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Archives for February 2017

Royals To Re-Sign Peter Moylan

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The Royals have struck a minor-league deal with righty Peter Moylan, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The deal comes with a $1MM salary if Moylan can crack the MLB roster, MLBTR’s Steve Adams tweets. It also includes $250K in available incentives, and allows Moylan to opt out on March 28th if he hasn’t been added to the 40-man.

Moylan, 38, surprisingly resurrected his MLB career in 2015 with the Braves after working back from Tommy John surgery. Signed partly as a pitching instructor, he ended up throwing 10 1/3 MLB frames, posting a 3.48 ERA and compiling eight strikeouts without a single walk.

After landing with the Royals on a minors deal, Moylan again surprised. In 44 2/3 innings, his most extensive major league action since 2010, he worked to a 3.43 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. Though he doesn’t have much in the way of velocity, Moylan managed a solid 9.6% swinging-strike rate with his sinker-slider combo. Of course, he’s best limited to seeing opposing righties, as southpaws feasted on him last year.

Despite his contributions to Kansas City in 2016, Moylan will have to battle for a roster spot this spring. The Royals may need to stash some starters in the bullpen, and have already lined up a long list of former MLB hurlers to compete in camp with some of the team’s internal options. That includes Seth Maness, Bobby Parnell, Al Alburquerque, and Brandon League.

Reds To Sign Ryan Raburn

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The Reds have agreed to a minor-league deal with veteran outfielder Ryan Raburn, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). He’ll earn $900K if he can crack the MLB roster, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets.

Raburn is now 35 years of age and is coming off of an uninspiring 2016 showing with the Rockies, in which he carried only a 77 OPS+ over 256 plate appearances. But the on-again, off-again lefty masher was spectacular just one year prior, as he provided the 2015 Indians with 201 plate appearances of .301/.393/.543 hitting. That’s part of a pattern for Raburn, who has rather inexplicably alternated between highly productive and roundly disappointing complete seasons for the better part of his career.

Of course, Cincinnati can’t exactly bank on a full rebound from the veteran. But if he’s able to show well in camp, Raburn could earn a chance to stick as a bench bat to help balance out an otherwise youthful roster. He and Desmond Jennings, both of whom are righty hitters who could spell Scott Schebler in right field, could battle with younger options for the final active roster spots in camp.

Rangers Sign A.J. Jimenez To Minor League Deal

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The Rangers announced that they’ve signed catcher A.J. Jimenez to a minor league deal and invited him to Major League camp in Spring Training. The 26-year-old Jimenez was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays last week and released earlier this week, but it didn’t take him long to find a new home.

Jimenez was once one of the top prospects in the Blue Jays organization, but he’s struggled at the plate in three consecutive minor league campaigns. The former ninth-round pick spent the 2016 season with Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, hitting .241/.290/.377 with four home runs in 248 plate appearances. Overall, he’s a .242/.295/.355 hitter in parts of four seasons at that level. To his credit, Jimenez has thrown out 40 percent of attempted base thieves in his minor league career, and he’s typically been average or better in terms of pitch framing, per Baseball Prospectus (though he had a down season in that regard in ’16).

Texas is set at catcher with one of the game’s best, Jonathan Lucroy, set to receive the lion’s share of the playing time in 2016. Robinson Chirinos is on hand as a quality backup option, and the team also has veteran Brett Hayes in camp on a minors pact. Both Lucroy and Chirinos are likely to play in the World Baseball Classic, however, so in addition to a potential opening on the Triple-A roster for a catcher, the Rangers also simply need some depth to get through Spring Training.

Tyler Austin Out Six Weeks Due To Foot Fracture

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The Yankees will be without Tyler Austin for the majority of Spring Training after the 25-year-old suffered a small fracture in his left foot, manager Joe Girardi told reporters (Twitter link via Joel Sherman of the New York Post). Austin sustained the injury when he fouled a ball off his foot in batting practice yesterday. He’ll be in a walking boot for the next three weeks and will be shut down from all baseball activity for six weeks, Sherman adds.

For most of the offseason, the expectation surrounding Austin was that he would compete with Greg Bird for at bats at first base with the Yankees. Given Austin’s minor league experience in the corner outfield, he could’ve conceivably mixed in some occasional time in right field (where Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks are set to compete for the starting role). The signing of Chris Carter (another right-handed first base/DH candidate) certainly diminished Austin’s chances of making the roster, but the news of this injury seems to all but assure that he’ll head to the minors to open the regular season.

Austin made his Major League debut in 2016 and showed off plenty of power, hitting .241/.300/.458 with five homers and three doubles in just 90 plate appearances. He also struck out a troubling 36 times in that stretch, though, suggesting that his approach at the plate could still use some refinement. Austin is coming off an excellent season between Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he posted a combined .294/.392/.524 batting line and 17 homers in 444 plate appearances.

As MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch tweets, the Yankees will also be without Mason Williams for the next two weeks due to inflammation of his left patella tendon. Williams is a long shot to make the roster due to the presence of Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury, Hicks, Judge and Matt Holliday on the roster. He’s played in just 51 Triple-A games (plus 20 MLB contests) and has an option remaining, so further work in the minors seems likely.

AL Central Notes: Cuthbert, Royals, Frazier, Gimenez

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Though he lacks experience at the position, Cheslor Cuthbert will be in the mix for the Royals’ second base job this spring, writes Rustin Dudd of the Kansas City Star. The 25-year-old Cuthbert is out of minor league options, so the Royals will need to carry him on the roster this season or risk losing him on waivers. Cuthbert worked out with Royals special assistant Rafael Belliard this offseason to familiarize himself with the new position, and he played about 15 games at second base in winter ball in his native Nicaragua as well, per Dodd. Even if he’s not a long-term answer at second, the Royals likely want to keep Cuthbert as a potential long-term option at third base. With Mike Moustakas slated to hit the open market next winter, Cuthbert could inherit the team’s everyday job at the hot corner as soon as 2018. Cuthbert hit .274/.318/.413 with a dozen homers and 28 doubles in 510 plate appearances last season as he played third base regularly in lieu of the injured Moustakas.

More from the AL Central…

  • The Royals aren’t simply conceding that this will be their last year with free-agents-to-be such as Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. While it’s obviously not realistic to expect the Royals to re-sign each of those players — Rosenthal notes that the team may even prefer to replace Escobar with the younger Raul Mondesi — Kansas City executives feel there’s some hope of retaining some of their core pieces. The Royals have already locked up left-hander Danny Duffy (who was also on track for free agency next winter) on a new five-year, $65MM deal. Hosmer, Moustakas and Cain could all prove more expensive than that next offseason, depending on their 2017 performance, though with at least some from that group likely to sign elsewhere, the Royals will have some payroll flexibility. The Royals currently have about $104MM of payroll commitments to the 2018 roster, $78MM in 2019, $51MM in 2020 and $32MM in 2021.
  • White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier tells reporters that the sprained finger, for which he was wearing a splint late last month, is healed (via Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun Times). Frazier said that he’s been hitting every day, and it doesn’t seem as if he expects the issue to hamper him this season. Set to hit free agency next winter, Frazier declined to speak at length about his future. “Chicago is a nice place to play and I’d like to play here,” he said after noting that his focus is primarily on the upcoming season.
  • Chris Gimenez’s ties to Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey (formerly an assistant GM with the Indians) and general manager Thad Levine (formerly an assistant GM with the Rangers) made it an decision for the new Minnesota execs to sign him this offseason, writes Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Gimenez isn’t in camp as a mere depth option, either, as he’ll be given a legitimate chance to emerge from Spring Training as the backup to offseason addition Jason Castro. While Gimenez doesn’t come with a strong track record at the plate, he’s a solid defender that hits lefties well (.263/.358/.403 in his career), making him a nice on-paper fit with the left-handed-hitting Castro. Miller and Gimenez also discuss the catcher’s winding career, which has included seven organizations in the past nine seasons.

Brad Brach Wins Arbitration Hearing Against Orioles

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Right-hander Brad Brach won his arbitration hearing against the Orioles yesterday, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports (via Twitter). As a result, he’ll earn the $3.05MM that he and agent Brian Charles of Big League Management proposed instead of the $2.525MM proposed by the team. Brach’s salary comes in just over $100K north of the $2.9MM mark that was projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.

As Heyman notes, the O’s entered that hearing with a sterling 11-1 record in arbitration hearings, making Brach’s win all the more noteworthy. The 30-year-old had a strong case, however, given his excellence in a career year this past season. While Brach has been excellent ever since being traded over from the Padres in exchange for minor league right-hander Devin Jones, he was flat-out dominant in 2016.

Control has previously been a problem for Brach, but that wasn’t the case last year, as he tossed 79 innings with a 2.05 ERA, 10.5 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 41.5 percent ground-ball rate. Brach’s pristine earned run average, glut of strikeouts, heavy workload and 24 holds all worked in his favor in his arb hearing.

This marked Brach’s second time through the arbitration process. He’ll be eligible once more next offseason before reaching free agency upon completion of the 2018 campaign (in advance of his age-33 season). With Brach’s salary now set for the 2017 season, the Orioles have resolved all nine of their arbitration cases (as can be seen in MLBTR’s 2017 Arbitration Tracker).

Giants Agree To Minor League Deal With Aaron Hill

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The Giants have agreed to a minor league contract with veteran infielder Aaron Hill, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The 34-year-old Legacy Agency client will head to camp and compete for a roster spot in San Francisco. Hill’s deal comes with a $2MM base salary if he makes the Majors, according to FanRag’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link), and ESPN’s Buster Olney adds that Hill can also earn up to $1MM worth of incentives.

Hill split the 2016 season between the Brewers and Red Sox, hitting a combined .262/.336/.378 with 10 homers in 429 plate appearances. Hill was among the game’s most productive second basemen back in 2012-13, but his bat has gone quiet in the three seasons following that strong stretch of production. Since 2014, Hill has batted a collective .246/.305/.365 (81 OPS+) in 1323 Major League plate appearances.

While he was primarily a second baseman earlier in his career, Hill has spent more time at third base than at second in the past two seasons. The Giants’ starting infield is largely set with Brandon Belt at first, Joe Panik at second, Brandon Crawford at shortstop and Eduardo Nunez at third base. But, San Francisco doesn’t have a clearly defined bench just yet, and Hill will seek to earn a reserve role with the club. He’ll join Korean star Jae-gyun Hwang in that regard, as Hwang (who also plays both third base and second base) also inked a minor league pact with the Giants earlier this winter.

Dodgers Sell Contract Of Darin Ruf To KBO’s Samsung Lions

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SATURDAY: The Dodgers have officially announced that they’ve released Ruf, clearing the way for him to head to Korea.

FRIDAY 9:12am: The Lions have already announced the move, as Jee-ho Yoo of Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reports. Ruf will earn $1.1MM in 2017 — a significant step up from what he’d have earned in the Majors or minors.

8:59am: The Dodgers have sold the contractual rights of infielder Darin Ruf to the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization, reports Ken Gurnick of MLB.com (via Twitter). The move opens a spot on the 40-man roster for the Dodgers, which will go to either Franklin Gutierrez or Chase Utley. (The Dodgers still need to make one more 40-man move to open another spot.)

The 30-year-old Ruf was one of two players that the Dodgers picked up when sending Howie Kendrick to the Phillies this offseason, though that move was more about clearing payroll and a spot on the 25-man roster than anything else. (Darnell Sweeney also came back to the Dodgers in that deal.)

Ruf saw just 89 plate appearances in the Majors last season, hitting .205/.236/.337 in that time. The first baseman/outfielder spent the better part of five seasons on the fringes of the Phillies’ roster, often serving as a right-handed complement to Ryan Howard. In 833 Major League plate appearances, he’s a .240/.314/.433 hitter with 35 home runs.

The move to Korea likely works out well for all parties, as the Dodgers will free a roster spot (and receive a fairly nominal sum from the Lions), while the Lions add a new bat to their lineup. Ruf, meanwhile, should earn considerably more than he’d have earned in the United States playing over in Korea. He was a long shot to make the Dodgers’ roster, and even if he had, he’d have made only a bit more than the Major League minimum as a pre-arbitration player. Foreign players in Korea can often earn salaries in the upper six figures, if not seven figures, and it stands to reason that Ruf will benefit financially from the move.

AL Notes: Brantley, Jackson, Latos, Jays

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Hopes are riding high for the Indians, but the health of Michael Brantley remains a major wild card for the organization. Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer reports on where things stand as camp opens. As was the case last year, Cleveland intends to proceed cautiously as Brantley ramps up from shoulder surgery. This time, though, there’ll be even more caution given the setbacks he experienced in 2016. Swinging the bat in game conditions seems to have caused Brantley’s problems last time around, Hoynes explains, so the team is taking the long view in helping the injured star to find a way to compete without aggravating his damaged joint.

Here’s more from the American League:

  • The Rangers watched veteran righty Edwin Jackson throw yesterday but decided against offering him a contract, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports on Twitter. Jackson, 33, struggled in stints last year with the Marlins and Padres, working to a cumulative 5.89 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 over 84 innings. He exhibited a notable velocity drop, delivering a career-low 91.7 mph average fastball, though he did still manage a 9.4% swinging-strike rate that landed in range of his career norms.
  • The Blue Jays also showed some interest, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter), but appear to have moved on after adding Mat Latos. As Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi further reports, Latos says he’s “willing to do whatever I need to do,” expressing a willingness to work from the rotation, out of the pen, or even at Triple-A. “I’ve got a lot of earning I need to do,” he said, “and I need to earn everything as it comes.” GM Ross Atkins, meanwhile, says he’s “excited” to bring Latos into camp, noting that the organization is hopeful he’ll earn a MLB job and wasn’t motivated to try to stash him in the minors.
  • Indeed, the Blue Jays now seem largely set with their roster more generally, as Atkins further told Davidi. Per the general manager, the organization is still looking into trade opportunities, but sees additional signings as “unlikely.” Toronto also doesn’t appear inclined to further bolster its rotation mix, with Atkins calling it “a tough sell” to add a starter given the team’s existing stock.

Minor MLB Transactions: 2/16/17

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We’ll track the day’s minor moves here:

  • The Blue Jays have added backstop Rafael Lopez on a minors deal, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter). Lopez, 29, has cracked the bigs twice, making brief stops with the Cubs and Reds. He has spent most of his time in recent years at the Triple-A level, where he owns a .259/.333/.332 batting line over 654 plate appearances. A product of Florida State, Lopez was taken in the 16th round of the 2011 draft. Toronto has already added two depth pieces behind the plate this winter in Juan Graterol and Michael Ohlman, in addition to likely MLB reserve Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

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