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Padres Interested In Jose Iglesias, Hanser Alberto

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The Padres have asked a variety of teams about potential shortstop options, MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell tweets. One player who’s on their list is Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias, who Detroit GM Al Avila said yesterday was drawing interest.

Iglesias, 26, would give the Padres a defense-first option at shortstop, likely leaving the Tigers to entrust the position to Dixon Machado. Iglesias has two years of control remaining, and is projected to make $3.2MM this year through the arbitration process. He batted a modest .255/.306/.336 in 513 plate appearances last year, but, as usual, he produced good value with his glove, with an 11.6 UZR and +3 Defensive Runs Saved.

Cassavell adds that the Padres are still have interest in Hanser Alberto of the Rangers, who has lately been mentioned as a possible trade fit for San Diego for outfielder Travis Jankowski. Like Iglesias, Alberto profiles as a defense-first shortstop. He’s inexperienced, however, and hasn’t hit at all in his brief big-league opportunities, batting .194/.204/.226 in 162 plate appearances in the Majors. He is, however, likely quite familiar to Padres GM A.J. Preller, who was in the Rangers organization when Alberto signed in 2009.

Nationals Discuss David Robertson With White Sox

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1:24pm: The Nationals tried to expand the Eaton deal to include Robertson, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets. The White Sox turned them down, however, so the two sides will discuss a Robertson deal as a separate proposition.

11:05am: Here’s the latest on the Nationals’ hunt for a closer, with details trickling in from various reporters, including MASN’s Mark Zuckerman. A new entry to the list of possible closers the Nationals are considering: David Robertson, who Zuckerman says the Nats have discussed with the White Sox. The White Sox are by now very familiar with the Nationals’ farm system after the Adam Eaton deal and the Chris Sale negotiations, so one might think the two sides could piece together a deal if there are additional prospects the White Sox like. At last check, though, the White Sox planned to wait to see where Kenley Jansen landed before striking a deal.

As with the Cubs’ deal for Wade Davis, trading for Robertson (who has two years and $25MM left on his contract) could be a way for the Nationals to avoid paying the exorbitant prices top closers like Aroldis Chapman and Mark Melancon have received on the open market, and that Jansen will likely receive. Robertson is, however, coming off a modestly disappointing season in which he posted a 3.47 ERA and a healthy 10.8 K/9, but with 4.6 BB/9. Robertson can block trades to five teams, but according to Cot’s Contracts, the Nationals are not among them.

As previously noted, the Nats did bid on Jansen, and they met with Jansen’s representatives this week. They join the Marlins and Dodgers in pursuit of the star closer. They’ve also talked with the Rays about a deal for Alex Colome. The 27-year-old Colome just had a brilliant 1.91 ERA, 11.3 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 season while saving 37 games for Tampa Bay. Acquiring Colome would likely require a steeper prospect price than acquiring Robertson, however, due to his low cost and four years of control remaining.

East Notes: Chapman, Marlins, Nationals, Eaton, Yankees, Gardner, Mets

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Aroldis Chapman agreed to an $86MM guarantee from the Yankees last night, but the Marlins offered him a bigger guarantee of $87MM, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. The Yankees’ deal contains additional value for Chapman in the form of an opt-out clause after three years, and the terms of the Marlins’ offer might have been different. (FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets that the salary distribution in the Yankees’ deal, which includes a large signing bonus, was better, and Chapman also liked the no-trade clause.) Still, last night, Chapman specifically cited a desire to return to the Yankees as a key reason for his decision. Here’s more from the East divisions.

  • The conventional wisdom was that the Nationals paid too heavily for Adam Eaton this week, Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post writes. One key to the trade from the Nationals’ perspective, though, is that the organization had changed its mind about Lucas Giolito, with one team official telling Svrluga, “He’s not going to be what I thought he was going to be.” Also, Eaton (who is controllable for the next five years) offered the Nationals a long-term outfield solution that Andrew McCutchen wouldn’t have — McCutchen would have been eligible for free agency after the 2018 season, at the same time as Bryce Harper, and the Nats would have been forced to address two outfield positions at once.
  • GM Brian Cashman says the Yankees have completed their biggest moves this offseason, “unless I trade (Brett) Gardner,” as related by MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (on Twitter). Hoch adds that Cashman has rejected trade offers for third baseman Chase Headley. The Yankees, of course, have agreed to terms with Chapman and Matt Holliday to upgrade their bullpen and DH spot. The Yankees have listened to offers for Gardner this week.
  • With the Winter Meetings in the books, the Mets will now attempt to trade Jay Bruce or another outfielder, and they’ll try to add relief pitching on short-term deals, ESPN’s Adam Rubin tweets. Earlier this week, the Mets reportedly were interested in a Curtis Granderson / Brad Brach deal with the Orioles that would have addressed both needs, but that trade seems unlikely.

Marlins, Dodgers, Nationals Vying For Kenley Jansen

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THURSDAY, 12:39pm: If the Marlins don’t land Jansen, they could turn to another free agent, Neftali Feliz, according to MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro (on Twitter). The 28-year-old Feliz is coming off a good year with the Pirates (3.52 ERA, 10.2 K/9, 3.5 BB/9) and has closing experience. He should also be considerably cheaper than Jansen.

7:50am: Rival executives don’t expect the Dodgers to match the Marlins’ offer, per Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

7:15am: The Nationals are now “making a push” for Jansen, reports FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (Twitter links). However, the Nats are “uncomfortable” with the financial commitment it would take to land him, tweets Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. The club has previously used deferrals as a way to help sign big-money players like Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, but that’s unlikely to work this time, per Rosenthal.

WEDNESDAY: The Marlins have made an offer of five years and more than $80MM to free agent closer Kenley Jansen, Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan tweets. The Marlins were reportedly the runners-up to acquire Aroldis Chapman, who agreed to a five-year, $86MM deal with the Yankees late tonight. Now, with Chapman off the table, it appears they’re trying to lure Jansen with a similarly huge offer. Barring an unforeseen turn of events, Jansen seems likely to pick the Marlins (where he’d be reunited with former manager Don Mattingly and teammates Dee Gordon and A.J. Ellis) or re-sign with the Dodgers.

Jansen doesn’t have Chapman’s spectacular velocity, but he’s a dominating reliever in his own right — he’s coming off a season in which he posted a 1.83 ERA, 13.6 K/9 and an incredibly low 1.4 BB/9 in 68 2/3 innings with the Dodgers. He’s had a much quieter career than Chapman has, but there’s no arguing his tremendous career numbers, including a 2.20 ERA, 13.9 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9.

Still, it’s somewhat surprising to hear that he’s received at least one contract offer similar to Chapman’s deal, which broke the previous record for a relief pitcher contract by $24MM. The recent offers he, Chapman and Mark Melancon have received have been stratospheric, reflecting a trend throughout the industry of increasing salaries for dominant relievers.

It’s also somewhat odd that the Marlins (who won just 79 games last season and recently lost former ace Jose Fernandez under tragic circumstances) are ready to make such an enormous investment in a closer, even a great one. Jansen, who rejected a qualifying offer from the Dodgers, would also cost the Marlins their top 2017 draft pick, No. 13 overall.

Jake Arrieta, Cubs To Discuss Extension Next Month

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Jake Arrieta’s agent, Scott Boras, says he will discuss an extension with the Cubs next month when the two sides exchange arbitration figures, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers tweets. There have been rumblings of extension talk for over a year between Arrieta and the Cubs, but the two sides haven’t reached a deal, and reportedly hadn’t come close to one as of last April.

After his brilliant Cy Young season in 2015, the 30-year-old Arrieta was modestly — but only modestly — disappointing in 2016, posting a 3.10 ERA, 8.7 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 over 197 1/3 innings. He’s had three straight strong seasons in Chicago, though, and still appears likely to cash in if he waits until he’s eligible for free agency at the end of next season. He’s currently set to make a projected $16.8MM next season through the arbitration process.

There’s ample precedent for extensions for star pitchers with five-plus years of service time — Boras negotiated a $175MM deal for Stephen Strasburg last May, and he would probably aim in that direction for Arrieta, who has had more recent success than Strasburg but is also two years older than Strasburg was at the time of his deal. Clayton Kershaw, Cole Hamels and Homer Bailey have also signed nine-figure deals with five-plus years of service time.

Yankees To Sign Aroldis Chapman

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Aroldis Chapman and the Yankees have agreed on a five-year deal worth $86MM, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal writes (Twitter links). Chapman will receive an $11MM signing bonus and $15MM per season, FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets. He can opt out of the contract after three years, and he has a full no-trade clause through the first three years of the deal and a limited no-trade clause for the last two. He also cannot be traded to a West Coast-based team, ESPN’s Marly Rivera tweets. Since the Yankees traded Chapman last season, he was not extended a qualifying offer and thus will not cost the Yankees a draft pick. Chapman is a client of Magnus Sports.

"<strong[Related: Updated New York Yankees Depth Chart]

Chapman’s enormous $86MM guarantee destroys the previous record for the largest contract ever given to a free agent relief pitcher, topping Mark Melancon’s recent deal with the Giants by a remarkable $24MM. The $17.2MM average annual value of Chapman’s deal also easily tops the previous high for a relief pitcher, set by Melancon ($15.5MM). Chapman’s deal is also the second largest for a free agent this winter, behind only Yoenis Cespedes’ $110MM pact.

Still, the dollar figures of Chapman’s contract aren’t surprising — it had already been reported that Chapman had received a $92MM deal, a number that hardly seemed surprising given his talent. (It’s possible he elected to take a deal with a slightly smaller guarantee due to the opt-out.) We here at MLBTR predicted Chapman would head back to the Yankees on a $90MM contract. The 28-year-old Chapman has a well-earned reputation as the game’s most dominating relief pitcher, piling up strikeout after strikeout with ridiculous three-digit heat from the left side, as well as a slider that frequently touches 90 MPH. In his seven-year career in the big leagues, Chapman has struck out 636 batters just in 377 innings for an absurd 15.2 K/9, with a brilliant 2.08 lifetime ERA.

The Yankees and Marlins had each made five-year offers to Chapman, whose decision had turned into a linchpin of each team’s Winter Meetings activity.  The Marlins had also been connected to Kenley Jansen, the other elite closer remaining, who will now likely head to Miami or back to the Dodgers.

The Marlins were, in fact, the runners-up to acquire Chapman, Rivera confirms, but Chapman says he wanted to return to the Yankees organization. “Every player dreams of being a Yankee, and if they don’t it’s because they never got the chance,” he says.

In the end, Chapman opted to return to the Yankees, for whom he posted a 2.01 ERA, 12.6 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and 20 saves in 31 1/3 brilliant innings before heading to the Cubs in a trade last summer. Chapman, Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances had combined to form the back end of what had been a devastating Yankees bullpen. Miller, of course, has moved on, but Chapman appears set to join Betances yet again in what should be one of the game’s best late-inning combos, with Chapman closing and Betances pitching in a setup role.

The Yankees spent the last half of the 2016 season retooling, shipping out Chapman, Miller, Carlos Beltran and Ivan Nova while attempting to transition from a veteran team to a much more youthful one. The 2017 Yankees will also be without veterans Brian McCann (who was traded to the Astros) and Mark Teixeira (who has retired). With the additions of Chapman and Matt Holliday, however, the Yankees have plainly announced their intention to compete in 2017, and of course there will also be the expectation that Chapman can help well beyond that. In fact, the Yankees specifically targeted DH and closer as areas to upgrade because young players would not be blocked at those positions, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets.

Chapman does come with significant baggage — he was suspended for 30 games at the beginning of the 2016 season due to violation of the league’s domestic violence policy. In October 2015, he allegedly choked his girlfriend, then went to his garage and fired his handgun eight times.

His contract also raises questions about how well he’ll likely perform over its duration. Long-term contracts for relievers infamously frequently turn out poorly. Still, Chapman is such a unique talent that it seems unwise to judge him based on the past troubles of significantly lesser pitchers. Also, the recent successes of pitchers like Chapman and Miller, as well as the 2014-15 Royals bullpen, demonstrate the impact terrific relievers can have on contending teams. Chapman’s new deal will only cover his age-29 through age-33 seasons, and if he can stay healthy, it’s easy to imagine him having success throughout its duration.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On The Red Sox’ Starting Pitchers

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The Red Sox had a busy Winter Meetings, trading for Chris Sale and Tyler Thornburg and signing Mitch Moreland. Here are a few notes on the Red Sox, specifically focusing on their rotation, as their front office heads home to Boston.

  • With Sale in the fold, the Red Sox have a surplus of starting pitching, leading to a flurry of calls from rival executives. The Red Sox are more interested in trading Clay Buchholz than Drew Pomeranz, WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford writes, noting that according to one source, the Red Sox have shown no interest at all in sending Pomeranz packing. Buchholz could generate some interest due to his strong finish in 2016, although his $13.5MM salary could be an obstacle.
  • The Marlins spoke to the Red Sox about Buchholz but balked at his salary, Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller tweets. The Marlins recently acquired Jeff Locke at significantly less to fill out their rotation; they also signed Edinson Volquez earlier this winter.
  • Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski says the Sox have received calls about their starting pitchers, likely Pomeranz, Buchholz and Steven Wright, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald writes. Dombrowski adds, however, that he’s in no rush to make a deal. “We had a lot of phone calls on our pitchers today, and different ones,” he says. “But we’re just kind of sitting back at this point and kind of collecting thought processes. I can’t say we’re aggressively looking to doing something.” Mastrodonato notes that if Pomeranz stays, the Red Sox will have four lefties in their rotation, also including Sale, David Price and Eduardo Rodriguez, plus an abundance of lefty depth in Henry Owens, Brian Johnson and Roenis Elias. The Red Sox, though, say they’re not concerned about that. “I have no driving force to make any trades just because four of the guys are lefties,” Dombrowski says.

Brewers Trade Caleb Smith To Cubs

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The Brewers have traded Rule 5 Draft pick and left-handed pitcher Caleb Smith to the Cubs, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes (Twitter links). The Brewers will receive a player to be named or cash.

The Brewers had selected the 25-year-old Smith out of the Yankees system. He pitched 63 2/3 innings for Double-A Trenton in 2016, making seven starts and 20 relief appearances, and posted a 3.96 ERA, 9.9 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9. The Yankees selected him in the 14th round of the 2013 draft. He seems unlikely to stick on a stacked Cubs roster, but the Cubs had been looking for left-handed relief help.

Rule 5 Pick Justin Haley Traded To Twins

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The Angels have agreed to trade Rule 5 Draft pick and right-handed pitcher Justin Haley for cash, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times tweets. His ultimate destination will be the Twins, as Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press and others tweeted. When the Angels announced the deal, however, they announced that they had traded Haley to the Padres. The Padres also acquired first overall Rule 5 pick Miguel Diaz from the Twins, so it seems that Haley was part of that deal as well.

Haley was the eighth pick in the draft from the Red Sox system, and the Twins had already selected a player, Miguel Diaz, by that point. (Diaz is also a candidate to be traded at some point today.) The 25-year-old Haley pitched 146 2/3 innings between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket and posted a solid 3.01 ERA, 7.7 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9. He was a sixth-round pick of the Red Sox in 2012.

Braves Release Williams Perez

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The Braves have announced that they’ve released starting pitcher Williams Perez. The move clears a spot on their 40-man roster for the Rule 5 Draft, which is about to start.

The 25-year-old Perez has made 31 starts for the Braves over the past two seasons but has mostly struggled, with a 5.18 ERA, 5.3 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 over 170 1/3 innings. Last season, he pitched 53 2/3 innings in the big leagues and posted a 6.04 ERA, also fighting through shoulder and elbow troubles. The Braves now have ample starting pitching depth of the type Perez provides and therefore could afford to lose him.

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