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Rays Designate C.J. Cron, Announce Other Roster Moves

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The Rays will designate first baseman C.J. Cron for assignment, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports on Twitter. He had been projected by MLBTR to earn $5.2MM in arbitration.

That’s just one of a flurry of late-breaking 40-man moves for the Rays. Relievers Oliver Drake and Hoby Milner were also designated, while right-hander Jose Mujica was outrighted.

All those precious roster spaces were needed to allow the team to add a host of new talent — and thereby protect it from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. Lefties Kyle Bird and Brock Burke, righty Ian Gibaut, and outfielders Joe McCarthy and Jesus Sanchez are all now on the 40-man.

It’ll certainly come as a surprise to some that Cron is on his way out of Tampa Bay. After all, the club was rewarded for nabbing him from the Angels last year. Cron drove the ball over the fence thirty times and produced a strong 122 wRC+ with his .253/.323/.493 slash.

Of course, the Rays rarely rest on their laurels — or indulge in excessive spending. While Cron isn’t slated to command an immense salary, and the Rays actually have ample payroll space with which to work, the earning power of players of his kind has been gutted in recent years. That’s not to say that another organization won’t see the value. It doesn’t hurt that Cron is still controllable for another campaign.

Padres To Sell Contract Rights To Christian Villanueva To Yomiuri Giants

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6:57pm: Villanueva could earn something in the neighborhood of $3MM if he reaches the incentives in his deal, Lin tweets.

5:26pm: The Padres will sell the contract rights to third baseman Christian Villanueva to Japan’s Yomiuri Giants, per Ken Rosenthal and Dennis Lin of The Athletic (Twitter links).* Villanueva would need to agree to sign a contract with his new team; whether he has yet done so is not immediately clear.

Villanueva earned his first full shot at the majors in 2018 and certainly held his own. He finished with an overall batting line that sat just over league-average and hit twenty long balls in 384 plate appearances. Villanueva also graded as an average defender at the hot corner (DRS gave him positive marks; UZR did not).

Clearly, though, the Friars and other MLB outfits were not optimistic about his future. That’s a bit surprising at first glance. Villanueva has generally produced strong numbers in the minors. And though his 27.1% strikeout rate was a bit hefty, that’s hardly an astronomical rate in this league environment. He wasn’t reliant on BABIP (.276) to post the numbers he did. And Villanueva is also still only 27 years of age.

On the other hand, Villanueva was not able to reach the .300 mark in on-base percentage. And he failed to produce much at all with the bat after sprinting out of the gates in the first month of the season. Plus, Villanueva struggled badly against right-handed pitching all year long. (That does indicate that he was correspondingly excellent against southpaws, against whom he maintained a rather robust .336/.392/.726 batting line in 125 plate appearances.)

It would stand to reason that the Padres would have preferred to recoup talent via trade had that been an option. That it wasn’t suggests that there wasn’t much interest. From the player’s perspective, this move is a potential win, even if it is disappointing not to stay in the majors. Villanueva will likely have a shot to earn quite a bit more than the league-minimum salary, to say nothing of what he’d make in the minors. And there’s always still the possibility of staging a return.

*The original version of this post stated the Villanueva was headed to the Hanshin Tigers. Per Rosenthal’s correction of his initial report, the Japanese team involved is the Yomiuri Giants.

Angels Designate Jose Miguel Fernandez, Parker Bridwell

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The Angels have designated infielder Jose Fernandez and righty Parker Bridwell for assignment, per a club announcement. Those moves helped to open roster space so the team could select the contracts of lefty Jose Suarez, infielder Luis Rengifo, and righty Luis Madero.

Fernandez, 30, has had an unusual career path. His attempted transition to the majors from Cuba took years, then he finally landed with the Dodgers in 2017. Fernandez has done nothing but hit in the upper minors, with an enticing blend of power (.202 ISO at Triple-A in 2018) and plate discipline (8.6% strikeout rate with 8.4% walk rate).

Still, Fernandez was dumped by the Dodgers. Then, in a lost season for the Halos, Fernandez received only limited opportunity. To be fair, he was not able to bring the power with him to the game’s highest level. But Fernandez posted a respectable 94 wRC+. He was deployed only sparingly at second and third base in the big leagues, but spent plenty of time there at Triple-A.

It’ll also be interesting to see how much interest Bridwell draws. It was only a year back, after all, that he was coming off of a 121-inning, 3.64 ERA campaign. Of course, there were flashing red signs suggesting that was unlikely to be sustained. And Bridwell has since endured an injury-plagued campaign in which he was knocked around when on the mound.

Padres Designate Colin Rea, Cory Spangenberg, Allen Cordoba

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The Padres have designated righty Colin Rea for assignment along with infielders Cory Spangenberg and Allen Cordoba, the club announced. San Diego also designated Christian Villanueva, whose contract rights will be sold to a Japanese club.

Meanwhile, the Friars completed a busy day of 40-man roster maneuvering by adding a host of players. Catcher Austin Allen, infielder Ty France, outfielder Edward Olivares, and righties Pedro Avila, Anderson Espinoza, Chris Paddack, and Gerardo Reyes will all be protected from the Rule 5 draft.

It’s a rather notable group of players to be pared from the roster for the Padres. Rea was once considered a future rotation piece but will perhaps be best known in San Diego for being forcibly re-acquired after health issues arose following his trade to the Marlins.

Spangenberg, meanwhile, was taken tenth overall in the 2011 draft. He just hasn’t turned the corner in the majors. In 2018, Spangenberg slashed .235/.298/.362 with seven home runs in 329 plate appearances. He projected to earn $2.3MM in arbitration; instead, he’ll likely be a popular target for teams looking for versatility and/or hoping he still has some upside in the tank at 27 years of age.

Finally, Cordoba was one of the more hyped Rule 5 picks in recent memory. Many felt the Pads had made quite the crafty move in snatching him from the Cardinals. The San Diego organization carried him for all of 2017 to secure his rights, even as the unpolished youngster struggled. After an injury-plagued 2018 season in which he hit even worse at the High-A level than he had in the majors, Cordoba was punted from the roster.

Players Added To The 40-Man Roster

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Tonight marks the deadline for players to be added to their respective organizations’ 40-man rosters. Over the nine hours, there’ll be a flurry of moves, ranging from minor trades (like the one the Indians and Rays made yesterday), waiver claims and players being designated for assignment or outrighted. Each will be made to clear room for players who need protection from this year’s Rule 5 Draft. As a reminder, players who signed at 18 years of age or younger and have five professional seasons are eligible, as are players who signed at 19 or older and have four professional seasons under their belts.

Here’s a rundown of players who’ve been added to their respective 40-man rosters (which will be updated throughout the day)…

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Orioles Designate Engelb Vielma

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The Orioles have designated infielder Engelb Vielma for assignment today, per a club announcement. His spot was needed for the team to settle its 40-man roster in advance of today’s deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 draft.

Vielma missed much of the 2018 season with an unfortunate knee injury, preventing him from a potential MLB showcase in Baltimore. On the positive side, he did record his first major-league hit in a brief stint with the O’s. He had landed with the O’s last winter after bouncing around the waiver wire.

While the 24-year-old Vielma doesn’t have much of a track record in the minors with the bat, he’s known as an excellent and versatile defender. So long as he’s back to full health, he should generate plenty of interest from teams that value infield utility depth.

Cubs To Acquire Rowan Wick

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The Cubs have struck a deal with the Padres to acquire righty reliever Rowan Wick, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune tweets. Minor-league infielder Jason Vosler will head to San Diego in return.

Wick came available as the Padres finalized their 40-man roster plans in advance of today’s deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 draft. He’ll occupy a roster spot in Chicago.

The live-armed 26-year-old is still fairly new to pitching after moving out from behind the plate. He reached the majors briefly last year but did not distinguish himself in his ten appearances. Over 54 innings at Triple-A, Wick carried a 2.67  ERA with 10.7 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9.

Marlins Add Seven Players To 40-Man Roster, Designate Three Others For Assignment

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The Marlins announced an avalanche of roster moves in advance of tonight’s deadline for protection from the Rule 5 Draft. Being selected to the 40-man roster are right-handers Jorge Guzman, Jordan Yamamoto, Jordan Holloway and Kyle Keller, infielder Isan Diaz, outfielder Monte Harrison and left-hander Jose Quijada. Adding that group required the creation of three spots on the 40-man roster, which led the club to designate left-hander Dillon Peters, outfielder Braxton Lee and right-hander Ben Meyer for assignment.

Of the players to be designated for assignment, Peters is perhaps the most interesting. It’s not long ago that the 26-year-old lefty was deemed one of the more promising arms in an admittedly thin Marlins system on the heels of a 2.38 ERA between Class-A Advanced and Double-A in 2016. Peters didn’t have gaudy strikeout numbers but showed excellent control, and he followed up that season with a 1.57 ERA, 7.9 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 through 63 innings between Double-A and Triple-A in 2017.

He’s been shelled in the Majors, though, surrendering a 6.10 ERA in 59 innings while displaying walk issues that weren’t present as he worked through the minors. At this point, he’s 26-year-old (27 next August) who’s yet to even pitch at Triple-A and hasn’t had success in the Majors — but one who did draw praise for an above-average breaking ball in the past. A year ago at this time, he was viewed as a largely MLB-ready back-of-the-rotation starter.

Lee, meanwhile, drew plus running grades as a prospect and was said to have an average or better glove with a chance to play center. He’s never shown any semblance of power but has previously had excellent contact skills and even won a Double-A batting title in 2017. His 2018 campaign was a disaster, though, as Lee hit just .233/.316/.294 across three minor league levels and didn’t hit in a tiny sample of 18 MLB plate appearances.

Meyer, 26 later this offseason, debuted in 2018 and was clobbered for 22 runs in 19 innings of work. He was sensational in 2017, pitching to a 2.02 ERA with 10.8 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9 in 111 1/3 innings — but those numbers came against much younger opposition, as Meyer was a college pitcher in his third full pro season splitting the year between Class-A and Class-A Advanced. He logged a 4.24 ERA with 6.9 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9 in 63 2/3 Triple-A innings this season.

Padres, Mariners In Talks On Significant Potential Trade

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4:57pm: A deal is “not thought to be close” right now, Rosenthal adds on Twitter, though the fact that players have been asked about their no-trade clauses still seems to indicate it’s a serious possibility.

Interestingly, the Mariners have also approached Leake with other possible destinations, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. Whether alternative deals are lined up with other organizations is not known.

4:46pm: The Padres and Mariners have been talking about a fascinating potential trade scenario involving some large contracts, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). There’s no indication at this point of the likelihood of a deal being consummated, but it seems the sides may at least in part be waiting on word of whether a player involved would waive his no-trade rights.

Per Rosenthal, the possible deal is built around three major league players. Whether there’s more involved isn’t apparent, but at base, the M’s would receive slugger Wil Myers while sending shortstop Jean Segura and righty Mike Leake to San Diego. Notably, though, Leake has a no-trade clause and is said to be considering his options. Segura does as well, though there’s no indication about his status.

It’s never easy to tell whether a potential deal might move across the line. In this case, though, it’s quite notable that the players have evidently been contacted. That surely would not happen if the teams were not serious.

Needless to say, the money is a notable factor in this scenario. Myers is owed a total of $64MM over the next four seasons, which includes a buyout on a 2023 option. Segura is set to earn $57MM on a contract built on the same timeline (four remaining years plus an option). Leake, meanwhile, is still due another $36MM for the next two seasons, including a buyout on a mutual option, though the Cardinals are paying $9MM of that amount.

Without any further tweaking, then, a straight swap would see the Padres take on approximately $20MM. They’d also be moving on from a player who really does not seem to fit the roster while adding a quality shortstop — a position of need — and an innings-eating starter. It seems like a nice opportunity for the Friars, though of course it’s still also possible that they’d be chipping in some other assets.

For the Seattle club, this would be yet another move designed to reposition the roster. Shedding some salary obligations would certainly be welcome, and it’s possible the M’s are believers in Myers as a hitter. He’d make good sense in the first base/corner outfield/DH mix. There have also been some questions about Segura’s fit in Seattle after clubhouse dust-up last season.

One broad takeaway here, from the Padres’ vantage point, is that the team is very clearly taking an aggressive approach at trying to retool its 40-man roster. Beyond large-scale moves like the one being discussed with the Mariners, San Diego has also been shopping right-hander Rowan Wick in advance of tonight’s Rule 5 protection deadline, per Rosenthal (Twitter link).

Meanwhile, Rosenthal and colleague Dennis Lin suggest that the Friars could sell the rights to third baseman Christian Villanueva to an interested, but unspecified team in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (Twitter link). That’d only further the team’s need for a third baseman, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that that’s an area of acute importance to the San Diego front office. As for Villanueva, he’d surely stand to earn more in Japan than he’d make as a pre-arbitration player in 2019.

Rangers Sign Jeff Mathis

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NOVEMBER 20: The Rangers have announced the signing.

NOVEMBER 19: Mathis will receive a $6.25MM guarantee, per Rosenthal (via Twitter). He’ll get $3.25MM in 2019 and $3MM in 2020, Jon Heyman of Fancred adds on Twitter.

NOVEMBER 15: The Rangers have agreed to a contract (pending physical) with free agent catcher Jeff Mathis, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). It’s said to be a two-year deal for the veteran receiver, with financial details not yet known.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way up front: Mathis is already 35 years of age and he’s an exceedingly unproductive hitter. Of course, even when he was 25 the deficiencies with the bat were well known. Over his 14-year MLB career, Mathis has rarely wavered too far from the anemic .198/.258/.306 mean batting line he has produced through 2,694 trips to the plate.

For virtually any other player, that sort of accumulation of statistics would not even be possible, simply because the opportunity would dry up. Mathis, though, is a rare bird. Not only is he still at the top of the class in many of the measurable tools of the trade, but he’s also regarded as a game-management savant.

Mathis just wrapped up a two-year pact with the Diamondbacks that promised him $2MM annually. For their money, the Snakes got 129 total games and just under 1,000 total innings behind the plate (plus three at second base and one on the hill).

During his time in Arizona, Mathis carried a 48 OPS+ that sits just shy of his lifetime 52 OPS+ mark. He also turned in a masterful 2018 pitch-framing effort, scored better than anyone but Tucker Barnhart at smothering balls in the dirt, and graded as average in controlling the running game. With his famed pitcher-whispering abilities mixed in, it’s eminently arguable that Mathis is the game’s best defender behind the dish — which, in fact, was the assessment of Sports Info Solutions (Twitter link).

For the Rangers, this move comes after the club rather surprisingly chose to bid adieu to Robinson Chirinos. The club chose to pay him a $1MM buyout rather than picking up his option for $4.5MM, an outwardly reasonable sum for the 34-year-old. Chirinos has steadily produced league-average-or-better offensive numbers over recent years but is not valued nearly so much for his efforts behind the dish. In particular, Chirinos received quite poor grades for his throwing and framing in 2018.

While Chirinos is reputedly a valued clubhouse leader, he evidently did not impress the team quite as much in squeezing value from the pitching staff. That’ll be the chief duty of Mathis, who’ll presumably see a fair bit of action and take a leading role in guiding a still-largely-undetermined group of hurlers. He could be paired with (and teach the dark arts to) Jose Trevino, utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and/or minor-league signee Jett Bandy, though the Rangers could still add options to the mix.

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