Orioles Designate Rey Navarro
The Orioles have designated infielder Rey Navarro for assignment, per a club announcement. His 40-man spot goes to the just-resigned Darren O’Day.
Navarro, who’ll soon turn 26, debuted last year in Baltimore but appeared in just ten games. He spent most of the year at Triple-A, slashing .261/.310/.372 over 394 plate appearances. Navarro — a well-regarded defender at short — has previously played in the Diamondbacks, Royals, and Reds organizations.
Orioles Sign Darren O’Day
DECEMBER 14: The team has announced the signing.
DECEMBER 10, 10:37pm: Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links) has more details. O’Day will earn $5MM in 2016, $6MM in 2017, and $8MM apiece in 2018 and 2019. He’ll then take home $1MM annually for each of the next four years (though obviously won’t be obligated to play for the team in that stretch).
The no-trade clause allows him to designate seven clubs per season, though Connolly notes that he stands to reach ten-and-five rights during 2018.
8:35pm: The deal is “official,” Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets, though it has yet to be announced by the club. $1MM of O’Day’s salary each year will be deferred, per the report.
DECEMBER 7: A deal is in place between the O’s and O’Day, pending only a physical, per Connolly (via Twitter). It is indeed for four years and $31MM, he adds.
O’Day will pick up some limited no-trade protection, Connolly adds on Twitter.
DECEMBER 6, 7:30pm: The matters being worked out involve “language/stipulations,” ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweets. From the report, it certainly does not sound as if the sides expect any serious difficulty in finalizing the arrangement.
6:29pm: O’s executive VP Dan Duquette said today that there’s more work to be done to complete any deal with O’Day, as Rich Dubroff of CSNmidatlantic.com tweets.
12:16pm: O’Day himself tweets that the deal is not yet complete. “Contrary to the news, I have not reached an agreement with the O’s yet,” he says. “I am flattered by all the attention, but reports are premature.” Heyman clarifies (Twitter links) that one explanation might be that O’Day hasn’t yet taken a physical, and physicals given by the Orioles have sometimes not turned out as the players taking them have imagined. (For example, Grant Balfour and the O’s had a disagreement with the Orioles over a physical two years ago.) O’Day and the Orioles do have a deal in place, Heyman writes.
11:21am: Details of the deal have yet to be finalized, Connolly tweets. Also, obviously, O’Day will still have to take a physical for the deal to be complete. MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko tweets that the deal might not officially be done until the end of the week, since team doctors are attending the Winter Meetings.
8:48am: Righty reliever Darren O’Day has agreed to terms on a four-year deal with the Orioles, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (who originally tweeted that a return to the Orioles was likely) says O’Day will receive $31MM. O’Day is a client of the Ballengee Group.
O’Day had reportedly been deciding between the Orioles and Nationals. He had also been connected to the Braves and Dodgers, but O’Day’s wife is a reporter based in Washington DC, and it had been thought that influenced his preference to stay in the DC area. Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun tweets that O’Day came close to agreeing to terms with the Nationals on Friday, but that the Orioles made a last-second bid of four years, sealing O’Day’s decision to return to Baltimore.
O’Day has been a major part of Baltimore’s bullpen in the past four seasons, never more so than in 2015, when he pitched 65 1/3 innings with a 1.52 ERA and a terrific 11.3 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9. He’s effective against both righties and lefties, making him far more than a situational pitcher, despite his funky delivery and modest velocity. He will likely return to an eighth-inning role with the Orioles.
O’Day was the top reliever on Tim Dierkes’ list of the top 50 free agents, so retaining him looks like a coup for Baltimore, at least in the near term. The $7.75MM average annual value of his new contract is reasonable, although its four-year length is interesting, given O’Day age (33) and the fact that he isn’t a closer (although perhaps it isn’t that surprising — last week, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick noted that the expectation within the industry was that O’Day would get a four-year deal in the $32MM-$34MM range). Last offseason, only two relievers, Andrew Miller and David Robertson, received four-year deals, and both of them were considerably younger than O’Day is now. And as Eduardo A. Encina of the Sun tweets, the Orioles don’t often give pitchers four-years — the only free-agent pitcher who’s ever received a four-year deal from them is Ubaldo Jimenez. That they’re giving a four-year deal to a 33-year-old setup man suggests they think O’Day can continue to be a crucial part of their bullpen.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
White Sox, Hector Sanchez Agree To Minor League Deal
The White Sox and former Giants catcher Hector Sanchez have agreed to a minor league contract with an invite to Major League Spring Training, Sanchez’s agent, Felix Olivo, announced on Twitter.
The 26-year-old Sanchez has spent his entire career with the Giants, totaling 637 plate appearances across parts of five seasons while serving as a backup to Buster Posey. Sanchez hit .267/.299/.370 from 2011-13 over a span of 401 PAs, but that production slipped to .192/.230/.301 in 236 PAs from 2014-15. The deteriorated offense, as well as the emergence of Andrew Susac, made Sanchez a non-tender candidate in San Francisco this winter, and the Giants did indeed elect to let him become a free agent.
Sanchez has caught 26 percent of the runners that have attempted to steal on him in his career and has drawn roughly average reviews from pitch-framing metrics over the course of his big league tenure. The White Sox project to use Alex Avila and Dioner Navarro as their primary catchers in 2016, but Sanchez will make a quality depth piece that could be stashed in Triple-A, where he’s a .255/.313/.367 hitter.
Rangers Claim Andy Wilkins From Mariners
The Rangers announced today that they’ve claimed first baseman Andy Wilkins off waivers from the Mariners. Wilkins was designated for assignment last week when the club acquired Adam Lind from the Brewers.
Wilkins, 27, has bounced around the league quite a bit since making his big league debut with the White Sox in 2014. The former fifth-rounder hit just .140/.178/.186 in a minuscule sample of 45 plate appearances with the South Siders in ’14. This season, he was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays, who would eventually trade him to the Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations. The Dodgers lost Wilkins to the Orioles on waivers in early September, who then lost him to Seattle in November. With this claim by the Rangers, he’s now with his fifth organization in the past calendar year.
Wilkins hits left-handed, so he doesn’t fit the Rangers’ oft-stated desire to add a right-handed bat. He does create some depth at first base, however, with his lifetime .274/.324/.490 batting line at Triple-A serving as an appealing track record for Texas (and, clearly, other clubs around the league). The Rangers’ 40-man roster now has 38 players, per a club press release.
Cubs, Jean Machi Agree To Minor League Deal
The Cubs are in agreement with right-hander Jean Machi on a minor league contract, according to a tweet from his agent, Felix Olivo. The former Red Sox/Giants right-hander will receive an invitation to Major League Spring Training (Spanish link).
Machi, who turns 34 in February, split the 2015 season between the Red Sox and Giants, working to a combined 5.12 ERA with 6.5 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and a 48.6 percent ground-ball rate. Though he struggled with both clubs, posting an ERA above five with each, he still served as Boston’s closer for a spell late in the season, recording four saves following a season-ending injury to Koji Uehara.
While the 2015 season was one that Machi may want to forget, he was a very strong bullpen piece for the Giants in 2013-14. During that time, the Venezuelan righty recorded a pristine 2.49 ERA with 7.7 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and a ground-ball rate of about 53 percent across 119 1/3 innings. Machi didn’t make his big league debut until age 30, so he’s older than the standard arbitration eligible player, but the Cubs will be able to control him via that process for four seasons, should he rediscover the form he displayed during his pair of strong seasons with the Giants.
There’s some reason to hope that Machi can indeed achieve those heights. His struggles in 2015 were largely driven by a fluky low strand rate and an elevated homer-to-flyball rate. If either or both of those figures returns to his career levels, Machi could deliver a markedly better performance in a middle relief role. His velocity, after all, held steady at 92.7 mph this past season, and ERA estimators like FIP, xFIP and SIERA felt that while he did indeed take a step back from his peak, he was better than his bottom-line results indicated.
Mariners Designate Rob Rasmussen For Assignment
The Mariners announced today that left-hander Rob Rasmussen has been designated for assignment. Rasmussen’s removal from the club’s 40-man roster creates space for right-hander Steve Cishek, whose two-year contract is now official.
The 26-year-old Rasmussen logged 15 1/3 innings in the Majors this season, and while he struck out an impressive 17 hitters in that time, he also walked eight men and yielded an alarming 17 earned runs as well. That marked his second stint in the Majors, although the first — four runs in 11 1/3 innings with the 2014 Blue Jays — was considerably more palatable.
Rasmussen was one of three pitchers that the Mariners acquired from the Blue Jays in exchange for Mark Lowe prior to the 2015 trade deadline. If his name sounds familiar, it’s due to the fact that Rasmussen, despite being just 26 years old and having 26 2/3 innings of Major League experience, has been traded an incredible five times. Originally a second-round pick by the Marlins in 2010, he’s been part of the return in trades for Carlos Lee and Michael Young (in addition to John Ely and Brad Lincoln).
In addition to his Major League work, Rasmussen has totaled 140 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level, where he has pitched to a collective 4.04 ERA with a 121-to-69 K/BB ratio. It should be noted that Ramussen’s work as a reliever at the Triple-A level has been wildly superior to his work as a starter. He posted a 6.46 ERA working primarily out of the rotation in 2013 (12 games, 10 starts) but has turned in ERA marks below 2.75 while working as a reliever in his past two stops at Triple-A.
Mariners Sign Steve Cishek
The Mariners’ bullpen overhaul continued on Monday, as the team announced, via press release, that it has signed free-agent reliever Steve Cishek to a two-year deal. Cishek, who will serve as the club’s closer, is reportedly guaranteed $10MM over the two years — $4MM in 2016 and $6MM in 2017. He can also earn up to $3.5MM in each season for games finished.
Cishek, a client of Jet Sports Management, will reportedly earn $250K for 25 and 30 games finished, and he’ll take home $500K for reaching 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, and 60 games finished in each year of the deal. Typically, only about five relievers per season finish 60 games, so it will be a stretch for Cishek to earn the full $7MM incentive over two years. Cishek finished 62 games in 2013 and 55 games in 2014.
GM Jerry Dipoto teased the addition on 710 ESPN Seattle a night before the agreement was reported, saying he expected to make a bullpen addition before the end of the weekend. In today’s press release, Dipoto spoke highly of his new right-hander: “Steve gives us a proven bullpen presence with significant experience closing games. He’s a character guy who adds a new angle and fresh look to our pen.”
Cishek, 29, was non-tendered by the Cardinals earlier in the offseason. MLBTR projected a $7.1MM salary via the arbitration process. Of note, Cishek was arbitration eligible for two more seasons. The two-year contract will guarantee those seasons while granting the Mariners some protection if he doesn’t stick in the ninth inning.
Over parts of six seasons, the former Marlins closer has a 2.82 ERA, 9.55 K/9, 3.42 BB/9 and 95 saves in 313 innings. He experienced a shaky 2015 split between Miami and St. Louis. While with the Marlins, he lost his ninth inning duties early in the year to A.J. Ramos. In 32 innings, Cishek struggled with a 4.50 ERA, 7.88 K/9, 3.94 BB/9, and an uncharacteristically high .350 BABIP. He also posted a career low 90.6 mph fastball.
The Cardinals acquired Cishek in late July for right-handed pitcher Kyle Barraclough. While his 2.31 ERA through 23 innings was encouraging, he lost control of the strike zone (5.01 BB/9). ERA estimators like SIERA (4.43) and xFIP (4.55) suggest he experienced some good fortune in St. Louis.
With the signing, Seattle is betting that Cishek can recover the form that made him one of the best closers in the league from 2013 through 2014. Over those two seasons, Cishek was among the 10 best relievers in baseball with 3.5 WAR and a 2.35 FIP.
Dipoto has been busy this offseason. As ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick notes (tweet), Dipoto has now completed nine trades, eight signings, and five waiver claims. The bullpen in particular has undergone a dramatic restructuring. Former temporary closers Tom Wilhelmsen, Carson Smith, and Danny Farquhar were all sent packing. To replace them, Dipoto acquired Cishek, Joaquin Benoit, Evan Scribner, and Justin De Fratus.
ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick first reported the agreement. Yahoo’s Jeff Passan (Twitter link) and FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported the financial terms (via Twitter). Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported the incentives structure (Twitter link).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Phillies Sign J.P. Arencibia To Minor League Deal
The Phillies announced that they’ve signed catcher J.P. Arencibia to a minor league deal and invited him to Major League Spring Training. The Phillies also confirmed their previously reported signing of Ernesto Frieri and announced minor league deals/camp invites for infielder Angelys Nina and right-handers Greg Burke and Gregory Infante.
Arencibia, 30 next month, enjoyed outstanding results at the plate in a short stint with the Rays last season, hitting .310/.315/.606 with six homers in 71 plate appearances. While those results are impressive, certainly, Arencibia’s Achilles heel over the life of his career has been huge strikeout numbers against dismal walk rates, and that continued in 2015. Arencibia walked just once in his 71 PAs but struck out a jarring 22 times (31 percent), which was enough that the Rays didn’t feel he was a part of their 2016 plans; he was designated for assignment and released this offseason.
Arencibia has caught base-stealers at a roughly league-average rate across parts of six Major League seasons, and he graded as a plus framer back in 2013 before posting average and below-average marks in smaller samples from 2014-15. Overall, he’s a lifetime .212/.258/.412 hitter in the big leagues.
Philadelphia could use some catching depth, however, as the only catchers on the 40-man roster there are Carlos Ruiz, Cameron Rupp and Jorge Alfaro, the latter of whom is not yet Major League ready despite his notable prospect status.
As for the rest of the signees, Burke and Infante figure to be depth options. Each has reached the Major Leagues in the past despite slightly below-average control numbers at Triple-A, with the 33-year-old Burke seeing significantly more big league time (4.77 ERA in 77 1/3 innings) than the 28-year-old Infante (4 2/3 innings with the 2010 White Sox). Nina, 27, is a versatile defender that saw action at second base, shortstop, third base and left field in 2015 while hitting .300/.333/.402 in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
Minor MLB Transactions: 12/13/15
Let’s catch up on some recent minor league transactions, all from Baseball America’s Matt Eddy unless otherwise noted.
- The Reds announced the signing of right-hander J.C. Ramirez to a minor league contract earlier this month. Ramirez posted a 5.32 ERA over 23 2/3 innings with the Diamondbacks and Mariners in 2015, and he was outrighted by the M’s after the season.
- The Athletics signed left-hander Eric Surkamp to a minors deal. Surkamp pitched in just one MLB game in 2015, a 3 1/3 inning relief stint for the Dodgers. He has a 6.47 ERA over 57 innings with the Dodgers, White Sox and Giants in a career that was slowed by missing all of 2012 due to Tommy John surgery.
- The Giants signed infielder Ramiro Pena to a minors contract. Pena hit .244/.288/.330 over 610 PA as a utilityman with the Yankees and Braves from 2009-2014, and he spent 2015 with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate.
- The Angels signed veteran right-hander Ramon Ramirez to a minor league contract. Ramirez threw at least 63 2/3 innings in all but one season from 2006 through 2012, soaking up innings as a bullpen workhorse and posting a 3.32 ERA over 428 frames for five different clubs in that span. After being dealt to the Giants at the 2010 trade deadline, Ramirez posted an 0.67 ERA in 27 relief innings to help San Francisco reach the postseason in what ended up as a World Series championship year. Ramirez has pitched just 6 2/3 Major League innings over the last three seasons, however, and he spent 2015 in the Mexican League.
- The Indians signed righty Felipe Paulino to a minors deal. Paulino posted a 4.93 ERA, 7.2 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 over 104 innings with the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate. The 32-year-old looked to have turned a corner as a Major Leaguer after joining the Royals in 2011 and he got off a hot start in K.C.’s rotation in 2012 before injuries forced him to undergo Tommy John surgery. He last appeared in the majors in 2014 as a member of the White Sox, and he has 403 2/3 career innings over six years in the bigs.
Red Sox Sign Sean O’Sullivan To Minors Deal
The Red Sox signed righty Sean O’Sullivan to a minor league deal earlier this week, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports.
O’Sullivan posted a 6.08 ERA, 4.4 K/9 and 1.75 K/BB rate over 71 innings for the Phillies last season, all of them as a starting pitcher. O’Sullivan was one of 14 pitchers who made starts for Philadelphia in 2015 as the Phils tried to both sort out their future rotation options and find some veterans (like O’Sullivan) to eat some innings. It’s likely that Boston will use O’Sullivan as minor league rotation depth.
A third-round pick for the Angels in the 2005 draft, O’Sullivan has a 5.95 ERA and 4.3 K/9 over 302 1/3 career Major League innings with the Angels, Royals, Padres and Phillies.