Rangers Designate Brady Dragmire, Announce Carlos Gomez Signing
The Rangers announced today that righty Brady Dragmire has been designated for assignment. His roster spot will go to outfielder Carlos Gomez, whose one-year deal was also announced.
Dragmire, 23, continues his recent roller-coaster. After the Pirates picked him up from the Blue Jays in October, he had landed in Texas via waiver claim. Now, he could again be exposed to the waiver wire.
Pitching at Double-A last year, Dragmire compiled 72 innings with a 4.38 ERA and 5.1 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9. While those figures don’t jump off the page, the young righty has a history of well-above-average groundball induction rates, which helps explain his appeal.
Cardinals Sign Dexter Fowler
The Cardinals have filled their oft-discussed need in center field, officially announcing a deal with free-agent Dexter Fowler. Fowler, a client of Excel Sports Management, will earn a reported five-year, $82.5MM in the deal, which comes with a $10MM signing bonus distributed over the contract and successive, $14.5MM annual salaries. The deal includes full no-trade protection.
[Related: Updated St. Louis Cardinals Depth Chart]
Fowler, 30, will fill the open spot in the Cardinals’ outfield. The club has been seeking a player who can take over up the middle, bumping Randal Grichuk to a corner role. Though some questions remain as to just how strong a glove he brings to the center field job, Fowler certainly has plenty of experience. And the overall defensive alignment promises to be a vast improvement over the team’s 2016 unit.
While positional flexibility is a major element of Fowler’s appeal, the strongest elements of his game are on the offensive side of the spectrum. The switch-hitter typically performs better on the short side of the platoon but is an everyday option who looks good at the top of the lineup.
A remarkably consistent hitter, Fowler has rarely strayed from the .271/.371/.428 slash line that he carries since the start of the 2011 season. He was even better last year, hitting .276/.393/.447 for the division-rival Cubs. He’s a reasonable bet for a dozen or more home runs per year, but is at most an average source of power. The real value comes in his ability to reach base, and what happens when he does. Fowler did reject a one-year, qualifying offer from the Cubs following the season, meaning the Cardinals will forfeit the No. 19 pick in the 2017 draft. The Cubs, in return, will receive a compensatory pick following the first round.
Fowler’s excellent on-base numbers are supported by a strong walk rate (14.3% last year) and palatable strikeout numbers (22.2% career, which is right at league average). While he has benefited from elevated BABIP numbers, that appears more a reflection of skill than luck. When he gets aboard, Fowler continues to add value with his legs. He’ll typically swipe between 12 and 20 bags a year, but more importantly draws very strong overall baserunning reviews (eighth in BsR last year).
The biggest area of uncertainty is in the field. Both Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating have panned his glove over the years, with ratings typically ranging from slightly below average to rather abysmal. But last year was his best in the eyes of those metrics, which regarded him as a just-above-average fielder in center (where he has played almost exclusively as a major leaguer). Fowler credited alterations to his positioning in center field — specifically, playing deeper than in previous years — for the improvements.
All told, Fowler clearly featured as one of the stronger all-around players available on this year’s free-agent market. He’s arguably a superior player to Ian Desmond, who just landed a five-year, $70MM deal with the Rockies, depending upon whether one prefers Fowler’s steady hitting or Desmond’s defensive flexibility and raw tools.
Frank Cusumano of KSDK Sports (via Twitter) and Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter) first reported that a deal was close. Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reported that an agreement was in place. FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported the terms (Twitter link), with ESPN’s Mark Saxon (in a tweet) and Heyman (also via Twitter) also providing details.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Yankees Agree To Minor League Deal With Ruben Tejada
8:07pm: Tejada will earn at a $1.35MM annual rate if he plays in the majors, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets.
11:17am: The Yankees have agreed to a minor league contract with free-agent infielder Ruben Tejada, agent Peter Greenberg confirmed to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link). He’ll be invited to Major League Spring Training. Last week, the New York Post’s George A. King III reported that the Yankees were interested in Tejada.
[Related: Updated New York Yankees Depth Chart]
Tejada, 27, has spent the vast majority of his career in the other New York organization, but the Mets cut him loose last Spring Training, after which he went on to play with the Cardinals and the Giants. Tejada opened the year as the Cardinals’ shortstop but suffered a hamstring injury almost immediately, which opened the door for Aledmys Diaz to break out and cement himself in that role. With little need for Tejada following Diaz’s breakout, the Cardinals cut him loose in early June.
When healthy, Tejada struggled at the dish, batting a mere .167/.247/.242 in 78 plate appearances. However, he has a track record as a passable offensive contributor relative to his positional peers, as from 2011-15 he slashed .261/.333/.328. Tejada has experience at both middle infield positions as well as third base, so he’ll come to camp with the Yankees as a depth option in competition for a bench role behind starters Starlin Castro (second base), Didi Gregorius (shortstop) and Chase Headley (third base).
Marlins To Re-Sign Dustin McGowan
DECEMBER 12: McGowan receives a $1.75MM guarantee, Heyman tweets.
DECEMBER 7, 1:32pm: The Marlins and McGowan are in agreement on a one-year, Major League contract, tweets Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.
11:58am: The Marlins are close to re-signing right-hander Dustin McGowan, reports MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro (via Twitter). It is not clear at this point whether or not the veteran hurler stands to receive a major league deal.
McGowan, 34, turned in a nice year for the Marlins in 2016 after joining the organization as a minor-league free agent. Over 67 frames, he worked to a 2.82 ERA on just 49 hits. McGowan struck out 8.5 and walked 4.4 batters per nine innings.
Once a promising starter, McGowan saw his career derailed by injuries. He has made just 13 starts since he last worked consistently from a rotation back in 2008, and has compiled only 219 total innings since the start of the 2009 season. But the bulk of those have come over the past several years, and McGowan just tied a career-high in average fastball velocity (94.7 mph), so there’s some reason to believe that there’s still some life left in hism
Braves To Sign John Danks
The Braves have agreed to a minor-league deal with left John Danks, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Danks, 31, was said to be seeking a comeback opportunity. He’ll earn at a $1.5MM annual rate for any portion of the year he spends in the majors, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets.
Though he pitched in 2016, Danks made his last appearance in May. He never joined another organization after being cut loose by the White Sox after his first four starts of the year. In that span, Danks lasted 22 1/3 innings and coughed up 18 earned runs on 28 hits with 16 strikeouts against 11 walks.
There was a time, of course, when Danks routinely logged around 200 innings of sub-4.00 ERA pitching annually. But those days are well in the past at this point; Danks did top 190 frames in 2014, but has allowed at least 4.7 earned runs per nine in every season dating back to 2012.
That 2012 season was a notable one for Danks and his former organization. He had signed a five-year, $65MM extension the winter before, but ended up making only nine starts before undergoing shoulder surgery. Needless to say, he hasn’t been the same since. And his fastball has never again averaged over ninety miles per hour.
Though the heater bottomed out last year at less than 88 mph, and Danks has shown little to suggest he can return to his form of yore, there’s little risk here for Atlanta. The ill-fated contract extension is now a thing of the past, and the Braves will be happy to add some depth with a minimal commitment. While the club already has added three rotation pieces this winter, and may still be looking for more, it’s a staff that certainly could end up in need of reinforcement at some point.
Brewers To Sign Ivan De Jesus
The Brewers have agreed to a minor-league deal with infielder Ivan De Jesus Jr., according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (via Twitter). The 29-year-old, a right-handed hitter, could conceivably battle for a utility role in cam.
After bouncing around the league, De Jesus found a home in Cincinnati in 2015. Over the past two years there, he has taken 465 plate appearances — by far his most extensive big league work. De Jesus also spent time in the majors briefly with the Dodgers and Red Sox in 2011-12. Though he played in over one hundred games last year with the Reds, and remained controllable at the league-minimum salary, Cinci bounced him from its 40-man roster and De Jesus took his free agency.
Despite his lengthy look, De Jesus hasn’t exactly impressed with the bat at the game’s highest level. In his pair of seasons with the Reds, he hit just .249/.311/.341 with five home runs — which is about 25% worse than a league-average hitter. Of course, De Jesus is valued much more for his defensive versatility. He spent time at short, second, third, and even first base and the corner outfield in Cincinnati.
Phillies Sign Pedro Florimon, Acquire Mario Sanchez From Nationals
The Phillies announced that today that they’ve acquired minor league right-hander Mario Sanchez from the Nationals as the player to be named later in last month’s Jimmy Cordero swap. They also announced minor league deals for Pedro Florimon, Sean Burnett, Daniel Nava and Hector Gomez, each of whom will be invited to Major League Spring Training. (The signings of Nava and Burnett were reported last week by the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Matt Gelb and SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo, respectively.)
Sanchez, 22, spent the 2016 season with Washington’s Class-A Advanced affiliate, where he pitched to a 3.46 ERA with 7.2 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 43.1 percent ground-ball rate in 78 innings of work. The Venezuelan-born righty didn’t make any starts but made 12 relief appearances of at least three innings, including one six-inning relief performance to close out the season. He didn’t rank among the Nationals’ top 30 prospects, though given the rather low-profile nature of the trade that is sending him to the Phillies, that shouldn’t be a big surprise.
Florimon, who turned 30 two days ago, spent the 2015-16 seasons as a member of the Pirates and saw sparse time with the big league club, hitting .149/.200/.255 in just 50 plate appearances. Prior to that stretch, the entirety of Florimon’s big league time had come with the Twins, for whom he served as the primary shortstop in 2013, hitting .222/.281/.330 with nine homers and 15 steals. Florimon has never hit much in the Majors or minors, but he’s a terrific defender at shortstop and could function as a Triple-A depth option for the Phillies. He’s a career .253/.320/.368 hitter in 1222 Triple-A PAs, so his bat certainly has played a bit better at that level than in the Majors.
Gomez, 28, spent the 2016 season playing with Korea’s SK Wyverns, where he hit .283/.326/.493 with 21 homers, 31 doubles and 16 stolen bases in 484 trips to the plate. The versatile infielder spent the 2014-15 seasons with the Brewers, batting a combined .177/.209/.306 in 155 PAs. He comes with a very solid Triple-A background, having batted .298/.341/.512 in 150 games (although those numbers have likely been aided by the hitter-friendly nature of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League), and he also brings experience at shortstop, second base and third base to the Phillies organization.
Cardinals Sign Eric Fryer, Jordan Schafer To Minor League Deals
The Cardinals announced today that they’ve signed three players to minor league deals: catcher Eric Fryer, outfielder/left-handed pitcher Jordan Schafer and catcher Gabriel Lino. Each of the three have been invited to Major League Spring Training.
The 31-year-old Fryer should be a familiar face for Cardinals fans after he raked in a small sample as Yadier Molina‘s backup last year. Fryer made the roster after expected backup Brayan Pena hit the disabled list with a knee injury and hit a robust .368/.415/.421 in 41 plate appearances across 24 games with St. Louis. He was ultimately designated for assignment and picked up off waivers by the Pirates, with whom he batted .218/.300/.269 in 92 trips to the plate. Fryer spent the 2013-15 seasons in the Twins organization and is a lifetime .254/.332/.328 hitter in 291 MLB plate appearances.
Schafer, 30, was once one of the Braves’ top outfield prospects but went to Houston in the 2011 Michael Bourn trade and was never fully able to realize his potential. He wound up with the Twins in 2014-15, where he got his most recent taste of MLB experience, but is a career .228/.308/.307 hitter in 463 games/1472 plate appearances. His struggles at the plate led him to work out as a pitcher in the Dodgers organization last year, where he posted a 3.83 ERA with 59 strikeouts against 18 walks in 49 total innings. Most of Schafer’s work came at the Double-A level, where he threw quite well. He did ascend to Triple-A briefly late in the year, but he surrendered seven runs in 6 1/3 innings there.
Lino, 23, has spent most of his career in the Phillies organization and reached Triple-A in 2015 before moving back down a level in 2016. He’s a career .230/.303/.341 hitter in parts of seven minor league seasons and has thrown out one-third of the runners that have attempted stolen bases against him in his minor league career.
Padres Agree To Deal With Right-Hander Michel Baez
The Padres have agreed to sign 20-year-old Cuban right-hander Michel Baez and will pay him a $3MM signing bonus, reports Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com (via Twitter). Because the Padres are already over their allotted international bonus pool, Baez will come with a 100 percent luxury tax and cost the team a total of $6MM.
Sanchez lists Baez as 6’8″ and 230 pounds, noting that he has a fastball which sits in the 93-97 mph range. Baez comes without much in the way of publicly available information, as he didn’t rate in MLB.com’s list of top 30 international prospects, nor did he appear among the 47 international prospects that were listed on Fangraphs’ sortable scouting board. Baseball America’s Ben Badler ranked 50 players when listing his top international prospects this year — though he didn’t list Cuban players that had not yet been declared for free agency — and didn’t mention Baez’s name, either. Per Baseball-Reference, Baez pitched in part of just one pro season in Cuba — the 2014-15 season — and posted a 5.22 ERA with 17 strikeouts against 17 walks as an 18-year-old. Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets that he could start next season in A-ball and is a former teammate of fellow Padres signee Ronald Bolanos.
The lack of information on Baez is not to suggest that he’s lacking in any sort of appreciable talent. Players often fly under the radar and come with unexpectedly large signing bonuses when they do. A player of Baez’s age with that sort of frame and velocity certainly sounds appealing on the surface, though a great deal of additional context would be required before fairly assessing him. Regardless, Padres scouts are clearly enticed by Baez’s abilities, and the sum of the bonus itself seemingly indicates that San Diego faced some degree of competition for his services.
Rays Designate Justin O’Conner For Assignment
11:03am: Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports that the operations O’Conner have undergone this winter were to address disk issues in his lower back that impacted him during the regular season (Twitter links). He appears to be facing a lengthy recovery, as senior vice president Chaim Bloom told Topkin that the team is “a ways away from [O’Conner] being able to play,” adding that the 2017 season isn’t entirely lost. (The very fact that the entire season was even referenced as a possibility speaks to the nature of the rehab, however.) Per Topkin, the Rays could look to bring O’Conner back on a minor league deal if he clears outright waivers.
9:40am: The Rays announced on Monday that minor league catcher Justin O’Conner has been designated for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to Wilson Ramos, whose two-year deal with Tampa Bay is now official.
O’Conner, 25 in March, was drafted with the No. 31 overall pick by the Rays in 2010 and rated as one of the organization’s top 30 prospects (per Baseball America) each year since. Prior to the 2015 season, BA rated him as highly as No. 3 on Tampa Bay’s top 30, and MLB.com entered the season with O’Conner ranked 61st overall among MLB prospects that same season. That ranking came on the heels of a very solid .278/.316/.466 batting line compiled between Class-A Advanced and Double-A, but O’Conner limped to a .231/.255/.371 performance in 2015 — his first full season at Double-A.
Injuries have been an issue for O’Conner, though, and the Rays announced today that he’s undergone a pair of back surgeries after being limited to just 20 games in 2016. He also underwent a pair of hip surgeries early in his career, so durability concerns aren’t exactly a new phenomenon for O’Conner.
Last winter, O’Conner rated 13th among Rays farmhands, per BA, though their scouting reported questioned his ability to hit breaking pitches and changeups while also raising questions about his “decision-making on defense and aptitude for game management.” BA does note that he’s gotten 80 grades on his throwing arm — O’Conner has halted 46 percent of stolen bases attempted against him in his career — and has above-average raw power.