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Nationals Links: Desmond, Perez, Zimmerman

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Here’s the latest from the D.C. camp…

  • Ian Desmond’s former Nationals teammates are flabbergasted by the fact that the shortstop has yet to sign with a team, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes.  “I don’t think there is a draft pick out there who is better than Ian Desmond,” Bryce Harper said.  “I don’t there is a draft pick out there who is a better guy or person in the clubhouse than him.”  Harper and Max Scherzer both feel that the qualifying offer is largely behind Desmond’s lingering presence on the market, with Harper opining that the QO system is “something baseball definitely needs to change.”  Scherzer thinks the qualifying offer “literally has to be” the biggest and maybe only factor why Desmond is still available. “There’s no other reason why a team would not want to sign a shortstop like that. ….You could see the power. You could see the speed. You just don’t find that out of a shortstop,” Scherzer said.
  • Oliver Perez’s previous stint with the Nationals consisted of 16 Double-A games in 2011, but the southpaw tells MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman that this stint helped revive his career.  Minor league pitching coordinator Spin Williams encouraged Perez to become a full-time reliever in order to pave a quicker road back to the majors, and Perez has taken that advice to the bank.  In four seasons since shifting to the bullpen, Perez has become a quality lefty specialist and is now back in Washington on a much more lucrative contract.
  • Ryan Zimmerman spoke to reporters (including Zuckerman) for the first time since his name was cited in the controversial Al Jazeera documentary that alleged Zimmerman, Ryan Howard, Peyton Manning and several other notable athletes were using PEDs.  Zimmerman firmly denied any allegations made in the documentary and noted that he and Howard were so eager to clear their names that they filed a defamation lawsuit against Al Jazeera, despite the fact that such a suit could lead to more public scrutiny.  “It’s one of those things where privacy is really not privacy anymore for me,” Zimmerman said. “It’s unfortunate that I have to do that, but that’s the steps I’m willing to take to show people that I have nothing to hide.”

Nats Have Explored Extension For Harper, But No Talks Now

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GM Mike Rizzo says the Nationals have considered an extension for Bryce Harper, but there have been no formal talks, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. Harper’s agent, Scott Boras, says he and the Nationals (with whom he has a strong relationship) have had informal discussions about the possibility of a Harper extension.

“My attitude is that you certainly want to know what they have to say,” Boras says. “Then, you talk about what they want to do. Historically, these type of players, it’s very difficult because often there are not player comparables that drive this contract.”

It would, of course, be a monumental development if the Nationals were to extend Harper at this stage. He is only three years from becoming a free agent at the tender age of 26, and if he stays healthy and continues to play at anything close to the elite level at which he performed last year, his next contract will likely become the largest the sport has ever seen.

When a reporter recently mentioned to Harper the possibility he might eventually receive a $400MM contract, Harper said, “Don’t sell me short,” implying that he might be able to get even more. It was, perhaps, a brash response, but it likely was not an inaccurate one. Boras, for his part, seems to be thinking of Harper’s next deal in much broader terms than are typically discussed for individual contracts.

“Player comparables are certainly evidence of the past market. But the true evidence of the current market, economic value of franchises, and the revenues of this game are going to be different three years from now,” he says. “It’s not the amount, but whether it’s good business or not. … There may be incentives that excite [the Nationals]. You look at A-Rod when he signed with the Texas Rangers, and what it did for the club’s TV deal. When he was traded to the Yankees, you saw what it did for the YES Network.”

It’s well known that Boras likes his clients to test the waters of free agency, and given the likelihood that Harper could break records, it seems unlikely that the Nationals will make an offer significant enough to prevent him from hitting the market. There have been previous indications that the Nats aren’t even making a Harper extension a top priority, at least not right now. Both sides, however, appear to be leaving the door open a bit, and if formal discussions do eventually take place, they could go to some very interesting places, since it’s hard to know what a Harper deal ought to look like, either in terms of dollars or duration.

Nationals To Sign Juan Gutierrez

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The Nationals will sign right-hander Juan Gutierrez to a minor league deal, according to MLBTR’s Steve Adams (on Twitter). The deal does not include an invite to Washington’s big league camp.

Gutierrez appeared in 114 games for the Royals, Angels and Giants over the 2013-14 seasons, posting a 4.08 ERA, 6.7 K/9 and 2.47 K/BB rate over 119 relief innings.  The 32-year-old was non-tendered by San Francisco following the 2014 season and re-signed with the team on a minor league deal, though he exercised a June 1 opt-out clause in his contract since he wasn’t on the Giants’ Major League roster.  Gutierrez signed on with the Phillies and Nationals on minor league deals as well in 2015 but never cracked the bigs, ending up with a 3.98 ERA over 61 innings at the Triple-A level.

Nationals Notes: Arroyo, Badenhop, Belisle, Giolito, Strasburg

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We’ve had plenty of updates out of the NL East today with full posts on the Mets, Phillies, and Braves. Here’s some interrelated pitching notes from our nation’s capitol.

  • Bronson Arroyo will have a real opportunity to make the Nationals roster, writes Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. Arroyo had the chance for a near-guaranteed job with the rebuilding Reds. He opted to join the contending Nationals in part because new manager Dusty Baker and others in the organization are familiar with him. Said Arroyo, “I tend to be the type of guy who’s not gonna wow you with my bullpens.” He explained that his personal brand of consistency over flashiness takes time for scouts to evaluate. Health remains a concern for the veteran. he felt pain in his elbow when rehabbing last year, although scar tissue was blamed for the discomfort. Arroyo will apparently compete with Tanner Roark for the fifth starter job.
  • A future Nationals rotation member, Lucas Giolito, won’t be making the opening day rotation, writes Janes. Instead, he’ll take time this spring to familiarize himself with the habits of veterans like Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Gio Gonzalez. He’s expected to begin the season in Double-A and could be on the short list for call ups if injuries befall the starting five. His goal is to reach the majors this season, but that could be out of his hands if the starting five pitch well.
  • Two minor league signings, Matt Belisle and Burke Badenhop, will also have a legitimate shot to earn a job, writes Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com. Four relievers are locked into jobs – Jonathan Papelbon, Shawn Kelley, Oliver Perez, and Yusmeiro Petit. Sophomores Felipe Rivero and Trevor Gott can be optioned to the minors if they don’t outperform their veteran competition. Even if both make the bullpen, that could mean there is one spot for Badenhop or Belisle. Of course, the loser of the rotation battle – Arroyo or Roark – may also find themselves in the bullpen.
  • In typical free-agent-to-be form, Strasburg tells reporters he isn’t thinking about what’s next, relays Bill Ladson of MLB.com. He’s looking to bounce back from a mixed season that included fantastic peripherals (10.96 K/9, 1.84 BB/9) and a disappointing 3.46 ERA. So long as he remains healthy, he’s in line for a possible record setting contract. Interestingly, Strasburg’s spot may eventually default to Giolito next season.

Nationals Sign Matt Belisle To Minor League Deal

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FEB. 19: Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter) that Belisle’s deal contains a $1.25MM base salary, plus incentives, in the Majors. The veteran right-hander can opt out of his contract on either March 27 or June 1 if he has not been added to the Major League roster, Heyman adds.

FEB. 17: The Nationals announced that they have signed veteran reliever Matt Belisle to a minor league contract and invited him to Major League Spring Training. The 35-year-old right-hander is a client of CAA Sports.

Belisle spent the 2015 season in the Cardinals’ bullpen and enjoyed strong bottom-line results in 33 2/3 innings, but his control took a notable step backwards, and his season was shortened significantly due to a lengthy DL stint that stemmed from right elbow inflammation. When healthy enough to take the mound, Belisle posted a strong 2.67 ERA, averaging 6.7 strikeouts and 4.0 walks per nine innings pitched to go along with an impressive 52.4 percent ground-ball rate.

Looking a bit further back, Belisle is perhaps one of the few relievers that can lay claim to consistently solid results over an extended period of calling Coors Field home; from 2010-14, Belisle totaled 381 2/3 innings for the Rockies, registering a 3.75 ERA with 7.6 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9. As Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post notes, the only pitcher in all of Major League Baseball to appear in more games during that five-year stretch was Tyler Clippard.

At his peak, Belisle averaged about 92.5 mph on his heater, but his fastball sits more 90-91 mph now. He’ll hope to join a bullpen where Jonathan Papelbon will, of course, handle closer’s duties. Offseason signee Yusmeiro Petit should have a multi-inning role, and trade acquisition Trevor Gott should factor into the setup group along with free-agent pickups Shawn Kelley and Oliver Perez. Incumbent hurlers Blake Treinen and Felipe Rivero could factor into the mix as well, while right-hander Aaron Barrett is recovering from September Tommy John surgery.

Nationals To Sign Burke Badenhop

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The Nationals have struck a minor league deal with veteran reliever Burke Badenhop, Jonah Keri reports on Twitter. He’ll receive an invite to MLB camp this spring.

Badenhop, who just turned 33, hit the open market when the Reds declined a club option at the start of the offseason. He didn’t turn in his finest campaign in his single season in Cincinnati, working to a 3.93 ERA with 4.9 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, and a 46.7% groundball rate. But he was much better after a rough opening run to the season.

That overall output fell shy of the good work Badenhop provided in the 2012-14 period. Over 195 1/3 innings logged in that span, he posted a cumulative 2.90 ERA while inducing grounders on over half of the balls put in play against him (topping out at 61% in 2014).

While he’ll have to earn his position on the Nats roster, the 6’5 sinkerballer should have his fair share of opportunity. Washington has reworked its entire pen, and still seems to have some slots up for grabs. Badenhop will likely compete with fellow veterans Yusmeiro Petit and Matt Belisle, along with younger incumbents such as Blake Treinen and Felipe Rivero, to round out the relief corps.

(By the way, if you’re interested in learning more about Badenhop, check out the interview he gave on the MLBTR Podcast last winter.)

Quick Hits: Offseason Moves, Moreland, Nats, Story

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ESPN’s Jayson Stark polled a vast number of executives to get their take on the offseason’s dealings. Stark asked execs to name the most-improved and least-improved clubs from each league, the best and worst free-agent signings and trades as well as the most outrageous contract issued this winter (among other categories). The D-backs and Red Sox were runaway winners in the “most-improved” category in the NL and AL, and Stark notes that a common refrain was that this type of hyper-aggressive offseason for the Diamondbacks was “hard to fathom.” Zack Greinke and David Price top the list of best free-agent signings in Stark’s poll, which I find rather curious, as each was a record-setting agreement for players, with Price landing the biggest deal ever for a pitcher and Greinke setting his own record in terms of average annual value. (I’d have figured more execs would’ve been down on the overwhelming risk that accompanies each deal.) The next two names on the list — Ben Zobrist and especially Howie Kendrick — are more in the line with the type of “value” signings one would expect to draw praise from executives. Other categories from Stark include best one-year deal — where, interestingly, Yoenis Cespedes received four votes due to the fact that few believe there’s any realistic chance of him opting into the final two years of his deal — best signing for $3MM or less and best minor league signing. The whole piece is a fun read for those who track offseason dealings carefully.

A few miscellaneous notes from around the league…

  • Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland revealed today that he played the final two months of the 2015 season with a stress fracture in his left foot, according to MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan. Moreland believed the stress fracture stemmed from alterations he made to his foot positioning following 2014 ankle surgery, but he’s healed up now and ready to go for the 2016 campaign. The exact date that the injury crept up isn’t specified, but Moreland’s .269/.326/.425 batting line from the season’s second half, while solid in its own right, pales in comparison to the .286/.333/.532 line he posted prior to the All-Star break. Additionally, Moreland describes a spur-of-the-moment meeting that he initiated with assistant GM Thad Levine the night before his arbitration hearing was scheduled, during which the two talked for about 90 minutes and resolved the matter themselves.
  • James Wagner of the Washington Post examines what might’ve been had Ian Desmond, Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister accepted extension offers from the Nationals when they were made. Desmond somewhat famously rejected a contract said to be seven years and $107MM, although as Wagner points out, that’s a bit misleading due to the fact that Desmond’s two-year, $17.5MM deal that covered the 2014-15 seasons was folded into that value, and the extension (unsurprisingly, in light of this offseason’s happenings) came with deferred money. Zimmermann received an extension offer of $105MM over five years and was narrowly able to top that in free agency, Wagner notes. (He doesn’t list specific numbers in reference to a Fister extension offer.) While the Nats hoped to extend all three players at one point, their absence now clears the way for players like Joe Ross, Tanner Roark and Trea Turner as well as offseason addition Daniel Murphy, in some regards.
  • Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes is expected to be suspended under MLB’s domestic violence policy at some point before the season begins, and Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post tweets that manager Walt Weiss indicated that shifting DJ LeMahieu (who inked a two-year deal with Colorado earlier today) over to shortstop is not a consideration. LeMahieu was a shortstop for much of his minor league tenure but has developed into a very sound defender at second base, so it stands to reason that the Rockies don’t want to alter his routine with a temporary position change. Rather, Weiss said that well-regarded prospect Trevor Story is in the mix for playing time in the very likely event that the team is without Reyes. All of this, of course, could have some impact on the aforementioned Desmond, who just yesterday was linked to the Rockies by FOX’s Ken Rosenthal.

Minor MLB Transactions: 2/16/16

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We’ll track the day’s minor moves in this post. For starters:

  • The Nationals have signed corner infielder Neftali Soto, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Soon to turn 27, Soto has spent most of his professional time with the Reds, with whom he reached the majors briefly in 2013-14. He was acquired by the White Sox last year and ultimately spent the season at Triple-A, putting up a .246/.343/.307 slash and just two home runs in 231 plate appearances. Soto has shown more in the past, especially in the power department — he hit 30 homers in 414 Double-A plate appearances back in 2011 — though it’s been a while since he had sustained success in the upper minors.

Boras: No Plans To Discuss Strasburg Extension This Spring

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  • It does not appear that the Nationals and Stephen Strasburg have any intentions of making a real effort at a new contract, as Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reports. Agent Scott Boras had high praise for the Washington organization and its handling of the prized righty, but his comments suggest that a pre-season deal would come as a major surprise. “We amicably agreed to a one-year deal (for 2016),” Boras said. “He’s going to pitch, and we’ll see where it goes from there. It’s something we’ll be discussing at the end of the year.” None of that comes as much of a surprise, of course, as Strasburg has a chance at a huge contract if he can put up a healthy and productive campaign.

NL East Notes: Baker, Nationals, Goeddel, Hart, Braves

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Dusty Baker’s remarkable life and career is profiled in an insightful piece from Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post.  Baker shares several intimate details about his many professional and personal ups and downs, some responses to criticism that his managerial style is too “old-school” for today’s game, and his path back into baseball as the Nationals’ new skipper.  Here’s some more from around the NL East…

  • The bullpen and defense stand out as the biggest areas of improvement for the Nationals if they’re to rebound, MLB.com’s Bill Ladson opines as part of a reader mailbag.  It remains to be seen how new relief acquisitions like Shawn Kelley, Yusmeiro Petit and Trevor Gott will fare in Washington, and Ladson wonders if Jonathan Papelbon will also start to decline in his age-35 season.
  • The Phillies are looking to make another big score from the Rule 5 Draft in the form of Tyler Goeddel, CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury writes.  Goeddel was the first pick of December’s draft, going from the Rays farm system to a shot at a regular Major League gig in the Phillies outfielder.
  • In an interview with Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (Twitter link with an audio clip) Braves president of baseball ops John Hart said his club is “gonna be players” on the international market and they “hope to be very active.”  Atlanta is expected to be perhaps the most aggressive team in the 2016-17 international signing period, as the Braves are reportedly prepared to far exceed their bonus pool limit in order to load up on premium young talent.  They’ve already been linked to such notable top prospects as Venezuelan infielder Kevin Maitan and Cuban outfielder Lazaro “Lazarito” Armenteros.
  • Liberty Media, the Braves’ corporate ownership group, has released some documentation about the team’s finances as part of its plan to issue public shares in the Braves, Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes (subscription required).  It’s a very interesting behind-the-scenes look at the Braves’ financial picture, including how the team suffered quite significant operating losses over the last two years, though depreciation and amortization played a large part in putting the team in the red.
  • In NL East news from earlier today on MLBTR, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson shared the latest on the relationship between Jose Fernandez and the Marlins.
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