Minor MLB Transactions: 12-18-15
Here are some notable minor league deals on a day that produced a high volume of minor transactions…
- The Nationals have signed veteran left-hander Aaron Laffey to a minor league deal and invited him to Major League Spring Training, tweets MASNsports.com’s Dan Kolko. Because he debuted at 22 years of age, it might be a surprise for some to find that the well-traveled Laffey is still just 30 years old. He spent the 2015 season in the Rockies organization but wound up pitching just 7 1/3 big league innings for Colorado, with the rest of his work coming in the minors. Laffey has spent parts of eight big league seasons in the Major Leagues and, with the exception of the 2014 season, has seen big league action each year dating back to 2007. He sports a career 4.44 ERA with 4.5 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9.
- The Twins announced that they’ve signed outfielder Ryan Sweeney to a minor league deal and invited him to Major League Spring Training. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets that Sweeney would receive a $750K base salary upon making the club. Sweeney, also 30, was a significant piece of the Athletics’ roster from 2008-11 but has been limited to a part-time role since that time. Sweeney was out of baseball in 2015 but will look to get back into the Majors in 2016. That he can handle all three outfield positions and has an outstanding defensive reputation in right field would seem to help his cause. Minnesota doesn’t have a clear-cut fourth outfielder at this time.
- Lefty Ryan Buchter is headed to the Padres on a minor league deal with a big league Spring Training invite, MLB.com’s Corey Brock was the first to report (Twitter link). The 28-year-old has just one inning in the Majors — a scoreless frame with the Braves in 2014. However, he had a very strong year at Triple-A with the Cubs and Dodgers in 2015, pitching to a 1.78 ERA with 11.0 K/9 against 4.4 BB/9 in 50 2/3 innings of relief. Control issues have long plagued Buchter, but his strikeout prowess has helped him overcome that trouble in the minors, resulting in a career 3.26 ERA. Lefties barely stood a chance against him at Triple-A this season, where he yielded just a .187/.237/.225 against same-handed batters. His .211/.344/.257 line against righties was strong as well, though it also exemplifies his control issues.
- Right-hander Jarrett Grube will return to the Indians on a minor league pact with a camp invite, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The 34-year-old has pitched just two-third of an inning in the Majors (2014 with the Angels), and while his overall body of work at Triple-A has resulted in a 5.07 ERA, Grube was outstanding at Triple-A in the Cleveland organization last year, firing 79 2/3 innings of 2.26 ERA ball with 7.7 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9.
- The Mariners have announced five minor league signings. In addition the previously reported signing of infielder Ed Lucas, Seattle has invited outfielder Mike Baxter, left-hander Brad Mills, right-hander Casey Coleman and right-hander Blake Parker to Major League Spring Training. Each player has some big league experience, though Baxter and Coleman have the most of the bunch. Baxter split last season with the Cubs and their Triple-A affiliate, logging 66 PAs in the Majors. Coleman saw significant work out of the Cubs’ bullpen and rotation from 2010-12, while Parker has spent a couple of seasons in the Cubs’ bullpen as well. Mills made one start for the A’s last season and has a fair bit of MLB experience but has never spent more than 21 innings in the Majors in a single season despite a strong track record at Triple-A.
- Former No. 1 overall pick Matt Bush has signed with the Rangers on a minor league deal, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Bush has spent the past three years in prison, serving out a 51-month sentence for critically injuring a motorcyclist in a DWI incident back in 2012. GM Jon Daniels explained to Grant that he was skeptical when learning that Bush was interested in getting back into baseball, but the team was impressed with the level of sincerity expressed by Bush as he explained his regret and desire to turn his life around. (In May 2014, the victim, Tony Tufano, told Gabe Kapler — then of FOX Sports — that he has forgiven Bush and even will root for him in his attempt to turn his life around.) Bush won’t receive an invite to Major League camp and will instead be hoping to make one of the Rangers’ minor league affiliates, Grant notes, adding that Bush is enrolled in a 12-step program and will have to adhere to a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol and drug use with the Rangers.
Details On Jonathan Papelbon’s Current No-Trade List
DECEMBER 18: That list was apparently the one in effect for 2015, as Crasnick now provides a list that, he says, will be in effect for the year to come. It is the same as the prior iteration except for four changes.
On this new list, the Braves, Reds, Royals, and Mariners have moved into the group of teams to which Papelbon can reject a trade. Meanwhile, the Giants, Phillies, Tigers, and Yankees are now among the clubs to which Papelbon may freely be dealt, without his authorization.
DECEMBER 15: Nationals reliever Jonathan Papelbon has the right to name 17 clubs to which he cannot be traded without his consent, and ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports on this year’s list.
Papelbon can block deals to the following clubs: the Athletics, Blue Jays, Brewers, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Giants, Indians, Marlins, Orioles, Phillies, Pirates, Rangers, Rockies, Tigers, Twins, White Sox and Yankees. The league’s remaining teams can acquire the controversial veteran without his approval.
No-trade lists tend to reflect both personal preferences and strategic considerations. It’s hard to know the precise motivations here, but it’s worth remembering that Papelbon has previously made good use of his no-trade rights in exerting leverage. In approving the trade that sent him to D.C. last year, Papelbon received assurances he’d be used as the closer and picked up a guarantee of his 2016 option (though that would have vested anyway and he took a discount to facilitate the move).
While an exceedingly public spat with star Bryce Harper has led to wide speculation that Papelbon will be dealt, Nats GM Mike Rizzo has maintained that the team won’t simply cut him loose for whatever it can get. Papelbon is neither cheap ($11MM) nor young (35), but he’s continued to produce quality results and represents a fair value from a pure baseball perspective.
Nationals Interested In Daniel Murphy
The Nationals have interest in free agent Daniel Murphy, a baseball source tells Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Second base has been one of the Nationals’ biggest needs this offseason so a pursuit of Murphy would make a good deal of sense.
Murphy, 31 in April, boasted the best contact rate in baseball among qualified hitters in 2015. After hitting a career-high 14 home runs in the regular season, Murphy smashed seven more in the span of seven postseason games against the Dodgers and Cubs. On the flipside, Murphy is a below average defensive second baseman who owns a weak -6.3 UZR/150 rating. Last year, he managed only a -3.3 UZR/150 rating at second base which actually turned out to be the best of his career.
At the outset of the offseason, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicted that Murphy would land a four-year, $56MM deal with the Angels, Yankees, and White Sox getting involved. At the time of this writing, it’s not exactly clear who the leading teams are for the infielder, who turns 31 in April. The incumbent Mets apparently haven’t ruled out a reunion with Murphy, though they would like to sign him to a one- or two-year deal. Meanwhile, with unprotected first round picks will have to think long and hard before signing Murphy, who rejected the Mets’ QO earlier this offseason.
Earlier this week, the Nationals reportedly had trade discussions with the Reds regarding Brandon Phillips. While Phillips is intriguing, Washington is said to be gunning for a left-handed hitting second baseman to bring balance to their lineup. Murphy could do just that, though he cannot offer defense on the level of Danny Espinosa.
Nationals, Reds Discussing Brandon Phillips Trade
The Nationals are known to be eyeing second base upgrades, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that they’re currently discussing a potential Brandon Phillips trade with the Reds. As a player with 10+ years of Major League service time and five straight with his most recent club, Phillips has the ability to veto any trade, so he would need to approve of the deal. Cincinnati would receive prospects in the deal that is currently being discussed, sources tell Rosenthal.
Phillips, 34, had a strong season with the Reds in 2015, hitting .294/.328/.395 with a dozen homers and 23 stolen bases. The 23 steals were his highest single-season total since 2009, and Phillips’ 10.9 percent strikeout rate was easily the lowest of his career. Additionally, he continued to post strong defensive marks (+2.0 UZR, +5 DRS) in spite of his relatively advanced age.
Of course, the Nationals already have a quality defensive option at second base: Danny Espinosa. The Nats, though, reportedly would like to add a left-handed bat to complement the switch-hitting Espinosa at second base, given his history of troubles against right-handed pitching. Phillips, obviously, doesn’t meet that criteria, but he could provide an everyday option instead, freeing up Espinosa for a utility role and allowing him to start the season at shortstop while prospect Trea Turner gets some additional development time at the Triple-A level.
Phillips has a reasonable $27MM owed to him in total over the next two seasons ($13MM in 2016 and $14MM in 2017), so the Nats certainly have the financial means to add him to the fold, assuming he signs off on a potential trade. There are certainly reasons to believe that Phillips would be open to the idea; the Nationals are assuredly a better bet to contend in 2016 than the rebuilding Reds, and a trade would reunite Phillips with recently hired manager Dusty Baker — his skipper with the Reds from 2008-13.
From the Reds’ point of view, the trade would clear playing time for promising young infielder Eugenio Suarez, who impressed while filling in for the injured Zack Cozart over the final few months of the season. Cozart, though, will be healthy in 2016, leaving Suarez without a regular playing spot as things currently stand in Cincinnati.
NL East Notes: Nats, Clippard, Inciarte, Albers, Giles
The Nationals would like to add a left-handed bat that can play second base, and Kelly Johnson is one possibility for them, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Per Rosenthal, the Nats plan to open next season with Danny Espinosa at shortstop while Trea Turner continues to develop. Once Turner is ready, Johnson (or another lefty batter) could slide over to second base and platoon with Espinosa, who is a stronger batter from the right side of the dish.
A few more notes from the division…
- The Mets haven’t ruled out bringing back Tyler Clippard, tweets ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, though the Twins, Blue Jays and Dodgers are among the clubs also in the market for setup help, he notes. Crasnick wonders if Clippard’s high workload is causing clubs to shy away, though one exec said of the durable right-hander (Twitter link): “Considering the terrible contracts being given to relievers, he’ll get his money. He’s too good not to.”
- Crasnick also notes that the Braves have received steady interest in Ender Inciarte since acquiring him (links to Twitter). Atlanta is willing to listen on anyone but Freddie Freeman, but the club’s plan is to keep Inciarte in the organization and use him as a leadoff hitter and center fielder for the foreseeable future.
- The Mets are expected to show interest in free-agent right-hander Matt Albers as they look to upgrade the bullpen, reports ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin. Albers, 32, missed half of last season with a broken finger in his hand but didn’t allow a run across the final two months of the season. He’s been a Mets target in the past, Rubin notes.
- Phillies GM Matt Klentak told reporters, including MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, that the Ken Giles trade was an opportunity that was “too good to pass up.” Klentak maintains that he never wanted to trade Giles, but adding a slew of starting pitching candidates, headlined by Mark Appel and Vincent Velasquez, improves the club’s outlook in both the short and long term. Klentak also discussed the importance of the depth that veterans Charlie Morton and Jeremy Hellickson give to the club and called Brett Oberholtzer (also acquired in the Giles deal) a “stabilizer.” As Zolecki notes, Oberholtzer is out of minor league options, so he’s well-positioned to make the rotation in 2016.
Minor MLB Transactions: 12-14-15
Here are the minor moves on the day:
- The Nationals announced the signing of righty Nick Masset. He’s now 33 years of age and will be plenty familiar with the NL East after pitching for both the Marlins and Braves last year. Masset threw 25 innings of 4.68 ERA ball in 2015.
- The Brewers announced three signings today: infielder Jake Elmore, righty Daniel Tillman, and outfielder Alex Presley. Of these, Presley’s signing is probably most notable. The thirty-year-old had averaged 267 plate appearances with a .255/.299/.397 slash over 2011-14, but got just 13 chances to bat in the majors in 2015 and also did not have a great year at Triple-A.
- Outfielder Antoan Richardson inked a minors deal with the Pirates, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports on Twitter. Richardson, 32, did not play much at any level last year. He has good speed and knows how to get on base, at least in the upper mino but has never shown any pop at the plate.
- Meanwhile, the Orioles signed a MiLB pact with outfielder Alfredo Marte, per another Heyman tweet. The 26-year-old has put up strong numbers at Triple-A in recent years, but struggled with his most extended chance at MLB playing time in 2014 and only appeared in five MLB games in 2015.
- Southpaw Buddy Boshers is heading to the Twins on a minor league deal that comes with a spring invite, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reports on Twitter. The 29-year-old saw time with the Angels in 2013, but hasn’t been given a return trip to the majors since. In fact, despite posting a 3.28 ERA in the upper minors in 2014, Eveland ended up playing (and thriving) in independent ball last year.
- Another left-hander, Dana Eveland, has joined the Rays and will also get a camp invite. The 32-year-old has seen action in parts of ten MLB campaigns. He had a strong 2014 campaign with the Mets and put up nice numbers at Triple-A last year, but only was given 3 1/3 MLB innings in 2015 with the Braves.
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.
Central Notes: Frazier, Rodriguez, Melancon, Royals
The Indians and White Sox were both rumored to be interested in Todd Frazier during last week’s Winter Meetings (the Royals, too, are said to have discussed him as a possible left field option), and Jon Heyman of CBS Sports adds a few more teams to the list of interested clubs. The Dodgers, Nationals, Rangers and Angels are all “believed to have some involvement or interest,” in the Reds‘ third baseman, Heyman writes. Talks are “starting to percolate,” says Heyman. Last week, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that the Reds are “heavily” shopping Frazier.
A few more notes from the game’s Central divisions…
- Utility man Sean Rodriguez is generating interest from four clubs at the moment, including the Pirates and Tigers, tweets ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. The 30-year-old batted just .246/.281/.362 in 240 PAs with the Pirates last season, but his ability to play all four infield positions as well as the outfield corners is a selling point, Crasnick notes.
- In an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, Pirates GM Neal Huntington confirmed that he’s willing to listen to offers on closer Mark Melancon (Twitter link). However, he also added, “We’re gonna have to get something that really makes sense to even consider moving him.” The Pirates recently freed up some money by trading Charlie Morton to the Phillies and may have saved a bit of cash in the Neil Walker/Jon Niese swap, so there may not be as much pressure, financially speaking, to move him as there was even one week ago.
- Despite last season’s World Series Championship, the Royals are expected to operate with a payroll that is similar to 2015’s mark of $115MM, writes the Kansas City Star’s Sam Mellinger. As such, it’s unlikely that the club is able to retain Alex Gordon, barring unforeseen circumstances. Specifically, Mellinger writes that the club could circle back to Gordon if he lingers on the open market, unable to find a significant pact (presumably, one of five years). Mellinger notes that recent Royals free agents James Shields and Ervin Santana saw their price drop substantially later in the offseason, and the team does believe that the crowded outfield market means that supply and demand are working in its favor with regards to the outfield market, Mellinger writes. It does seem unlikely (to me, anyhow) that Gordon’s price will dip back into Kansas City’s comfort zone, although the Royals do have to be encouraged to hear that the Cardinals aren’t likely to embark on an aggressive pursuit of Gordon.
NL East Notes: Phillies, Gio, Yelich, Cespedes, Freeman
Phillies GM Matt Klentak must see upside in bounceback starters like Jeremy Hellickson and Charlie Morton, tweets ESPN’s Jayson Stark (1, 2). Both pitchers are a year from free agency. As Stark puts it, the club gave up replaceable parts for the chance to re-market them to contending clubs at the trade deadline. From my perspective both pitchers also give the Phillies the opportunity to compete in the weak NL East. Philadelphia took some momentum into the offseason with a solid second half. While a hypothetical rebound campaign would probably ultimately sputter like the Braves’ 2015 season, it doesn’t hurt to put some parts in position just in case. The Phillies also have several pitching prospects due to debut during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Hellickson and Morton can hold the door just long enough for the next guy.
Here’s more from the rest of the division:
- The Marlins inquired about Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Talks promptly concluded when the Nationals asked for outfielder Christian Yelich in return. It’s possible the Marlins see Gonzalez as a match for Marcell Ozuna (my speculation), but it’s always hard to work out an in-division trade – especially when both teams aim to contend.
- Even though former Mets outfielder Michael Cuddyer is now off the books, the club isn’t likely to jump on top outfielders like Yoenis Cespedes, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The $12.5MM saved from Cuddyer (assuming there was no buyout), will probably be used on quality bench depth. The team improved dramatically when they acquired Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe. Ensuring that similarly valuable players are available to fill cracks in the roster will better serve the Mets hunt for contention.
- It may be time for the Braves to trade Freddie Freeman, suggests Mike Petriello of MLB.com. The trades of Shelby Miller and Andrelton Simmons have focused the club’s talent in the minor leagues. Freeman could be used to acquire another impressive haul. The Braves are already gearing up for a lengthy rebuilding process, so they might as well get top dollar for Freeman before he begins to decline.
- Nationals infielder Danny Espinosa wants to start at shortstop next season, writes Todd Dybas of the Washington Times. After two consecutive bad seasons, Espinosa rebounded in 2015 with a 2.3 WAR campaign. Good defense in a utility role plus an improvement at the plate to roughly league average helped. He improved his plate discipline which looks like a sustainable fix. Even with the solid season, Espinosa will have to hold off top prospect Trea Turner. Acquired in the Steven Souza trade, Turner appears ready for a major league opportunity.
Latest On Nationals Outfield Search
Nationals GM Mike Rizzo was disappointed to fall short of signing Jason Heyward, tweets William Ladson of MLB.com. The exact terms of their offer to Heyward are unknown, but it’s thought that they were prepared to guarantee at least $200MM. The club still covets a left-handed outfielder.
Here’s the latest on their search along with other Nats notes:
- The Nationals are in on Rockies outfielders Carlos Gonzalez and Charlie Blackmon, tweets Pete Kerzel of MASNsports.com. Gonzalez and Blackmon figure to command a hefty return. The oft-injured Gonzalez, 30, played in 153 games last season. He caught fire in the second half of the season with a .285/.337/.638 triple slash. He also reached a career best 40 home runs. Prior to the second half hot streak, he had suffered through a season and a half lost to injuries and below average production. Gonzalez has two years and $34MM remaining on his contract. Blackmon, by comparison, is projected to earn just $4.5MM in his first of three arbitration seasons. The 29-year-old is coming off a solid 2.1 WAR season (.287/.347/.450 slash).
- The club has remained in touch with free agent Denard Span too, tweets Ladson. Rizzo wants to confirm Span is healthy before making a commitment. Span’s agent, Scott Boras, is said to expect a multi-year contract.
- As for the bullpen, the Nationals have ended their pursuit of Aroldis Chapman, per Ladson (on Twitter). It goes without saying at this point, but the Reds will have to wait for the league to rule on Chapman’s future before they can re-market him. In my opinion, and in light of the criticism received by the Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, and other NFL franchises related to domestic abuse cases, some MLB clubs may be out on Chapman at any price.