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Archives for February 2019

James Loney Signs With Sugar Land Skeeters

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Former big league first baseman James Loney is looking to resurrect his career by joining on with the indy ball Sugar Land Skeeters, Baseball America’s JJ Cooper tweets. Loney is slated to line up in the field and on the mound for his new club, in addition to serving as a player-coach.

As Cooper notes, Loney was seen as a two-way prospect as an amateur. Taken with the 19th overall pick in the 2002 draft, Loney ultimately pursued a career with the bat. He had his ups and downs over the years, but carved out an eleven-year career as a low-power first baseman, ultimately turning in 5,487 plate appearances of .284/.336/.410 hitting with 108 home runs.

Loney last appeared on the transactional map in 2017, when he signed on for a brief run with Korea’s LG Twins. The club was not pleased with what it received from him in a 23-game stint — a very Loney-esque .278/.366/.456 slash with three home runs and 11 walks against just 14 strikeouts over 93 plate appearances — and he elected to leave the KBO rather than accept a demotion.

Whether Loney can craft a return to the majors as a two-way player will obviously remain to be seen, though the odds seem long. Given that he’s taking on a coaching role as part of the signing, that may not even be the goal. He’ll reach his 35th birthday in three months and has not dedicated himself to the craft of pitching since high school. That said, it will surely be interesting to see whether Loney can find a spark upon re-taking the mound.

Marlins Sign Curtis Granderson

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The Marlins have announced a minor-league deal with outfielder Curtis Granderson. It includes an invitation to participate in MLB Spring Training. He’ll earn $1.75MM in the majors with $250K in possible incentives, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter).

Granderson turns 38 in March but can still get the job done at the plate. He ended the 2018 campaign with 403 plate appearances of .242/.351/.431 hitting, good for a 116 wRC+. That’s right at his career mark for overall productivity (117 wRC+), though the most recent iteration of Granderson relied a bit more on on-base percentage than the power that has traditionally driven his value.

There are certainly some major caveats here from an on-field perspective. Granderson was not trusted to face lefties last year, reflecting his longstanding struggles against same-handed pitching. And metrics have increasingly soured on his glovework in the outfield.

Still, it seems like a nice addition for the Marlins, who likely gave Granderson assurances that he’d have an inside track to a roster spot and semi-regular playing time. The team is likely headed for another rough season in the standings, but needs to maintain some fan interest and provide veteran leadership. Granderson, a widely respected clubhouse presence, is more a contemporary of Marlins CEO Derek Jeter (his former Yankees teammate) than of the many young players on the Miami roster. He’ll join recent signee Neil Walker in providing some affordable gravitas before potentially transforming into a mid-season trade chip.

Phillies Sign Drew Butera

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The Phillies have announced a deal with veteran catcher Drew Butera, as Jon Heyman of MLB Network first reported (Twitter link). It’s a minor-league arrangement that provides for a $1.3MM salary in the event that Butera is able to crack the MLB roster. He receives a spring invite.

Butera, 35, also picks up a $200K incentives package and notably early opt-out date of March 21st, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). That means he’ll have a shot to bolt to another organization late in camp if it seems there’s a better opportunity elsewhere.

A nine-year MLB veteran, Butera has never only once topped two hundred plate appearances in a single season — back in 2011, his sophomore campaign with the Twins. At the same time, he has reached triple-digit PAs in eight of those years.

Butera has carved out a robust career in spite of a lack of ability with the bat. He carries a meager .201/.258/.299 lifetime slash line, with just five home runs in 1,345 total trips to the plate. Butera doesn’t stand out in the pitch framing department either — actually, he has been a negative in recent years — but is otherwise sturdy behind the dish and has obviously carved out a reputation for handling a pitching staff.

For the Phillies, the signing gives the team another option to go with the youthful duo of Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp. Odds are, presuming no further additions are made, Butera will do battle with Knapp in camp for the right to open the year in the majors alongside Alfaro.

Rangers To Re-Sign Ricardo Rodriguez

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The Rangers have agreed to a minor-league deal with righty Ricardo Rodriguez, according to Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News. Whether he’ll receive a MLB spring invite isn’t yet known.

Rodriguez was dropped from the 40-man roster last fall after an injury-limited campaign. Arm troubles aren’t a new phenomenon for the 26-year-old, who sat out the 2016 campaign owing to Tommy John surgery and has only once completed a campaign with more than 47 total innings.

Despite boasting a mid-nineties heater to work off of, Rodriguez has failed to generate many swings and misses over his twenty MLB appearances. He carries an anemic 6.8% swinging-strike rate in that stretch. Perhaps there’s more in the tank in that regard, as Rodriguez has compiled 287 strikeouts in 292 1/3 career minor-league innings. His most notable skill as a prospect, though, has been the ability to limit the long ball. Rodriguez has allowed just a dozen dingers in his seven years in the minors.

Latest On Market For Bryce Harper

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The slow drip of news regarding Bryce Harper (and fellow free agent star Manny Machado) has formed a tower of uncertainty that looms over the hot stove market — indeed, the game as a whole. At this point, it’s anyone’s guess when, where, and for how much Harper will sign. As curious as the still-ongoing free agency of these players is the dearth of developments hitting the news wire and the evident lack of widespread interest.

Under these circumstances, it’s reasonably notable to learn that “at least 8 teams are still checking in on Harper,” according to a tweet from Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). While Heyman suggests that some of those clubs do not have much interest in a long-term arrangement, it stands to reason that Harper and agent Scott Boras would welcome any bidders to help boost their bargaining power.

Despite a limited cast of publicly known suitors, it has always seemed logical that additional teams would look into a Harper deal. With at least one mystery team chasing Machado, we’ve already seen that concept introduced, but it hasn’t been as evident in Harper’s case.

So, what teams might be in the picture that weren’t previously known? That’s hard to say. The Padres have entered the mix, joining the Phillies, White Sox, and Nationals as known suitors. Beyond that, though, there’s no real indication. Jim Bowden of The Athletic tweets, in fact, that he has had no success at identifying dark horse participants in the Harper derby.

You’re free to speculate in the comments, of course, but the fact is that any number of organizations could at least be kicking around the edges of Harper’s market. With as many as four mystery clubs evidently involved to some degree, it’s all but impossible to assess the lay of the land — let alone to foresee just how Harper’s time on the open market will ultimately draw to a close.

Latest On Mets’ Pitching Staff

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While the Mets seem to have largely built out their 2019 pitching staff, there’s still some potential offseason work to be done. That may not mean bringing in new arms, though, so much as looking into new deals with existing ones.

There had been a general expectation that the Mets would pursue another rotation piece, whether to compete with or displace Jason Vargas in the #5 spot. General manager Brodie Van Wagenen cast doubt on that concept in an interview today with Andy Martino of SNY.tv (video link).

The Mets will “still stay in touch” with free agents, says Van Wagenen, but the team presently has “no plans to sign an additional starting pitcher.” Rather, per the rookie GM, the plan is to head down to camp and evaluate from there.

Whether or not Spring Training will provide opportunities — or create needs — for the Mets to consider additional hurlers, it’s expected to serve as a stage for contract talks. In particular, indications are that the club still intends to explore a new deal with star pitcher Jacob deGrom.

That negotiations haven’t yet started “has left the deGrom camp, at a minimum, disappointed,” according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. From the team’s perspective, Van Wagenen did not indicate that anything has changed. To the contrary, he says that he still “hope[s] Jacob deGrom is a lifelong Met.” There’s still ample time for talks to get started, of course — camp hasn’t opened, and deGrom is controlled for two more seasons — but it’s certainly interesting to hear that deGrom’s reps have been displeased at the lack of communication to this point.

Interestingly, Sherman also reports that the Mets have designs on holding talks with Zack Wheeler, who is earning $5.975MM in 2019 before reaching free agency. Wheeler is an interesting potential extension target, as he’s fresh off of an impressive season in which he re-emerged following a three-year run of injuries and struggles. He’s younger than deGrom and closer to free agency, but hasn’t reached his rotation mate’s successes on the mound and has a much more worrisome track record. Wheeler is a difficult player to value in a hypothetical extension scenario, so it’ll be interesting to see if the sides are able to line up on a deal.

Steve Delabar To Retire

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Former MLB righty Steve Delabar announced that he’s no longer pursuing playing opportunities in an appearance on the Outta the Park show with Barry Davis (audio link). Though he hasn’t filed formal paperwork, Delabar says he’s “ready to move on” and is now coaching at the high school level in his hometown.

Delabar, 35, is now two full seasons removed from his MLB playing career. He had briefly appeared at the Triple-A level last year with the Rangers organization, but was not able to get back into form to challenge for a return to the majors.

It ended up being quite a journey for Delabar, which he discusses at length in the podcast. After washing out of the Padres organization, he had to fight his way back into the affiliated ranks. Delabar re-launched with the Mariners in 2011, sparking a six-year MLB career. It’s an inspiring tale, albeit one that was marred by a 2017 PED suspension. (He gave his side of the story at the time.)

Delabar will ultimately be remembered most as a big league hurler for his time with the Blue Jays. He thrived for a brief stretch in Toronto, securing an All-Star appearance in 2013. All said, Delabar hangs up his spikes with 194 2/3 innings of 4.07 ERA pitching, with 11.2 K/9 against 4.7 BB/9.

Rangers To Sign David Carpenter

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The Rangers have agreed to a contract with right-handed reliever David Carpenter, Driveline Baseball’s Kyle Boddy announced on Twitter. Details of the contract are unknown at this time, but it seems fair to assume it’s a minor-league arrangement.

There was a time when we ran quite a few posts involving David Carpenter, inevitably spurring the question: which one? Two right-handed relievers by the same name both appeared concurrently in the big leagues (and both played with the Braves, albeit not at the same time).

The Carpenter who’s now headed to Texas is the more accomplished of the two. (Here’s the B-Ref page for the other.) In his five years in the majors, he worked to a 3.66 ERA over 211 1/3 frames. At his best, Carpenter was dominant. He peaked in 2013, with a 1.78 ERA and 10.1 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9 over 65 2/3 innings.

Now 33 years old, Carpenter hasn’t seen the majors since 2015. With health issues playing a role, he ended up receiving only minimal Triple-A opportunities over ensuing two seasons and scuffled badly in the upper minors. Carpenter was able to turn in 37 2/3 productive indy ball frames in 2017, but obviously wasn’t drawing much interest from affiliated organizations.

Carpenter has been working with Driveline to revive his career. His personal Twitter feed shows some of the progress and changes he has made, including the addition of a splitter. It’ll be interesting to see whether he’s able to earn a shot at some point with the Rangers, who should have ample opportunity even after adding several relievers this winter.

Giants Have “Talked About” Pursuing Jacoby Ellsbury Trade

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The Giants have at least “talked about” swinging a deal with the Yankees involving outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Details of any negotiations remain unknown, as is the seriousness of the Giants’ interest.

Given Ellsbury’s cost, and the fact that he missed all of the 2018 season, the concept would only conceivably make sense if it involved a big, bad contract going back east. The Giants certainly do have some underperforming deals on the books, including Johnny Cueto ($68MM over three years, including buyout on 2022 option), Jeff Samardzija ($36MM over two years), Brandon Belt ($48MM over three years), Mark Melancon ($28MM over two years), and Evan Longoria ($61.5MM over four years, including buyout on 2023 option and excluding portion owed by the Rays).

Olney speculates that Cueto might make sense as a return piece, so long as the sides could even up the anticipated money somehow. Ellsbury is still owed just over $47MM over the next two seasons, including a buyout in a 2021 option. In theory, Ellsbury would step into the Giants’ barren outfield mix, assuming he’s able to get healthy, while the Yanks would collect insurance proceeds on Cueto until he’s ready to return from Tommy John surgery. (Ellsbury’s contract is also insured to some extent; the Yanks reportedly collected on it last year.)

It’s worth adding that the competitive balance tax hits for both players are quite similar, as both check in just under $22MM. That’s a key consideration for both of these teams, each of which is seemingly attempting to stay beneath the luxury line.

While there’s arguably some outward appeal to the concept — which, to reiterate, was presented only as a hypothetical — it seems like a questionable idea from the Giants’ perspective. Ellsbury was fading hard even before he missed all of 2018. While he was still a useful player, he likely profiles at best as a heavily utilized platoon man at this stage. At 35 years of age, Ellsbury comes with limited upside. Cueto had certainly not been at his best even before going under the knife, but he threw 219 2/3 innings of 2.79 ERA ball in 2016 and is still a few days away from his 33rd birthday. While the Giants might well like to take a shot on Ellsbury as a veteran piece, it seems much likelier that Cueto will end up returning something close to the value of his remaining earnings. With three pending free agents in the current rotation, the Giants will surely have a use for him, too. Perhaps it’s fair to think, then, that the Yanks would have to sweeten such a deal with young talent.

It’s interesting to wonder whether other permutations could instead be pursued. Samardzija might give the Yankees some desired rotation depth and could be an interesting candidate to work in a long relief role. He comes with a lesser tax hit of $18MM, but perhaps the deal could include a veteran reliever and deliver more young talent back to the Giants. There are certainly plenty of ways to sketch out tax-neutral scenarios, though at the end of the day it all depends just how interested the Giants really are in having Ellsbury on their roster — and how motivated the Yankees are to send him out. And the veteran outfielder will also have a say himself, as he enjoys full no-trade protection.

Indians Designate A.J. Cole For Assignment

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The Indians announced that they’ve designated right-hander A.J. Cole for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to newly acquired right-hander Nick Wittgren.

If Cole’s time with the Cleveland organization is up, his stay will have been brief; the Indians only claimed him off waivers from the Yankees back on Jan 11. He’d have been in line to compete for a bullpen job in Spring Training and may still have that opportunity, though he’ll first need to clear outright waivers. If another club claims Cole, that new team will have to open the season with him on the Major League roster or else once again expose him to waivers, as Cole is out of minor league options.

Cole, who turned 27 earlier this month, gave the Yankees 38 innings of 4.26 ERA ball after being acquired from the Nationals in 2018, pitching in primarily a multi-inning relief role. Along the way, he averaged a strong 11.6 K/9 and registered an enormous 15.9 percent swinging-strike rate with a very good 34.3 percent opponents’ chase rate on out-of-zone pitches. However, he was also immensely susceptible to home runs, as he averaged 2.13 homers per nine innings pitched with the Yankees. In all, between New York and Washington, Cole yielded a staggering 15 home runs in 38 innings.

That said, Cole was at one point considered to be among the most promising pitching prospects in all of baseball, and surely the strikeout rate, swinging-strike rate and chase rate could hold appeal to another team — particularly one that is thin on rotation depth and/or has multiple bullpen spots up for grabs. He’ll need to learn to keep the ball in the yard, but the level at which Cole missed bats in 2018 would be elite if he proved it to be sustainable; the 15.9 percent swinging-strike rate he logged as a Yankee would’ve ranked 12th in the game among qualified relievers last year.

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