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Players Exercising Opt-Out Clauses: Monday

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As Opening Day approaches, teams will be making tough roster decisions involving their veteran players.  Some of these decisions pertain to Article XX(B) free agents who have their opt-out date on Tuesday, though other players have opt-outs today or later this week.  We’ll keep track of the players who opt out of their deals in search of new opportunities here:

  • Lefty Brian Duensing told reporters (including Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star) that he will be opting out of his minor league deal with the Royals, giving the team 48 hours to either release him or add him to the 25-man roster.  As per the terms of his contract, Duensing will make $2MM in base salary if he makes the team.  It isn’t yet clear if K.C. will part ways with Duensing or not; while the Royals are deep in relief options, most of them are right-handed.  Danny Duffy is the only southpaw slated for a bullpen job.
  • Roberto Hernandez has been told he isn’t making the Blue Jays roster, and the veteran right-hander is expected to exercise his opt-out clause today, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reports.  Hernandez signed a minor league deal in February that would’ve paid him $1.25MM in salary and another $750K in available bonuses he had made the Major League roster.  The 10-year veteran posted a 4.36 ERA, 4.5 K/9 and 1.62 K/BB rate over 84 2/3 innings with the Astros last season.

Royals Sign Barmes, Duensing, Ohlendorf To Minor League Deals

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2:39pm: Duensing would receive a $2MM base salary upon making the club, tweets Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

1:35pm: The Royals announced that they have signed infielder Clint Barmes, left-hander Brian Duensing and right-hander Ross Ohlendorf to minor league contracts with invitations to Major League Spring Training.

Barmes, 37 in March, will compete for a job as a backup infielder in Kansas City. The 13-year veteran spent the 2015 season with the Padres and struggled at the plate, batting just .232/.281/.353 in 224 plate appearances. Barmes has never been too much of a threat with the bat, as his .231/.285/.340 slash over the past five seasons indicates, but he has an excellent defensive reputation and can serve as a backup at either shortstop or second base if necessary. Omar Infante and his contract are entrenched at second base, while Alcides Escobar is slated to man shortstop and Christian Colon figures to be the primary utility option, but Barmes could play his way onto the roster with a solid spring showing.

Duensing, 33 this weekend, is an Omaha native and former college roommate of Royals icon Alex Gordon from the pair’s days at the University of Nebraska. He’s spent his entire career with the Twins since being selected in the third round of the 2005 draft. After struggling as a starter early on, Duensing carved out a spot as a lefty reliever and put up solid bottom-line numbers with Minnesota in 2013-14, logging a 3.67 ERA with 6.9 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9. However, he slipped to a 4.25 ERA last season and averaged just 4.4 K/9 against 3.9 BB/9 in 48 2/3 innings with the Twins. If Duensing lands with the Royals out of camp, it’ll likely be due to his ability to control left-handed hitters; opposing southpaws have managed just a .238/.289/.325 batting line against him throughout his career, although the flipside of that is that righties have roughed him up at a .292/.352/.462 clip. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reports (on Twitter) that Duensing’s contract can max out at $2.6MM if he’s in the Majors all season, though the specifics of his base salary aren’t known.

The 33-year-old Ohlendorf spent the 2015 season with the Rangers, posting a 3.72 ERA in 19 1/3 innings out of the Texas bullpen to go along with a 4.17 ERA in 36 2/3 innings for Triple-A Round Rock. Ohlendorf spent a pair of seasons in the Pirates’ rotation from 2009-10 but struggled with the Bucs in 2011 and continued to struggle with the Padres in 2012. He’s enjoyed reasonable success as a swingman in his past two big league stints — 3.39 ERA in 79 2/3 innings between the Nats and Rangers — and will look to land a similar job with the defending World Series champs in 2016.

AL Central Notes: Gordon, Zimmer, Duensing, White Sox

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At a recent instructional night for youth baseball in Nebraska, Alex Gordon told Ken Hambleton of the Lincoln Journal Star that there’s “no truth” to the recent report that the Royals have been told they have “no chance” of re-signing their longtime left fielder. (Though it should be noted, the initial report said “no chance” based on the club’s current offer as opposed to “no chance” in a general sense.) As is the case with any player, Gordon almost certainly wouldn’t publicly rule out a destination — especially not one where he has spent his entire career to date. Gordon spoke fondly of his time in as a member of the Royals when talking with Hambleton. “We had so much fun, and to be around to see a team grow like Kansas City did and win the World Series was unbelievable,” he explained. “Right now I’m unemployed and I pay an agent 4 percent to make the calls, take the calls and let me know what’s going on,” he continued.

More from the AL Central…

  • Hambleton also spoke to Gordon’s longtime friend and current free agent Brian Duensing (another Nebraska native). “Waiting for a new contract is very scary and stressful, but you can’t let it bother you,” said the former Twins lefty. “They say you never have too much pitching, but I’m waiting to see that come true.” Duensing spent the past seven seasons with the Twins and, after initially seeing a good deal of work as a starter, settled into a bullpen role. Duensing, 33 in February, has a 3.82 ERA over his past 164 innings of relief (three seasons’ worth of work), but his strikeout rate has plummeted in recent seasons, and he’s long been susceptible to right-handed hitters.
  • Royals assistant GM J.J. Piccolo said in an appearance on MLB Network Radio today that right-hander Kyle Zimmer is someone the team envisions helping in its rotation, possibly as soon as early 2016 (Twitter link). Zimmer, a former No. 4 overall draft pick, has seen his career slowed by shoulder problems but has put together an impressive resumé when healthy. The 24-year-old worked mostly in relief last year while returning from injury but worked to a 2.39 ERA in 64 innings between Class-A and Double-A, and he has a lifetime 3.28 ERA with 10.8 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 in 216 2/3 minor league innings. Durability will be a question for Zimmer until he proves he can handle a full season’s worth of innings, but his upside is substantial.
  • It makes little sense for the White Sox to add Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie if a significant outfield addition is not on the horizon, opines Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. The Sox have made a pair of upgrades in the infield but still have questions at both corner outfield spots and DH. And, while some believed that owner Jerry Reinsdorf would be reluctant to spend heavily in back-to-back offseasons after a disappointing 2015 season, Van Schouwen notes that the White Sox have long operated in a win-now capacity and are clearly doing so this winter. Adding an outfielder and trading Avisail Garcia or giving Melky Cabrera more DH at-bats would deepen the Sox’ lineup and serve to complement a promising core of Chris Sale, Jose Quintana, Carlos Rodon, Adam Eaton, Jose Abreu, David Robertson and the newly acquired Frazier.

Bullpen Notes: Wilson, Melancon, Twins, Bastardo, Blanton

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The Tigers are interested in Yankees left-hander Justin Wilson and have, in fact, had trade talks with the Yankees about their lefty setup man, reports Marly Rivera of ESPN (via Twitter). It’s not clear how far talks between the two sides progressed, but the Tigers have a known need for a left-handed reliever, and the Yankees have been open-minded about dealing almost any player on their roster. Wilson, who has three years of club control remaining, is in his prime at 28 years of age and has a lifetime 3.03 ERA with 8.7 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9 in 199 1/3 innings between the Pirates and Yankees.

A few more notes on the relief market…

  • The Nationals had dialogue with the Pirates about closer Mark Melancon, though nothing is serious at this time, Bill Ladson of MLB.com tweets. Before Washington could even acquire Melancon, they’ll probably have to move at least one of Jonathan Papelbon or Drew Storen to free up some room.
  • Twins GM Terry Ryan says the team is unlikely to bring back relievers Brian Duensing and Blaine Boyer, as Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com writes. Minnesota is eyeing left-handed relief help in Nashville and is interested in both Tony Sipp and Antonio Bastardo, per Bollinger. The Twins also checked in on veteran Matt Thornton, but their preference is a more strikeout-oriented arm, says Bollinger, so Thornton may not be a fit.
  • Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press hears that teams have reached out to the Twins about All-Star closer Glen Pekrins in their search for left-handed relief, but talks didn’t get far (links to Twitter). Perkins is owed a reasonable $12.8MM over the next two seasons and has a $6.5MM club option for the 2018 campaign. That option becomes a player option if he’s traded.
  • The Cubs meeting with the agents for Bastardo, according to Robert Murray of Baseball Essential (on Twitter). The Cubs have been very active over the past 24 hours and are known to be seeking bullpen upgrades.
  • Shawn Kelley’s agent, Mike McCann, told Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter) that his client has yet to pick a team.  The Nationals are among “multiple clubs” in “active discussions” with McCann.
  • Right-hander Joe Blanton is drawing interest from a wide number of teams after a strong 2015 showing in the bullpen, tweets Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith. Blanton could be a candidate for a multi-year deal after his excellent bounceback campaign.
  • Multiple reporters, including J.P. Hoornstra of the L.A. News Group, have tweeted that Todd Coffey is in Nashville hoping to latch on with a club as he eyes an MLB comeback. Coffey, 35, hasn’t pitched in the bigs since 2012 but was excellent at Triple-A as recently as 2014.

Free Agent Notes: Davis, Heyward, Zobrist, Asdrubal, Young, Cotts

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Slugger Chris Davis is not the “top priority” for Cardinals GM John Mozeliak, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports on Twitter. A source tells Crasnick that St. Louis’s reported interest in the free agent is “overblown.” Of course, it remains tricky to find a perfect fit for the slugger, whose market still seems to be developing. From an analytical perspective, though, he appears to be a fairly solid match with the Cards. Indeed, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes picked the former Oriole to land there.

Here’s the latest from the rest of the free agent market:

  • Top free agent outfielder Jason Heyward looks more like a “secondary option” for the Cubs, Buster Olney of ESPN.com tweets. In other words, Chicago is pursuing other opportunities, but could pivot to chase Heyward if those other possibilities don’t come to fruition.
  • The Mets’ interest in Ben Zobrist is real, but that doesn’t mean the team will promise him four years to get a deal done, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports. New York’s pursuit of Zobrist is part of a flexible offseason plan, writes Rubin, in which various types of additions could be considered at the second base position — and elsewhere — as the market dictates.
  • Three teams are “in the mix” for free agent middle infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets. He’s expected to ink a deal “within the next week or so,” per Cotillo, which would seem to suggest that the veteran could find his next team by the time the Winter Meetings are wrapped up.
  • The Royals have had “encouraging talks” with free agent righty Chris Young about a return, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan reports. Both the 36-year-old and the team have expressed interest in a continued relationship, though it remains to be seen whether other clubs will make a push for his services — and, if so, whether Kansas City will be willing and able to meet or beat the market.
  • Similarly, the Twins have real interest in bringing back lefty reliever Neal Cotts, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports. Minnesota added Cotts in an August waiver trade. Fellow free agent southpaw Brian Duensing, meanwhile, tells Berardino that he hasn’t heard anything yet from the only professional organization he’s ever played for.

Players Avoiding Arbitration: Saturday

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Here are the latest players to avoid arbitration:

  • The Tigers and reliever Al Alburquerque have agreed to a one-year, $1.725MM deal, reports Mike Perchick of WAPT Sports. Additionally, Alburquerque will earn $12.5K if he makes 75 appearances, per CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman (via Twitter). The Tigers filed at $1.375MM while Alburquerque asked for $2.05MM. The reported deal is just north of the $1.712MM midpoint. MLBTR’s Matt Swartz projected a $1.7MM payout. A Super Two player, this was Alburquerque’s second spin through arbitration. The 28-year-old is club controlled for two more seasons after posting a 2.51 ERA, 9.89 K/9, and 3.30 BB/9 in 57.1 innings in 2014.
  • Lefty reliever Brian Duensing and the Twins have agreed to terms for one year and $2.7MM, Phil Ervin of FOX Sports North tweets. MLBTR’s Matt Swartz projected that Duensing would make $2.5MM in his last year of arbitration eligibility. Via MLBTR’s Arbitration Tracker, Duensing’s camp proposed a $3.1MM salary and the Twins countered with $2.4MM, so $2.7MM is near the midpoint but a bit closer to the Twins’ side. Duensing is the last of the Twins’ six arbitration-eligible players to agree to terms. He posted a 3.31 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 54 1/3 innings last season.

Twins Notes: Coaches, Yang, Pitching Targets, Hunter, Duensing

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The Twins announced the hiring of longtime Orioles minor league coach Butch Davis as their first base coach yesterday, adding to their recent list of coaching additions. While they’ve drawn a bit of flak for keeping most of their hires in-house, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reports (Twitter link) that Minnesota reached out to recently dismissed Cubs skipper Rick Renteria about the bench coach vacancy (since filled by internal candidate Joe Vavra), but Renteria declined to interview. Similarly, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets that the Twins wanted Delino DeShields to serve as their first base coach, but he took a position managing the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate, as his ultimate goal is to manage in the Majors someday.

Here’s more on the Twins…

  • GM Terry Ryan told reporters yesterday, including La Valle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, that Minnesota did not win the bidding for Korean lefty Hyeon-jong Yang (Twitter link). There was some confusion as to whether the Twins or Rangers won the bidding, with some speculating that they made very similar bids. The point is moot, regardless, as the KIA Tigers did not accept the winning bid for their top pitcher’s services, as it was deemed too low.
  • The Twins have interest in right-hander Edinson Volquez, reports Wolfson. Additionally, they’ve had conversations with agent Greg Genske, who represents both Francisco Liriano and Brett Anderson. Minnesota is expected to meet with Justin Masterson’s agent next week at the Winter Meetings, and they met with CAA (the agency that represents Jake Peavy and Nori Aoki) at last month’s GM Meetings, Wolfson adds. However, there’s no real traction on either CAA client at this time.
  • Wolfson also tweets that the Twins have made an official offer to Torii Hunter, who is expected to reach a decision soon. The Rangers are said to be pushing hard for Hunter, who reportedly prefers to sign with a contender. That makes a return to Minnesota seem doubtful.
  • The Twins have given no indication that they plan to non-tender southpaw reliever Brian Duensing today, tweets Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Duensing, 31, is projected to earn $2.5MM in arbitration and was listed by MLBTR as a non-tender candidate.

Players Avoiding Arbitration: Friday

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We'll keep track of today's smaller deals to avoid arbitration in this post. Click here for background on the upcoming arbitration schedule and how MLBTR is covering it. You can also check in on our Arbitration Tracker and look at MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz's arbitration projections.

Today's noon CT deadline to exchange arb figures has passed, but negotiations to avoid an arbitration hearing can continue into February. The Braves are the only strict "file and trial" team that did not agree to terms with all of its arb-eligible players, meaning they could be headed for several hearings. The Nats and Indians have also shown a willingness to go to a trial and still have some players unsigned. On to today's contract agreements…

  • After exchanging numbers, the Mets and pitcher Dillon Gee have agreed to settle at the midpoint of $3.625MM, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Swartz projected Gee to earn $3.4MM.
  • The Cubs have avoided arbitration with reliever Pedro Strop, president Theo Epstein told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). He will earn $1.325MM next year, according to a tweet from Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. It is not immediately apparent whether the deal was reached before the sides exchanged terms.
  • The Angels have reached agreement on a $3.8MM deal with reliever Ernesto Frieri, reports Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com (on Twitter). 
  • Mike Minor has agreed to terms on a $3.85MM deal with the Braves to avoid arbitration, reports Mark Bowman of MLB.com (Twitter links). The deal came before figures were exchanged, Bowman notes.
  • Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish reports that the D-Backs and lefty Joe Thatcher have avoided arb with a one-year, $2.375MM deal (Twitter link).
  • Nicholson-Smith tweets that the Angels and Fernando Salas reached an agreement to avoid arbitration. Salas is the first Halos player to avoid arb. Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times tweets that Salas will earn $870K, which beats out his $700K projection.
  • MLB.com's Jason Beck reports (via Twitter) that the Tigers and righty Al Alburquerque have reached agreement on a deal to avoid arb. The hard-throwing righty will earn $837.5K in 2014, tweets Beck.
  • Sherman tweets that the Yankees and Ivan Nova avoided arbitration with a one-year, $3.3MM deal.
  • The Pirates and Vin Mazzaro inked a one-year, $950K deal in lieu of an arbitration hearing, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune.
  • The Royals announced that they've avoided arbitration with infielder Emilio Bonifacio. Heyman tweets that Bonifacio will earn $3.5MM in 2014.
  • Sherman reports that the Rays avoided arbitration with Jeremy Hellickson and Sean Rodriguez (Twitter link). Hellickson landed a $3.625MM payday with a $25K bonus if he hits 195 innings pitched. Rodriguez will get $1.475MM with a $25K bump for hitting 300 plate appearances.
  • Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets that Brian Matusz avoided arb with the Orioles. Sherman adds that he'll earn $2.4MM in 2014.
  • MLB.com's Brian McTaggart tweets that Jason Castro and the Astros have avoided arbitration. McTaggart adds in a second tweet that Jesus Guzman avoided arb as well. Heyman reports that Castro will be paid $2.45MM, while Sherman tweets that Guzman will make $1.3MM.
  • The Indians tweeted that they've avoided arb with lefty Marc Rzepczynski, and MLB.com's Jordan Bastian tweets that he'll earn $1.375MM in 2014. Bastian adds that Scrabble will earn an additional $25K for appearing in 55 games and another $25K for 60 games.
  • The Giants avoided arbitration with Yusmeiro Petit, according to MLBTR's Steve Adams (on Twitter).  He'll earn $845K, according to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith (via Twitter).

Read more

AL Central Rumors: Twins, Plouffe, Downs, White Sox

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After signing a one-year deal worth $4MM that includes a club option for 2015, Scott Downs says he's on board with the White Sox's plan. “The talks that I had about rebuilding, about going young, about needing some extra veteran leadership in the clubhouse and on the field — it all appealed to me,” Downs said on a conference call, according to Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com. “I want to win and be a part of something special and I think we have that here.”

  • Twins GM Terry Ryan says that even at a projected payroll of about $84MM, the club won't have to unload salary to add another piece, tweets Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press (Twitter link).
  • Ryan also said that as they get ready to take care of their arbitration cases, he's not discussing multi-year deals with Trevor Plouffe, Anthony Swarzak, or Brian Duensing (Twitter links).  “I’m not saying it’s an impossibility,” Ryan said, “but we are not talking to any of the three about a multi-year deal."
  • The White Sox's level of interest in Masahiro Tanaka remains to be seen, but whatever interest is there has certainly been sparked by the level playing field, Hayes writes.

Relief Market Rumors: K-Rod, Wilson, Duensing, Coke

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With just over a week to the trade deadline, there's still been only one significant move for a reliever — Boston's acquisition of Matt Thornton. Plenty of teams are on the lookout for bullpen help, however, including the Tigers, Red Sox, Braves, Diamondbacks and more. With a potential Jason Grilli injury last night, more bullpen rumors could begin to circulate. Here are the latest relief rumblings from around the baseball world…

  • The Red Sox, Dodgers and Tigers are all keeping close tabs on Francisco Rodriguez, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. The Sox and Dodgers, in particular, were said by Crasnick to have scouts "all over" Rodriguez this week. Detroit, meanwhile, isn't as interested as it once was due to the strong recent performance of Joaquin Benoit and Drew Smyly (Twitter links).
  • Former closer Brian Wilson threw for Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti and bullpen catcher Billy Hayes yesterday, according to Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com. The session was a personal favor to Wilson and not an indicator that a deal is coming, Baggarly writes. However, Wilson looked nearly Major League ready, and Baggarly feels that the willingness to afford Wilson this favor suggests that any ill will between the two sides following Wilson's offseason non-tender has subsided.
  • The Braves continue to search for left-handed relief help, tweets Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio, who lists Oliver Perez, Mike Dunn, Glen Perkins, Scott Downs and James Russell as potential targets. Bowden notes that Perkins is unlikely, likely because of the numerous reports that the Twins won't move their closer.
  • While the Twins aren't interested in moving Perkins, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the Braves may have interest in another Minnesota lefty who may be available — Brian Duensing (Twitter link). Duensing has two years of team control remaining and will be arbitration-eligible for the second time this offseason.
  • One more note from Crasnick, who tweets that the Braves also checked in on Phil Coke in their quest for lefty relief help, but nothing came of the talks with the Tigers. Coke has had a brutal season because of overexposure against right-handed hitters, but he's held lefties to a .231/.271/.346 batting line.
  • For more on the relief trade market, check out my examinations of the market for left-handed relievers and the market for right-handed relievers. Also, for all fantasy players out there, be sure to follow @closernews on Twitter to keep up to speed with closer injuries, performance, usage and more.
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