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Rangers Agree To Minors Deals With Hanser Alberto, Kevin Jepsen

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The Rangers have announced minor-league pacts with infielder Hanser Alberto and righty Kevin Jepsen. Both will receive MLB Spring Training invitations.

The 25-year-old Alberto was non-tendered by the Rangers earlier in the offseason, but he’ll remain with the only organization he has known. Alberto missed the bulk of the season due to a shoulder issue but had previously reached the majors, where he struggled in limited playing time. In 616 career plate appearances at Triple-A, Alberto carries a .296/.320/.430 batting line with a dozen home runs.

As for Jepsen, the 2017 season was the first since 2007 in which he had failed to appear in the majors. The 33-year-old reliever had been an effective performer and even stepped into a closing role during the 2015 campaign, but ran into trouble beginning with the ensuing season. He ended up throwing only 23 2/3 Triple-A innings in 2017, over which he permitted 5.32 earned runs per nine — in large part due to surrendering five home runs — but did generate 11.0 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9.

Orioles Sign Righty Michael Kelly To MLB Roster

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The Orioles have agreed to a 40-man deal with righty Michael Kelly, president of baseball operations Dan Duquette told reporters including MLB.com’s Britt Ghiroli (via Twitter). He became a minor-league free agent at the end of the season.

Kelly, 25, reached the Triple-A level in each of the past two years in the Padres organization. He has struggled rather notably there, though he has had some success at Double-A. In 15 starts at the penultimate level of the minors in 2017, Kelly ran a 2.98 ERA with 9.7 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 over 84 2/3 innings.

Orioles Notes: Duffy, Machado, Duquette

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Perhaps the Orioles’ willingness to trade Manny Machado isn’t a death sentence to their 2018 playoff aspirations. Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports reports that although Baltimore is trying to trade their third baseman by the end of the week, they’re also “strongly pursuing” Royals starter Danny Duffy. It seems they could be looking to use a Machado trade as a means of retooling their major league roster, rather than go for an altogether rebuild. It’s all conjecture at this point, but in any case, the Orioles are in desperate need of good pitching, and although the southpaw Duffy spent some time on the DL last season, he posted quality results while on the mound despite a drop in strikeout rate from previous years. For the 2017 season, Duffy had a 3.81 ERA across 24 games started. Fangraphs estimated his value at 3.4 WAR.

A couple more items out of Camden Yards…

  • Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com speaks at length about the Orioles in a video. At one point, he gives his insight on the dramatic shift in the O’s mindset regarding Manny Machado. “As late as Monday night, I talked to an Orioles official who said it was probably less than zero percent that Manny Machado would be traded before Opening Day,” Connolly says in the video. “And then… bam, everything changed.” Connolly wonders if perhaps the Orioles went into the winter meetings thinking that they had a great chance of improving their starting pitching (he mentions Mike Fiers and Tyler Chatwood as possible targets), but then felt disheartened when they watched their top choices go off the board. Since the Orioles don’t have the budget to play in “the stratosphere” of Jake Arrieta or Yu Darvish, they may have needed a new and bold strategy to get the pitching they’ll require to compete. One incredibly important disclaimer: Connolly admits he’s only speculating. Still, from my perspective, his logic adds up.
  • Speaking of Machado, Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette says he’ll consider dealing the prized third baseman even to an AL East division rival (via a piece by Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun). Encina notes that the Yankees have shown interest in acquiring Machado, and I’d add that their farm system has some talented young pitching that could help the Orioles’ rotation. Baltimore isn’t a stranger to intra-divisional trades; as Encina points out, the O’s acquired Tim Beckham from the Rays at this past year’s trade deadline. He also includes quotes wherein Duquette mentions acquiring Andrew Miller from the Red Sox and Richard Bleier from the Yankees. Of course, none of these trades compare in magnitude to a hypothetical Machado swap, but it’s interesting to learn that Duquette is leaving the door wide open to this possibility. “I think you have to look at the entire market if you’re going to accurately assess the market,” he said in a video interview with the Baltimore Sun. “And the entire market would include teams in the American League East that we compete against.”

Pirates Acquire Rule 5 Pick Nick Burdi From Phillies For International Pool Space

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The Phillies announced a deal involving Rule 5 selection Nick Burdi. His rights were shipped to the Pirates in exchange for $500K of international bonus pool spending capacity, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

Burdi, a high-powered righty relief prospect, started the day with the Twins. He went third in today’s Rule 5 proceedings, but the Phillies decided to hand off his rights to Pittsburgh.

The 24-year-old Burdi landed in the Minnesota organization after being taken in the second round of the 2014 draft. It seemed he was nearing MLB readiness after 17 frames at Double-A in 2017, over which he allowed just one earned run on nine hits and four walks while racking up twenty strikeouts.

Unfortunately, that came to a halt with a UCL injury that ultimately required Tommy John surgery. Burdi will likely return at some point in the middle of the upcoming season, at which point the Bucs will need to keep him on the active roster in order to obtain his full rights. If Burdi is not on the MLB roster for ninety days in the 2017 season, he’d then need to open the ensuing campaign there in order for the rights to fully convey.

Rangers Acquire Carlos Tocci

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The Rangers have acquired outfielder Carlos Tocci from the White Sox in exchange for cash, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Chicago had selected him with the No. 4 pick in the Rule 5 draft (out of the Phillies’ system).

Tocci was a fairly high-profile sign out of Venezuela for the Phils back in 2011, taking home a reported bonus of $759K at the time. Though he’s never exactly dominated in the minors, he’s coming off a solid .294/.346/.381 slash line in 528 plate appearances between the Phillies’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates — his first stop at each of those levels on his rise through the Majors. Tocci doesn’t come with any power and isn’t a base-stealing threat, but he’s an excellent defensive center fielder with a strong hit tool, per Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, who had rated him 23rd among Phillies prospects.

Tocci will retain his Rule 5 status with the Rangers, meaning he cannot be optioned to the minors without first being exposed to waivers and then offered back to the Phillies for $50,000. If he lasts the entire season on the Rangers’ big league roster (with at least 90 days on the active roster and not on the DL), he’ll become their property without any restrictions in 2019.

Royals Acquire Brad Keller, Burch Smith In Trades With Reds, Mets

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The Royals announced that they’ve acquired right-handers Brad Keller and Burch Smith in trades with the Reds and Mets following today’s Rule 5 Draft. Kansas City will send a player to be named later or cash to both Cincinnati and New York in each trade. Keller was selected with the No. 5 pick out of the D-backs organization, while Smith was selected out of the Rays’ system.

Keller spent the entire 22 season in Double-A despite pitching most of the season at the age of 21. He made 26 starts and totaled 130 2/3 frames with a 4.68 ERA, 7.7 K/9, 3.9 BB/9 and a 49.6 percent ground-ball rate. He had been considered the No. 12 prospect in the D-backs’ organization by Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com but was unprotected on at last month’s deadline to set 40-man rosters.

The Rule 5 selection could pave the way back to the Majors for Smith for the first time since 2013. Smith tossed 36 1/3 innings for the Padres as a 23-year-old that year, and though he logged an ugly 6.44 ERA, he also punched out 46 batters in that time.

Now 27 years of age, Smith has seen two seasons wiped out by Tommy John surgery and other arm troubles. But, he was healthy in 56 1/3 minor league innings as he worked his way back across three minor league levels this year — his first action on a mound since 2014. Smith posted a 2.40 ERA with 8.9 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9 before impressing with 29 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings in the Arizona Fall League.

Both pitchers will retain their Rule 5 status with the Royals, meaning neither can be optioned to the minors without first being exposed to waivers and then offered back to their original organizations for $50K. If either lasts the entire season on the Royals’ big league roster (with at least 90 days on the active roster and not on the DL), he’ll become their property without any restrictions in 2019.

2017 Rule 5 Draft Results

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The Rule 5 draft begins at 9.a.m ET as this year’s Winter Meetings in Orlando, Florida draw to a close. Those unfamiliar with how the draft works can check out MLBTR’s full primer on the event here, but the short version is that teams with open 40-man roster spots can select players with four to five years of pro experience from other organizations if said player hasn’t been protected on the 40-man roster. Players who signed at 18 years of age or younger but have five years of experience can be selected, as can players signed at 19 or older who have four years of experience. Each selection costs $100K, but it’s not mandatory for teams to make picks. Clubs must carry chosen players on their active rosters (or the major league disabled list) throughout the entire 2016 season. Doing otherwise would expose them to waivers, and they’d then be offered back to their original club. Teams can also work out trades with the original organization to keep the selected player in the organization but send him to the minors.

The Rule 5 order is based on the reverse order of last season’s standings. You can find Baseball America’s preview of the festivities right here. Here are this year’s results:

First Round

1. Tigers – Victor Reyes, OF, Diamondbacks

2. Giants – Julian Fernandez, RHP, Rockies

3. Phillies – Nick Burdi, RHP, Twins (traded to Pirates for international bonus space)

4. White Sox – Carlos Tocci, OF, Phillies (traded to Rangers for cash)

5. Reds – Brad Keller, RHP, Diamondbacks (traded to Royals for cash/PTBNL)

6. Mets – Burch Smith, RHP, Rays (traded to Royals for cash/PTBNL)

7. Padres – no selection

8. Braves – Anyelo Gomez, RHP, Yankees

9. Athletics – no selection

10. Orioles – Nestor Cortes, LHP, Yankees

11. Pirates – Jordan Milbrath, RHP, Indians

12. Blue Jays – no selection

13. Marlins – Elieser Hernandez, RHP, Astros

14. Mariners – Mike Ford, 1B, Yankees

15. Rangers – no selection

16. Rays – no selection

17. Angels – Luke Bard, RHP, Twins

18. Royals – no selection

19. Cardinals – no selection

20. Twins – Tyler Kinley, RHP, Marlins

21. Brewers – no selection

22. Rockies – no selection

23. Yankees – no selection

24. Cubs – no selection

25. Diamondbacks – Albert Suarez, RHP, Giants

26. Red Sox – no selection

27. Nationals – no selection

28. Astros – Anthony Gose, LHP, Rangers

29. Indians – no selection

30. Dodgers – no selection

Second & Third Round

Orioles select Pedro Araujo, RHP, Cubs

Marlins select Brett Graves, RHP, Athletics

Orioles select Jose Mesa, RHP, Yankees

Padres “Clear-Cut Favorites” For Eric Hosmer

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Following two face-to-face meetings, the Padres seem to be the clear-cut favorites to sign free agent first baseman Eric Hosmer, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports. Nightengale also notes that the Red Sox are still “lurking”.

The Padres have been frequently linked to Hosmer this offseason, but multiple face-to-face meetings could mean that talks have reached a more advanced stage. Indeed, Nightengale’s use of the phrase “clear-cut” seems to imply that teams have at least made someone detailed pitches by now, and that the Padres are far ahead of their competition.

Hosmer is coming fresh off a career year and is just 28 years of age. He hit .318/.385/.498 with 25 homers in 671 plate appearances. The durable Hosmer played in all 162 games and added a Gold Glove to his list of accomplishments for the 2017 season. Hosmer ranked third among free agents in terms of earning potential on MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents With Predictions piece.

The Royals free agent rejected a qualifying offer, so if the Padres were to sign him, they’d have to give up their third-highest pick in the 2018 draft (in the case of the Padres, who have a pick in Competitive Balance Round A, that’d be a second-round selection). Since Hosmer will almost certainly sign a deal for more than $50MM, the Royals would stand to gain a compensatory draft pick after the first round.

NL East Notes: Braves, Mets, Robles, Albers

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Though a few of the Braves’ relief targets have signed elsewhere, GM Alex Anthopoulos has an interesting contingency plan. An article by David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reveals that Atlanta is apparently willing to utilize some of their young upside starters as relievers early on in their careers, if the team can’t add the type of bullpen arms they’re looking for through free agency. “We’ve explored it. A long time ago, starters would break in as relievers,” Anthopoulos says. “It’s something that’s come up internally in our conversations. It’s not something we’re planning on doing right now, but at least it’s been discussed, in light of the market for relievers and the price points right now.” Anthopoulos also notes that the relief market has been “continually strong the last two or three years.” The piece also details the GM’s thoughts on calling up Ronald Acuna. It’s great insight for Braves fans.

Some other items from across the NL East…

  • Mark Bowman of MLB.com writes that the Braves could seek short-term rotation help this offseason in order to “satisfy their desire to add experience to their inexperienced rotation.” While there might be a desire in the future to “strike a big deal for a legit ace,” Anthopoulos hints that he’d like to take some of the workload off their younger arms. Bowman mentions Wade Miley as one example of a pitcher who could be had on a one-year contract.
  • While the Mets have been linked to Jay Bruce, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports (via Twitter) that the club doesn’t appear to be “warm” on any player in the outfield or first base market. Rather, they seem to be focused on second base as their top priority. One notable Mets target at that position already came off the market when the Angels acquired Ian Kinsler from the Tigers. The second base market does have other options, and the Mets have been linked to of Jason Kipnis of the Indians recently.
  • Though it’s not clear what position Nationals outfielder Victor Robles will play in 2018, GM Mike Rizzo says he’ll be an everyday player (via Pete Kerzel of MASNsports.com). Rizzo further specifies that if there isn’t a spot for him in the Majors, the Nats’ top prospect will begin the season at Triple-A. It would seem as though the latter is the most likely scenario, considering Washington has Bryce Harper, Adam Eaton and Michael A. Taylor ticketed for the outfield grass. On the other hand, perhaps Taylor could end up in a part-time role.
  • Before the Nationals agreed to terms with Brandon Kintzler on a two-year contract, the team was exploring the possibility of bringing back Matt Albers on a two-year deal, according to Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post (Twitter link). Ultimately, nothing ended up coming together. Albers was fantastic for Washington last season; the righty posted a sterling 1.62 ERA and 0.85 WHIP. He struck out 9.30 batters per nine innings against just 2.51 walks.

Latest On Christian Yelich

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THURSDAY, 6:04am: The Padres have inquired on Yelich, a source tells Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

WEDNESDAY, 3:43pm: Miami expects to talk things over with Yelich before making any decisions, Heyman tweets. Of course, it may reasonably be anticipated that his preference would be to follow the other major pieces out the door.

1:09pm: To the contrary, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets that the Fish aren’t interested in dealing Yelich. Others are hearing similarly, though it certainly seems too soon to say that Miami won’t end up finding a deal — or that the team won’t be willing to listen to offers.

1:07pm: The Marlins are informing rivals that they are now willing to trade their last remaining star outfielder, Christian Yelich, according to a report from Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Per the report, the return will need to exceed what the team achieved in deals involving Marcell Ozuna (the return in which is still unknown) and Giancarlo Stanton.

In truth, everything written above was anticipated at this point. While there has been some chatter suggesting the Fish would like to keep Yelich and a few other quality veterans, the fact is that the organization is probably best served fully completing the process it began by shopping Stanton and dealing Dee Gordon. Likewise, Yelich’s value has long seemed highest of the members of the Marlins’ once-great outfield.

True, both Stanton and Ozuna dramatically out-produced Yelich at the plate in 2017. But the left-handed-hitting Yelich has a smooth swing with good patience and contact ability along with (some believe) some as-yet-untapped power potential. With high-quality glovework and baserunning mixed in, Yelich has posted 4.5 fWAR campaigns in three of the past four seasons.

The biggest difference-maker, though, is Yelich’s appealing contract. He will be guaranteed $44.5MM through 2021, including a buyout on a $15MM club option for one additional season, meaning that an acquiring team could pick up the rights to all of his remaining prime years for something like the going annual rate for a quality setup man.

As the Marlins’ fire sale continues, it’ll be interesting to see whether other names are put on the block. Catcher J.T. Realmuto is the most intriguing possibility, though others — just-acquired infielder Starlin Castro, fellow infielder Derek Dietrich, first baseman Justin Bour, and starter Dan Straily, especially — seem like they’d draw interest. Plus, the team is still looking to move salary, with players such as Martin Prado, Brad Ziegler, and Junichi Tazawa representing additional possible trade candidates.

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