Orioles Sign Danny Valencia To Minor League Deal
SATURDAY, 8:18am: The signing is now official.
FRIDAY, 10:44am: USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that Valencia’s deal comes with a $1.2MM base salary and an additional $3MM worth of possible incentives.
10:20am: The Orioles have agreed to a minor league contract with corner infielder/outfielder Danny Valencia, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (Twitter link). Valencia is represented by the MVP Sports Group. He’ll take his physical tomorrow, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (Twitter link).
The 33-year-old Valencia spent the 2017 season with the Mariners, for whom he logged a .256/.314/.411 slash with 15 home runs in an even 500 plate appearances. Valencia spent the vast majority of his time in the field at first base but also logged 51 innings in right field and another seven at his original position, third base.
Baltimore’s bench is anything but set at present, so Valencia could impress in camp and seize a spot as a right-handed-hitting complement to first baseman Chris Davis. His experience at all four corner spots would bring some versatility to O’s, who currently don’t have an established utility option on the roster. While Valencia isn’t a shortstop — a position at which most utility infielders are adept — the O’s have both Manny Machado and Tim Beckham as options there, which could lessen the need for that skill in a utilityman. Baltimore also has waiver pickup Engelb Vielma on the 40-man roster, and he’ll be among the names with whom Valencia is competing for a job.
This marks the second go-around for Valencia with the O’s. He also spent the 2013 season in Baltimore, hitting .304/.335/.553 with 14 homers in 170 trips to the plate. A veteran of eight Major League seasons, Valencia is a lifetime .269/.317/.427 hitter in the big leagues. He’s particularly strong against left-handed opponents, against whom he’s slashed .313/.370/.493 in 994 career PAs.
NL West Notes: Samardzija, Padres, Rockies
Giants righty Jeff Samardzija held an interesting chat with MLB.com’s Jon Morosi. In large part, it’s a lengthy discussion of Samardzija’s multi-sport background and decision to pursue baseball professionally — which, he says, was driven more by interest than any considerations of the health implications of playing in the NFL. The San Francisco hurler likens the game of baseball to a “big painting you put together” and hints he could still have some masterpieces in his brush. He also suggests he’s not yet thinking about the end: “Where’s the end of the wick? Who knows? Let’s find out. That’s the fun of it all.”
More from the NL West:
- As the Padres consider roster options, the club is looking to squeeze some added utility out of certain players. Infielder Christian Villanueva, in particular, will be tried out as a backup option at short, per MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell (via Twitter). The 26-year-old, who’s out of options, has played all of 14 innings at short as a professional. But after he posted a .296/.369/.528 slash at Triple-A last year, the Pads seem to be looking for ways to hang onto Villanueva.
- In other Padres news, the organization is seeing promising signs from injured hurlers Robbie Erlin and Colin Rea, per Cassavell. The Tommy John recoverees are certainly interesting players to watch this spring, as both have shown their talent at times in the past. Erlin, it’s worth noting, is well ahead of Rea in the rehab process, though both are well over a year removed from their procedures. Both are part of a long list of pitching possibilities in Padres camp, as reflected in the current organizational depth chart over at Roster Resource.
- It seems one area of focus this spring for the Rockies is finding a way to swipe a few more bags. As Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports, the club is particularly interested to see whether the fleet-footed Raimel Tapia can learn to translate his speed into stolen bases. Just as interesting as the efforts on the bases, it seems there’s at least some hope that Tapia could hold down a spot at the top of the lineup. That seems a bit of a questionable fit, as the young outfielder doesn’t walk much and is therefore quite reliant upon maintaining a lofty batting average on balls in play to get on base. While lineup construction is hardly the most consequential issue facing the Rox, it seems worth noting that second baseman DJ LeMahieu has led the club in OBP in each of the past two seasons and would seem to be a sensible fit in the leadoff spot.
Quick Hits: CBA, Revenue Sharing, Draft, Dingers, KBO
While there are four seasons to go before a new collective bargaining agreement needs to be worked out, Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post says that’s sooner than it may seem. He discusses the matter with several players and provides another worthwhile perspective on a story that isn’t going away any time soon. Those interested in that topic will also want to check out recent articles from Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times and Billy Witz of the New York Times on the MLBPA Spring Training camp, both of which feature chats with some notable players and union chief Tony Clark.
Here are some other pieces worth a look on topics of broader interest:
- The recent MLBPA grievance action may be about broader issues on some level, but in substance is tied to the use of revenue-sharing funds. As Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper explains, the spending of those dollars is increasingly cabined in light of changes to the CBA rules — including stricter definitions of permissible uses as well as the reduction of what can be doled out to amateur players.
- Elsewhere at BA, Cooper also discusses a new five-a-side baseball concept that has been proposed as a means of engaging youngsters in the sport. And while we’re still a ways off from the 2018 draft, it’s prime time for amateur players looking to firm up their standing. The Baseball America team has issued an updated version of its top-300 draft board.
- The increasing propensity of baseballs to leave the yard during MLB contests has certainly been documented in many quarters. And plenty of analysis has been dedicated to understanding why. Rob Arthur and Tim Dix of FiveThirtyEight helpfully round up some of the work on the topic and add to it by presenting the results of an x-ray analysis and core sample. You’ll need to read the post in its entirety, but the net of it is an identification of a reduced weight that, along with increased bounce off the bat and other changes, helps explain the surge in the long ball.
- Comings and goings between the majors and the Korea Baseball Organization are of greater and greater relevance. There’s also plenty of intrigue for players who are established and intend to stay in the KBO. Writing for Fangraphs, Sung Min Kim has an interesting look at the experiences of newly-knuckleballing southpaw Ryan Feierabend.
Central Notes: Moustakas, Bryant, Miley, Freese
It has long been suggested that the White Sox would make for an interesting match with free agent third baseman Mike Moustakas, but we’ve seen little in the way of a clear connection. But now there’s evidence at least that the sides are “staying in touch,” in the words of Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). Whether that means the South Siders have real interest that would drive a significant offer, of course, is not yet clear. Presumably, the club would be intrigued mostly in a value proposition of some kind, perhaps in a multi-year scenario. While few outside observers believe the Sox roster is primed to compete in 2018, Moustakas would boost the quality in the short term and (more importantly) is young enough that he could be installed as a solid asset for future seasons. With little in the way of clear demand from contenders, this remains one of the more intriguing fits on paper.
- Cubs star Kris Bryant says this winter’s slow-moving free agent market has spurred him to take labor issues seriously, as Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. “I need to study up, have my voice heard, continue to learn, because this is going to affect us for years to come,” says Bryant. His own delayed promotion to start the 2015 season has obviously played a role in spurring his attention to the subject. It’s an interesting read on one of the game’s brightest young players, who says he and other players are readying to take a more proactive role. “I think with this next [CBA] things are definitely going to change, and there’ll definitely be more fight on our side just because we’re going to get the chance to experience the effects of some of the things we agreed to,” says Bryant.
- The Brewers rotation still has plenty of questions at the back end; indeed, many fans would still like to see an outside addition to provide one answer. As things stand, though, there’s a camp battle underway with quite a few participants. Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel wrote yesterday that, while it’s still plenty early, both Wade Miley and Brent Suter have made favorable initial impressions. In Miley’s case, at least, it might even be that his showing already makes him an odds-on favorite to crack the roster. He has over a thousand MLB innings under his belt, after all, and the Brewers might well lose him through an opt-out (he’s an Article XX(B) free agent) if they don’t ultimately put him on the 40-man. Of course, there’s plenty of time yet for candidates to rise and fall in camp.
- Pirates third baseman David Freese had some salty words for the organization earlier in the winter, but he tells Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that they weren’t directed at finding his way to another team. Rather, it seems, Freese was making a call for all in the organization to recommit to winning — a possibility he says he believes in, particularly with the recent acquisitions of Corey Dickerson and Kevin Siegrist. Freese also says he understands he’s not likely to command the lion’s share of the time at third base. “I’ve had a good run in the big leagues,” he said, “and I just want to go out there and win some games.”
Injury Notes: Pomeranz, Frazier, Ellsbury, Parra, Norris, Koehler
Red Sox left-hander Drew Pomeranz exited today’s Grapefruit League start with tightness in his left forearm, though he told reporters after the game that he’s not concerned about the possibility of a serious injury (link via MassLive.com’s Jen McCaffrey). Obviously, caution is called for all the more at this stage of spring, so it’d be wise not to leap to any conclusions — particularly given Pomeranz’s comments. The 29-year-old, who is coming off of back-to-back seasons in which he posted a 3.32 ERA in over 170 frames, is a key piece of the Boston rotation. He’ll be further evaluated on Saturday.
Here’s the latest on the health front from around the game …
- The division-rival Yankees are also facing some injury issues, as MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch was among those to report (Twitter links). Of particular concern is prospect Clint Frazier, who required an MRI because he is still not recovering as hoped from a concussion. Surely the organization will exercise quite a lot of caution with the talented young player. Meanwhile, fellow outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury has been diagnosed with a mild oblique strain. There’s no indication of just how limiting the injury will be — and for good reason, as oblique problems rarely seem to progress in a predictable manner. Fortunately for the Bronx Bombers, there are still four quality players ahead of this duo on the outfield depth chart.
- Rockies outfielder Gerardo Parra, who is recovering from hamate surgery on his right hand, took batting practice on Friday, tweets Nick Groke of the Denver Post. He’s slated to face live pitching for the first time since the operation on Monday, and manager Bud Black estimated that Parra could be in a game in eight to nine days, which should still give him ample time to ramp up for the regular season. It remains to be seen just how the Rox will distribute playing time in the outfield, though Parra seems to be slated for rather extensive action so long as he remains on an upward trajectory.
- An injury forced newly signed Cardinals right-hander Bud Norris out of today’s spot start, writes Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Norris, filling in for Carlos Martinez (who had a personal matter to attend to, per the report), exited due to hamstring spasms after allowing five runs in 2 1/3 innings of work. At this point, it’s not clear whether this issue is simply an early-spring blip or something that will cause some problems for the hurler, who recently inked a one-year, $3MM deal to join the St. Louis organization.
- If there’s a hurler whose injury sparks some immediate cause for concern, it may be Dodgers righty Tom Koehler. It was announced he’d require an MRI on his shoulder not long after he was pulled in the middle of an inning, as MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick was among those to tweet. Shoulder bursitis caused problems for Koehler last year, when he struggled to a 6.69 ERA in 72 2/3 innings. The Dodgers have planned to move the long-time starter into a full-time relief role after promising him $2MM for the 2018 season.
Minor MLB Transactions: 3/2/18
We’ll track the day’s minor moves here:
- The Cubs have added righty Allen Webster on a minors pact, according to Chris Cotillo of SB Nation (via Twitter). Now 28, Webster was once a highly regarded prospect. But he struggled to a 6.13 ERA in 120 1/3 MLB innings between 2013 and 2015. And he has been knocked around over the past two seasons in stints with Korea’s Samsung Lions and the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate. In his first crack at the game’s highest level, with the Red Sox, Webster showed a 95 mph four-seamer and 94 mph sinker. But he lost two miles per hour on both offerings over the next two seasons. And though he has shown some ability to get swings and misses, control has been a big problem for Webster, who was in the zone on just 40.3% of his pitches in the majors. Here at MLBTR, Webster is perhaps best known for being included in both the August 2012 Dodgers-Red Sox blockbuster and the rather less memorable 2014 Wade Miley swap that sent Webster from Boston to the Diamondbacks.
Reds Claim Jairo Labourt From Tigers
1:06pm: The teams have announced the claim. Cincinnati transferred right-hander Rookie Davis to the 60-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list to clear space on the roster and has already optioned Labourt to minor league camp. Davis underwent hip surgery back in October.
12:54pm: The Reds have claimed left-hander Jairo Labourt off waivers from the Tigers, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports (via Twitter). The Tigers designated Labourt for assignment earlier this week to clear a roster spot for Francisco Liriano.
Labourt, 24 next week, made his big league debut with Detroit last season, appearing in six games and allowing three runs with four strikeouts against seven walks in six innings. Initially acquired from the Blue Jays in the trade that sent David Price to Toronto, Labourt posted excellent numbers in Class-A Advanced and in Double-A last season before stumbling when he reached Triple-A. He tossed 22 innings with the Tigers’ Toledo affiliate, and while his 2.45 ERA was strong he also issued 23 walks in those 22 frames.
Control has long been an issue for Labourt, who has averaged 5.1 walks per nine innings pitched over the course of seven minor league seasons. But, he’s a fairly hard-throwing southpaw with a fastball sitting around 93 mph who averaged a career-best 10.7 K/9 in the minors this past season. The Tigers organization used Labourt exclusively as a reliever last year, though he’s made 87 starts in the minors as well. He’ll add another interesting young arm to a collection of unproven but promising pitchers in Cincinnati as he looks to hone his control and carve out a spot in the Majors. Labourt does have an option remaining as well, so he needn’t be exposed to waivers if he doesn’t break camp in the Reds’ bullpen.
Latest On The Top Remaining Free Agent Starters
The Nationals reportedly remain open to adding to their roster before the season begins, and while they’ve been oft-linked to top remaining free agent Jake Arrieta, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post reports that the Nats “haven’t engaged with Arrieta’s camp recently.” The Nationals, it seems (much like the rest of baseball), would be likelier to jump into the fray if Arrieta’s price drops.
Castillo does note that at least three other clubs have made recent inquiries with Arrieta’s agent, Scott Boras. One of those is likely the Phillies, who are reported to have an ongoing dialogue with Boras regarding Arrieta. However, most reports out of Philadelphia suggest that the Phils are loath to go beyond three years for the former NL Cy Yong winner, who will pitch this season at age 32 and has displayed some signs of decline in recent years — most notably a loss of velocity and worsened K/BB rates.
Alternatives for the Nats, Phillies and other clubs searching for rotation upgrades are still on the market in the form of Alex Cobb and Lance Lynn, who both remain unsigned. Todd Zolecki of MLB.com writes, however, that the Phils are even less likely to sign Cobb or Lynn to a long-term deal than they are Arrieta (and again reports that the Phils don’t want to go past three years for Arrieta). Even a contract in the vicinity of Tyler Chatwood‘s three-year, $38MM pact with the Cubs could be too rich for the Phillies’ tastes when it comes to Lynn and Cobb, Zolecki writes.
It seems that virtually every club in need of rotation help is awaiting the asking price on the top three starters to drop. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden tweets that both Cobb and Lynn are still seeking guarantees worth more than $50MM. (It’s worth pointing out that the manner in which that report frames draft compensation is inaccurate; the draft/international penalty for signing any of Arrieta, Cobb or Lynn is not tied to that $50MM figure, but a deal of $50MM or more would improve the compensation for the teams losing those players.)
The Orioles, Brewers, Phillies and Twins all hold varying levels of interest in Cobb and/or Lynn, Bowden notes, but not at the current asking price. The Twins’ level of interest in Lynn doesn’t appear to be especially high at this point, though. While Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN walks back a recent report a bit by tweeting that Minnesota’s offer to Lynn was for more than the $12MM he initially reported, he adds that it was nonetheless well shy of anything his camp considered and that there are no current talks between the two sides.
The Inner Monologue of @DimTillard W.W.N.R.D.
It’s 4:13pm in Pheonix, Arizona. Thursday March 1st, 2018. My name is Tim Dillard. I’m a Minor League baseball player in spring training hoping to win a job for my 16th professional season. Currently though, I’m seated in a hotel hallway waiting patiently for the maintenance man to fix whatever’s wrong with Room 124. About this time last year MLB Trade Rumors asked if I’d be interested in writing for them. I told them I was VERY interested… but couldn’t promise the same enthusiasm from the reader. So I’m taking this hotel hallway hiatus to explain how I got here today.
4:18pm: After the Triple-A season was over last year, the Milwaukee Brewers signed me back, and extended me a BIG invitation… to Minor League spring training camp. They offered free coffee at all of their Minor League affiliates, so it was a no brainer.
4:20pm: Two weeks ago I loaded my spikes, gloves, cup, and other equipment into my 2005 Mercury Mariner (Mercury was a car company that used to exist) and drove 1,600 miles from Nashville to Phoenix. Leaving behind my wife, my three kids, my friends, my dog, my house, my bed… actually it wasn’t that hard leaving the dog behind. That’s not mean to say. She’s like 84 in dog years, and probably doesn’t even know I left. And just like everybody else… there’s a good chance she’ll never read this anyway.
4:23pm: During last year’s drive to spring training, I visited the vast and awe inspiring Grand Canyon for the first time! Truly amazing! So to try and top that marvelous experience, I stopped this year and visited the one and only Meteor Crater just outside of Winslow, Arizona!! It was ok I guess… seemed a bit small.
4:27pm: The maintenance man is still working hard. And I really need to get in the room to charge my computer, but honestly if my computer dies and I can’t finish this… it’s probably best for everyone.
4:28pm: Anyway, when the 27-hour cross-country meteor adventure ended, I once again found myself in the spring training atmosphere. You know, spring training is hard for a baseball player. It’s long hours, very difficult, very tiring, and very demanding… but good thing for me I’m a pitcher! And today, pitchers were done before lunch, so after a few awkward minutes on the treadmill, I skedaddled over to Taco Bell! (If the $1 Beefy Fritos Burrito doesn’t sum up the Minor League lifestyle…. nothing does.)
4:33pm: Pitchers however, do have in-depth conversations about the pitching craft — like the other day during stretch when we were talking about pick-off moves to first base. I, without being asked, decided to just start dropping all sorts of knowledge on the subject. But after several minutes of talking, one of the young guys asked me just how many pick-offs I had in my career. I pretended to think for a moment (like I don’t know ALL my stats off hand), then answered: “Well, in my career I’ve thrown over 1,200 innings… and um… yeah I’ve never actually picked anyone off before.” They all looked a bit surprised. Then shaking his head, the young buck said: “Are you for real? You’ve thrown over 1,200 innings? Wow, how old are you?”
4:39pm: So yeah, so far it’s been a typical spring training for me.
4:39pm: Earlier today, a group of pitchers were in the clubhouse talking about the upcoming season. They were picking brains, listing philosophies, and asking each other all sorts of questions. I kind of walked into the discussion right after I completed a heavy total body lift. (And by heavy total body lift I mean… filming a dumb video for my social media. In my defense, I did film it in the weight room!) But not really knowing the topic, and not really hearing the question, I was asked something by one of the guys. I could’ve said nothing or asked them to repeat the question. But instead I just made up an answer. With four sets of eyes on me, and ears waiting to listen, I dug deep. Looked straight at them and said: “W.W.N.R.D.”
4:44pm: “Huh?”
4:44pm: “W.W.N.R.D.? What’s that mean?” Making sure I had all my letters correct I said with utmost confidence: “W.W.N.R.D…. What. Would. Nolan. Ryan. Do.”
4:45pm: Not entirely sure if what had just came out of my mouth made sense or not… I just went ahead and treated it as a mic drop moment, and sauntered out the door back toward the weight room. (I had forgotten my camera stand in there.)
4:48pm: When I walked back into the weight room, I noticed a Yankees game was on TV and CC Sabathia was pitching. With name-dropping in mind, I quickly jumped on a treadmill and started talking to the guy jogging next to me. “Yeah. I was teammates with CC Sabathia with the Brewers way back in 2008 you know. In fact, about a month ago I actually FaceTimed with CC on Bill Hall‘s iPhone for like 7 minutes!”
4:52pm: It was only then I noticed the rookie Dominican pitcher take out his tiny headphones, look at me and say: “Hola Dealer!”
…
9:02pm: Alright I’m back. Here’s the update. My computer gave up and ran out of juice earlier. I was finally able to get into the hotel room. Apparently my room or the room above had a plumbing problem. The maintenance man was very nice, but I could’ve done without that empty Taco Bell bags comment.
9:04pm: It’s getting late… time for Advil. W.W.N.R.D.
To Be Concluded…
Yankees Sign Adam Lind To Minor League Deal
The Yankees announced on Friday that they’ve signed free-agent first baseman/outfielder Adam Lind to a minor league deal with an invite to Major League Spring Training. Lind, who is represented by ISE Baseball, would earn $2MM in the majors with $650K in possible incentives, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter).
The contract also includes a pair of opt-out opportunities — on March 22nd and June 1st — which will allow Lind to test the open market if he is not added to the MLB roster. The Yankees view the contract as an “insurance policy,” Cashman adds, so it sounds as if the opt-out clauses could well come into play.
Lind, 34, is coming off a strong season with the Nationals in which he slashed a hearty .303/.362/.512 with 14 homers in 301 plate appearances. That marked a nice rebound effort from a down season with the Mariners in 2016 and served as evidence that Lind is still plenty capable of contributing at the big league level. That he had to settle for a minor league pact this offseason speaks to the manner in which corner bats have been devalued throughout the league as a whole; Lind has posted an OPS+ of 123 or better in four of the past five seasons, batting a combined .282/.348/.473 through 2142 plate appearances in that time.
Of course, Lind is not without his limitations. He’s logged a disastrous .217/.263/.329 slash against left-handed pitchers over the course of 12-year MLB career and is largely limited to first base on the defensive spectrum. The Nats did trot him out to left field for 197 innings last season, though that marked his first work on the outfield grass since 2010, and he unsurprisingly did not rate well there.
It’s possible that Lind will simply spend camp with the Yankees before finding a better opportunity late in Spring Training. New York, after all, doesn’t have much of an opening for him with Greg Bird healthy and expected to man first base on a daily basis in 2018. Tyler Austin is on hand as a backup option for Bird and figures to make the team in a bench capacity as well, though he does have a minor league option remaining. Still, given Lind’s success in 2017 it would hardly come as a surprise if he landed with a club looking to deepen its bench later this month or perhaps finds a greater role in the wake of an injury elsewhere.