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Archives for January 2016

Rockies Sign Gerardo Parra

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The Rockies have officially announced a three-year, $27.5MM deal with outfielder Gerardo Parra. The contract includes a club option for a fourth year at $12MM, which comes with a $1.5MM buyout.

Parra, a client of Octagon, will earn $26MM over the first three years of the deal. He gets $8MM for the coming season, $8MM again in 2017, and then $10MM in the final season.

In Parra, who’ll turn 29 early in the season, the Rox will pick up a young, athletic player whose performance has been somewhat difficult to judge. As I explained in late August of last year, a huge first-half performance (combined with his age) made a four-year guarantee and/or ten-plus-million AAV seem plausible at one point.

But Parra tailed off down the stretch, ending the year with a .291/.328/.452 slash. That’s still good, of course, but is hardly the breakout that had seemed in the offing as of late summer. And he’s been more of an average to slightly-below-average offensive producer for most of his career. It’s worth noting, too, that the left-handed-hitting Parra has also tended to carry significant platoon splits.

It’s at least as hard to peg Parra from a defensive perspective. He became something of a sabermetric darling back in 2013, when he turned in a monster year with the glove (29.5 UZR, 41 DRS). That had followed several years of above-average metrics, seeming to suggest that Parra was one of the game’s best corner outfielders (if not also a good center fielder as well). But both of those major defensive rating systems have identified a significant drop-off in each of the last two seasons, with Parra rating as a well-below-average performer last season.

Ultimately, the contract comes in just shy of the three-year, $27MM prediction made by MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes before the hot stove kicked into gear this winter. While Parra always seemed to occupy a nice niche in this market, drawing wide appeal with his sturdy reputation and lower price tag, it is still notable that he was able to meet expectations despite the fact that the position-player market has been slow to develop.

Obviously, it’s an interesting strategy for Colorado to pursue, as the team could certainly have relied on its in-house options for the coming season. Parra will join a depth chart that already features left-handed-hitting outfielders Carlos Gonzalez, Charlie Blackmon, and Corey Dickerson, possibly suggesting that one of those players could end up on the move. Certainly, it’s not a minor signing for this organization, which hadn’t given out a deal of this magnitude since the pre-2012 Michael Cuddyer contract.

Signing a replacement for one of the team’s incumbent bats, in concert with a trade to acquire pitching, has long seemed an intriguing possibility, and it could be that GM Jeff Bridich is employing just such an approach here. He addressed that general concept in a recent interview on the MLBTR Podcast (at about the 13-minute mark), saying that it could be “part of a strategy” but noting that it’s still “incumbent upon us to know when a good baseball trade is a good baseball trade” — regardless of which direction the pitchers and position players were headed.

Wilmer Reina of Diario la Verdad (Twitter links) and Jon Heyman (via Twitter) first reported the signing and its essential terms. Ken Rosenthal added the annual breakdown on Twitter.

Marlins To Sign Chris Johnson

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The Marlins have agreed to sign corner infielder Chris Johnson, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports on Twitter. He was recently cut loose by the Indians after spending the last few months of 2015 in Cleveland following a trade from the Braves.

Johnson could provide a complement to left-handed-hitting first baseman Justin Bour, Jackson suggests. He’s spent most of his career at third base, of course, and would boost the team’s depth there as well, though starter Martin Prado and utility option Derek Dietrich are already in place.

The 31-year-old Johnson owns a .280/.316/.411 slash in his seven big league seasons. He’s a good line-drive hitter who makes plenty of contact, but the lack of power and mediocre fielding reviews have held down his value.

While it hasn’t yet been reported whether Johnson will receive a major league deal, most of Johnson’s salary ($7.5MM this year, and $9MM next) will be covered by Cleveland regardless. Much like Edwin Jackson, who also agreed with the Fish recently, Miami will get a more or less free roll opportunity on a veteran looking for a chance to re-establish himself as a viable Major League contributor.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/12/16

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Here are the day’s minor moves:

  • The Padres added lefty Ryan Buchter to the 40-man roster yesterday, as Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Buchter, a minor league signee, had drawn interest from an international club, which precipitated the move. As Lin notes, it appears that San Diego is committed to bringing a variety of unproven arms to camp to compete for bullpen jobs, with Buchter representing one such option.
  • The Orioles have reached agreement on a minor league deal with infielder/outfielder Alex Liddi, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports on Twitter. Liddi, 27, has taken 188 plate appearances in the big leagues, but none since 2013. He played last year at the Double-A level for the Royals, slashing .287/.324/.474 over 514 plate appearances.

Marlins In “Active Negotiations” With Wei-Yin Chen

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The Marlins “remain in active negotiations” with southpaw Wei-Yin Chen, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Rosenthal first said there was interest between the sides a few days back. Miami is not alone in pursuit, and the market is “evolving rapidly,” per the report.

Chen, a client of Scott Boras, is arguably the best pitcher left on the open market. Certainly, he came into the winter with the strongest earning power of those arms yet to have sign: MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes ranked him the 13th overall free agent and valued him at five years and $80MM. Dierkes also took a full look at Chen’s open-market case in a free agent profile.

For Miami, the rotation has long been an area of focus, but the club has only added Edwin Jackson thus far. While he certainly builds out depth, it’s been a while since he was an effective rotation piece. And given the minimal financial commitment and availability of a bullpen role, it’s certainly possible that he could simply be utilized in a swingman capacity.

The Fish have a bit of an edge over other possible suitors for Chen, in that they have a protected first-round draft pick. Without the threat of losing a top selection, the club’s opportunity cost is much lower than those teams that would part with a valuable young piece. Of course, some of the other clubs rumored to have interest may not need to factor that too heavily, either, whether because they have already punted their top pick (e.g., Nationals), don’t have a strong draft position (e.g., Royals), or could sign other QO-bound free agents as well (e.g., Orioles).

Chen isn’t alone, of course. While the focus has been on the number of significant bats still available, he forms rather an impressive trio — along with Yovani Gallardo and Ian Kennedy — of still-available-starters. All three require draft compensation to sign.

Quick Hits: Yadiel Hernandez, Cardinals, Phillies, Indians

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There’s already been a ton of news today regarding Cuban ballplayers, and there could be more to come in the weeks ahead. Former Serie Nacional star Yadiel Hernandez will hold a showcase for MLB clubs on February 23rd in Mexico City, MLBTR has learned. He defected this summer when he came to North Carolina with the Cuban national team, and Ben Badler of Baseball America noted earlier today (Twitter link) that Hernandez is one of the best position players available in a deep current pool of talent from the island nation. The 28-year-old has had his way with Cuban pitching at times — including a ridiculous .369/.509/.535 batting line that included 77 walks in 369 plate appearances last year — although Badler has explained previously that Hernandez is undersized and doesn’t possess loud tools. Nonetheless, every indication is that he could well be a viable big league player, so there’s sure to be ample interest.

Here are a few more stray notes from around the game:

  • Cardinals GM John Mozeliak addressed the Astros’ computer hacking scandal for the first time, and Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has the story. Mozeliak seemingly expressed a cautious optimism that no other members of the organization would join former scouting director Chris Correa in being implicated in the improper database accessing. “I hope there isn’t,” he said. “I think before we totally engage in answering everything we need these proceedings to be concluded.” The Cards’ top baseball decisionmaker also added that he first became aware of the extend of what information Correa had accessed when he read the complaint recently. Otherwise, though, he did not get into the factual topics, indicating that the organization would wait to do that until Correa is sentenced in April.
  • The Phillies announced several front office moves today, including the team’s previously-reported hiring of Ned Rice as assistant GM. Philadelphia also announced that Pat Gillick will return to a senior advisory role, while Benny Looper will shift into such a position after previously serving as an AGM. On the analytics side, Scott Freedman has been bumped up to director of baseball operations (from his former title of manager of baseball analytics) while the club made a full-time analyst position for Lewis Pollis, who penned a widely-read senior thesis on the market for front office talent.
  • The Indians have parted ways with former director of Latin American operations Ramon Pena, as Badler reports. Both Pena and president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti indicated that the split was mutual and was the result of divergent visions for the team’s efforts in Latin America.

East Notes: Ozuna, Gordon, Francoeur, Mets, O’s, Castro

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Marlins center fielder Marcell Ozuna has enormous upside, assistant hitting coach Frank Menechino said in an interview today on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (audio link). Menechino noted that Ozuna’s early success came despite the fact that he was quite raw, explaining that he’s had to learn on the fly — even as expectations, contract considerations, and other pressures were converging. Ozuna, of course, has long been seen as a trade chip, although momentum seems to be shifting away from that scenario.

More from Miami and some other news from the eastern divisions:

  • The Marlins ought to make a long-term deal with Dee Gordon a priority, argues Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. After all, he suggests, his agents at Beverly Hills Sports Council might well try to argue that Gordon’s marquee accomplishments — leading the league in batting average, hits, and stolen bases while picking up a Gold Glove — support an outside-the-box arbitration payday. While MLBTR projects a $5.9MM salary in his second of four turns through arbitration, Gordon and his reps could always file for more and take their chances. Of course, as MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz explained in a recent podcast appearance (at about the 20-minute mark), Gordon’s meager home run and RBI tallies limit his arb-earning upside despite his other big numbers.
  • While the Marlins have been fairly quiet this winter, they are still looking to add some players. Jon Heyman tweets that the club has its eye on some right-handed bats, with Jeff Francoeur among them.
  • Mets GM Sandy Alderson and the rest of the organization’s leadership have managed to upset a segment of the team’s fans despite last year’s World Series run, writes Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. Of course, as Davidoff explains, appeasing a “populist” sentiment in the fanbase (as Alderson put it) with a big signing would hardly guarantee on-field success.
  • Young Orioles righties Hunter Harvey and Dylan Bundy are participating in minicamp and appear to be in good health, Roch Kubtako of MASNsports.com reports. Both have had very tough runs of bad luck, and certainly the organization will be holding its collective breath to see how they feel as they ramp up this spring.
  • Orioles skipper Buck Showalter said today that he could imagine slugger Chris Davis waiting to sign until late in camp, Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun reports. “That’s not surprising at all the way that camp does business,” Showalter said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if it went to February. It wouldn’t surprise me if it goes to March.” It’s probably not worth reading too much into those comments, since Showalter is obviously not privy to the specific strategy of Davis and his agent, Scott Boras. But his words do seem to hint at some frustration in the organization at the inability to achieve resolution one way or the other.
  • If the Yankees need someone to step in at third base for Chase Headley, the club could well turn to Starlin Castro, GM Brian Cashman suggested today. As Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees Blog writes, the newly-acquired infielder is still likely to spend most of his time at second, but his experience on the left side of the infield (almost entirely at short) could increase the team’s roster flexibility. Meanwhile, Cashman emphasized that Alex Rodriguez will not see time in the field.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/11/16

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Here are the day’s minor moves:

  • The Brewers announced today that the minor league contract of southpaw Nick Hagadone has been voided. The live-armed lefty is trying to return from an elbow fracture, which was obviously known beforehand. But “significant issues” arose when his physical was conducted, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy, and that scuttled the deal.
  • The Phillies have brought back lefty Anthony Vasquez on a minor league pact, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports on Twitter. Vasquez, 29, hasn’t seen the majors since a seven-start debut back in 2011. He threw 134 innings last year in the Philadelphia organization, including twenty starts for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and ended the year with a 4.10 ERA with 5.1 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9.
  • Outfielder/first baseman Matt McBride has joined the Athletics on a minor league deal, Matt Eddy of Baseball America notes in his rundown of recent minor moves. McBride has 158 big league plate appearances on his ledger, though he hasn’t done much in his limited opportunities. The right-handed hitter did put up a healthy (albeit park-inflated) .328/.380/.549 slash last year in 337 Triple-A plate appearances.

Gerardo Parra Seeking Three-Year Deal; Rockies, Two Others In Mix

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7:43pm: The Angels are not one of the three finalists in on Parra, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. But Parra’s destination still has an impact for Los Angeles, per the report, as the team would have interest in Blackmon if he becomes available.

1:01pm: The Rockies are among three teams currently in the mix for free-agent outfielder Gerardo Parra, his agent, Jose Mijares(not to be confused with the pitcher of the same name) of Octagon tells MLB.com’s Thomas Harding. Parra hopes to reach a decision within the “next couple days,” his agent added when speaking to Harding. Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post adds that Mijares said Parra is seeking a three-year deal.

Colorado has been connected to Parra on multiple occasions over the past week, with Jon Heyman originally indicating that the Rox were a “serious” suitor for the 28-year-old outfielder. It’s not certain which other teams are in the mix at this point, though Parra has also been prominently linked to the Angels and Nationals recently. The Nationals have long been seeking a left-handed-hitting outfielder, but they may have satisfied that need with the weekend addition of Ben Revere (who came over in a swap that sent Drew Storen to Toronto). The Royals were also said to have interest at one point, although Kansas City re-signed Alex Gordon last week. Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets that the Padres aren’t in the mix for Parra despite a potential opening in left field.

Parra is coming off a season that featured mixed results. He opened 2015 in Milwaukee and was on pace for a career year, slashing .328/.369/.517 in 351 plate appearances for the Brewers. That excellent production led the Orioles to part with one of their top pitching prospects, right-hander Zach Davies, in order to acquire Parra prior to the non-waiver trade deadline. Parra maintained his brilliant offensive production through his first two weeks with Baltimore, logging an .840 OPS and cracking three homers in 66 trips to the plate. His season went into a swan dive from that point on, however, as he batted a meager .215/.237/.307 over his final 41 games/172 plate appearances. While a notable BABIP spike (.372) inflated his numbers with the Brewers, he fell victim to the opposite swing of the pendulum down the stretch, BABIPing just .243 over the life of that slump. His overall batting line still represented the best of his career, although declining defensive metrics have dragged down his WAR totals despite increased production at the dish.

At one point this offseason, Parra was reported to have received multiple three-year offers, though that came more than a month ago, and it’s not clear to what degree his asking price and/or the offers he has received have changed (if at all). Parra’s ultimate landing spot holds a fair amount of intrigue given the potentially broad range of ramifications his addition could have.

If, for instance, the Rockies’ interest is earnest and the team does end up landing its former division rival (Parra spent parts of six seasons with the D-backs), one would have to imagine the agreement would increase the likelihood of a trade in Denver. The Rockies, after all, already have three left-handed-hitting outfielders in the form of Corey Dickerson, Charlie Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez, leaving them without the opportunity to deploy Parra as a platoon mate for any of the three. Gonzalez is the most frequently mentioned trade candidate of the bunch in large part because he’s controllable for a shorter period of time (two years) than either Blackmon (three years) or Dickerson (four years). With $37MM owed to Gonzalez over the span of those two seasons, he’s also far and away the most expensive asset the Rockies currently have in the outfield.

The Angels, on the other hand, currently project to utilize a combination of Craig Gentry and Daniel Nava in left field, giving them room for an upgrade of their own. Anaheim has, in the past, been frequently linked to left-handed bats, and Parra would fill that need for the team. However, signing Parra would almost certainly put the Angels over the luxury tax threshold, barring some form of trade, and owner Arte Moreno reportedly does not wish to exceed that $189MM capacity. (Remember, too, that luxury tax penalties are calculated based on the average annual value of a contract and not the yearly payroll, so heavily backloading a deal would not spare the Halos of that consequence.)

Of course, other teams do make varying degrees of sense as theoretical destinations. The Orioles still have a need in the corner outfield, though they previously were said to prefer a two-year deal. The Indians could certainly use an upgrade in the outfield corners, particularly with Michael Brantley slated to open the season on the disabled list. Likewise, the White Sox have been tied to upgrades but have been reluctant to go near the asking prices set forth by Justin Upton and Yoenis Cespedes. The Cardinals made a strong run at retaining Jason Heyward, so one can assume they have at least an openness to corner outfield additions, even if it’s not a pressing need. And the Tigers, too, have been tied to left-field upgrades, though Parra wasn’t listed earlier today in a report indicating many of the names they’ve discussed.

Cardinals Sign Seung-Hwan Oh

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6:34pm: The deal would max out at $11MM — $5MM in 2016 and $6MM in 2017 — if Oh triggers all available incentives and the team picks up its option, per Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News (Twitter links).

1:40pm: The Cardinals have officially signed star Korean reliever Seung-hwan Oh to a one-year deal with a club option that reportedly guarantees him about $5MM. Oh, who is represented by Chip Sloan of Pryor Cashman LLP, did not require a posting fee to sign because he was a free agent.

Known by the nicknames “Stone Buddha” and “Final Boss,” Oh is perhaps the most celebrated Korean closer with 498 games finished over an 11-season career split between Korea and Japan. The right-hander has a career 1.81 ERA, 10.7 K/9, and 2.1 BB/9 over 646 1/3 innings between the two countries. In 2013, after nine seasons in the hitter-friendly KBO, Oh made the transition to the Hanshin Tigers of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball and continued his success, including a 2015 campaign that saw him post a 2.73 ERA, 8.6 K/9, and 2.1 BB/9. A two-year old scouting report credits him with a mid-90s fastball, hard slider, and slow curve. MLBTR’s Steve Adams spoke to a pair of scouts earlier this offseason that praised Oh’s fastball and labeled his slider as at least an average offering. As Han Lee of Global Sporting Integration tweets, Oh would become the fourth Korean reliever to jump from NPB to the Majors, joining predecessors Sang-Hoon Lee, Dae-Sung Koo and Chang-Yong Lim. (None of the three pitched more than a season in MLB, though none came with Oh’s track record in Asia, either.)

Oh won’t be the “final boss” of the St. Louis bullpen, given Trevor Rosenthal’s firm hold on the closer’s job, though he will add some much-needed depth to a back-end bullpen trio that saw a lot of action in 2015; setup man Kevin Siegrist appeared in a league-high 81 games, with Seth Maness (76 games) and Rosenthal (68) also seeing a lot of work.  The additions of Oh (if completed) and the re-signed Jonathan Broxton will give manager Mike Matheny more flexibility in deciding his late-game options.

Daniel Kim of KBSn first reported that the sides were close to agreement (via Twitter). Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the deal was nearing finalization, pending physical, and reported the contract value.

 

Jocketty: No Deal Between Reds, Alfredo Rodriguez

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6:43pm: Cincinnati president of baseball operations Walt Jocketty said that team and player “do not have a deal,” as C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. As Rosecrans adds, though, that doesn’t necessarily mean an agreement isn’t in place, as most executives would decline to confirm such an agreement before it’s final. And Jocketty did admit that Rodriguez “is a player of interest.”

6:11pm: The Reds have struck a deal with Cuban shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez that will pay him $6MM, according to MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez. Rodriguez, 21, left Cuba back in May in hopes of pursuing a career in the major leagues.

Importantly, as Sanchez, explains, the signing will put Cincinnati into the max penalty for international bonus spending. The club had been just within its allotment after its prior signings, but is now set not only to pay a 100% tax on its overages but also to lose its ability to sign an international player for over $300K for the next two signing periods. With that bullet bitten, it’s fair to wonder whether the Reds will pursue additional players before this July 2 period closes.

Ben Badler of Baseball America provided an explanation of the youngster’s abilities when he left Cuba. The key takeaway is that Rodriguez is a polished defender who has a long way to go with the bat.

Rodriguez won the Rookie of the Year award in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, based largely on his impeccable glovework (and the defection of leading candidate Yusnier Diaz). Indeed, he hit just .265/.301/.284 over 304 plate appearances on the way to earning the award. Rodriguez also has good wheels, according to Badler, which certainly could boost his odds of eventually cracking the majors.

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