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Archives for February 2016

Brewers Sign Blaine Boyer To Minor League Deal

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FEB. 24: Boyer would earn $950K in the Majors and has another $250K worth of incentives built into his contract, reports Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (via Twitter).

FEB. 12: The Brewers announced on Friday that they have signed right-hander Blaine Boyer to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training.

Boyer, 34, spent the 2015 season in the Twins’ bullpen and put up outstanding bottom-line results in spite of a notable lack of strikeouts. The Aegis Sports Management client appeared in 65 games with Minnesota, tallying 68 innings with a sparkling 2.49 ERA. He averaged 2.6 walks per nine innings and recorded a strong 47.6 percent ground-ball rate, but Boyer also averaged just 4.6 strikeouts per nine with the Twins. The lack of missed bats led metrics like FIP, xFIP and SIERA to peg him in the 4.00 to 4.40 range.

Those numbers aside, Boyer was an effective member of the Twins’ bullpen last season, marking his second straight year of quality contributions in a big league ’pen after a long layoff from the game. As Boyer explained to MLBTR’s Zach Links in Spring Training with the Twins last season, he actually retired from baseball following the 2011 season, but his love for the game brought him back to the Majors in 2014. Since resurfacing in the Majors, Boyer has a 2.91 ERA in 105 1/3 innings between the Padres and Twins. Considering the large number of open spots in the bullpen behind Jeremy Jeffress, Will Smith, Corey Knebel and Michael Blazek, Boyer seems to have a solid chance at cracking the big league roster if he enjoys a strong Spring Training.

Ruben Tejada Awarded Extra Service Time, Will Be Free Agent Next Winter

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As part of his arbitration settlement this offseason, the Mets awarded shortstop Ruben Tejada with an extra day of service time, reports Ken Davidoff of the New York Post (via Twitter). As such, Tejada, who had previously had four years, 171 days of service time and would’ve missed free agency by a single day at season’s end, will now be eligible for free agency next winter.

The decision almost certainly stems from a potential grievance that was being mulled by Tejada’s representatives at the Legacy Agency back in 2013. It’s not clear whether a grievance was ever formally filed, but the Mets waited three days between the end of the Triple-A season on Sept. 7 and Tejada’s Sept. 10 callup to the Majors, leaving him with two years, 171 days of service time that season. Had the club called him up on Sept. 8 or Sept. 9, he’d have reached three full years of service time and qualified as a free agent following the 2016 season. Instead, the delay left him eligible for free agency post-2017.

The extra day of service time awarded in this offseason’s arbitration settlement renders that situation moot, as Tejada will now be granted free agency upon completion of the 2016 campaign after earning $3MM this year. While Tejada’s presence doesn’t add a star-caliber player to the upcoming 2016-17 free agent market, he does serve as another experienced middle infield option for clubs seeking help at shortstop and/or second base next offseason. The coming winter’s class of shortstops looks to be particularly thin, as it’ll be highlighted Erick Aybar at present. Resurgent seasons for Alexei Ramirez or Jimmy Rollins could add some appeal to that class, and the possibility of a one-year deal for Ian Desmond looms, so he could ultimately be a factor on next year’s shortstop market as well.

Tejada will be an exceptionally young free agent, hitting the market in advance of his age-27 season, which should play in his favor. However, he’s left without a path to everyday at-bats in New York this season with Asdrubal Cabrera and Neil Walker slated to handle up-the-middle duties and Wilmer Flores serving as competition for middle infield time as well. Tejada has batted .249/.340/.330 with eight homers and three steals in a total of 826 plate appearances over the past two seasons. Defensive metrics like Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved feel that Tejada has been about average at second base in just under 1000 career innings at the position and felt similarly about his shortstop work until a significant drop-off this past season (a year that ended in some controversy, as Tejada’s leg was fractured on an aggressive takeout slide by Chase Utley).

It’s worth noting that the Mets debated non-tendering Tejada earlier this offseason, and he could’ve faced similar considerations this coming offseason, making the entire scenario more or less a moot point. Cabrera is, after all, under control for one more season, whereas Flores can be controlled by the Mets through 2019. And while Walker is slated to hit the open market upon conclusion of the 2016 campaign, that won’t necessarily create an opportunity for more playing time, as highly touted second base prospect Dilson Herrera remains in the wings at Triple-A and figures to be under consideration for an everyday role in 2017.

Braves Sign Cuban Reliever Carlos Portuondo

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The Braves have signed Cuban right-hander Carlos Portuondo to a contract with a $990K bonus, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports (Twitter link).  Portuondo is 28 and thus old enough to be exempt from international bonus pools.  He’s likely to start the year with Atlanta’s Double-A affiliate, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets.

As per Baseball America’s Ben Badler, scouts say the 6″2, 220-pound Portuondo has a fastball in the 90-93mph range and a slider as his secondary pitch.  He’ll be used out of the bullpen by the Braves, though he split time as both a starter and reliever in his native country.  Portuondo posted pretty unremarkable numbers for Santiago De Cuba from 2005-14, with a 5.75 ERA, 194 strikeouts and 188 walks in 355 1/3 innings pitching in the top Cuban league.

AL Central Notes: Moore, Holland, Avila, Twins

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As you might expect, Royals GM Dayton Moore doesn’t accept the conventional wisdom that his club is primed to contend only over the next two seasons.  “Sure, it’s important that we maximize our current situation,” Moore tells MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan.  “People ask me about [the two-year window] and I say, ’Our window is right now.’ But we feel that way every year now. And that will mean trying to keep our internal players.”  Such key stars as Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Wade Davis will all hit free agency after the 2017 season, though Moore said it’s wrong to assume there will be a mass exodus.  The Royals will make an effort to re-sign as many of those free agents as they can, Moore said, pointing out that the Royals stepped up to re-sign Alex Gordon this offseason.  Even if some players do leave, K.C. hopes to replace them via a strong minor league pipeline to keep the team in perpetual contention.  Here’s more from around the AL Central…

  • The Royals are still interested in re-signing Greg Holland, Moore tells Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star.  There hasn’t been much buzz around Holland this offseason, which isn’t surprising given how the former All-Star closer underwent Tommy John surgery in September.  The Royals non-tendered Holland in the wake of that surgery but had interest in bringing him back on a multi-year deal so he’d be ready to pitch for them when he’s healthy in 2017.
  • Letting catcher Alex Avila go to the White Sox in free agency made sense from a baseball standpoint for Tigers general manager Al Avila, though it was obviously a tougher personal decision for the elder Avila to part ways with his son, Jorge L. Ortiz of USA Today writes.  “I miss my son. I wish he was here because I’d get to see him every day,” the GM said. “In fact, last spring training we roomed together.  This year I’m by myself.  You would think my wife would be here with me today, but she’s actually in Arizona with him and the grandkids.  And now I have family members wearing Chicago White Sox gear.”
  • The Twins have interest in “several” Cuban free agents, 1500ESPN.com’s Darren Wolfson hears from a source (Twitter link), though high asking prices are an obstacle.
  • Fernando Abad’s minor league deal with the Twins will pay him $1.25MM if he makes the Major League roster and he has another $100K available in incentives, as per Wolfson and Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter links).

Angels Notes: Smith, Santiago, Left Field, Saunders

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Albert Pujols tops the list of the 25 biggest payroll albatrosses in baseball, as compiled by ESPN’s Dan Szymborski (Insider subscription required).  The Angels still have six seasons and $165MM remaining on their ten-year, $240MM contract with the slugger.  Szymborski figures the Halos needed at least five years of Pujols matching his 2011 production “for this contract to not be a disaster” before the inevitable decline in his last 30’s, but Pujols has hit a comparatively underwhelming .266/.326/.478 and 115 homers over his first four years in Anaheim.  Injuries have played a role in Pujols’ performance, though it’s hard to see him suddenly revisiting his Cardinals-era prime as he enters his age-36 season.  Here’s more about the Halos…

  • Joe Smith tells MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez that the Angels have yet to approach him about a contract extension, which the veteran reliever understands given how the club is busy with other needs.  Smith is a free agent after the season and he’s encouraged about finding another nice contract given how several non-closers (i.e. Darren O’Day, Tony Sipp, Ryan Madson, Joakim Soria) all received healthy multi-year deals this winter.
  • In another piece from Gonzalez, Hector Santiago relates how he spent most of the offseason figuring he would be traded.  The speculation added to what was already a busy winter for the left-hander, who got married in November.  The Angels reportedly received lots of trade interest in Santiago, and his agent even called him in November to say that a trade to the Orioles was imminent.
  • While the three-team deal that would’ve brought Michael Saunders to the Halos is apparently off, Pedro Moura of the L.A. Times notes that the attempted trade revealed that the club is still focused on left field upgrades.  The platoon of Craig Gentry and Daniel Nava is tentatively set to share the left field duties, and while the Halos at least checked in on big-name free agent left fielders (i.e. Justin Upton, Yoenis Cespedes) this winter, payroll constraints have led them to explore cheaper options.  GM Billy Eppler didn’t specifically state that the Angels were focusing on left field, just saying “I’m looking for any reinforcement at any single position we can find, wherever we can improve this club.”

AL East Links: Teixeira, Orioles, Bautista

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Though Mark Teixeira has been plagued by injuries in recent years, the first baseman told reporters (including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch) that he’s hoping to play for five more seasons.  “My body feels so good, why not play until I’m 40? Being the kind of hitter I am, I can be a DH the last few years of my career, which could really prolong it. I would love to play that long,” Teixeira said, also noting that he wants to remain with the Yankees after his contract expires this winter.  That could be somewhat of a tricky prospect given that New York has Greg Bird as its first baseman of the future and Alex Rodriguez in the DH role through the 2017 season.  Still, Teixeira hit .255/.357/.548 with 31 homers in a fine bounce-back campaign last year, so he can shown that he can still produce if he can remain healthy.  Here’s some more from around the AL East…

  • The holdup in Yovani Gallardo’s agreement has delivered a fresh round of criticism towards the Orioles and their high (perhaps overly high) standards in player physicals.  As MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko observes, however, avoiding some of these contracts has often been to the club’s benefit.  Many of the players the O’s opted not to sign due to health reasons proceeded to decline, either due to injury or simply subpar performance.
  • An Orioles staff member also defended the team’s stance on physicals to Peter Gammons, noting that after the O’s backed out of an agreement with Grant Balfour two years ago, Balfour has since badly struggled.  Despite the criticism, the Orioles “were right. Dan [Duquette] didn’t deserve the grief he took,” the staff member said.  “And if this is what the doctor thinks, why would we pay Gallardo half the amount? If he’s hurt, Peter [Angelos] and Dan don’t owe him anything.”  Gammons also hears from two Orioles pitchers that Gallardo’s issue is “really unfortunate” and “apparently pretty serious.”
  • By setting a high and seemingly inflexible price on a contract extension, Jose Bautista has made it easy for the Blue Jays to part ways with the slugger after the season, Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star opines.
  • Dave Dombrowski has shown a willingness to cut ties with underperforming players regardless of contract status, as the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier recalls the Tigers’ 2003 release of Damion Easley when Dombrowski was Detroit’s general manager.  Now that Dombrowski is in charge of the Red Sox, his presence could put added pressure on 2015 struggles such as Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval, Rick Porcello and Rusney Castillo to improve.  (Though with the obvious caveat that eating any of those contracts would cost Boston much more than it cost Detroit to part ways with Easley.)

Braves Sign Jeff Francoeur To Minor League Deal

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WEDNESDAY: Francoeur will earn $1MM if he makes the Braves’ roster, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets.  Another $1MM is available in incentives, and Francoeur can ask for a release if he isn’t on the Major League roster by March 31.

MONDAY: The Braves have announced that they’ve signed former star outfielder Jeff Francoeur on a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite. Francoeur is a client of CSE.

Francoeur, of course, finished third in NL Rookie of the Year balloting as a 21-year-old with the Braves in 2005 and played parts of five seasons in Atlanta before being shipped to the Mets for Ryan Church in 2009. Since then, he’s also appeared with the Rangers, Royals, Giants and Padres. He hit .258/.286/.433 in 343 plate appearances for the rebuilding Phillies in 2015, demonstrating good power but characteristically poor control of the strike zone (with just 13 walks).

Francoeur has a reputation as a good player to have in the clubhouse, however, so perhaps if he makes the Braves as a bench player he can help mentor their young roster. The Braves do already have a large contingent of veteran outfielders, with Nick Markakis, Michael Bourn, Nick Swisher and now Francoeur joining Ender Inciarte and Hector Olivera.

Jose Bautista Reportedly Seeking More Than Five Years/$150MM

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Yesterday, Jose Bautista denied a report from TSN’s Rick Westhead that his apparently non-negotiable asking price was an extension of five years and $150MM.  What that figure raised eyebrows around the baseball world, it may actually have been too modest, as both the Toronto Star’s Richard Griffin and MLB Network’s Jon Heyman have reported that Bautista’s contract demand was actually higher.  Griffin suggested that the number could be higher if Bautista’s $14MM salary for the coming season was included as well, though Heyman says that Bautista is looking for both more years and more money.  FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal puts the dollar figure at less than $180MM, however, as the average annual value of a six-year deal wouldn’t have cracked the $30MM threshold.

Needless to say, this is high demand for any player and a stunning one coming from a player entering his age-35 season.  When I looked at Bautista as an extension candidate last November, I reasoned that he would certainly land at least a $20MM average annual value in a new contract, perhaps even something in the range of a four-year/$100MM deal for his age 36-39 seasons (2017-2020).  Only seven players in history have ever received an AAV north of $25MM per season, and six of those contracts began when the players were much younger than 36 years old.  (The exception was Roger Clemens’ one-year, $28MM deal with the Yankees when he was 44, an altogether unique situation.)

Given the size and unprecedented nature of this contract, it’s hard to see the Blue Jays meeting Bautista’s demand.  The Jays already have expensive commitments to Troy Tulowitzki and Russell Martin on the books, Edwin Encarnacion is also a free agent this winter and the club will certainly at least explore extending Josh Donaldson before he hits free agency after the 2018 season.  Bautista pointedly mentioned on Monday that Rogers Communications, the Jays’ parent company, has derived huge financial boosts from the team’s recent success, so he doesn’t seem willing to accept an argument that ownership couldn’t put more resources into re-signing him or into the club in general.

Payroll commitments aside, it could be argued that it would be unwise to sign any 36-year-old to such a massive deal.  While Bautista is universally considered to be an excellent athlete who keeps himself in prime shape, he’s also had some injury issues in his career and his defensive metrics in right field took a sharp decline in 2015.  If Bautista is already becoming the type of player who only provides value with his bat, then he’d have to keep his elite hitting numbers through his age-41 season to live up to the value of such a big contract.

Would Bautista land such a deal on the open market as a free agent?  At first glance it would seem unlikely that any team would make such a huge commitment to a 36-year-old, and yet the 2016-17 free agent class is notably thin.  Bautista’s performance in 2016 will obviously play a major factor in his next deal, and another superstar-level season would help boost his case.  Bautista told reporters on Monday that he wasn’t going to budge from his asking price, though it’s possible that this was a negotiating tactic and that he’d be willing to go lower if the Blue Jays or another suitor countered with something at least in the ballpark of the initial demand.

Josh Hamilton To Begin Season On Disabled List

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Josh Hamilton will miss the first month of the regular season after receiving stem cell and PRP injections in his troublesome left knee, the Rangers announced today.  (Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News has the details from the team’s briefing with media.)  The Rangers’ plan, as outlined by assistant GM Thad Levine, is for Hamilton to play some minor league rehab games in late April and then be activated off the DL in early May.

“We are giving him an eight-week program because we don’t want to cut any corners,” Levine said. “Last year, we may have accelerated things and he suffered the hamstring injury early and it was an issue all year. This way he will get the benefit of a full spring training.”

It’s been an open question as to how much Hamilton will be able to contribute to the Ranger this season, as the 34-year-old has battled continued pain in his left knee despite two operations in the last six months.  The former AL MVP has played in just 139 games over the last two seasons due to a variety of injuries and Texas was already planning to use Hamilton in a semi-platoon role in left field to try and keep him healthy.

As Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram puts it on Twitter, the Rangers are “taking [a] guarded approach” to Hamilton’s injuries.  While the team is still talking to free agent outfielders, Texas could also use internal options like Ryan Rua, Joey Gallo, Justin Ruggiano or perhaps prospects Nomar Mazara or Lewis Brinson.  Levine said that Hamilton’s DL status doesn’t greatly change the club’s plans for left field since the Rangers weren’t expecting Hamilton as a full-time option anyway.

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