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Pirates Have “Worked Hard” To Deal For Jose Quintana

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TODAY: Even after the Pirates reached an agreement with Ivan Nova, the Pirates are still trying to acquire Quintana, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY: The Pirates have “worked hard” to trade for star White Sox lefty Jose Quintana, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets. Olney notes that Quintana’s very reasonable contract — which guarantees him a very reasonable $15.85MM over the next two years, plus cheap options or $1M buyouts for 2019 and 2020 — would fit into the budget of the low-revenue Pirates.

The Bucs currently have a very young and unproven rotation behind Gerrit Cole, and Quintana would certainly provide a big boost to a team that could conceivably contend in 2017. Acquiring Quintana, though, would seemingly constitute a significant change in direction for the Pirates, who have spent much of the offseason thus far discussing trades involving star outfielder Andrew McCutchen (who they now appear likely to keep). Adding Quintana, who has pitched over 800 innings in the last four seasons and who had a 3.20 ERA, 7.8 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 while finishing 10th in AL Cy Young voting in 2016, would dramatically increase the Pirates’ chances of making the playoffs next year.

Quintana would come at a significant price in prospects. The White Sox have driven hard bargains so far this offseason in trading Chris Sale and Adam Eaton, and they reportedly asked for top prospects Francis Martes and Kyle Tucker, plus big-leaguer Joe Musgrove, when the Astros called about Quintana. That’s not a wholly unreasonable price for a terrific pitcher with four years of control remaining, particularly given the seemingly seller-friendly market this offseason, but it isn’t cheap, either. The Pirates could conceivably offer top prospects like Austin Meadows, Tyler Glasnow or Mitch Keller in a Quintana trade, although the exact players discussed as they’ve worked to deal with the White Sox remain unknown.

6 Teams Have Made Offers To Edwin Encarnacion

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6:56pm: Cleveland, Texas, and Oakland appear to be the three most likely destinations at present, Bowden adds. On the N.L. side, the Rockies are said still to be “monitoring” the developments while the Marlins aren’t involved.

6:13pm: In addition to the Indians and Blue Jays, the Rangers, Astros, and Athletics have all made offers to Encarnacion, according to ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden (who cites team sources for each organization). As noted below, there’s apparently at least one other organization that has dangled a proposal as well.

Each of those five clubs have put multiple years on the table, per Bowden, who notes that some of the offers include opt-outs following the 2017 campaign. Two suitors, in particular, are said to be engaged in negotiations “at a rapid pace” with Encarnacion’s reps. It’s not known which of the five organizations are pushing hardest at present.

2:35pm: The Indians are “pulling out all the stops” to land Encarnacion, although they might ultimately not be able to afford him, a source tells Fan Rag’s Jon Heyman. Kinzer tells Heyman that two teams have been especially enthusiastic in their pursuit of Encarnacion, although he doesn’t say who.

11:14am: Here’s the latest from Edwin Encarnacion’s agent Paul Kinzer, via an interview with Jeff Blair of Sportsnet590:

  • Kinzer says he is surprised Encarnacion isn’t yet signed. He acknowledges the “glut” of power hitters remaining on the free agent market (presumably including players like Mark Trumbo, Mike Napoli, Jose Bautista and Chris Carter) but says he felt Encarnacion and Yoenis Cespedes stood above that group.
  • Encarnacion has gotten three- to four-year offers from six teams, Kinzer says. Most of those offers were for three years. National League teams have been involved in Encarnacion’s market as well as American League teams.
  • Encarnacion’s priority, though, has been to return to the Blue Jays. The Jays, of course, made a significant offer to Encarnacion, but that offer came right around the opening of free agency, and Kinzer says the timing wasn’t quite right for Encarnacion, who wanted to assess other teams’ interest. After the Jays signed Kendrys Morales and then Steve Pearce, Kinzer and Encarnacion felt it wasn’t likely Encarnacion would return to Toronto. “We never had any idea that the Blue Jays were going to move that fast,” Kinzer says. He acknowledges the two sides have spoken recently, but says Encarnacion is coming to grips with the fact that he probably won’t be a Blue Jay next season.
  • Kinzer says he expected significant offers from teams like the Red Sox and Yankees early in free agency. Those apparently didn’t materialize, and Kinzer says he believes the threat of a lost draft pick had an impact on Encarnacion’s market. The absence of a new CBA early in the offseason was a factor as well, he adds.
  • Kinzer feels it wasn’t a mistake that Encarnacion didn’t discuss an extension with the Jays once the 2016 season started. He says that when he negotiated Starlin Castro’s extension with the Cubs, it was a significant distraction for Castro, affecting his eating and sleeping habits. Encarnacion, meanwhile, was very productive in his final year before free agency.

Latest On The Rangers’ Offseason

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Here’s the latest on the Rangers’ progress this offseason, via ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (all Twitter links).

  • The Rangers have asked the White Sox about Jose Quintana, Crasnick writes. The Rangers likely won’t be significant bidders for Quintana, however, unless the White Sox’ price comes down. The two teams discussed Quintana at the trade deadline during the season, and the White Sox asked for Jurickson Profar plus “a lot more.” The Rangers thought that price was too high. There would, of course, be little reason for the White Sox not to ask for a lot in return for Quintana, who is controllable for the next four seasons. While it’s not surprising that the White Sox wanted more than Profar in exchange for Quintana, the basic framework of the deal makes sense — the Rangers reportedly targeted another controllable starter, Joe Ross, when the Nationals asked about Profar.
  • The Rangers are still pursuing potential trades for starting pitchers, Crasnick writes. The Rangers’ rotation is strong at the top with Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish, and Martin Perez makes a decent third option. But they’re weak after that, with wild-card new signee Andrew Cashner topping a list of possible fourth and fifth starters.
  • The Rangers also continue to linger on the periphery of Edwin Encarnacion’s market. Encarnacion’s agent said earlier today that several teams had made offers to Encarnacion of three or four years, although it’s unclear if the Rangers are one of those teams. GM Jon Daniels has said that it’s “highly unlikely” the Rangers will sign Encarnacion, despite a clear opening for a bat to play first base and/or DH.

Rangers Claim David Rollins, Designate Tyrell Jenkins

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The Rangers have announced that they’ve claimed lefty David Rollins off waivers from the Phillies. In a corresponding move, they’ve designated righty Tyrell Jenkins for assignment.

The Phillies designated Rollins for assignment last week. His claim by the Rangers marks the fourth such time he’s been claimed in a little over a month. The Cubs claimed him from the Mariners in November, only to lose him on a claim to the Rangers four days later. The Phillies claimed Rollins from the Rangers early this month, and now the Rangers are claiming him for a second time.

Rollins spent most of the 2016 season with Triple-A Tacoma, posting a 3.77 ERA, 6.4 and a strong 1.2 BB/9 in 45 1/3 innings of relief. The former Rule 5 pick has struggled in parts of two big-league seasons with the Mariners. He turns 27 today.

The Rangers only acquired Jenkins earlier this month, getting him along with lefty Brady Feigl from the Braves in exchange for hard-throwing righty Luke Jackson. Jenkins was once a well-regarded prospect in the Cardinals system before going to the Braves in the Jason Heyward deal. Since then, though, Jenkins has posted unimpressive peripheral numbers in both the minors and Majors, culminating in a 5.88 ERA, 4.5 K/9, 5.7 BB/9 and an awful 11 home runs in 52 innings in his big-league debut last season. Jenkins is still just 24 and has never been used much as a reliever, so another team could see upside in him, either as a starting option or out of the bullpen.

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/21/16

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Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.

  • The Twins have signed corner infielder Matt Hague to a minor league deal, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger tweets. They also re-signed 1B/OF Reynaldo Rodriguez to a minor league deal. The 31-year-old Hague had a strong season with Triple-A Buffalo in the Blue Jays system in 2015, batting .338/.416/.468, and he’s generally hit well at the Triple-A level. In 2016, though, he struggled with Hanshin in Japan, batting .231/.339/.346 in 124 plate appearances. He’s collected a total of 91 career big-league plate appearances with the Jays and Pirates. The 29-year-old Rodriguez batted .220/.304/.329 for Triple-A Rochester in 2016, also serving an 80-game PED suspension. He has over 1,500 career plate appearances at Double-A and has established himself as a good hitter at that level, but his bat has never fully made the leap to Triple-A, and he’s never played in the Majors.
  • The White Sox have outrighted lefty Matt Purke, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets. The White Sox designated Purke for assignment when they signed Derek Holland. Purke, a former first-round and third-round pick, posted a 5.50 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 6.0 BB/9 in his first 18 career big-league innings in 2016. He spent most of the season in the bullpen at Triple-A Charlotte, where he had a 3.52 ERA, 8.9 K/9 and a way-too-high 5.4 BB/9 over 38 1/3 innings.
  • Veteran lefty Travis Blackley has announced via Twitter that he’s signed a deal with the Tigers, presumably of the minor league variety. (Hat tip to Evan Woodbery of the MLive Media Group for the tip.) Last season, the 34-year-old Blackley pitched for Puebla in the Mexican League, posting a 3.92 ERA, 5.1 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 over 110 1/3 innings as a starter. Since last pitching in the big leagues in 2013 (when he appeared with the Astros and Rangers), Blackley has also pitched for the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan, for the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs in the US, and for Brisbane in his native Australia.

East Notes: Harvey, Nationals, Mets, McCutchen

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Former big-leaguer Bryan Harvey says his son, Orioles prospect Hunter Harvey, could return to throwing next week after having Tommy John surgery in July, reports Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. (Hunter Harvey himself told MASN’s Steve Melewski last week that he would begin throwing the day after Christmas.) Harvey’s progression will be slow, in keeping with the very long timeline associated with TJ recoveries — he won’t pitch off a mound for quite awhile. Still, he appears to be on schedule, and there’s a chance he could pitch near the end of the 2017 minor league season. Harvey, the 22nd pick in the 2013 draft, is currently the Orioles’ third-best prospect, according to MLB.com. He was off to a very promising start to his pro career in 2014 when he suffered an elbow injury that caused him to miss the entire 2015 season. He briefly returned in 2016 before it became clear Tommy John surgery was necessary. Here’s more from the East divisions.

  • The Nationals’ search for a solution to their closer issues goes back nearly a decade, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post writes. Janes identifies Chad Cordero — who had three good seasons in Washington from 2004 through 2006 — as the team’s last good long-term option at the position. Now, the departure of Mark Melancon and the team’s failure to sign Kenley Jansen fit in with a long-term pattern of the Nats missing out on long-term closer help. The team could now turn to an internal option like Blake Treinen or Shawn Kelley to take the ball in the ninth.
  • The Mets do not need to trade for Andrew McCutchen, who provides “a very convoluted answer to their outfield logjam,” Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News writes. The Mets have been fleetingly connected to McCutchen, but he’s coming off a season in which he was poorly rated defensively and didn’t fare much better on offense. The McCutchen rumors indicated the Pirates would want pitching in return, but Ackert notes that the Mets themselves can use their young pitcher stockpile, and that their young arms are likely to be healthier in 2017 than they were last year.

AL Central Notes: Indians, White Sox, Twins

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Last summer, the Indians discussed a deal that would have sent prospects to the Brewers for Jonathan Lucroy, but those plans were scuttled when Lucroy blocked a trade to Cleveland. Months later, those prospects are still in the Indians’ system, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian notes. “There were a whole lot of unknowns,” says Greg Allen, one of the prospects reportedly included in the deal (along with Francisco Mejia, Yu-Cheng Chang and Shawn Armstrong). “When I saw he had vetoed the trade, I obviously didn’t really know what was going to happen next, if there was going to be a counter offer or different things like that. It was pretty crazy to be a part of.” Indians GM Mike Chernoff says that assistant GM Carter Hawkins (then the team’s farm director) joined various members of the team’s front office and coaching staff who helped explain what happened to the players who ultimately weren’t dealt. “They definitely reiterated that message — the fact that it wasn’t getting rid of guys, but more so a compliment to those guys that were involved,” says Allen. “Especially in that trade with myself, Yu-Cheng Chang, Francisco Mejia, guys who have pretty good resumes on their own. It just kind of speaks to that.” Here’s more on the AL Central.

  • The White Sox acquired the top four prospects traded this offseason, as MLB.com’s Mike Rosenbaum notes (perhaps not surprisingly). Rosenbaum’s list of the top prospects to be dealt this winter begins with Yoan Moncada, Lucas Giolito, Michael Kopech and Reynaldo Lopez, and also includes two other new White Sox, Luis Alexander Basabe (who’s at No. 6 and who came with Moncada and Kopech in the Chris Sale deal) and Dane Dunning (who’s at No. 7 and who arrived in the Adam Eaton deal with Giolito and Lopez).
  • The Twins have agreed to bring Jeff Pickler aboard to join their big-league coaching staff next year, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger writes. Pickler previously served as a special assistant for pro scouting and player development with the analytically inclined Dodgers, and he’s expected to serve as a liaison between the team’s front office and its coaching staff. Pickler played eight years as an infielder in the Brewers system and has also worked in scouting with the Padres and Diamondbacks.

Pirates Designate Brady Dragmire For Assignment

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The Pirates have announced that they’ve designated righty Brady Dragmire for assignment. The move clears space on the team’s 40-man roster for righty Daniel Hudson, whose signing is now official.

Dragmire has now been removed from a team’s 40-man four times since late September, when the Blue Jays designated him and then dealt him to the Pirates for cash. The Bucs then lost him on waivers to the Rangers earlier this month, only to claim him again two weeks later.

The 23-year-old Dragmire pitched in the bullpen for Double-A New Hampshire in the Jays system in 2016, posting a 4.38 ERA, 5.1 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 72 innings. He’s had a very high ground-ball rate throughout the minors, however, perhaps giving him a bit of upside his modest traditional statistics don’t capture.

Padres Sign Jhoulys Chacin

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9:11pm: Chacin’s contract is worth $1.75MM, according to FanRag’s Jon Heyman. He rejected “significantly more money” from other teams because he felt the Padres offered the best opportunity (Twitter links).

3:13pm: Righty Jhoulys Chacin and the Padres have agreed to terms on a one-year deal, pending a physical, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. Chacin is a client of the Legacy Agency.

The Padres will likely count on Chacin to eat innings in an otherwise thin and inexperienced rotation that has lately lost veteran arms like James Shields, Drew Pomeranz, Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross. There should be no shortage of opportunities for Chacin in San Diego. As of this afternoon, they had Christian Friedrich (who has never posted an ERA below 4.80 in the big leagues) top their starting pitching depth chart; below him was Luis Perdomo, who had a 5.71 ERA, 6.4 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 while pitching as a Rule 5 player last season.

The 28-year-old Chacin began last season in a somewhat similar situation but on a minor league deal with the Braves, who later traded him to the Angels to plug their rotation, which was riddled with injuries. All told, Chacin ate 144 innings, posting a 4.81 ERA, 7.4 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9. That line, of course, is somewhat underwhelming, and Chacin’s modest velocity and fairly recent history of shoulder trouble also limit his upside somewhat.

On the bright side, Chacin’s peripherals were a bit better than his ERA, and he gets his fair share of ground balls, with a 48.4 GB% last season. Before that, he managed to survive several seasons pitching in Coors Field, and spending two-thirds of one’s career with the Rockies and retaining a 3.94 ERA is no mean feat. Whatever his virtues, though, the Padres likely won’t expect Chacin to be perfect, only to help them get through what could be a tough season.

Top 10 Remaining Free Agents

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With a number of this offseason’s top free agent market — Yoenis Cespedes, Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen — already off the board, here’s a look at what’s left as we head toward the holiday season. Here are the top 10 remaining players, with rankings via MLBTR’s top 50 list from early November.

2. Edwin Encarnacion. While closers have flown off the board in the last few weeks, the market for sluggers has been slower to develop. A variety of AL teams — including the Indians, Athletics, Rangers and Blue Jays — have been connected to Encarnacion, as have the Rockies and Cardinals in the NL. Thus far, there’s been little reported movement toward a deal, with many of Encarnacion’s potential suitors’ reported interest looking tepid at best.

8. Mark Trumbo. At this point, the Orioles likely have extended the best offer to their former slugger, with the Cardinals and Rockies also looming as possibilities. Trumbo is on the long list of sluggers the Indians have reportedly contacted, and the Mariners appear to be a possibility as well.

10. Ivan Nova. There’s been surprisingly little chatter about Nova even as free agent pitchers like Rich Hill and Jeremy Hellickson have disapppeared from the already poorly stocked starting pitching shelves. Of course, just because there’s little reported movement on a player doesn’t mean there isn’t interest, only that not all the interest has been reported. Pirates GM Neal Huntington says his team has been in touch with its former trade deadline acqusition, although it would be a small upset if the Pirates did sign Nova, due to their apparent budgetary issues. The Astros have been connected to a variety of hurlers, but at last check, they reportedly weren’t in on Nova.

12. Jose Bautista. As with Encarnacion, there doesn’t seem to be much good news for Bautista at the moment, who has been connected to a variety of teams that, for various reasons, aren’t likely to give him the sort of contract he might seek. The potential loss of a draft pick for signing Bautista appears likely to be problematic for some potential suitors as well. A return to the Blue Jays could make the most sense, as MLB.com’s Jon Morosi recently argued.

15. Jason Hammel. At last check, Hammel’s camp said there were ten teams pursuing its client. At present, there’s no telling who those teams might be. The Yankees and Marlins have been connected to Hammel, although it’s unclear how much interest the Marlins might still have after adding Edinson Volquez and Jeff Locke.

16. Matt Wieters. Wieters’ agent, Scott Boras, recently said his client might not sign until late in the offseason, since the market for catchers had been slow. Since then, the Orioles’ signing of Welington Castillo perhaps made it less likely Wieters would return to Baltimore. Fan Rag’s Jon Heyman tweeted today, though, that the Orioles could conceivably still sign Wieters — they like him, and they’ve benefited in the past from late-breaking deals like their 2014 signing of Nelson Cruz. The Braves (who were also connected to Castillo) and Rockies could still make sense as well.

20. Michael Saunders. The Indians reportedly offered Saunders a one-year deal, and the Orioles and Blue Jays have been connected to him as well. At least from the outside, though, Saunders’ market has been quiet.

21. Mike Napoli. Napoli joins a glut of offense-minded corner/DH types on this list, also including Encarnacion, Trumbo, Bautista and Saunders. (The presence of interesting secondary players like Brandon Moss, Chris Carter and Adam Lind also probably hasn’t helped get the market moving.) The Indians have been most strongly connected to Napoli recently.

23. Greg Holland. Unlike many players on this list, Holland could join any number of teams and not cause roster headaches. Bullpens are highly malleable. For that reason, there’s a long list of teams that could gamble on Holland’s upside as he returns from Tommy John surgery. As MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk noted last week, that list includes the Cubs, Dodgers, Yankees, Giants, Red Sox, Indians, Rays, Mariners, Nationals, Padres, Twins, Mets, Phillies, Tigers, Blue Jays, Royals and Brewers, all of whom have shown at least some degree of interest.

24. Travis Wood. We’ve heard nothing about Wood since the Winter Meetings, when it emerged that the Cubs had been in touch with Wood about the possibility of re-signing. Wood reportedly wants another chance to start after a season in which he posted a 2.95 ERA, albeit with a modest 6.9 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9. One factor that could work in his favor in that quest is his hitting ability, which is well above average for a pitcher; for that reason, it wouldn’t be surprising if he wound up with an NL team.

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