
The 31-year-old Holland missed all of the 2016 season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery that was performed late in the 2015 campaign. Prior to that operation, however, he was one of the game’s top relievers and a key factor in the Royals’ return to prominence. From 2011-14, Holland tossed 256 1/3 innings of 1.86 ERA ball with 12.6 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 with a 44.4 percent ground-ball rate. Holland racked up 113 saves in that time and anchored the Royals’ bullpen in the 2014 postseason, throwing 15 innings and allowing one run with a 15-to-5 K/BB ratio.
A year later, when the Royals won the World Series, Holland watched from the dugout following his operation. He’d pitched to a 3.83 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9 in 44 2/3 innings prior to going under the knife. Incredibly, at the time Holland’s injury was reported to the public, manager Ned Yost suggested that Holland had unknowingly suffered a tear of some degree in his UCL back in Aug. 2014, which would mean he pitched the entire 2015 campaign with a tear in the elbow. The Royals reportedly recommended medical examination on numerous occasions, though Holland declined. Presumably, the tear was minimal in nature at first, but it progressed to the point where it was termed a “significant” tear by the tail end of the 2015 season.
If Holland passes the Rockies’ physical, he’ll add to what’s been an active offseason for Rockies GM Jeff Bridich and the rest of the Colorado front office. Colorado has clearly been operating in a win-now capacity, as evidenced by the team’s signing of Ian Desmond to a five-year, $70MM contract (which cost them the No. 11 overall pick in the upcoming draft) and the addition of lefty Mike Dunn on a three-year, $19MM deal.
With the Rockies, Holland would likely be the favorite to pitch the ninth inning, though he’ll presumably have to prove healthy and effective enough to push past incumbent candidate Adam Ottavino. That duo and the newly signed Dunn will pair with holdovers Jake McGee, Jason Motte and Chad Qualls to comprise the relief corps for first-year Rockies manager Bud Black. Also in the mix for ’pen jobs in Denver will be lefty Chris Rusin and right-handers Jordan Lyles, Carlos Estevez and Miguel Castro.
While the addition of Holland certainly doesn’t make the Rockies an immediate contender, the team’s offseason maneuverings have improved the 2017 outlook. Not only will Desmond and Holland be bolstering the lineup and the pitching staff, but the Rox will receive full seasons from sophomores David Dahl, Trevor Story and Tyler Anderson, each of whom impressed in their rookie efforts this past season. Beyond that, it’s certainly plausible that emerging rotation leader Jon Gray will take another step forward, and the Rox have an intriguing blend of young and veteran arms to round out the rotation. That group includes Chad Bettis, Tyler Chatwood, German Marquez and Jeff Hoffman.
Holland was linked to about two-thirds of the league early in the offseason, but the number of teams interested in his services began to narrow over the course of the past few weeks. Most recently, the Rockies, Nationals and a yet-unreported “mystery” team were believed to be the three most serious suitors for Holland’s services. With Holland off the board, the Nationals will presumably have to look elsewhere to add an experienced arm to their ninth-inning mix.
Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan (Twitter link) was the first to report that the two sides were in agreement, with FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman tweeting earlier in the day that Holland and the Rockies were closing in on a deal. Passan also reported the financial details about the contract’s guaranteed money and the available incentives.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dodgers To Sign Ike Davis
1:27PM: Davis will earn $1.25MM if he reaches the majors, and the contract contains an out clause, FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman tweets.
8:03AM: The Dodgers have agreed to sign first baseman Ike Davis to a minor league contract, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports (via Twitter). Davis has been on the open market since being released by the Yankees last August.
Davis, 29, appeared in just eight major league games in 2016, spending much of his season at the Triple-A level with the Yankees’ and Rangers’ top minor league affiliates. The left-handed hitting Davis has a solid career slash line (.251/.351/.441) against right-handed pitching over his career, though even those numbers were on the decline over the last two seasons as Davis struggled to retain a big league job. After an impressive start to his MLB career as the Mets’ regular first baseman, Davis has hit just .222/.327/.354 over 1058 PA since the start of the 2013 season, bouncing from the Mets to the Pirates to the A’s and last year’s brief stint with the Yankees.
The signing gives L.A. some veteran first base depth for the minors. Adrian Gonzalez is entrenched at first base for the Dodgers, with Darin Ruf (a right-handed bat to better complement the lefty-swinging Gonzalez) slated as the backup at first.
Reds Sign Scott Feldman
TODAY: The structure of Feldman’s contract bonuses is broken down by Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). The right-hander will earn an extra $100K when and if he makes his tenth start of the season, and he’ll earn either $100K or $200K as a bonus for each start thereafter, up to 25 starts. Feldman can also earn $100K for making 25 relief appearances, $200K for 30 and 35 relief appearances, and then $250K for 40, 45, 50 and 55 games pitched out of the bullpen.
THURSDAY: The deal is official, with Cincinnati announcing it.
WEDNESDAY: The Reds have agreed to a one-year deal with righty Scott Feldman, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). He will receive a $2.3MM guarantee and can earn another $2.2MM via incentives. With a physical already completed, it seems this agreement lacks only a club announcement to be official.
Soon to turn 34, Feldman is coming off of a somewhat curious 2016 campaign. After dealing with shoulder issues late in 2015, he was seen as a question mark heading into camp in the final year of his deal with the Astros. He ended up mostly being relegated to the bullpen, but provided Houston with 62 frames of 2.90 ERA pitching.
Though he seemed to have settled into a useful role for the Astros, Feldman ended up being a somewhat surprising trade deadline mover. He was shipped to the Blue Jays, who took on the $2.75MM or so he was still owed, in exchange for prospect Lupe Chavez. But things didn’t work out for Feldman in Toronto, as he was tagged for 14 earned runs on 23 hits over his 15 innings.
For Cincinnati, Feldman will be asked to provide a steadying presence to a rotation that just lost Dan Straily in a trade. Over 2013-15, the righty turned in 470 1/3 frames of 3.83 ERA ball, with 5.7 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9, and something approaching that kind of workmanlike production would be most welcome. If he’s not effective in a starting role, or a young arm proves worthy of an opportunity, then Feldman could also help deepen the bullpen.
Rockies Designate Eddie Butler For Assignment
The Rockies have designated right-hander Eddie Butler for assignment, the team announced. The move creates roster space for Greg Holland, whose signing became official today.
Butler, 25, was drafted 46th overall by the Rockies in 2012 and he continued to display that pedigree as a minor leaguer, ranking on top-100 prospect lists from Baseball America, MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus prior to both the 2014 and 2015 seasons. (BA ranked Butler as the 24th-best prospect in baseball in their 2014 list.) While Butler pitched well in the lower levels, however, it’s worth noting that he struggled even at the Triple-A level, posting a 5.03 ERA over 157 1/3 innings in the very hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
Pitching in parts of the last three seasons for Colorado, Butler posted a 6.50 ERA, 1.34 K/BB rate and 5.3 K/9 over 159 1/3 innings for the Rockies, starting 28 of his 36 career big league games. Despite a solid 48.6% career grounder rate, home runs have been Butler’s largest issue, with a whopping 18.1% of his fly balls leaving the yard. While Coors Field has played a role in Butler’s problems (a 7.92 ERA in 69 1/3 IP in Denver), the righty has also posted a 5.40 ERA in 90 road innings over his brief career.
Since we’re less than two years removed from Butler holding blue-chip prospect status, it wouldn’t be surprising if Butler draws interest from multiple teams wondering if he could get on track in a more pitcher-friendly environment. Check out the MLB Trade Rumors DFA Tracker to monitor the status of Butler and other players around the bigs who are awaiting their next assignment.
Minor MLB Transactions: 1/28/17
Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…
- The Cubs announced that left-hander Manny Parra has been signed to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to the team’s spring camp. This is the second straight offseason that has seen Parra sign a minor league contract with the Cubs, though he didn’t pitch at all in 2016. Originally a starter with the Brewers, the 34-year-old Parra posted a 3.91 ERA, 8.8 K/9 and 2.9 K/BB rate over 115 relief innings for the Reds from 2013-15.
- The Cubs signed right-hander Casey Kelly to a minor league deal, according to Baseball America’s Matt Eddy (Twitter link). Once considered one of the game’s better pitching prospects, Kelly has managed only a 6.39 ERA over 62 innings in the majors, though his career was interrupted by Tommy John surgery in 2013. As Eddy notes, the signing reunites Kelly with Theo Epstein (who was the Red Sox GM when Kelly was drafted 30th overall by Boston in 2008) and Jed Hoyer (who was the Padres GM when Kelly was part of the trade package acquired for Adrian Gonzalez in December 2010).
- Parra and Kelly were two of 24 non-roster invitees to the Cubs‘ Spring Training camp, as announced yesterday by the club. The list includes southpaw Gerardo Concepcion and righties Conor Mullee, Christian Villanueva and Zac Rosscup, who were all non-tendered by the Cubs in December to free up 40-man roster space.
- The Blue Jays announced that right-hander Leonel Campos has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A. Campos was designated for assignment earlier this week when Toronto claimed Juan Graterol off waivers from the Angels. Campos was himself claimed off waivers back in November following a season that saw him post a 5.73 ERA, 9.8 K/9 and 5.7 BB/9 over 22 relief innings for the Padres. Control has been an issue for Campos throughout his entire pro career, as the righty also has a 5.0 BB/9 over 250 2/3 career minor league innings.
- The Diamondbacks signed outfielder Jake Goebbert and catcher Willians Astudillo to minor league deals, Matt Eddy reports (Twitter link). Goebbert has a solid .276/.363/.443 slash line over 3483 career minor league plate appearances, though he hasn’t been able to translate those results into much playing time in the bigs — his MLB resume consists of 115 PA with the Padres in 2014. Goebbert spent 2016 with the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate and struggled to the tune of a .661 OPS in 364 PA. Astudillo, a 25-year-old catcher out of Venezuela, has hit .309/.348/.391 over 2026 minor league PA. He spent his first six pro seasons in the Phillies system before moving to the Braves in 2016 and reaching the Double-A level for the first time.
Braves To Sign Kris Medlen
The Braves have struck a minor-league deal with righty Kris Medlen, per David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter links). Once a key member of the Atlanta organization, Medlen will now have to earn his way into MLB camp, as his deal doesn’t include an invite.
If Medlen does make the MLB roster, he’ll earn at a $1MM annual rate, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). He can also achieve up to $2MM in incentives, based upon what role he might occupy (games started or total appearances).
Medlen, now 31, last appeared for the Braves in 2013, when he turned in 197 innings of 3.11 ERA ball with 7.2 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9. His career was knocked off course the next spring, however, when he tore his UCL during Spring Training and ultimately required Tommy John surgery.
Atlanta ultimately elected not to tender him a contract before the 2015 season, leaving Medlen to explore the open market. He landed with the Royals on a two-year deal that promised $8.5MM, but never really made good on the contract in Kansas City.
Medlen was able to return to action and provide 58 1/3 innings in 2015 — including eight starts and seven relief appearances. While his 4.01 ERA wasn’t exactly sparkling, Medlen did return to his typical ~90 mph fastball velocity and show that he could pitch competently at the major league level.
While there was some hope for a greater resurgence this past season, that wasn’t to be. Medlen dealt with shoulder injuries and wasn’t effective when he was available. He ended up handling only 24 1/3 MLB innings, posting a 7.77 ERA while uncharacteristically walking more batters (20) than he struck out (18).
Still, it’s an easy risk for Atlanta to take on a pitcher who is still relatively youthful and remains popular with the fanbase. Whether or not he can crack the roster remains to be seen, though the lack of a camp invite suggests that the team isn’t expecting it. Odds are, then, that Medlen will need to attempt to work his way back to the bigs with a stint in the upper minors at least to open the season.
Rangers Sign Wesley Wright To Minors Deal, Outright Brady Dragmire
The Rangers announced on Friday that they’ve signed veteran left-handed reliever Wesley Wright to a minor league contract and outrighted right-hander Brady Dragmire to Triple-A Round Rock. Both players will be invited to Major League Spring Training, per Rangers executive VP of communications John Blake.
Wright, who turns 32 tomorrow, didn’t appear in the Majors in 2016 (the first year since 2007 that he hasn’t thrown a big league pitch). He did log 31 1/3 innings with the Red Sox’ Triple-A affiliate, posting a 4.31 ERA with 21 strikeouts against 13 walks.
Wright lost most of the 2015 season to injury (a strained left trapezius muscle, to be more specific), but from 2011-14 he was a quality contributor to the Astros, Cubs and Rays. In those four seasons, Wright logged a 3.25 ERA with 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings against 3.2 walks per nine. Over the course of his career, Wright has held opposing left-handers to a rather timid .237/.313/.334 batting line through 606 plate appearances.
As for Dragmire, the 23-year-old’s lengthy and tumultuous trip through the offseason waiver circuit will now end with the Rangers. Originally the property of the Blue Jays, Dragmire was designated for assignment in late September and traded to the Pirates, only to be claimed back by the Rangers in early December. Texas tried to sneak him through waivers two weeks later after signing Carlos Gomez, at which point the Pirates re-claimed him off waivers. As if that wasn’t enough movement, Dragmire was again designated by Pittsburgh and again claimed by the Rangers, who designated him for assignment yet again last week after signing Tyson Ross. The Rangers have now finally succeeded in passing him through waivers, meaning they’ll be able to retain his rights without committing a 40-man roster spot to Dragmire.
Last season, Dragmire logged a 4.38 ERA with 5.1 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 in 72 innings at Double-A New Hampshire (Toronto’s affiliate). While those numbers aren’t exactly eye-catching, Dragmire also logged a robust 63.6 percent ground-ball rate, which seems to have made him highly appealing to both Texas and Pittsburgh. He’ll hope to replicate that trait with some improved run prevention in the upper minors as he looks to make his way to the Major Leagues for the first time in 2017.
Nationals Sign Grant Green To Minor League Deal
The Nationals announced that they’ve signed infielder Grant Green to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training. The Boras Corporation client will compete for a utility job in Spring Training and could also open the year in Triple-A as a depth option for the Nats.
[Related: Updated Washington Nationals Depth Chart]
Now 29 years of age, Green was a first-round pick by the A’s back in 2009 (No. 13 overall) and rated among the game’s top 100 prospects for multiple seasons prior to his debut in the Majors. However, despite consistently strong performances at the Triple-A level, where he’s a career .313/.351/.470 hitter in nearly 2000 plate appearances, Green’s bat simply hasn’t panned out in the Majors.
Green spent the 2016 season in the Giants organization and hit well in Triple-A, as usual, prompting a promotion to the Majors in late June. He slashed .261/.300/.370 in 50 plate appearances with the Giants, but he lost his roster spot when Joe Panik was activated from the disabled list in late July. San Francisco acquired Eduardo Nunez from Minnesota shortly thereafter, further blocking the road for a return to the Majors for Green.
The bulk of Green’s experience in the Majors has come as a second baseman, though he’s also spent time in the outfield corners and at each infield corner. In the minors, Green has seen more than 2000 innings at shortstop as well as more than 1100 innings at second base and more than 500 innings at virtually every spot on the diamond other than on the mound and behind the plate.
The Nationals are set with Ryan Zimmerman at first base, Daniel Murphy at second, Trea Turner at short and Anthony Rendon at third base. Behind that quartet is the recently re-signed Stephen Drew as well as corner outfielder Chris Heisey and first baseman/outfielder Clint Robinson. It seems unlikely that Green would beat out anyone from that group, especially as a right-handed bat (which the Nationals already possess in abundance), so it seems likeliest that he’ll either open the season in the upper minors with Washington.
Mariners Acquire Dillon Overton, Designate Jesus Sucre For Assignment
The Mariners announced that they’ve acquired left-hander Dillon Overton from the Athletics in exchange for minor league catcher Jason Goldstein. To make room on the 40-man roster, Seattle designated catcher Jesus Sucre for assignment. Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune first reported that Overton could be on the way to Seattle (on Twitter). The A’s had just designated Overton for assignment earlier this week when they signed veteran infielder Adam Rosales to a one-year deal.
Oakland’s second-round pick in 2013, the 25-year-old Overton made his Major League debut in 2016 but struggled to an ERA of 11.47 in 24 1/3 innings. He did have a solid campaign in Triple-A Nashville last season, however, racking up 125 1/3 innings of 3.29 ERA ball. Overton also averaged 7.7 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9 to go along with a 34.9 percent ground-ball rate in his time at Triple-A.
As recently as the 2015-16 offseason, Baseball America ranked Overton as the Athletics’ No. 8 prospect, though their assessment noted that Overton’s success would be determined by how much velocity he could regain following 2013 Tommy John surgery. Overton worked in the mid-90s in college but was in the upper 80s following his operation. The velocity seemingly never returned, as he averaged just 88.3 mph on his heater last year.
Overton has performed well at every minor league stop, though, and he has minor league options remaining, meaning the Mariners can send him back to Triple-A for further refinement. The Mariners’ rotation is full with Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma, James Paxton, Drew Smyly and Yovani Gallardo all occupying spots. Left-hander Ariel Miranda is also on hand as an option in the case of injury, though he’s probably ticketed for long relief work to open the season.
Goldstein, 22, was the Mariners’ ninth-round pick just last summer. The Illinois native opened his pro career with Seattle’s affiliate in the Rookie-level Arizona League and finished out the year in short-season Class-A. Goldstein had just 68 total plate appearances in his brief time, hitting .279/.328/.311 in that time. He also threw out seven of the 14 runners that attempted to steal against him. Heading into the draft, Baseball America noted that he had limited power but handles a pitching staff well. Goldstein is no stranger to catching high-caliber arms, as he was the battery mate of 2015 first-rounder Tyler Jay (Twins) and 2016 first-rounder Cody Sedlock (Orioles) in college at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Sucre, 28, was out of options and looked to be a long shot to make the Mariners’ roster with both Mike Zunino and Carlos Ruiz ahead of him on the depth chart. (Seattle also claimed catcher Tuffy Gosewisch off waivers from Atlanta earlier today.) Sucre has excelled at throwing out baserunners in his career (35 percent) and typically receives average to above-average marks for his pitch-framing skills. However, he’s yet to produce at the plate in parts of four seasons in the Majors, batting .209/.246/.276 in 264 PAs.
Cubs Sign Brett Anderson
4:10pm: FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets that Anderson will earn $500K for in his 11th start; $750K for his 14th and 17th starts; $1MM for starts 20, 23 and 26; and $1.5MM for reaching 29 starts.
3:50pm: The Cubs on Thursday formally added another arm to their rotation mix, announcing a one-year contract with left-hander Brett Anderson. The contract reportedly guarantees the oft-injured Anderson a relatively modest $3.5MM but has incentives that can boost its value to $10MM. Anderson is represented by the Legacy Agency.
Anderson, who’ll turn 29 on Feb. 1, made just four major league starts last year after missing the bulk of the season due to back surgery. He had accepted the Dodgers’ one-year, $15.8MM qualifying offer over the winter, but went down during Spring Training. Though it’s promising that Anderson was able to work back to the hill, he was roughed up in limited action.
That said, Chicago liked what it saw in a recent look at the southpaw per Rosenthal’s report, and perhaps can look to utilize him the same way they had intended with Tyson Ross — who was hotly pursued before signing with the Rangers. Both pitchers are looking to return to health and reestablish their trajectories.
It wasn’t all that long ago that Anderson seemed to have turned a corner. When he joined the Dodgers before the 2015 season, he hadn’t surpassed 100 innings in a single year since 2010. However, he went on to provide Los Angeles with 180 1/3 innings of 3.69 ERA ball with 5.8 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9, leading to the qualifying offer.
That sort of output likely represents the upside scenario for the Cubs, who have been looking to bolster their rotation depth. As things stand, Anderson and fellow lefty Mike Montgomery could battle it out for the fifth starter’s job, with the other perhaps heading to the pen for long relief and spot start duties.
The Cubs have also expressed interest in using a sixth starter more frequently as the season wears on, and that type of arrangement could help to keep Anderson healthy while also limiting the innings of fellow starters Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks and John Lackey, each of whom is coming off a significant workload thanks to the Cubs’ World Series run in 2016.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement (Twitter links). Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported the terms of the deal (via Twitter). ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted that Anderson had passed his physical.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.