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Orioles, Jesus Sucre Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Orioles are in agreement on a minor league contract with catcher Jesus Sucre, tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. He’ll be invited to Major League Spring Training and would earn $850K if he makes the big league roster. Sucre can also opt out of the contract on March 22 if he’s not on the MLB roster at that point.

Sucre, 30, spent the past two seasons with the Rays, hitting a combined .232/.268/.330 with eight homers in 390 plate appearances spanning 135 games. Those numbers line up fairly well with Sucre’s career marks, though he’s more of a defensive-minded option behind the dish. Throughout his big league career, Sucre has halted 32 percent of stolen-base attempts against him, and he’s consistently registered above-average framing grades throughout his career (with the exception of last season), per Baseball Prospectus.

Presently, the Orioles have only two catchers on the 40-man roster in Chance Sisco and Austin Wynns, though they’ll also have Carlos Perez and Andrew Susac in camp competing for roster spots.

Padres, Mets Among Teams Interested In Gio Gonzalez

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The Padres have been connected to a number of high-profile names over the past week — Manny Machado, Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto — and MLB.com’s Jon Morosi now adds that they’re also considering free-agent lefty Gio Gonzalez. The Mets, too, have maintained contact with Scott Boras regarding Gonzalez, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports (via Twitter).

Gonzalez, 33, has made 31 or more starts in all but one season dating back to 2010, with the lone exception being a 2014 campaign in which he took the ball 27 times. Last season, in 171 innings between the Nationals and Brewers, the two-time All-Star logged a respectable 4.21 ERA but did so with his lowest K/9 (7.8) and highest BB/9 (4.2) marks since cementing himself as a big league starter. Of course, a year prior, Gonzalez tossed 201 innings of 2.96 ERA ball with 8.4 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9.

Earlier this winter, the Padres were linked more to younger rotation options, as their goal at the time appeared to be to add a pitcher on a multi-year deal who’d still be in his prime during San Diego’s return to contention. Gonzalez may not fit that bill, though it’s also quite possible that like many other free agents, his asking price has dropped. And, it’d be easy enough for the Padres to fit Gonzalez into their rotation picture, given the general lack of experience among the team’s current rotation options. San Diego has numerous young options with more upside than Gonzalez, but Gonzalez is one of the most reliable sources starts remaining on the open market and could thus help to stabilize that young group.

As for the Mets, Puma notes that they’re debating internally whether he’s enough of an upgrade over in-house options. Certainly, Gonzalez would appear to be an upgrade over Jason Vargas, although Vargas is owed $8MM this season, which would likely be a factor to consider when potentially displacing him. Beyond that, it’s worth noting that each of Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler spent time on the disabled list last season. The Mets’ rotation is quite talented, though health has long been an issue for the collective group, and depth beyond the team’s top quintet is thin, too.

It’s been a quiet winter on the Gonzalez front, with few known suitors beyond today’s pairing, although the Brewers were mentioned as a possibility by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Haudricourt just yesterday.

Athletics “Considering” Matt Wieters

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The Athletics are at least “considering” pursuit of veteran backstop Matt Wieters, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). It’s unclear just how much interest the Oakland organization has; multiple unnamed rival organizations are also said to be involved.

Wieters, now 32, first qualified for free agency after the 2015 season. At the time, he was considered a high-quality, everyday backstop, but he was also coming off of two injury-plagued campaigns and took a qualifying offer to remain with the Orioles. Despite a subpar 2016 campaign, the Nationals promised him $21MM over two years (while also giving Wieters an opt-out chance that he did not ultimately take).

Add it all up, and Wieters owns a tepid .235/.303/.376 batting line in 1,200 plate appearances over the past three campaigns. Though he still draws average reviews for his blocking and throwing, Wieters has graded out as a negative in the pitch framing department. Of course, he’s also a respected veteran who seemed to suit the pitchers who worked with him in D.C., so there’s room for interpretation regarding his defensive value.

Wieters obviously does not profile as a regular receiver at this point, but the former fifth overall pick does still seem like a reasonable target for the right team. The fact that he hits from both sides of the plate adds to the appeal, along with his clubhouse gravitas. For the Athletics, there’s clearly room to improve a depth chart that’s presently topped by Josh Phegley and Chris Herrmann. Wieters ought to be an affordable option and still has a bit of pop; perhaps the A’s will stake a bet on the hope that he’ll be reinvigorated in a timeshare situation.

Bud Norris Hires Ballengee Group

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Free agent reliever Bud Norris has made a late-breaking agency change. Per Jon Heyman of MLB Network, via Twitter, Norris is now represented by the Ballengee Group.

Norris, who’s closing in on his 34th birthday, evidently hasn’t been pleased with the opportunities he has been afforded to this point on the open market. He’s coming off of a $3MM deal that he signed with the Cardinals last February, just before the start of Spring Training.

The St. Louis org received a quality contribution for its money, as Norris tossed 57 2/3 innings of 3.59 ERA ball with 10.5 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9. He also recorded 28 saves after stepping into the closer’s role for the Cards. Norris sat at 95 mph with his four-seam fastball, continued to get good results with a cutter, and reached a 12% swinging-strike rate for the second-straight season.

That showing seemed likely to boost Norris’s market standing, but there has been little in the way of reported interest to this point. That isn’t necessarily unusual for a non-star reliever. Still, with just two weeks left until camps begin to open, his market outlook is unclear. MLBTR predicted that Norris would secure a two-year, $12MM deal on the open market, though that obviously represents only a best guess after contemplating a wide range of plausible outcomes.

Reds “In Serious Discussions” With Zach Duke

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The Reds are engaged “in serious discussions” with free agent southpaw Zach Duke, according to C. Trent Rosecrans and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). The likelihood of a deal coming together is not yet known.

It remains an active winter for the Cincinnati front office, which increasingly seems to have created an opportunity to compete in what could be a tightly packed NL Central division. Among other things, the club has targeted lefty relief assets, having already agreed to minors deals with Buddy Boshers and Ian Krol.

Bringing in Duke would give the Cincy bullpen a much-needed option against opposing lefty hitters. Though Amir Garrett showed well in the pen last year, he’s still not fully polished and actually has been just as effective against righties at the MLB level. Otherwise, the club stands to rely upon the above-noted minor-league signees along with Wandy Peralta and Brandon Finnegan, both of whom are looking to bounce back from rough 2018 campaigns.

Duke had his own stumbles last year, particularly after joining the Mariners in a mid-season trade. He ended the season with a 4.15 ERA in 52 innings, with 8.8 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9. But Duke surrendered only a single long ball on the year and checked in with a monster 59.4% groundball rate. He also held opposing lefties to a meager .220/.283/.319 batting line.

Diamondbacks Designate Jake Barrett

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The Diamondbacks have designated righty Jake Barrett for assignment, per a club announcement. His roster spot goes to just-signed righty Greg Holland.

Barrett, 27, is a former third-round pick who has thrown 93 1/3 innings for the Snakes over the past three years. He owns a 4.05 cumulative ERA with 8.5 K/9 against 4.3 BB/9.

Though he got off to a promising start back in 2016, when he worked off of a mid-nineties heater to generate a 12.3% swinging-strike rate, Barrett has since taken a step back. His whiff rate has trended down and his walk rate has gone up, leaving him with little in the way of MLB opportunities in 2018. He was effective last year at Triple-A, though, pitching to a 2.87 ERA with 11.3 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 in 53 1/3 innings over 42 appearances.

Rockies Avoid Arbitration With Nolan Arenado

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The Rockies have agreed to terms on a 2019 salary with star third baseman Nolan Arenado, according a team announcement. He’ll receive $26MM, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter), representing a record sum for an arbitration salary.

At the filing deadline for arbitration numbers, indications were that the Rox were confident they’d work something out before going to a hearing. Still, the sides were quite far apart, with Arenado filing for $30MM and the team submitting a $24MM figure — both landing above the prior $23MM record of Josh Donaldson.

As it turns out, Arenado comes in just a shade under the $26.1MM that MLBTR and Matt Swartz projected. As Swartz discussed in breaking down Arenado’s case, there were arguments to swing that figure in either direction, but the model obviously produced quite an accurate prediction.

Arenado is a perennial All-Star, Gold Glove winner, and MVP candidate. Plus, his power numbers are certainly not hurt by the fact that he plays at Coors Field. It’s no surprise, then, that he’d be the one to reach new heights in arbitration earnings.

The more intriguing question is whether the arb talks will set the stage for longer-term discussions between the Rockies and their biggest star. As Rosenthal notes on Twitter, today’s agreement came after a lengthy, in-person discussion — an indication, perhaps, that the sides may be able to work together to hammer out a much larger contract.

As always, you can keep up to date on the arb money by referencing MLBTR’s Arbitration Tracker.

Diamondbacks Sign Greg Holland

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TODAY: The team has announced the signing.

YESTERDAY: The Diamondbacks have agreed to a one-year deal with free agent reliever Greg Holland, according to Robert Murray and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). The Boras Corporation client secures a $3.25MM guarantee and $3.5MM in possible incentives, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter links). Holland still must pass a physical before the contract will be finalized.

Now 33 years of age, Holland is not the same pitcher that once featured as one of the game’s most dominant relievers. Indeed, he last pitched as a true relief ace back in 2014. He blew out his elbow in the ensuing campaign and has never fully regained his velocity.

That’s not to say that Holland hasn’t shown his share of ability in the ensuing seasons. He turned in a successful 2017 campaign for the Rockies, so much so that he received and rejected a qualifying offer from the organization in the following winter. And though things went terribly last year with the Cardinals after a late-spring signing, Holland did rebound later in the season with the Nationals.

It truly was a dramatic turnaround, though it’s hard to pinpoint the root cause for the change. In his 25 frames in St. Louis, Holland surrendered as many earned runs and free passes as he recorded strikeouts (22 apiece). Upon arriving in D.C., Holland contributed 21 1/3 innings over which he posted a 25:10 K/BB ratio and permitted only a pair of earned runs on just nine hits.

Over the course of the season, Holland proved capable of limiting the long ball, as he has long done. And he still generated a strong 13.1% swinging-strike rate. Clearly, the D-Backs won’t anticipate the full-fledged re-emergence of the once-great closer, but they’ve evidently seen enough to believe that Holland can still be a quality, late-inning arm.

The exact plan for Holland’s usage isn’t yet evident, but it would hardly be surprising to see him receive at least a full-blown shot at earning the closer’s gig this spring. Archie Bradley currently profiles as the top ninth-inning option in Arizona, but he has been successful in a more flexible role. Details of Holland’s incentives package aren’t yet known, but could offer a hint as to the expectations of all involved.

Needless to say, the Cardinals did not see a return on the $14MM they invested in Holland last year. It’s tough to imagine the Diamondbacks ending up with a similar sense of regret, given the much lower amount promised. If they end up paying Holland the full $6.75MM contemplated in the contract, it’ll only be because he warranted the opportunities. Beyond that, even if the Snakes prove unable to mount a surprise challenge for the postseason, they ought to have an opportunity to spin off Holland (and his remaining financial obligations) to another team over the summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Possible Brewers Free Agent Targets

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The Brewers already made one significant free agent acquisition this winter, snagging backstop Yasmani Grandal on a one-year arrangement when he failed to find a multi-year deal to his liking. It seems the organization is still eyeing some additional potential targets, according to a report from Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Twitter links).

Most intriguingly, Haudricourt says that he’s heard of at least some connection between the club and veteran southpaw Dallas Keuchel, who’s the best free-agent starter still on the open market. Fellow lefty Gio Gonzalez is also an apparent possibility, as is third baseman Mike Moustakas. Both of those players, of course, spent the back end of the 2018 campaign in Milwaukee.

As Haudricourt points out, all three of the aforementioned players are clients of Scott Boras. The super-agent has seemingly struck up a chummy relationship with Brewers owner Mark Attanasio over the years. Indeed, they were able to line up on a rare extension of a star Boras client (Carlos Gomez).

Of course, that sort of connection will only go so far, particularly since Attanasio has relied heavily upon the judgment of recently promoted president of baseball operations David Stearns. To this stage in his tenure, Stearns has eschewed large pitching entanglements.

A large and lengthy deal for Keuchel, then, would be especially surprising. Still, it would make some sense for the organization not only to seek a rotation upgrade, but to target a lefty starter in particular. Virtually all of the team’s rotation or long-relief options throw from the right side. Though the bullpen includes two valuable southpaws (Josh Hader and Alex Claudio), skipper Craig Counsell could gain some additional game management possibilities if he can run a southpaw out to start every fifth day.

The Brewers already proved willing to take that sort of thinking to the extreme when they sent out lefty Wade Miley to pitch to just one batter during the fifth game of the National League Championship Series. Interestingly, despite a bounceback campaign last year, Miley himself does not seem to have been targeted to this point for a reunion. The 32-year-old did not exactly have the peripherals to support his 2.57 ERA, but he rewarded the Brewers for the opportunities they were willing to give him and it seemed reasonable to anticipate the team would have some interest.

It’ll certainly be interesting to see whether Stearns has any more tricks up his sleeves this winter. While the team’s rise to the NL Central title last year has certainly raised the bar in Milwaukee, projection systems are not exactly enamored of the present roster. The middle infield unit is a less-than-inspiring bunch, at least on paper, while the rotation is more notable for its depth than its evident upside. Though there is no clearly dominant team in the division, it seems to be competitive from top to bottom. While the organization likely remains optimistic with the current batch of players, it stands to reason that Stearns is still working on potential additions.

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