Orioles, Jesus Montero Agree To Minor League Deal
The Orioles have agreed to a minor league contract with first baseman Jesus Montero, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports (via Twitter). Montero, formerly one of the top prospects in all of baseball, will open the season in the midst of a 50-game suspension, which he received in September (as a member of the Blue Jays organization) after testing positive for a banned stimulant (dimethylbutylamine).
Now 27 years old, Montero rated as the No. 3 prospect in the game according to both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus prior to the 2011 season. However, his defense behind the plate was long somewhat of a question mark, and he’s moved to first base since that time in part due to his large frame (6’3″, 235 pounds). Montero’s bat was always supposed to be his ticket to regular work in the Majors, but he underwhelmed in parts of four seasons with Seattle after being traded from the Yankees to the Mariners in the 2011 Michael Pineda deal. In those four years with the M’s, Montero batted a lackluster .247/.285/.383 in the Majors. He’s continued to hit well at the Triple-A level (.305/.357/.491 career), but at this point his best chance at making the Orioles’ roster upon completion of his suspension is as a right-handed-hitting bench bat that can spend some time at DH and occasionally spell Chris Davis at first base.
Reds Sign Drew Storen
The Reds have officially struck a one-year deal with reliever Drew Storen, as MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon first reported (via Twitter), making him the first player the organization has signed to a major league deal this winter. It’s a one-year, $3MM major-league deal for the veteran righty, per Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports (Twitter links).
Storen, a client of CAA Sports, can earn an additional $1.5MM via incentives. He’ll receive $50K apiece upon appearing in 15, 20, and 25 games, plus another $100K upon reaching 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 games finished. He’ll also receive a $500K assignment bonus in the event he’s traded.
As Steve Adams and I recently discussed, Cincinnati seemed primed to add an experienced, late-inning arm to its bullpen mix. Storen, in particular, appeared to be an interesting fit given his relative youth and high-quality performance in the not-so-distant past.
Now that he’s slotted into the Reds’ late-inning mix, Storen figures to have a strong shot at returning to the closer’s role he once held with the Nationals. For now, Jason Martinez of MLBTR and Roster Resource is penciling him into a setup spot behind Raisel Iglesias.
[RELATED: Updated Reds Depth Chart]
Utilizing the experienced Storen in the ninth would have some side benefits, though. He’d keep Iglesias and fellow youngster Michael Lorenzen free for more flexible, multi-inning stints, and by being the one to accumulate saves would tamp down their future arbitration earnings. Either way, he may end up turning into a summer trade chip, depending upon how things go both for Storen and his new team.
Of course, there’s a reason that the 29-year-old was available on just a one-year commitment. His 2016 season represented a significant departure from his prior years’ work, as Storen scuffled to a 5.23 ERA over 51 2/3 frames split between the Blue Jays and Mariners. Declining fastball velocity (92.3 mph average, down from 94.1 mph in 2015) and elevated home-run tallies (six in 33 1/3 innings with the Jays) were just two of the major problems that arose.
Storen ended up being designated for assignment by Toronto and ultimately swapped in a change-of-scenery deal for Joaquin Benoit. He did pick up the pace upon the move to Seattle, allowing seven earned runs on just 13 hits, three walks, and one home run over 18 1/3 innings. But Storen ultimately hit the DL with shoulder inflammation, adding to the concern about his near-term outlook.
While there’s obviously some cause for concern, Cinci isn’t taking much of a gamble here and has much to gain. Storen racked up a career-best 11.0 K/9 in 2015, and metrics suggested he was unlucky to end that year with a 3.44 ERA. In the season prior, he ran up a 1.12 ERA by allowing just 44 hits and 11 walks over his 55 strong innings. Despite his loss of velocity in his most recent campaign, he did manage to maintain his swinging-strike rate, which provides some additional cause for optimism. If he can return to anything approaching his prior form, Storen would represent a screaming value for a Reds organization that trotted out a historically bad bullpen in 2016.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Padres Claim Tyrell Jenkins
The Padres have claimed righty Tyrell Jenkins off waivers from the Reds, San Diego announced. Cincinnati evidently sought to slip the 24-year-old through waivers, but he’ll land on the 40-man roster of a new organization instead.
This isn’t the first time Jenkins has changed hands this winter, of course. He previously went from the Braves to the Rangers via trade before being designated by Texas and claimed by Cincinnati.
It’s obvious that plenty of teams still like Jenkins’s arm, despite his less-than-inspiring 2016 season. A sandwich-round selection in the 2010 draft, Jenkins has posted excellent run-prevention numbers in the upper minors, but lacks the peripherals to match them.
Over 129 career frames at Triple-A, Jenkins owns a 2.86 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9. Things got worse when he received a call to the majors for the first time in 2016. He worked to a 5.88 ERA, recording just 26 strikeouts while allowing 33 walks and 11 home runs over his 52 innings.
Marlins Announce Non-Roster Invitations
The Marlins have announced a slate of non-roster invitations for the team’s upcoming spring camp. While many of the players have already been reported to have joined the Miami organization, the announcement includes word of some new additions as well.
Shortstop Ryan Jackson, righty Scott Copeland, and southpaw Kelvin Marte have all inked minor-league deals with the Fish. That trio will take aim at MLB roster spots or (perhaps more likely) minor-league depth roles over the course of Spring Training.
Jackson, 28, has seen three brief stints in the majors but never earned an extended look. He split his time last year between the Triple-A affiliates of the Angels and Phillies, posting a combined .248/.350/.286 batting line over 343 plate appearances.
The 29-year-old Copeland cracked the bigs with the Blue Jays in 2015 but pitched to a 6.46 ERA over 15 1/3 frames. In 2016, he struggled in a 13-start stint with the KBO’s LG Twins but did have nine productive outings at Triple-A for the Jays.
Marte, also 29, provides another lefty depth option for Miami. He made a brief MLB debut in 2016 for the Pirates but spend most of the year at Triple-A. Converting to a nearly full-time relief role, he provided 73 2/3 innings of 3.67 ERA ball with 7.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9.
Additionally, the Marlins announced the following MLB spring participants:
- First baseman Tyler Moore
- Outfielders Brandon Barnes, Matt den Dekker, Isaac Galloway, and Moises Sierra
- Catcher Carlos Paulino
- Righties Juan Benitez, Stephen Fife, and Javy Guerra
- Lefties Kyle Lobstein and Caleb Thielbar
Pirates Designate Willy Garcia For Assignment
The Pirates have designated outfielder Willy Garcia for assignment, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports (Twitter link). The move creates roster space for the newly re-signed Ivan Nova.
Garcia, who turned 24 in September, has been rated by Baseball America in each of the last two years as the 12th-best prospect in the Pirates’ system. His star may have dimmed, however, following a rough 2016 season that saw Garcia hit only .245/.293/.366 with six homers over 499 plate appearances at Triple-A Indianapolis. Garcia struck out 131 times (against 31 walks), continuing his career-long issues with plate discipline. This problem has offset his other talents, as the 2016 Baseball America Prospect Handbook credits Garcia with strong raw power, above-average baserunning ability and an outstanding throwing arm.
Garcia joins another Pirate (Jason Rogers) as one of six players around the league currently awaiting their next assignment, according to the MLB Trade Rumors DFA Tracker.
Minor MLB Transactions: 12/30/16
We’ll keep tabs on the day’s minor moves here:
- Lefty Nick Greenwood has agreed to re-sign with the Twins on a minor-league arrangement, MLBTR has learned. The 29-year-old control artist has 36 MLB frames under his belt. He has allowed 21 earned runs on 38 hits and six home runs in that stretch, with just 17 strikeouts, but he also issued only five walks. Greenwood had spent his entire career with the Cardinals organization before 2016, when he hooked on with Minnesota on a minors pact after a brief indy ball stint. He showed well, especially over his 79 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level (where he worked to a 2.84 ERA with 4.7 K/9 and 1.2 BB/9), but never got the call back to the bigs. Greenwood will hope to repeat that solid work and perhaps earn another shot at the majors in 2017.
Tigers, Edward Mujica Agree To Minor League Deal
The Tigers and right-hander Edward Mujica have agreed to a minor league contract with an invite to Major League Spring Training, reports Tommy Stokke of FanRag Sports (Twitter link). Mujica is represented by Octagon.
[Related: Detroit Tigers Depth Chart]
The 32-year-old Mujica (33 in May) opened the 2016 season in the Phillies’ minor league ranks but was granted his release after not being promoted by mid-July. Mujica worked to a 3.69 ERA with 6.2 K/9 against a pristine 0.9 BB/9 (27 strikeouts, four walks) in 39 innings with the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate in Lehigh Valley. He went on to sign with the Royals but struggled with their Triple-A affiliate before latching on with the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate and again pitching quite well to close out the year. All told, the former Cardinals closer logged a 4.37 ERA with 7.6 K/9 against 1.2 BB/9 in 57 2/3 innings at Triple-A last year.
Mujica, of course, comes with a great deal of Major League experience as well. After breaking into the bigs with the Indians back in 2006 at the age of 22, he cemented himself as a Major League bullpen piece with the Padres in 2009, logging a 3.94 ERA in 93 2/3 innings. From 2009-13, Mujica was a quality, durable reliever for San Diego, Miami and St. Louis, posting a collective 3.31 ERA with 7.4 K/9, 1.4 BB/9 and roughly average ground-ball tendencies. He saved 37 games for the 2013 Cardinals before hitting free agency and inking a two-year deal with the Red Sox. The first season of that deal proved solid, if a bit underwhelming (3.90 ERA in 60 innings), but his 2015 season was split between Boston and Oakland, and the resulting 4.75 ERA was far from impressive.
The Tigers will have Francisco Rodriguez closing games for them to begin the 2017 season (barring a trade) and also project to have Justin Wilson, Bruce Rondon and Alex Wilson in next year’s bullpen. Top prospect Joe Jimenez was dominant in Triple-A last season and could factor into the mix early in the year as well. Veterans Mark Lowe and Mike Pelfrey are also likely ticketed for ‘pen work, though each is coming off a dreadful 2016 season and could potentially see his contract dumped if the Tigers are willing to eat some of the remaining cash they’re owed. Among non-roster invitees, Mujica will compete with the likes of fellow former big leaguers Collin Balester, A.J. Achter and Logan Kensing in trying to earn a roster spot this spring.
Pirates Re-Sign Ivan Nova
8:15pm: FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets the financial breakdown of the deal. Nova receives a $2MM signing bonus and will take home $7MM in 2017 before earning salaries of $8.5MM in 2018 and $8.5MM in 2019.
12:30pm: The Pirates entered the offseason with uncertainty throughout their rotation but added some stability on Tuesday, announcing that they’ve re-signed right-hander Ivan Nova to a three-year contract. The deal reportedly guarantees Nova $26MM and allows the Legacy Agency client to earn up to an additional $2MM per year via incentives, meaning it can max out at $32MM over the three-year term.
[Updated Pirates roster and depth chart at Roster Resource]
The deal ensures that Nova, who turns 30 on January 12, will remain with the team that seemingly revived his career after he was dealt from the Yankees to the Pirates on August 1. Nova underwent Tommy John surgery in 2014 and had struggled to regain his old form since, with middling numbers in 2015 and then a 4.90 ERA over 97 1/3 innings (starting 15 of 21 games) with New York in 2016.
In Pittsburgh, however, Nova became the latest reclamation project to thrive under pitching coach Ray Searage. Nova posted a 3.06 ERA, 7.2 K/9 and an unreal 17.33 K/BB rate over 64 2/3 innings in a Pirates uniform, with just three walks against 52 strikeouts. The move to a less-friendly ballpark for home run hitters was also a boon to Nova, who had long struggled to keep the ball in the yard over his career. Always a strong ground-ball pitcher, Nova had a career-best 53.6% grounder rate over his 162 combined innings for both teams in 2016.
The stark contrast between the Yankees’ Nova and the Pirates’ Nova led to rather an interesting free agent case for the righty, as it wasn’t clear how teams would view that 64 2/3-inning sample against the rest of Nova’s career. MLBTR ranked Nova 10th on our list of the winter’s Top 50 free agents with a projection of a four-year, $52MM deal given the severe lack of quality starting pitching and J.A. Happ‘s successful 2016 season serving as a model of how a Pirates revival project could thrive outside of PNC Park.
Instead, Nova rather surprisingly ended up signing for less guaranteed money than what Happ received (three years, $36MM) from the Blue Jays last winter despite being over four years younger. Looking at the big picture of this offseason, it seems that teams in general preferred to spend their pitching dollars on relievers as opposed to the thin starting piching market. As FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal points out, only three other starters (Rich Hill, Edinson Volquez and Charlie Morton) signed multi-year deals this winter. Even Jeremy Hellickson, thought to be the winter’s top available starter, accepted a qualifying offer to remain with the Phillies due to some concerns about his market, though Hellickson was rather a different case since he had draft pick compensation attached to his services.
Greg Genske, Nova’s agent, said in mid-November that his client had received offers in the three-year/$36MM range, though there was very little buzz about Nova on the rumor mill. The only club significantly linked to Nova was, in fact, Pittsburgh. The Pirates ardently tried to sign him to an extension prior to hitting free agency, though since Nova was reportedly asking for five years and $70MM to forego the open market, it isn’t surprising that the Bucs chose to wait. Nova stated that he wanted to remain with the Pirates, so it’s possible he could have turned down a slightly larger offer in order to stay in a familiar and comfortable environment.
It certainly looks like a good signing for the Pirates, who went into the offseason prioritizing run prevention via both improved pitching and defense. The Bucs add a veteran arm and (if Nova’s turn-around is for real) maybe even a possible ace to a young rotation headlined by Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon, with Chad Kuhl, Steven Brault, Tyler Glasnow and Drew Hutchison battling it out for the final two rotation slots.
Robert Murray of FanRag Sports reported the agreement and the terms, while FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweeted word of the incentives in the deal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Eric Hacker Re-Signs With KBO’s NC Dinos
Former Major League right-hander Eric Hacker is returning to the NC Dinos of the Korea Baseball Organization for a fourth season, the announced this week (via Jee-ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency). Per Yoo, Hacker will receive a $1MM guarantee, marking a $100K raise from last year’s salary. Hacker, like many others before him, has carved out a nice career in Asia after spending much of his pro tenure in relative anonymity in the United States. The 2017 season will be his fifth season with the Dinos, and the million-dollar salary he’s guaranteed dwarfs the money he’d have otherwise made pitching in minor league baseball (or even pitching at the Major League minimum, to a lesser extent).
The 33-year-old Hacker never panned out in Major League Baseball and in fact only totaled 18 innings in the Majors. The longtime Yankees farmhand made his big league debut with the Pirates in 2009 and saw brief stints with the Twins and Giants in 2011-12 but never stood out in terms of Triple-A performance. He found quick success with the Dinos in 2013, though, pitching to a 3.63 ERA in 178 1/3 innings in the hitter-friendly KBO. Since moving to the Korean league, Hacker has totaled 681 innings with a 3.57 ERA while displaying solid control and a strikeout rate that has improved with each passing season.
Hacker is the second American player to ink a contract with the Dinos this week, as word broke earlier today that former Cardinals and Marlins first baseman/outfielder Xavier Scruggs has signed a one-year deal with the team (also for $1MM). KBO teams are permitted to carry three foreign players, so Scruggs and Hacker will occupy two of those spots with the Dinos.
Ross Ohlendorf Signs With Japan’s Yakult Swallows
Righty Ross Ohlendorf is bringing his old-school windup and mid-nineties fastball to Japan, according to multiple reports. Yahoo Japan recently reported the arrangement (in Japanese), with the Japan Times providing the club’s announcement today. Ohlendorf will earn $1.6MM and can add up to $400K via incentives, per Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
It has been a winding path for the veteran hurler, who most recently worked out of the Reds bullpen. Over his 65 2/3 innings in 2016, the 34-year-old compiled a 4.66 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9. He continued to show a strong, 93.8 mph average fastball, and again posted a swinging-strike rate of over 10%, though he also demonstrated an ongoing susceptibility to the long ball (17.1% HR/FB, 1.92 HR/9).
Ohlendorf, a starter with the Pirates earlier in his career, reestablished himself with the Nationals in 2013. But ensuing injuries forced him to work his way back to big-league relevance once again. Ohlendorf made it back to the majors in 2015 with the Rangers, taking the ball 21 times and working to a 3.72 ERA over the course of the year, before joining the Royals for the spring of 2016.
After opting out of his minors pact with Kansas City, Ohlendorf scored a MLB roster spot with the Reds just before the start of the 2016 season. He ultimately earned $800K on that contract, and will now at least double that in his first foray into Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball.
It seems that Ohlendorf will also have a new shot at working from the rotation with Yakult. The team’s international scouting director said that it signed Ohlendorf to provide the organization with “a power pitcher in the rotation” to replace Kyle Davies, who will not return to the Swallows after wrapping up a 15-start stint.