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Candidates For The Reds’ First MLB Deal Of The Offseason

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The Reds have been busy on the waiver wire, but quiet elsewhere. Beyond picking which young players upon which to make dice rolls, GM Dick Williams has largely held his hand thus far. That’s not terribly surprising, for a variety of reasons.

The club’s most obvious potential trade chips come with no-trade protection (Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips) or play positions that aren’t in huge demand (Phillips, Zack Cozart). There was never a strong prerogative to deal from among the Reds’ other controllable assets, such as righty Anthony DeSclafani and center fielder Billy Hamilton. At the same time, after spending about two years compiling prospects, the organization has plenty of young players who are ready to compete for major league opportunities in 2017, so there aren’t a lot of needs.

Still, it would be surprising if the team makes it through the winter without striking at least one major-league contract. Cincinnati nearly did so a winter ago, giving MLB deals only to Blake Wood and (in mid-March) Alfredo Simon. While the Yankees actually did manage to avoid handing out a 40-man spot to a free agent in 2015-16, it’s a rarity.

And it isn’t as if the Reds are fully loaded for 2017, particularly if they hope to have an outside chance at turning into a contender. In particular, the bullpen appears ripe for an addition. That’s especially true of the open closer role; while Raisel Iglesias, Michael Lorenzen, or even Tony Cingrani would represent internal options, giving any of those youngsters the opportunity would also mean boosting their expected arbitration earnings. Cincinnati might as well make the investment to add another arm, while utilizing them in set-up roles. Alternatively, or additionally, the Reds could look to add some veteran arms — either swingman types or pure relievers — to provide depth.

So, what are the options should Cincinnati decide to open up one of its prized 40-man roster spots? Let’s run down a few of the remaining bullpen arms that could make sense…

  • Joe Blanton: After a pair of resurgent seasons split between the Royals, Pirates and Dodgers, it’s very possible that Blanton will be too expensive for Cincinnati’s tastes. He’s posted a 2.65 ERA across his past 165 MLB innings with good control and better than a strikeout per inning. He could find a high-leverage spot on a contending club, though Cincinnati could entice him by offering a ninth-inning role.
  • Santiago Casilla: If Casilla wants to continue closing, his age and his September meltdown in 2016 might limit his opportunities. However, Cincinnati could offer him that type of opportunity with an eye toward flipping him in July if he performs well. His poor finish aside, Casilla has a 2.42 ERA in 394 2/3 regular-season innings dating back to 2010 and has whiffed better than a batter per inning in each of the past two seasons.
  • Neftali Feliz: The former AL Rookie of the Year had a resurgent season in the Pirates’ bullpen this past season and could command a high-leverage role with Cincinnati (or another club) if his medicals check out. Feliz ended the season on the shelf but there’s been no word of any arm issues lingering into the offseason. He posted a 3.52 ERA with 61 strikeouts against 20 unintentional walks in 53 2/3 innings this past season.
  • David Hernandez: Hernandez crashed and burned when given a short leash as Philadelphia’s closer early last season, but he rebounded to pitch quite well over the remainder of the season. The 31-year-old posted a 3.53 ERA and punched out 69 hitters against 28 walks in his final 66 1/3 innings of the 2016 campaign. As a presumably low-cost veteran arm with closing experience, he’d be a nice add to a Cincinnati bullpen that could develop into a trade chip down the line with a good full season.
  • Greg Holland: Perhaps the highest-upside arm left on the market, Holland could potentially be lured to the Reds with a guarantee of pitching in the ninth inning from day one. Contending clubs may be wary to make such a commitment, but a rebuilding team like the Reds has little to lose. And while Holland may prefer to sign with a contender, he could also sign in Cincinnati with the guarantee of save opportunities and with the understanding that he’d be likely to be flipped to a contender come July if he rediscovered the form he showed from 2011-15 prior to Tommy John surgery (2.15 ERA, 12.2 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 in 301 innings).
  • Yusmeiro Petit: The Reds don’t have anyone locked into a multi-inning role, but Petit could be had on an affordable one-year deal and fill that role while also serving as a safety net for an inexperienced rotation. The Nationals didn’t use him much down the stretch in 2016, and he struggled when he did take the hill, but he’s worked to a very solid 3.83 ERA with 8.5 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9 between the rotation and bullpen across the past five seasons (307 2/3 innings).
  • Sergio Romo: The former Giants closer lost his ninth-inning role to the aforementioned Casilla late in his San Francisco tenure, but he’s been rock solid in terms of bottom-line results virtually every year in the Majors since debuting in 2008. The 33-year-old has only posted an ERA north of 3.00 in two MLB seasons and has a lifetime 2.58 ERA with 10.2 K/9 against 1.8 BB/9 in the Majors. He doesn’t throw hard, but Romo would bring loads of late-inning experience to a Reds team that is lacking in that area.
  • Joe Smith: Like so many others on this list, Smith comes with some closing experience but has also worked in a setup capacity for a number of years. Set to turn 33 in March, Smith is a ground-ball specialist with a history of limiting the long ball — a trait that’d be appealing to the Reds, who play in a homer-happy home park. A 2.64 ERA over his past 389 MLB innings only adds to the appeal.
  • Drew Storen: It’s been a stark downward spiral for Storen since the Nationals acquired Jonathan Papelbon in July 2015. Storen was demoted to a setup role, performed poorly, and found himself flipped to the Blue Jays, where his results weren’t any better. A midseason trade to the Mariners in 2016 didn’t improve his results, either. Rough stretch aside, the former No. 10 overall pick has a career 3.31 ERA and posted a 2.91 ERA with solid control and nearly a strikeout per inning from 2011-15. On a short-term deal, the upside for the Reds would be tantalizing.
  • Shawn Tolleson: In 2015, Tolleson emerged as a surprise closer for the Rangers, saving 35 games and logging a 2.99 ERA in 72 1/3 innings — his second straight year with 70-plus innings and a sub-3.00 ERA. Tolleson imploded in 2016 and saw his strikeout rate plummet while his home-run rate skyrocketed. There are a number of reasons for interested suitors to have skepticism, but the Reds could offer a low-base one-year deal with the promise of a high-leverage role. If Tolleson returns to form, he’d be a summer trade chip at the very least. However, he’s also controllable through 2018, so the Reds could simply enjoy his services for a full year and reassess next winter if he rebounds in 2017.

Transaction Retrospection: The Daniel Murphy Signing

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It has been one year and one day since the Nationals inked Daniel Murphy to a three-year, $37.5MM contract. Murphy wasn’t exactly a hotly pursued target for D.C., which had previously pushed hard for free-agent Ben Zobrist, chatted with Howie Kendrick about a deal, and nearly consummated a swap with the Reds to acquire Brandon Phillips.

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Having explored those other avenues, but found none availing, the Nats struck a Christmas Eve pact that seemed at the time to represent a solid price tag (even with the sacrifice of a draft pick) for a quality player. But expectations were relatively restrained. While Murphy’s torrid late-2015 work had certainly raised his profile, it perhaps hadn’t fundamentally changed his perception around the league. His own former team, the Mets, were content pocketing a draft selection and dealing for a replacement in Neil Walker, and obviously there wasn’t sufficient interest for him to garner even a fourth guaranteed season entering his age-31 campaign.

Needless to say, the arrangement worked out much better than anyone thought possible. In retrospect, Murphy’s unbelievable postseason performance — including a ridiculous 1.462 OPS and seven home runs over 39 plate appearances in the NLDS and NLCS — was a harbinger of things to come.

In 2016, Murphy went from a solid hitter on a hot streak to one of the game’s most productive batsmen. Across 582 plate appearances, he slashed .347/.390/.595 and struck 25 home runs to go with a league-leading 47 doubles. While he still graded poorly in the field, Murphy rated well as a baserunner (though he doesn’t try to steal nearly as often as he used to) and managed to rack up 5.5 fWAR while landing second in the N.L. M.V.P. voting. And though he wasn’t quite as spectacular in his five postseason games for the Nats as he had been for the Mets, Murphy still recorded seven hits, five walks, and six RBI in his 22 postseason plate appearances in 2016.

The remaining two years left on Murphy’s deal now appear to represent quite a valuable asset for Washington. Though the backloaded structure means that there’s still $29.5MM to go, there’s little question that Murphy could command a much greater sum were he back on the open market — which might well have happened had he taken the qualifying offer issued to him by the Mets. That’s all gravy for the Nats, who have already received equivalent value for the entire commitment out of Murphy’s first year.

Things worked out well enough for New York, too. Walker turned in a productive year, though he did ultimately require back surgery that put a premature end to his 2016 season. And unlike Murphy, Walker stuck around; he remains a member of the organization after accepting the QO earlier this offseason. It certainly wouldn’t rate as a huge surprise if he ends up out-producing the man he replaced in 2017.

There’s no direct takeaway from the Murphy signing, but there are a few broader points that it supports. For one thing, notions of upside and floor may well be overstated; Murphy was signed for his steady consistency at the plate, but ended up showing that his apparent late-2015 hot streak was really a reflection of a change in hitting capacity. Whether it’s sustainable, of course, is anyone’s guess; as Murphy’s big season also shows, baseball remains full of surprises even in an age of advanced statistics. And for the free agents who remain unsigned this time around, along with the teams that will ultimately sign them? Well, there’s probably still some money left to be found, and some diamonds still lying in the rough.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Top 10 Remaining Free Agents

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MLBTR’s Charlie Wilmoth broke down the top 10 free agents remaining on the market last week, which he based on the Top 50 that Tim Dierkes put together entering the offseason. Edwin Encarnacion and Ivan Nova, the first- and third-ranked unsigned players left as of Dec. 17, have since come off the board. That means a couple new faces will slide into this week’s list, while updates have come in on some of the others in recent days. Here’s the latest:

8. Mark Trumbo, 1B/DH/OF: The Orioles rescinded their four-year offer to Trumbo shortly after our rankings went up a week ago, but general manager Dan Duquette then stated that there’s still a “window open” to re-sign him. Baltimore could face competition from Colorado, whose GM, Jeff Bridich, acknowledged Tuesday that the team is “keeping track” of Trumbo. The plurality of MLBTR readers expect Trumbo to end up staying with the Orioles, though, after he smashed a major league-best 47 home runs as a member of the club in 2016.

12. Jose Bautista, OF/DH: This offseason has not gone according to plan for the 36-year-old Bautista, who seems to stand little chance of landing even a medium-term deal. The idea of joining the Rays, who wouldn’t have to give up their protected first-round pick to sign Bautista, has continued to come up, but it’s clearly a long shot. Although Bautista’s a Tampa Bay-area resident, he’s still out of the Rays’ price range. The longtime Blue Jay is open to accepting a one-year contract, but the value would have to exceed that of the $17.2MM qualifying offer. He rejected the QO from Toronto prior to free agency, of course, and the Jays haven’t made him an offer worth more since.

15. Jason Hammel, SP: As is the case with Bautista, the winter hasn’t unfolded to Hammel’s liking. Thus, the 34-year-old right-hander changed agencies Tuesday.

16. Matt Wieters, C: The four-time All-Star won’t be returning to Baltimore for a ninth season in 2017, but nearby Washington and one of its NL East rivals, Atlanta, look like real possibilities. While the Nationals traded for a potential starting backstop in ex-Padre Derek Norris earlier this month, they could pick up Wieters and flip Norris elsewhere. Plus, their hierarchy is close with Wieters’ agent, Scott Boras. Signing with the Braves, meanwhile, would enable Wieters to head back to his native south (he’s from Charleston, S.C.) and to the state in which the former Georgia Tech star played college baseball.

20. Michael Saunders, OF: There’s not much happening with Saunders (publicly, anyway), though Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reported Sunday that the Orioles are open to inking him to a one-year contract.

21. Mike Napoli, 1B/DH: Napoli’s done in Cleveland, which upgraded over him with Encarnacion, but the Rangers are hot on his trail. The 35-year-old has already been a Ranger twice – from 2011-12 and for 35 games in 2015. The Orioles, who are coming up a lot in this update, have joined the mix, too.

23. Greg Holland, RP: Nothing new to report on Holland, who’s the most proven closer remaining in free agency. The problem is that the former late-game ace with the Royals missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in October 2015.

24. Travis Wood, SP/RP: Wood was a starter from 2010-14 and could conceivably sign somewhere as a rotation option, though he spent the previous two seasons as mostly a reliever with the Cubs. The Blue Jays, who need left-handed bullpen help in the wake of Brett Cecil’s departure, are now in on the 29-year-old Wood.

25. Neftali Feliz, RP: Aside from Winter Meetings connections to the Nationals and Marlins, Feliz’s market has been slow to develop this offseason. Closer-needy Washington continues to look like a fit after losing out on Kenley Jansen, while Miami’s bullpen now appears set thanks to the additions of Brad Ziegler and Junichi Tazawa. Feliz, a longtime Ranger, has 99 saves to his name and is coming off a 29-hold season with the Pirates. All told, the 28-year-old posted a 3.52 ERA, 10.23 K/9 and 3.52 BB/9 in 53 2/3 innings, making Feliz an effective buy-low player for a Bucs team that secured him with a modest guarantee ($3.9MM) last January.

30. Brandon Moss, 1B/OF: Tampa Bay is seemingly the only team with Moss on its radar. Given the quantity of similar players on the market, Moss might have to continue to wait for a deal to come along. The 33-year-old impressed with 28 homers and a .259 ISO in 464 plate appearances with St. Louis last season, but his overall line (.225/.300/.484) lagged on account of a .191/.248/.392 showing after the All-Star break.

Poll: Dubious December Decisions

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With an action-packed December on the verge of ending (happy holidays, MLBTR fans!), the most entertaining moments of Major League Baseball’s Hot Stove season have likely passed. As evidenced by what’s left of a free agent class that was uninspiring from the outset, the majority of this winter’s top available players have already found new homes. On the trade front, it’s possible we won’t see any more blockbusters, though this month’s Winter Meetings certainly brought a couple memorable ones that will hugely impact the involved franchises for years to come.

Of all the transactions that have taken place in December, there are a few which arguably stand out as head-scratchers. We’ll touch on a trio of those moves below and ask the readers to share their opinions via the poll and comments section:

Nationals send a prospect haul to the White Sox for outfielder Adam Eaton: Both sides made out well in this trade from my vantage point, but the Nationals have drawn criticism for surrendering two of MLB.com’s Top 100 prospects, right-handers Lucas Giolito (No. 3) and Reynaldo Lopez (No. 38), and 2016 first-round righty Dane Dunning to acquire Eaton. After making the deal at the Winter Meetings, Nationals president and general manager Mike Rizzo told predecessor Jim Bowden (now of ESPN and Sirius XM) that he was “getting barbecued.” Bowden is one of Rizzo’s most outspoken critics in this case, as he regards it as the “worst trade” he has ever seen (via Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post).

If you’re to believe wins above replacement, the well-rounded Eaton has been among the majors’ most valuable outfielders during his three full major league seasons, having combined for 12.8 fWAR and 15.3 rWAR in 1,933 plate appearances dating back to 2014. The 28-year-old also possesses one of the sport’s most team-friendly contracts for an established player, which made it all the more reasonable for rebuilding Chicago to demand a ransom in return. Eaton is controllable for the next five seasons, including club options in 2020 and ’21, at a maximum value of $38MM. He and Bryce Harper should form two-thirds of an excellent outfield in D.C. for at least two seasons (Harper will be a free agent after the 2018 campaign), though the latter’s presence in right will force Eaton to center. Eaton’s coming off a season in which he was an elite defender in right with a major league-high 23.1 Ultimate Zone Rating and 22 Defensive Runs Saved (second). The metrics haven’t liked Eaton nearly as much in center (minus-21 UZR, minus-8 DRS in 3,115 career innings), which – along with the young pitchers the Nationals lost – has led to skepticism regarding Washington’s half of the trade.

Rockies spend $70MM over five years on Ian Desmond … to play first base? After receiving replacement-level production at first last year from a slew of players (mostly Mark Reynolds), Colorado entered the offseason in desperate need at the position. The Rockies also came into the winter having promised to post a franchise-record payroll in 2017, so the fact that they prioritized first and allocated big money to it wasn’t a shock. But, instead of adding one of the many first base types available, they weirdly signed Desmond. The career shortstop/outfielder will now occupy the least valuable defensive position on the field, and his bat won’t play as well there as it has at short or in center field. With Texas last season, the 31-year-old Desmond spent the vast majority of his time in center and logged a solid 106 wRC+ (league average for the position in 2016 was 96). If he’d have recorded the same production at first, where the league-average wRC+ was 108, he’d have been a much less appealing offensive cog. Nevertheless, if you’re to believe Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich, Desmond will be their first baseman going forward. Considering both the money the Rockies gave Desmond and the first-round pick they lost to sign him (the eminently valuable 11th overall selection), it comes off as an odd choice.

Yankees reunite with Aroldis Chapman: It was hardly surprising that the Yankees brought back Chapman, whom they traded to the Cubs for star prospect Gleyber Torres at last summer’s deadline, or inked him to a record contract for a reliever. After all, MLBTR predicted he’d secure a five-year, $90MM accord from the Bombers, who ended up giving him an $86MM guarantee over a half-decade. The problem is twofold (and this ignores Chapman’s past domestic violence issues): 1. The Yankees are bent on getting under the luxury tax threshold soon (they’re on track to exceed it for a 15th straight year in 2017), and splurging on a reliever won’t help their cause. 2. The deal grants Chapman the ability to opt out after Year 3, which doesn’t seem to align with their window of contention. New York is amid a retooling phase and has been stockpiling youth as a result, so touted prospects like Torres, Clint Frazier and Jorge Mateo, among others, might not be ready to hit their respective strides for another few years. By then, Chapman could be in another uniform. In the meantime, and in fairness to the Yankees, the flame-throwing left-hander should continue serving as a dominant closer who helps them lock down late-game leads. But whether they’ll have enough of those leads to be a playoff team in the near future is in question.

(Poll link for Trade Rumors App users)

Orioles Rumors: Trumbo, Carter, Alvarez, Saunders, Wieters

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The latest from Baltimore, courtesy of Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com:

  • The Orioles’ reported interest in free agent first baseman Chris Carter is at least somewhat “exaggerated,” according to Kubatko, who does note that adding him or re-signing fellow designated hitter type Pedro Alvarez is possible. The team’s focus is still on re-signing Mark Trumbo, even though it pulled its offer to him off the table last week, and will only turn to Carter, Alvarez or another slugger if he goes elsewhere. Unlike Trumbo, who figures to land a multiyear pact, either Carter or Alvarez would likely have to take a one-year deal to end up with the Orioles. Alvarez did that last offseason with Baltimore, which inked him to a pact featuring a guaranteed $5.75MM in March. The lefty-swinging 29-year-old went on to slash .249/.322/.504 with 22 homers in 376 plate appearances. If Alvarez returns to the Orioles for a second go-around, it seems he’d share the DH spot with the right-handed Trey Mancini.
  • Given their corner outfield need, the O’s are still interested in free agent Michael Saunders – to whom they were linked at the Winter Meetings – but they’d prefer him on a one-year contract, Kubatko writes. Health has been an issue in the past with Saunders, who missed a combined 237 games from 2014-15, but he appeared in a career-high 140 contests last season as a Blue Jay and batted an above-average .253/.338/.478 with 24 homers in 558 PAs.
  • As expected, the Orioles’ signing of catcher Welington Castillo essentially closed the door on Matt Wieters’ lengthy tenure with the organization, per Kubatko. The O’s were neither willing to meet agent Scott Boras’ demands nor wait around until the new year, when Wieters is likely to sign, to settle their situation behind the plate. They’ll now go with Castillo and Caleb Joseph in the short term as they await the arrival of big-hitting prospect Chance Sisco.

Quick Hits: Stottlemyre, Rockies, Wieters, Rangers, Suspensions

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Longtime Yankees right-hander and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre was “fighting for his life” earlier Saturday, but the 75-year-old is now “doing much better,” his wife, Jean, told John Harper of the New York Daily News. “We saw a big turnaround with Mel over the last 24 hours. He’s not in a life-threatening situation right now,” she continued. “It’s not the cancer. It was that he got sick from the chemo medicine. He was given anti-biotics to fight infection and he’s responded well.” Stottlemyre was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 1999, which he fought off before it returned in 2011. We at MLBTR will continue to hope for the best for the five-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion.

More from around the majors:

  • It’s unknown whether the Rockies are interested in free agent catcher Matt Wieters, but Jim Bowden of ESPN (Insider required) argues that signing him could push the team into the playoffs. Meanwhile, for Wieters, taking a one-year deal with Colorado and playing half his games at hitter-friendly Coors Field would perhaps enable him to rebound offensively and score a richer contract next offseason, posits Bowden. Long a competent offensive catcher, Wieters batted just .243/.302/.409 in 464 plate appearances last season. The Rockies have far less proven catchers in Tony Wolters and Tom Murphy, though the former thrived as a pitch framer in 2016 (unlike Wieters) and the latter raked at the Triple-A level.
  • If the Rangers’ quiet approach to free agency this winter continues, it could benefit center fielder Delino DeShields, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. After an encouraging rookie year in 2015, DeShields was a colossal disappointment last season (.209/.275/.313 in 203 PAs) and spent significant time at Triple-A Round Rock as a result. While Carlos Gomez is slated to start in center field for the Rangers next year, a strong spring showing from DeShields could change that, suggests Sullivan. If DeShields reclaims center, Gomez and Nomar Mazara would occupy the corners, and Shin-Soo Choo would become the team’s full-time designated hitter. “My offseason program last year was a little different than this year. This year I’m more focused on being more explosive and getting my mobility back,” DeShields revealed.
  • The commissioner’s office announced drug-related suspensions for five minor leaguers earlier this week, according to Vince Lara-Cinisomo of Baseball America: Red Sox catcher Jake Romanski (amphetamine), Astros right-hander Brendan McCurry (methamphetamine), Indians righty Dakody Clemmer (drug of abuse), Royals righty Arnaldo Hernandez (methamphetamine) and free agent righty Mario Alcantara each received 50-game bans. Clemmer, a 19th-round selection last June, is the most recent draft pick of the group. Romanski (14th round, 2013) and McCurry (22nd round, 2014) were also major league picks. McCurry has reached the most advanced level of the quintet, as he threw 42 1/3 innings at Triple-A last season. The 24-year-old recorded a 3.83 ERA, 9.35 K/9 and 2.76 BB/9 during that stretch.

Matt Wieters Among Braves’ Targets

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Although the Braves have three experienced major league catchers in the fold, free agent backstop Matt Wieters is on their target list, a club source told Jim Bowden of ESPN. Atlanta’s first reported interest in Wieters came back in November, but ESPN’s Buster Olney noted then that the team was unlikely to meet agent Scott Boras’ asking price. It doesn’t seem Wieters’ market has since developed in an ideal fashion for him or Boras, though, which means the longtime Oriole might end up with a lesser deal than expected. That could enable the Braves to add him at a discounted cost and lead to a homecoming of sorts for Wieters, who played college baseball at Georgia Tech.

Baltimore is the only major league organization the 30-year-old Wieters has known, but the club may have closed the door on re-signing the four-time All-Star when it picked up Welington Castillo last week. Castillo had been on the radar of the Braves, who have Tyler Flowers, Anthony Recker and Tuffy Gosewisch on hand. General manager John Coppolella acknowledged Wieters’ ability Friday, but he indicated he’s content with his current trio of backstops.

“Matt (Wieters) is a talented player,” he told MLB Network Radio. “It would come down to price and years. We’re happy with what we have now.”

The Braves’ incumbent starter is the 30-year-old Flowers, while Recker and Gosewisch each have minor league options remaining. Flowers doesn’t carry Wieters’ track record or name recognition, but he was the superior option last season. In 325 plate appearances, the right-handed Flowers batted .270/.357/.420 (well above his lifetime mark of .232/.302/.384 in 1,720 PAs). Defensively, Flowers graded quite well in the pitch–framing department, as he’s done throughout his career, though a whopping 60 of 63 runners successfully stole on him. Those struggles were new for Flowers, who typically hovered around the league-average caught-stealing mark as a member of the White Sox from 2009-15.

Wieters has fared better than Flowers at gunning down would-be base stealers (23 of 66 last season and 33 percent to Flowers’ 23 percent during their careers), but he hasn’t been a well-regarded framer over the past few seasons. In a sport that’s putting more emphasis on catchers’ receiving skills, that’s potentially a reason Wieters is still on the market. It’s also not helping the switch-hitting Wieters’ cause that he slashed an underwhelming .243/.302/.409 in 464 trips to the plate last season after posting a more palatable .258/.320/.423 line in 3,004 PAs from 2009-15.

Orioles Interested In Mike Napoli

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With free agent first baseman/outfielder Mark Trumbo potentially on his way out of Baltimore, the club is showing interest in fellow unsigned slugger Mike Napoli, relays Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Several teams have eyed Napoli this offseason, though his market shrunk when his 2016 employer – Cleveland – agreed to a deal with first baseman/designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion on Thursday.

As is the case with both Trumbo and Encarnacion, Napoli represents a powerful first base/DH option, but he’d likely spend most of his time at the latter spot if the Orioles were to sign him. Chris Davis is entrenched at first, and his presence led the O’s to use Trumbo mostly in right field and at DH in 2016. While Trumbo fared poorly in the grass (minus-11 Defensive Runs Saved, minus-12.5 UZR/150 in 791 innings), his positional flexibility enabled the Orioles to consistently pencil him, Davis and DH Pedro Alvarez into their lineup simultaneously. In return, the Orioles got a major league-best 47 home runs from Trumbo, who batted .256/.316/.533 with a .277 ISO (third in the league) in 667 plate appearances.

With 34 homers and a .226 ISO, Napoli wasn’t quite the power threat Trumbo was in 2016, but his overall output (.239/.335/.465 in 645 PAs) was nonetheless respectable. Further, Napoli has been the more productive of the two since 2011, Trumbo’s rookie season. Napoli slashed .252/.366/.477 in 3,041 trips to the plate during that six-year span, while Trumbo posted a .252/.304/.473 line in 3,411 PAs. Going forward, the 35-year-old Napoli is likely to net a raise over the $7MM salary he made with the Indians last season, but he should still come at both a shorter term and lower annual cost than Trumbo (31 in January).

If the Orioles do indeed regard the well-traveled Napoli as a worthy option, Texas could serve as a roadblock in landing him. The Rangers are reportedly a “strong possibility” to reel in Napoli, and there’s mutual familiarity stemming from his multiple stints with the organization. Napoli was a Ranger from 2011-12 and again for a 35-game stretch in 2015.

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/24/16

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The latest minor league signings from around the sport, courtesy of Matt Eddy of Baseball America:

  • The Braves have inked swingman Andrew Albers, a 31-year-old left-hander who will head to his fifth organization since the Padres selected him in the 10th round of the 2008 draft. The majority of Albers’ work last year came with the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate in Rochester, where he recorded a 3.69 ERA, 6.08 K/9 and 2.17 BB/9 in 21 starts and 124 1/3 innings. Albers also amassed six appearances and two starts with the Twins in 2016 and has a combined 79 big league frames to his credit between Minnesota and Toronto. The lion’s share of that action came with the Twins in 2013, when Albers started 10 games and registered a 4.05 ERA, 3.75 K/9, 1.05 BB/9 and 43.5 percent ground-ball rate across 60 innings.
  • The Diamondbacks have added outfielder Reymond Fuentes, whom the Royals released in September. Kansas City’s decision to move on from Fuentes came after he hit just .254/.325/.317 in 272 plate appearances with Triple-A Omaha in 2016. The 25-year-old was more successful last season with the Royals, albeit over just 44 PAs, with a .317/.364/.341 line.
  • The White Sox have re-signed right-hander Chris Volstad, who spent all of 2016 with their Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte. Volstad ate 176 2/3 innings last season, though he didn’t produce inspiring results (4.79 ERA, 4.28 K/9, 1.73 BB/9). The 30-year-old former Marlin and Cub was once a mainstay in the majors, having exceeded the 100-inning plateau in each season from 2009-12, but has only tossed big league 10 1/3 frames dating back to 2013.
  • Just over three months after outrighting Rafael Ynoa in September, the Rockies have brought back the utilityman. The 29-year-old Ynoa totaled 202 PAs with the Rockies from 2014-15, but he took only five trips to the plate with Colorado last season. All told, he has batted .281/.306/.372 in 207 plate appearances with the Rockies and .270/.344/.364 in nearly 4,000 minor league PAs. Along with Ynoa, Colorado picked up righty C.C. Lee. The Taiwan native pitched in Japan last season after garnering minimal major league experience from 2013-15 with the Indians. Once among Cleveland’s top prospects (BA ranked him fourth in the organization after the 2011 season), the 30-year-old owns a 4.50 ERA, 8.74 K/9, 4.24 BB/9 and 34 innings in the majors.
  • Righty Collin Balester is joining the Tigers, which represents a return to the States after a year in Korea. It’ll also be the 30-year-old Balester’s second stint in the Detroit organization, with which he accrued 18 major league innings in 2012. In 200 2/3 big league frames, including 15 2/3 with the Reds in 2015, Balester has struggled with a 5.47 ERA, 7.04 K/9, 4.08 BB/9 and 39.1 ground-ball mark.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: EE, Pirates, D-backs, O’s, Jays, Phillies, Astros

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