Click here to read a transcript of today’s live chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams.
Royals Add Dillon Gee To 40-Man Roster
1:03pm: The Royals have added Gee to the 40-man, meaning he’ll stay in Kansas City, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com tweets. Roster space was created by moving Mike Minor to the 60-day DL.
10:08am: Righty Dillon Gee has informed the Royals that he will opt out of his minor league deal with the club if he is not added to the 40-man roster, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reports (Twitter links). By operation of that contract clause, Kansas City will have 48 hours (beginning at midnight tonight) to decide whether to add Gee to its 40-man roster or instead allow him to return to the open market.
The Royals would be committing to a reported $2MM salary if Gee is given a roster spot. His deal also calls for incentives, the value of which depend upon whether he is used as a starter or reliever. The veteran reportedly turned down major league offers from other organizations in hopes of joining the defending World Series champs.
Gee, who’ll soon turn 30, is looking for a bounceback season after a rough 2015. He didn’t appear in the majors with the Mets after allowing 26 earned runs over his first 39 2/3 innings, as the club turned to younger options. Gee went on to throw 105 minor league frames, posting a 4.11 ERA.
Of course, he’s done a good bit more in the past and looks to be a nice back-end rotation or swingman option for the right team. All told, Gee has thrown 679 1/3 innings in the majors, working to a 4.03 ERA with 6.5 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9. And he’s shown well early on this spring, allowing one earned run on five hits and two walks (against three strikeouts) in his five innings of action.
White Sox Release Mike Olt
MARCH 15: Chicago has given Olt his release, Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune tweets.
MARCH 7: Olt has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A, Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com tweets. He’ll remain in major league camp with Chicago.
MARCH 6: The White Sox have designated third baseman Mike Olt for assignment, the team has announced (via MLB.com’s Scott Merkin, on Twitter). His roster spot was needed for the signing of Austin Jackson, which has been made official.
Olt, 27, was once a top prospect in the Rangers organization, but he’s dealt with vision issues and has not yet been able to translate his robust minor league offensive production to the major league level. Over 400 career MLB plate appearances, Olt has slashed just .168/.250/.330 with a 37% strikeout rate, though he has hit 16 home runs in that span.
Chicago gave the right-handed-hitting Olt a look down the stretch last year, but went on to acquire Todd Frazier to fulfill the team’s needs at the hot corner. Jose Abreu, of course, remains entrenched at first.
The right-handed-hitting Olt obviously was not seen as an essential part of the team’s prospective reserve corps, though he could still be retained if he clears waivers. With Jackson joining the roster, the club has a variety of options to fulfill bench bat/DH duties. Switch-hitter Melky Cabrera ought to receive regular turns at bat, regardless of whether he’s in the field, while Avisail Garcia and recent claimee Jerry Sands also could be deployed against opposing southpaws.
Edwin Encarnacion Says Talks With Blue Jays Stalled Over Deal Length
The previously-reported extension talks between the Blue Jays and slugger Edwin Encarnacion do not appear to have gained much traction, according to a report from Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (Spanish-language link). Encarnacion expressed a generally pessimistic outlook on the possibility of a deal.
Speaking with Rojas in his native Spanish (translation errors mine), Encarnacion said that there was “nothing new” to report from the latest talks between his representative and the club. He explained that the sides have not even reached the point of talking money, as discussions have stalled over the number of years that would be covered in a new contract.
The 33-year-old is essentially limited to DH and first base duties at this stage of his career. Age and lack of positional flexibility no doubt limit the team’s interest in a lengthy pact, but with free agency beckoning it isn’t hard to see why Encarnacion and his camp are looking to maximize the term of years — which, he noted, was a key point from his perspective.
Encarnacion has established himself as one of the game’s premier power hitters and best contractual values over the last several years. Dating back to his breakout 2012 season, he has posted a .274/.371/.549 batting line with 151 home runs. Encarnacion has been consistent and durable, too, with only one campaign with an OPS+ below 150 (he put up a 145 mark in 2013) and one year in which he managed less than 600 plate appearances (he took 542 trips to the plate in 2014).
If no movement can be gained in talks with Toronto, Encarnacion says he’ll be glad to take that track record onto an open market that promises to feature a shallower crop of talent than was available this past winter. “Now, I hope to finish my year, finish my year healthy and go to free agency,” he said. While he made clear that he wouldn’t rule out a deal coming together, Encarnacion suggested an extension was not a likely outcome as things stand.
Mets Place Ruben Tejada On Waivers
The Mets have placed shortstop Ruben Tejada on waivers, ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin reports. He had agreed to a $3MM deal to avoid arbitration, and New York will remain responsible for one-sixth of that amount ($500K) if he is not claimed (or whatever portion of it he does not earn over the course of the season).
Tejada, 26, has settled in as a slightly below-average hitter and is capable of playing up the middle defensively. Though he’s generally graded out as an average defender at short, both UZR and DRS pegged him as a net negative there last season.
For a player that looks like a solid utility option, there’s been quite a bit of intrigue in recent months. Tejada suffered a broken leg due to a controversial take-out slide by Chase Utley during the post-season. He seemed a plausible non-tender candidate, but was offered a contract by the Mets. Then, he was awarded an extra day of service time to move up his free-agent timeline by one year (he’ll be eligible after this season).
Since that time, Tejada has seen his name enter the rumor mill, particularly with the Cardinals losing Jhonny Peralta for the first half of the year. Per Rubin, the Mets feel satisfied with their middle infield situation after adding Asdrubal Cabrera and Neil Walker over the winter, with Wilmer Flores set to see plenty of action around the diamond.
Max Stassi Undergoes Wrist Surgery
Astros catcher Max Stassi had surgery yesterday on the hamate bone in his left wrist, Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle reports. He’s expected to require six weeks off to recover from the injury, so he’ll obviously not be ready for Opening Day.
Stassi, who turns 25 today, had been expected to slot in alongside Jason Castro in the club’s backstop mix. He may yet have that chance, but will first need to make it back from the surgery and undertake a rehab stint.
Though he’s received only limited MLB exposure over each of the last three seasons, Stassi has long been expected to contribute at the major league level. Rating him the Astros’ 19th-best prospect entering 2016, Baseball America noted that Stassi is a solid defender in all respects, though his bat has failed to advance in the upper minors. He’s known for struggling to make contact but delivering some pop when he does: in his 753 Triple-A plate appearances over the past two seasons, Stassi owns a .232/.289/.380 batting line with 22 home runs.
Houston’s options to replace Stassi are rather limited. Indeed, Alfredo Gonzalez is the only replacement who is already o the 40-man. The youngster, who rated 26th on BA’s list, is considered a quality defender, though he’s yet to play above Double-A and comes with durability questions. Tyler Heineman and Roberto Pena are the other members of the system in MLB camp. Evan Gattis could (at least in theory) receive consideration once he’s back to full strength, though he hasn’t suited up since he was dealt to the ’Stros.
While it might not be reasonable to expect the Astros to make any kind of significant acquisition, a play for a veteran depth piece certainly seems to make some sense. It’d obviously be preferable to do that sooner than later, though other organizations will be hesitant to thin their own ranks at this stage of the spring.
NL Notes: Cueto, Jennings, Pirates
Giants starter Johnny Cueto was hit in the head on a Billy Burns liner on the first pitch of his outing Monday night, according to various reporters, including the San Francisco Chronicle’s Henry Schulman. Cueto stayed in the game and pitched three innings, but was checked by team doctors after pitching and will head to the hospital in accordance with team protocol (Twitter links). One would think the Giants would have removed Cueto from the game after the incident if they had considered the issue serious (acknowledging, of course, that pro sports teams have at times underestimated the impact of potential concussions). There would have been no reason for the Giants to keep Cueto in a Spring Training game if they had any indication he was hurt. Still, the situation bears monitoring. Here’s more from around the NL.
- The grievance filed by the Marlins against the Nationals regarding former Marlins GM and manager Dan Jennings was settled in favor of the Nationals, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post writes. The Nationals are paying Jennings $115K to be a special assistant to GM Mike Rizzo. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported yesterday that the Marlins took issue with that salary because they owed Jennings $1.5MM based on his previous contract with them, minus his salary in his new position. The Marlins thought the Nats’ $115K salary was too low given Jennings’ responsibilities, and that they were therefore on the hook for too much of his remaining salary. Via Janes, though, the disagreement has been resolved. “It’s an old grievance, and it has been settled,” says Rizzo.
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington is excited about his organization’s Triple-A rotation, Stephen A. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. The Bucs today optioned top prospects Tyler Glasnow and Jameson Taillon to Triple-A Indianapolis and reassigned fellow starters Chad Kuhl, Steven Brault and Trevor Williams. (They also optioned outfielder Harold Ramirez and reassigned catcher Reese McGuire and lefty Kelvin Marte.) Of those starting pitchers, Glasnow and Taillon are the headliners, but Kuhl, Brault and Williams are all prospects in their own right. All could wind up pitching at Indianapolis this year (although perhaps not right away, as Nesbitt notes, since the Bucs might need to preserve a spot there for a depth starter like Kyle Lobstein or Wilfredo Boscan.) “The future is bright,” says Huntington. “You run Taillon, Glasnow, Kuhl, Brault and Williams out in one setting — that’s a very exciting group. … Each one of them brings something that’s very, very intriguing. Now you put that group of five together, it bodes well for our future.” Kuhl is a sinkerballer who pitched well for Double-A Altoona last season. Brault, a lefty, excelled at Class A+ and Double-A after arriving last winter in the trade that sent Travis Snider to Baltimore. And Williams is a recent arrival who the Bucs acquired from the Marlins when pitching guru Jim Benedict headed to Miami.
AL Notes: Athletics, Lucroy, Eveland
The Athletics’ collection of infield prospects will be key to the organization’s future, MLB.com’s Jim Callis writes. Seven of the Athletics’ top eight prospects — Franklin Barreto, Matt Olson, Richie Martin, Renato Nunez, Matt Chapman, Yairo Munoz and Chad Pinder — play in the infield. All except Martin appear likely to start the year in Double-A or Triple-A. “The future of our organization really resides in that core group,” says A’s farm director Keith Lieppman. “There’s a real intent to get them exposed to as much as possible. Whether they go up later in the year or up in 2017, we have a crop of guys in Double-A and Triple-A who are all going to have an opportunity to make the A’s competitive in the future.” As Callis notes, the amount of infield talent in the A’s system raises questions about whether the ever-active Billy Beane could deal from that surplus — he’s already traded top infield prospects Addison Russell and Daniel Robertson in recent seasons. Here’s more from the AL.
- The Rangers still have interest in adding Jonathan Lucroy, tweets FOX’s Ken Rosenthal, but they haven’t had recent discussions with the Brewers about the former All-Star catcher. The Astros and Athletics have also had some interest in Lucroy, Rosenthal notes. It’s rare but not unprecedented to see a player of Lucroy’s caliber dealt at this juncture of Spring Training; last year the Braves sent Craig Kimbrel to the Padres the night before Opening Day, for instance.
- Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune spoke to left-hander Dana Eveland, who is in camp with the Rays on a minor league deal in hopes of making the ’pen as a second lefty behind Xavier Cedeno. Eveland candidly admitted to Mooney that he wasn’t too excited by the prospect of pitching for the Rays earlier this offseason, as he’d hoped to land with a club that played its spring games in Arizona (near his southern California home) — preferably an NL team. However, Eveland went to camp with an open mind and a curiosity about how the Rays have done so well in the division over the past decade despite their modest payroll, and he’s quite happy in his new environment. “There is obviously something they do well here on the developmental side,” said Eveland. “I was curious. I want to know: Am I going to be a better pitcher if I spend a year in this organization or for however long itâs going to be?” The 32-year-old Eveland said that he’s willing to go to Triple-A, though he hopes to break camp with the team. If he does make the team, he could be retained via arbitration this offseason, as he has four years and 55 days of big league service time.
Central Notes: Gee, Tigers, Wacha
Right-hander Dillon Gee has an opt-out clause in his contract that will allow him to become a free agent if he is not added to the 40-man roster tomorrow, as MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan writes. (FOX’s Ken Rosenthal reported the March 15 date back in December.) According to Flanagan, the Royals have been impressed by Gee’s early results as well as his bullpen sessions, making him a good bet to land with the club. Gee, 29, has yielded a run on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts thus far in camp and could be in line for a bullpen role, where he’d also serve as rotation depth, per Flanagan. The 29-year-old’s contract contains a $2MM base salary and contains $700K worth of incentives based on relief appearances and $3.3MM worth of incentives tied to rotation work. Though he struggled through a down season last year in the Majors and at Triple-A, Gee has a track record as a dependable starter, having pitched to a 3.91 ERA in 639 2/3 innings with the Mets from 2010-14. As Flanagan points out, the Royals have an easy 40-man move to accommodate Gee, should they choose, as lefty Mike Minor can be transferred to the 60-day DL. Here’s more from the Central divisions.
- The transition from Dave Dombrowski to Al Avila in the Tigers’ front office last year was completed in secret, but that hasn’t stopped Dombrowski from remaining friends, Bob Nightengale of USA Today writes. In early August, Avila received a phone call from owner Mike Ilitch, and Avila (after receiving a host of assurances that the Tigers would be able to commit more heavily to analytics, scouting and the international market) agreed to take the Tigers’ GM job during that conversation, three days before Ilitch fired Dombrowski. The situation was “awkward,”as both Dombrowski and Avila describe it — Avila had been Dombrowski’s assistant GM, and the two had worked together for decades in both the Tigers and Marlins organizations. Still, the two remain friendly. “I’m really happy for him,” Dombrowski says. “He’s always worked hard, very knowledgeable, and has been very loyal. I know it was awkward, but I’m glad he got this opportunity.”
- Cardinals starter Michael Wacha makes an interesting extension candidate, writes Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Frederickson quotes Wacha saying that he isn’t aware of any extension discussions. It’s easy to imagine why there might be mutual interest in a deal, though — an extension could potentially keep Wacha in St. Louis longer, and, as Frederickson implies, would begin to increase in cost just as the Lance Lynn and Jaime Garcia deals are set to expire. Of course, long-term deals for pitchers can be risky (Garcia’s long-term deal, for example, hasn’t gone perfectly), and Wacha has been in the league long enough that an extension would likely require a fairly significant commitment. The last starting pitcher with between two and three years of service time to receive an extension was Corey Kluber, who got $38.5MM guaranteed from the Indians following his 2014 Cy Young season.
Rangers Release Steve Johnson
We’ll track the day’s minor moves in this post. There’s only one of note thus far:
- The Rangers have released right-hander Steve Johnson, per a club announcement. He had been hammered for eight earned runs on nine hits over 3 1/3 spring innings, though he did pick up five strikeouts in that span. The 28-year-old has seen only sporadic major league time over the past several seasons with the Orioles, and joined on with Texas on a minor league deal in hopes of a new opportunity. That will have to come with still another organization, but the rest of the league will surely take notice of Johnson’s strong output at Triple-A last season. Over 54 2/3 innings, he worked to a 2.30 ERA with 11.0 K/9 versus 2.6 BB/9.