Dodgers Announce Howie Kendrick Deal
The Dodgers have announced the re-signing of infielder Howie Kendrick to a two-year contract. Reports suggested the deal will pay the veteran $20MM.
New details on the payout have been reported today by Jon Heyman (Twitter links). Kendrick will receive $10MM annually in each year of the contract, half of which will be deferred. But Heyman suggests that the deferrals won’t significantly reduce the contract’s value.
The 32-year-old Kendrick will also cost the Dodgers the opportunity to add another draft pick. He previously declined a $15.8MM qualifying offer, which obviously did not pay off in the end. But it’s hard to fault Kendrick and his reps for that decision, as he seemed to be in line for a much bigger payday; MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes, for instance, predicted that Kendrick could land $50MM over four years.. (And it isn’t as if the downside scenario is all that bad.)
Bringing back Kendrick not only plugs in a talented veteran, but effectively adds to the Dodgers’ already impressive depth. Going back to 2010, Kendrick owns an excellent.289/.332/.418 slash. His steady contributions at the plate have been accompanied by good-enough work in the field and on the bases, making him an above-average regular.
While Kendrick says he’s “thankful” to be returning to L.A., he also tells Bob Nightengale of USA Today that he was shocked at how his market played out. Interest was minimal despite his long track record of sturdy production, said Kendrick, with the QO-driven draft compensation seemingly proving a significant impediment.
“I figured there would be quite a few suitors for me, and nobody was really calling,” said Kendrick. “Here it is, getting close to spring training, and you keep hearing the same thing over and over. Nobody wanted to give up that draft pick. It was a shocker.’’
Indeed, while market peculiarities probably also played a role — including relatively low demand and several trade candidates — it is hard to deny the impact of the qualifying offer. Ben Zobrist was heavily pursued and earned a $56MM guarantee, while a lesser (albeit shortstop-capable) player in Asdrubal Cabrera earned nearly as much as Kendrick. While fellow QO recipient Daniel Murphy fared better, his own $37.5MM deal also came in shy of expectations.
Drew Smyly Wins Arbitration Hearing Over Rays
Left-hander Drew Smyly and his agents at Frontline Athlete Management have won their arbitration hearing against the Rays, reports Jon Heyman (on Twitter). Because of the arbitration panel’s ruling, Smyly will earn $3.75MM in 2016 as opposed to the $3.2MM figure that had been submitted by the team.
This will be Smyly’s second trip through the arbitration process. As a Super Two player, he landed a $2.65MM salary last offseason and will be eligible for arbitration twice more before qualifying for free agency. Because his future salaries will be based off of his 2016 salary, that fact that he received the higher of the two possible sums in this hearing means that not only will he receive a greater salary in 2016, but his future salaries, too, will be based on a considerably more favorable launching point.
The sum in question at the hearing may seem relatively trivial to onlookers, although as several GMs and assistant GMs explained to MLBTR last year at this time, teams feel a responsibility to manage the arbitration market, as it is shared by all 30 clubs. Because all arbitration cases are built on recent historical comparables, the slight increases would eventually compound and become more significant were every team simply to give in to what appear, on the surface, to be relatively trivial amounts.
Orioles, Padres On Verge Of Trade; Cashner Not Involved
The Orioles have traded minor league right-hander J.C. Cosme to the Padres in exchange for a pitcher on San Diego’s Major League roster, reports MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko (via Twitter), although he notes that Andrew Cashner is not in this deal. Kubatko has previously reported that the Orioles have some interest in Cashner.
While the details of the transaction in question are certainly open-ended, it seems safe to say that the deal won’t necessarily net the Orioles a major rotation component, unless other pieces are involved in the deal. Cosme is a 19-year-old out of Puerto Rico that Baltimore selected in the 17th round of the 2014 draft. He’s posted a 4.73 ERA with 8.7 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 in 72 1/3 professional innings but did not rank among Baltimore’s Top 10 prospects this offseason, per Baseball America. Additionally, Cosme didn’t crack MLB.com’s most recent list of Top 30 Orioles prospects, although that list is due to be updated later this month.
The pitcher coming back to the Orioles has a minor league option remaining, Kubatko further tweets, suggesting that it may not be an arm that will definitively crack Baltimore’s Opening Day roster.
Orioles, Hideki Okajima Agree To Minor League Deal
FEB. 4: Okajima can earn $1MM+ if he makes the roster and meets incentives in his contract, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).
FEB. 3: The Orioles and left-handed reliever Hideki Okajima have agreed to a minor league contract, reports Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. Okajima’s deal does not include an invite to Major League Spring Training, per Encina, so he’ll look to earn a spot in the bullpen at Triple-A Norfolk and eventually work his way back into the Major Leagues. Back in December, during the Winter Meetings, it was reported that Okajima was seeking a return to the Majors.
The 40-year-old Okajima’s deal marks his return to American baseball after spending the past two seasons in Japan. Were he to make the Orioles’ roster, it’d be Okajima’s first appearance in the Majors since a brief stint with the Athletics in 2013. Of course, Okajima is known much better for his time with the Red Sox, for whom he pitched from 2007-11. In parts of those five seasons, Okajima worked to a 3.11 ERA with 7.9 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9 to go along with a 36.8 percent ground-ball rate. Okajima was lethal against left-handed batters, holding them to a paltry .216/.277/.323 batting line in his time with the Red Sox. While right-handed batters fared better against Okajima, their collective .246/.323/.397 batting line wasn’t exactly impressive in its own right.
Okajima returned to Japan following the 2013 season and posted outstanding numbers with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks — a 2.11 ERA with 36 strikeouts against 14 walks (four of which were intentional) in 42 1/3 innings. This past season, though, he threw just 7 1/3 innings with the Yokohama Bay Stars and surrendered seven runs.
It may take a particularly strong showing in Norfolk and/or some injuries around the organization to get Okajima a shot at the Major Leagues, as the Orioles have no shortage of lefties available. Southpaw Zach Britton has emerged as one of the game’s most effective closers, and the O’s have a number of left-handed options to bridge the gap from rotation to Britton in the form of Brian Matusz, T.J. McFarland and C.J. Riefenhauser. Beyond that, left-handers Chris Lee and Chris Jones are both already on the 40-man roster, and while each is a starter, it’s possible that Baltimore could bring either up and use them in the ‘pen, temporarily, should the need arise throughout the year. Doing so would prevent them from having to make a 40-man roster move to add Okajima.
Mets, Jeurys Familia Avoid Arbitration
While the majority of the 156 players that filed for salary arbitration have agreed to terms with their teams, either on a one-year deal for 2016 or on an extension, the cases of 17 players remained unresolved as of Wednesday morning. You can track the status of each case using MLBTR’s 2016 Arbitration Tracker, and we’ll keep track of all of today’s smaller deals to avoid arbitration in this post (all referenced projections via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)…
- The Mets and closer Jeurys Familia have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $4.1MM, reports Jon Heyman (on Twitter). Familia blew past his $3.3MM projected salary and also came in north of the $4.05MM midpoint of his own $4.8MM submission and the team’s submission of $3.3MM. Familia, 26, opened the season expected to work in a setup role but found himself in the ninth inning when Jenrry Mejia was hit with a PED suspension. Over the course of a career-high 78 innings, Familia posted a brilliant 1.85 ERA with 9.9 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, a 58.3 percent ground-ball rate and 43 saves. With Familia’s case resolved, the Mets have successfully avoided an arbitration hearing with all nine of their eligible players.
Royals Release Louis Coleman
The Royals announced today that they have requested unconditional release waivers for right-hander Louis Coleman, who had previously been designated for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for fellow right-hander Ian Kennedy (Twitter link).
Coleman, who will turn 30 on April 4, tossed just three innings for the Royals in 2015 but had been a regular member of the bullpen in the four seasons prior, pitching to a combined 3.25 ERA with 9.6 K/9 against 3.9 BB/9 in 174 1/3 innings. However, Coleman’s production tailed off badly in 2014, when he recorded a 5.56 ERA in 34 big league innings. While he rebounded with an outstanding 2015 season in Triple-A (1.69 ERA, 8.9 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 in 64 innings), the Royals possess one of the game’s deeper bullpens and have a number of options on the depth chart even with the removal of Coleman from the 40-man roster.
Coleman had been arbitration eligible this offseason and, in fact, already agreed to a one-year deal worth $725K. However, arbitration contracts are not fully guaranteed, so the Royals are only on the hook for 30 days of his prorated salary — just under $119K. This isn’t the first time that the Royals have designated a player after agreeing to an arbitration salary; two years ago, the team designated Emilio Bonifacio for assignment after having agreed to a considerably more significant $3.5MM salary. Bonifacio was ultimately released (and went on to sign a minor league deal with the Cubs), leaving Kansas City responsible for about $575K of his salary.
As for Coleman, he’s now free to pursue a contract with any team and sign for any amount. While a minor league deal is a possibility, Coleman would be controllable for two more years beyond the 2016 season were he to land on a big league roster and spend the bulk of the season in the Majors. He could also be controllable for three years, if he only spends a portion of the year in the Majors; with three years, 18 days of service, Coleman would need 154 days in the Majors or on the Major League DL in order to reach four full years of service and qualify for free agency after 2018 season.
Jonny Gomes To Sign With Japan’s Rakuten Golden Eagles
Veteran outfielder Jonny Gomes will sign a one-year, $2MM contract with the Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The MVP Sports client can also earn an additional $1MM worth of incentives, Rosenthal adds, and his contract contains a mutual option for the 2017 season as well.
Gomes expressed some frustration regarding the generally slow-moving nature of the free-agent market for position players this year when speaking to Rosenthal. “This is not how it’s supposed to be,” said Gomes. “It seems like the players are getting bullied. It’s February. These people are human beings. They have families. They’ve got to make plans. I’m not trying to get back at baseball by any means. But I’m not just going to hang around. What has changed since the end of September? It’s not like a guy is hot right now or in a slump.”
The 35-year-old Gomes is known for his strong clubhouse presence and ability to crush left-handed pitching, although his numbers versus lefties have tailed off in recent seasons. Though Gomes has batted a very solid .250/.363/.409 when holding the platoon advantage over the past three seasons, those numbers do pale in comparison to the .284/.382/.512 batting line he posted against lefties up through the 2012 season. This past year, Gomes split the season between the Braves and the Royals, batting a combined .213/.313/.347 in 262 plate appearances (.227/.371/.412 against lefties).
Gomes made clear to Rosenthal that he’s still planning on playing beyond the 2016 season, whether it’s in the Major Leagues or overseas. “This isn’t a farewell tour. This isn’t like my last year,” he told Rosenthal. “I have no plans of hanging it up. I can always come back or — if I take off over there — finish my career there.” Gomes also spoke about his excitement over adding another layer of experience to his resume with an eye toward coaching, managing or a career in broadcasting once his playing career is over.
Pirates To Acquire Jesse Biddle
12:46pm: Right-hander Yoervis Medina, himself just designated, will go to the Phils in the deal, the team announced. Since he was already outrighted from Pittsburgh’s 40-man, he won’t require an immediate roster spot with the Phillies.
10:31am: Biddle is headed to the Pirates, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com tweets.
10:20am: The Phillies have reached a deal to trade southpaw Jesse Biddle to an unidentified club, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Twitter link). The former top prospect had recently been designated for assignment.
Since he was in DFA limbo, Biddle was destined to land elsewhere unless he went unclaimed on waivers. Clearly, with a trade being reached, there was sufficient interest that a claim was inevitable anyway.
Once a consensus top-100 prospect league-wide, Biddle showed plenty of upside to go with some command issues while rising through the system. Still just 24, Biddle is set to miss the coming year after undergoing Tommy John surgery last fall.
But he had fallen off track even before the elbow issue cropped up. Since a promising 2013 at the Double-A level in which he posted a 3.64 ERA with 10.0 K/9 against 5.3 BB/9, Biddle’s strikeout numbers have fallen even while he’s continued to issue too many free passes. Clearly, though, there’s still enough talent to bet on that multiple other organizations were willing to commit a 40-man spot to the lefty — at least for the time being.
Minor MLB Transactions: 2/3/16
Here are the latest minor moves of note:
- The White Sox have re-signed righty Maikel Cleto and added outfielder Vinny Rottino, according to Baseball America’s Matt Eddy. Cleto, 26, has been hit around in his limited MLB experience but has shown the ability to miss bats. He spent last year at Triple-A, working to a 3.00 ERA in 51 frames with 10.8 K/9 against 4.2 BB/9. The 35-year-old Rottino has not seen the majors since 2012. He slashed .266/.346/.390 over 514 plate appearances at Triple-A in 2015.
- The Marlins have added first baseman Zach Lutz, per Eddy. Lutz saw only minimal time in the Mets system last year, but did briefly reach the majors with New York in the 2012-13 seasons.
- Lefty Edgar Ibarra has joined the Phillies on a minors pact, Eddy adds. The 26-year-old cracked the bigs for the first time last year, but only made two appearances. At Triple-A, he worked o a 5.43 ERA over 66 1/3 innings with 9.1 /9 vs. 4.7 BB/9.
- Fellow southpaw Chris Dwyer is going to the Orioles on his own new deal, according to the BA report. He had spent his entire career in the Royals organization, briefly making it up to the show in 2013. Dwyer was a fourth-round pick out of Clemson back in 2009.
- The Braves reached agreement with Blake Lalli, per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (via Twitter), and expect to utilize him as one of the team’s catchers at Triple-A. The 32-year-old has served in just that role with the Diamondbacks over the last two seasons.
Minor MLB Transactions: 2-2-16
Here are the day’s minor signings and outright assignments from around the league…
- Right-hander Yoervis Medina has been outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis, according to the Pirates‘ transactions page on their web site. Medina delivered strong results for the 2013-14 Mariners, pitching to a combined 2.81 ERA with 9.4 K/9, 4.9 BB/9 and a 53.5 percent ground-ball rate before taking a significant step backwards in 2015. This past season, he logged a 4.71 ERA with an unsightly 16-to-11 K/BB ratio in 21 innings for the Mariners and Cubs. Notably, his fastball velocity, which had averaged 94.8 mph in 2014, sat a full two miles per hour lower at 92.8 in 2015, and his ground-ball rate dipped to 36.8 percent.
- The Angels announced that they’ve signed outfielder Andrew Brown and right-hander Yunesky Maya to minor league contracts. Both players most recently appeared in the Korea Baseball Organization — Brown with the SK Wyverns and Maya with the Doosan Bears. Brown, 31, batted .261/.360/.496 with 28 homers in 539 plate appearances in a strong season with Doosan. He’d previously spent parts of the 2010-14 seasons in the Majors, batting a combined .220/.281/.390 between the Cardinals, Rockies and Mets. Maya, formerly a fairly high-profile international signee with the Nationals, struggled tremendously in the KBO, yielding 62 runs in 68 1/3 innings. He last appeared in the Majors in 2013, though he threw just a third of an inning that season. Prior to that, the Cuban righty posted a 5.52 ERA in 58 2/3 innings from 2010-11. Both players were invited to Major League Spring Training.
- Sticking with players coming back over from the KBO, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports that the Yankees have signed right-hander Tyler Cloyd and third baseman Deibinson Romero, who spent the past season with the Samsung Lions and Doosan Bears, respectively. Cloyd, a former Phillies farmhand, logged 159 2/3 innings with the Lions but also posted a 5.19 ERA in the KBO’s extremely hitter-friendly environment. Prior to his KBO stint, Cloyd spent the 2014 season with the Indians’ Triple-A affiliate and posted a 3.90 ERA with 6.4 K/9 against 1.7 BB/9 in 166 1/3 innings. The 29-year-old Romero is a former Twins farmhand that batted .253/.328/.449 with a dozen homers in 305 trips to the plate.
- The Tigers have signed Cuban shortstop Leonardo Laffita to a minor league deal with a $250K bonus, according to Eddy. The 24-year-old Laffita spent a bit of time in the Mexican League last season, where he batted .280/.345/.360 in 57 plate appearances. Within Eddy’s piece, BA’s Ben Badler weighs in on Laffita, noting that he’ll have to move to center field or second base. Laffita stood out for his speed, hand-eye coordination and bat speed, per Badler, but he’s a free swinger with questionable plate discipline.
- Veteran catcher Miguel Olivo has a minor league deal with the Giants, per Eddy. A lifetime .240/.275/.417 hitters in 3993 plate appearances at the Major League level, Olivo hasn’t appeared in the bigs since 2014, although the 37-year-old did bat .281/.347/.470 across 378 plate appearances in Mexico over the past year.