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Yankees To Re-Sign Jon Niese To Minors Deal

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The Yankees are bringing back left-hander Jon Niese on a minor league contract, reports George A. King III of the New York Post (Twitter link). New York released Niese on Sunday, but the expectation was that he’d quickly rejoin the organization if he couldn’t land a major league deal elsewhere.

Niese’s new pact comes with the same salary figures as the minor league accord he signed with the Yankees in February, as he’ll earn a $1.25MM base salary and could make $750K in incentives if he cracks the majors, per Chris Cotillo of SB Nation. The agreement also comes with a May 15 opt-out (Twitter links).

The 30-year-old Niese had been working to earn a bullpen role with the Yankees prior to Sunday, and it stands to reason he’ll resume those efforts. In order to get back to the majors, though, it’s likely Niese will have to regain his fastball velocity, which was only in the mid-80s range before the Yankees cut him. Niese typically sat in the high-80s with the Mets and Pirates from 2008-16.

A full-time job as a reliever would be uncharted territory for Niese, who has worked almost exclusively as a starter to this point. Of Niese’s 211 career appearances, 197 have come from the rotation. Niese has largely served as a competent starter, having logged a 4.07 ERA, 6.92 K/9, 2.78 BB/9 and a 50.1 percent ground-ball rate in nearly 1,200 innings. However, he picked up a personal-high nine relief outings (out of 29 appearances) between New York and Pittsburgh last year amid the worst season of his career. After recording a 5.50 ERA and a 22.1 percent home run-to-fly ball ratio across 121 frames in 2016, Niese was unable to take advantage of a weak class of free agent pitchers and land a guaranteed contract over the winter.

East Notes: Mets, Yanks, Marlins, Orioles, Nats

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Major League Baseball could suspend Mets closer Jeurys Familia as early as Tuesday for an alleged domestic violence incident last October, report Kristie Ackert and Christian Red of the New York Daily News. The Mets are only expecting the league to ban Familia for approximately 15 games, per Ackert and Red, who note that the 27-year-old’s wife, Bianca Rivas, has said during MLB’s investigation that he didn’t hit her. Familia was alleged to have caused bodily injury to Rivas, which led to an arrest on a charge of simple assault. That charge was dropped and expunged from Familia’s record in December, though, after Rivas told a New Jersey judge she wasn’t interested in pursuing the case.

More from the East Coast:

  • The Yankees informed right-hander Adam Warren on Tuesday that he’s no longer in the running for the final two spots in their rotation, writes Randy Miller of NJ.com. That’s not particularly surprising, as Warren always seemed like a long shot on account of his vast experience as a reliever. He’ll once again take on a bullpen role this year, while two of Luis Severino, Bryan Mitchell, Chad Green and Jordan Montgomery will fill out the Yankees’ starting five.
  • The Marlins will open the season without a left-handed reliever, having optioned Hunter Cervenka to the minors on Tuesday, per Tim Healey of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. They also sent Justin Nicolino down, thus clinching the fifth spot in the rotation for Adam Conley. Although Conley looked like a shoo-in for a starting job at the outset of spring training, his struggles combined with Nicolino’s effectiveness nearly produced an unexpected outcome. “[Optioning Nicolino] was probably our toughest decision. He pitched really well in spring,” manager Don Mattingly said. “I shouldn’t say surprised because we know it’s there, but coming into camp I kind of looked at him as an outside chance, really, and he’s really opened a lot of eyes and a lot of conversation about who that fifth guy should be.”
  • It doesn’t appear the left oblique strain Mets outfielder Juan Lagares suffered Saturday is anything serious. Lagares underwent an MRI on Tuesday, and while results aren’t yet known, he told ESPN Deportes’ Marly Rivera that he’s “almost 100 percent” (via Ackert). Of course, if Lagares is OK, he seems likely to start the year as the Mets’ fourth outfielder, which could lead to a demotion to the minors for Michael Conforto.
  • The Orioles hope to re-sign outfielder Michael Bourn and infielder Chris Johnson, tweets Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com. Baltimore released the pair Monday (Bourn exercised his opt-out clause) after neither cracked its big league roster.
  • The Nationals released veteran reliever Matt Albers on Monday, but he could return to the organization on a minors deal if he’s unable to land a major league contract elsewhere, a source told FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link).

Tyler Thornburg Likely To Open Season On DL

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3:33pm: Thornburg has a shoulder impingement, according to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe. Thornburg won’t throw for another 10 days, and Abraham notes that this injury could sideline him for a month (Twitter link).

9:59am: Red Sox righty Tyler Thornburg is likely to open the season on the disabled list after an “upper right trapezius spasm” prevented him from taking the mound yesterday, as Ian Browne of MLB.com was among those to report on Twitter.

It’s not clear that the trap issue is a significant one; far from it, in fact. But he will go for an MRI, per Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald (via Twitter). Even if it turns out to be a blip, though, a DL stint seems the likely result. Thornburg has been slowed throughout camp as his shoulder strength has failed to catch up to speed.

With the anticipated absence from Thornburg, and without a clear indication to when he might be able to return, the back of the Boston relief corps seems noticeably less potent than had been expected. Still, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski says he believes there’s sufficient depth on hand, as Mastrodonato reports.

“Well, I think we’re fine,” Dombrowski said. “Some guys have to step up is what it comes down to. You go through these type of things in any particular year. I’ve done it every year in my career.”

With uncertainty also best describing the current status of key lefty David Price, though, Boston’s pitching depth chart will be tested early. The club did announce that it sent veteran righty Kyle Kendrick to minor-league camp this morning, which suggests Drew Pomeranz will be ready to join the rotation. But it still seems possible the organization will look to make a depth move of some kind with roster churn happening around the league.

Orioles Acquire Alec Asher

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The Orioles have acquired righty Alec Asher from the Phillies, per a team announcement. Baltimore will send a player to be named in the transaction, which gives Philadelphia an open 40-man spot.

This is the second trade the 25-year-old Asher has been a part of since the Rangers chose him in the fourth round of the 2012 draft. Texas sent him to Philadelphia as part of the package to acquire Cole Hamels in 2015, though Asher scuffled that year in his major league debut with the Phillies. Across seven starts and 29 innings, he logged a 9.31 ERA, 4.97 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 36.1 percent ground-ball rate. Asher was far more effective at the big league level last season (2.28 ERA, 4.23 K/9, 1.3 B/9 and a 35.2 percent grounder rate), but he did serve an 80-game Triple-A suspension after testing positive for a testosterone-related performance-enhancing drug.

With two minor league options remaining, Asher figures to see further Triple-A time with Baltimore, though general manager Dan Duquette expects him to contribute to the Orioles this year.

“Asher is a solid major league pitcher who our scouts have liked for a few seasons that we believe will help our club this season,” said Duquette (via Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun). “He has good size, three major league pitches and command of himself and his pitches.”

FOX Sports Hires A.J. Pierzynski As Full-Time Analyst

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Per an announcement from the FOX Sports Network, veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski has agreed to serve as a full-time analyst for the upcoming season. He is expected to do color work and appear on the “MLB Whiparound” show.

Pierzynski, 40, spent each of the past two seasons with the Braves. While he was quite productive in 2015, he tailed off significantly last year. There were signs that he would likely call it quits, though that soon shifted. To this point, nothing had — or, still has, so far as we know — been formalized.

With today’s news, though, it seems safe to assume that Pierzynski will wrap up his career after parts of 19 MLB seasons. He has certainly enjoyed the kind of run that few backstops are able to pull off, having played in over 100 games in every single campaign between 2001 and 2015.

An exceptionally durable receiver, the left-handed-hitting Pierzynski also featured as a steadily useful hitter. All told, he has accumulated a solid .280/.319/.420 batting line with 188 home runs in 7,815 total MLB plate appearances.

Though he wasn’t always beloved by opponents, Pierzynski never had much trouble finding organizations interested in utilizing him. His longest and perhaps most memorable run came with the White Sox, where he was part of the team’s 2005 World Series winner, caught historic pitching performances from Mark Buehrle and Philip Humber, and picked up one of his two All-Star appearances.

Pierzynski also spent six years with the Twins — the organization that selected him in the third round of the 1994 draft. Some of those were among his most productive as a pro, and the organization was able to cash him in to the Giants for a trade package featuring Francisco Liriano and Joe Nathan. In addition to his one-year run in San Francisco, Pierzynski spent single or partial seasons with the Rangers, Red Sox, and Cardinals.

If this is indeed Pierzynski’s career terminus, as seems reasonable to assume, MLBTR extends him its congratulations and best wishes for the future.

Article XX(B) Free Agent Decisions

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With five days to go until Opening Day, decisions are due at noon eastern on players who qualify as Article XX(B) free agents. The rule applies to players who a) have six or more years of service; b) finished the prior season on a 40-man roster or on the 60-day DL; and c) signed Minor League deals over the offseason. If a team does not release such a player prior to the deadline, then they must either put the player on the active roster (or DL) to start the year or be on the hook for some extra benefits — a $100K retention bonus and June 1st opt-out date (at a minimum).

Here are updates on players who’ll be paid the bonus or have instead learned that they’ve made their respective teams …

  • Righty Brandon Morrow will not make the Dodgers roster, but he will remain in the organization, as Ken Gurnick of MLB.com tweets. Morrow will take a minor-league assignment, and his $100K retention bonus, to open the season.
  • Giants minor-league signee Aaron Hill is set to receive his $100K bonus, Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News tweets, though that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to take an active roster spot to open the year. Baggarly suggests the veteran still has an excellent chance of earning an Opening Day nod after his solid performance in camp.
  • The Angels have informed righty Yusmeiro Petit that he’ll be added to the roster for Opening Day, as Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times was among those to tweet. He figures to work as a long reliever and swingman in Los Angeles. Petit struggled in the second half last year for the Nationals, ending the year with a 4.50 ERA over 62 innings.
  • Righty Tom Wilhelmsen and lefty Jorge De La Rosa have both been added to the Diamondbacks’ 40-man roster, the team announced, though only the latter is an Article XX(B) player. They’ll both join the bullpen for the start of the season. Wilhelmsen posted better numbers in the second half of 2016, but still wasn’t quite his former self. Meanwhile, De La Rosa is set to transition to the bullpen after serving mostly as a starter over his 13-year MLB career.
  • The Padres will add shortstop Erick Aybar to their roster, per Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter). The expectation is that Aybar will be the team’s regular at short to open the season. Clearly, that could change either now or in the future if the organization is able to pick up a somewhat younger player deemed worthy of a shot at a significant MLB opportunity. The 33-year-old Aybar has struggled badly in the past two seasons, though he was a productive, everyday player for years before that.
  • Utilityman Emilio Bonifacio and lefty Eric O’Flaherty have been informed they’ll be on the Braves’ Opening Day roster, Mark Bowman of MLB.com was among those to report (Twitter link). The 31-year-old Bonifacio has struggled badly in his limited big league time over the past two seasons, though he had been a regular contributor before that. Never much with the bat, Bonifacio has long earned his keep through defensive versatility and excellence on the bases. Meanwhile, O’Flaherty has struggled to rediscover his form from his first stint in Atlanta. But he’ll receive another shot after a strong showing this spring; over 10 2/3 innings, O’Flaherty racked up 14 strikeouts and allowed just two earned runs on eight hits and three walks.
  • The Rays have informed both infielder Rickie Weeks and righty Tommy Hunter that they will be on the active roster to open the season, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Weeks is expected to function as a righty bench bat, perhaps spending some time at both first base and DH, while Hunter will take up a spot in the Tampa Bay bullpen. Both players enjoyed productive Grapefruit League stints, with Weeks posting a .999 OPS and Hunter allowing just one earned run (with nine strikeouts against three walks) in his eight innings. Both will require 40-man spots, once the moves are made official. Meanwhile, it’s not yet clear whether the team will commit to doing the same with just-acquired outfielder Peter Bourjos. Topkin tweets that he may instead be paid the roster bonus, though the team’s final decision isn’t yet known.

D-Backs Claim Christian Walker, Designate Evan Marshall

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The Diamondbacks have claimed first baseman/outfielder Christian Walker off waivers from the Reds, as Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer was among those to tweet. The move opens a roster spot for the Reds’ addition of infielder Scooter Gennett. Arizona has designated reliever Evan Marshall to create roster space, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets.

It’s not the first time that Walker has changed hands over the offseason. He bounced previously from the Orioles to the Braves before moving to Cincinnati. Though he hasn’t seen much MLB time, Walker has hit fairly well at Triple-A. In what amounts to about two full seasons at the highest level of the minors, he owns a .260/.324/.429 slash with 42 home runs.

The trouble is, Walker hasn’t quite hit enough to push out an established big leaguer from a first base job. And he is new to the outfield, leaving it unclear just how he’ll fit on a National League roster. While Arizona had previously parted with a similarly hard-to-fit player in Peter O’Brien, the club now evidently felt there was roster space to spare.

As for Marshall, who’ll soon turn 27, the results have just not been there over the past two seasons. He turned in a high-quality 2014 season (2.74 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9) that seemingly made him a long-term piece. But while his velocity has largely stayed consistent, he tumbled to an 8.8% swinging-strike rate in 2016 and was hardly dominant during his time at Triple-A. In his 5 1/3 spring innings, Marshall had permitted only two earned runs, but did allow nine base hits while compiling three strikeouts to go with one free pass.

 

Reds Claim Scooter Gennett

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The Reds have claimed second baseman Scooter Gennett off waivers from the Brewers, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports on Twitter. It’s not yet clear what the corresponding 40-man roster move will be.

Gennett, 26, agreed to a $2.525MM contract over the winter to avoid arbitration; that’ll now be the responsibility of his new club. He comes with two more seasons of arb control and also remains optionable.

Milwaukee had utilized Gennett quite frequently over the preceding four seasons, during which he carried a .279/.318/.420 batting line over 1,637 plate appearances. That’s roughly league-average production, though the vast bulk of his time — and his productivity — came against right-handed pitching. Gennett has hit just .187/.237/.254 against southpaws, greatly reducing his function.

While it seems there’s still hope that Gennett can expand his repertoire by learning to move around the diamond, he evidently hadn’t done enough to convince Milwaukee to keep him on the 40-man roster. The club is set to turn over second base to Jonathan Villar, which left Gennett without an obvious role.

The path to playing time isn’t really much more clear in Cincinnati, where the starting jobs are all accounted for. But Gennett could spell righty-hitting infielders Jose Peraza and Eugenio Suarez while perhaps also appearing in the corner outfield at times. Plus, if the organization finds a taker for Zack Cozart, or an injury occurs, it’s possible that Gennett could end up receiving an expanded opportunity.

Indians Extend Jose Ramirez

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MARCH 28: Cleveland has announced the signing.

MARCH 25: Ramirez receives a $2MM signing bonus and a $571.4K salary for 2017, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.  Ramirez will earn just under $2.429MM in 2018, so he’ll make a combined $3MM in salary over the next two seasons.  The rest of the contract breaks down as $3.75MM in 2019, $6.25MM in 2020 and $9MM in 2021.  There is a $2MM buyout of the $11MM club option in 2022 and the 2023 club option (with no buyout) is worth $13MM.  Each club option year could be increased by $1M based on escalator clauses.  The deal will become official when Ramirez passes a physical.

MARCH 24, 8:09pm: The guarantee includes Ramirez’s salary for the upcoming season, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian tweets.

5:55pm: The Indians are close to finalizing a four-year deal with infielder Jose Ramirez, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. When it’s completed, the contract is expected to promise Ramirez $26MM, Passan tweets. It will also include a pair of options valued at $11MM and $13MM, respectively; escalators could push the total value of the deal’s six possible seasons to $50MM.

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Ramirez, 24, has two years and 74 days of MLB service on his odometer. The deal will begin with the 2018 season, meaning it’ll cover his three seasons of arbitration eligibility and one campaign of potential free-agent eligibility. With the two options, the Indians will pick up three new years worth of control, meaning Ramirez could be in Cleveland through his age-31 season.

The Indians continue to rate as one of the game’s most aggressive pursuers of new contracts with existing players. Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley, Yan Gomes, Carlos Santana, Brandon Guyer, and Josh Tomlin are all playing on deals that extended the club’s control rights.

Now, Ramirez appears set to join that group — most of which is set to stay in Cleveland for quite a few years. Whether the club will make a concerted effort to do the same with star shortstop Francisco Lindor remains to be seen, but he surely seems to be the club’s most appealing remaining extension target.

Ramirez seemed an unlikely candidate for a sizable commitment this time last year, when he was coming off of a season in which he hit just .219/.291/.340 over 355 plate appearances. But his fortunes changed in a big way last year.

Slated to play a reserve role at the outset of the season, Ramirez ended up seeing action in all but ten of the club’s games due both to necessity and his performance. Over 618 plate appearances in 2016, the switch-hitter racked up 11 home runs and 22 steals while slashing .312/.363/.462 in 618 trips to the plate. He continued to show a high-contact approach; over his career, he has been roughly average in taking walks (7.3% walk rate) but strikes out in just 11 percent of his trips to the plate.

Though he’s a middle infielder by trade, Ramirez ended up playing mostly at third and in left last year. He’ll likely end up back at third at some point, but for the time being he’ll slide over to cover for the injured Kipnis. That versatility, clearly, is a key component of Ramirez’s value. Another area where Ramirez excelled last year was in the baserunning department. Though he had rated well in prior seasons, he lept to a robust 8.8 runs above average by measure of Fangraphs’ BsR, placing him fifth in all of baseball.

A repeat of his 2016 season could’ve set the stage for a fairly hefty arbitration salary and enhanced Ramirez’s value yet further. But it’s easy to see the appeal of this contract, which takes away the risk of a drop in performance and sits fairly comfortably in range of many similar deals. (Plus, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets, Ramirez himself is said to have wanted to land a long-term pact.) 2+ service-class players such as Ender Inciarte and Odubel Herrera landed guarantees right at the $30MM mark, but both have logged two full seasons as productive regulars. The closest recent comparable is Kolten Wong’s five-year, $25.5MM deal with the Cardinals, which included one option year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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