Jimmy Paredes

NPB/KBO Signings: Moya, Noesi, Bernadina, Paredes

By Steve Adams | December 1, 2017 at 10:04pm CDT

The free-agent market in Major League Baseball may be crawling along at an all-time slow pace, but there are plenty of recognizable former big league names landing contracts overseas. Here’s the latest group of names signing (or re-signing, in some cases) contracts in Nippon Professional Baseball and in the Korea Baseball Organization…

Former Tigers outfielder Steven Moya is headed to Japan on a one-year deal with the Chunichi Dragons, as Emily Waldon of The Athletic and 2080ball.com (Twitter link). The Jackson Management Group client was long considered one of the Tigers’ more promising farmhands but struggled in multiple big league auditions from 2014-16, hitting .250/.293/.452 in 133 plate appearances. The 26-year-old Moya struggled in Double-A and Triple-A this season but hit .284/.310/.501 in Triple-A as recently as 2016.
The KBO champion Kia Tigers announced that they’ve re-signed right-hander Hector Noesi, outfielder Roger Bernadina and left-hander Pat Dean to 2018 contracts (link via Jee-ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency). Noesi will earn $2MM with the Tigers next year, while Bernadina will earn $1.1MM and Dean will take home $925K. Noesi, 30, struggled through nearly 400 MLB innings from 2011-15 but has carved out a niche for himself as a high-quality starter in Korea, where he’s posted consecutive 200-inning seasons with a 3.44 ERA and a better than 3-to-1 K/BB ratio. Bernadina, who spent parts of six seasons with the Nationals, belted 27 homers with a .913 OPS last year in the KBO. Dean, a former Twins third-round pick who pitched 67 innings for Minnesota in 2016, pitched to a 4.14 ERA with 7.3 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9 in 176 innings out of the Tigers’ rotation in 2017.
Former MLB infielder Jimmy Paredes has a deal with the KBO’s Doosan Bears (also per Yoo). The 29-year-old will take home an $800K bonus in his first KBO season. Paredes hit .251/.286/.369 in parts of six big league seasons between the Astros, Orioles, Royals, Phillies and Blue Jays from 2011-16 before latching on with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball last season. Paredes struggled in his first run through NPB, but he’ll hope to more closely replicate his lifetime .301/.338/.461 Triple-A batting line in his first season with the Bears in 2018.

Minor MLB Transactions: 11/30/17

By Jeff Todd | November 30, 2017 at 10:30pm CDT

Here are the day’s minor moves:

Joining the Orioles on a minors deal is righty Perci Garner, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Soon to turn 29, Garner struggled in limited action in an injury-limited 2017 season. But he did show a 95 mph heater and 14.4% swinging-strike rate in his brief foray into the majors in 2016, and worked to a 1.83 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 78 2/3 frames in the upper minors that year. Notably, too, Garner’s innings tally came in just 41 relief appearances, suggesting that the former starter could have some multi-inning potential.
Infielder/outfielder Jimmy Paredes has joined the KBO’s Doosan Bears, as Korea’s Naver Sports reports (Korean language link; h/t to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net, via Twitter). He’ll receive a $800K salary for the 2018 season. Paredes has seen just over a thousand MLB plate appearances in parts of six seasons, slashing only .251/.286/.369. He spent the 2017 campaign with Japan’s Chiba Lotte Marines, where he produced a .219/.270/.364 slash with ten home runs in 289 trips to the plate.

Earlier Updates

The Tigers announced that they have completed their summer swap with the Cubs by acquiring cash rather than a player to be named. That deal sent Jeimer Candelario and Isaac Paredes to Detroit in exchange for veterans Justin Wilson and Alex Avila. The amount of cash that’s now changing hands isn’t known. Obviously, the key to this deal from the Tigers’ perspective was Candelario. The 24-year-old had an impressive initial showing upon reaching the majors with his new organization, slashing .330/.406/.468 in 106 plate appearances.
Anthony Gose is joining the Rangers on a minors deal, per Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter links). He’s expected both to function as a left-handed reliever — as he did last year in the minors — and to play the outfield — as he long did previously, including at the major-league level. Gose, who’s still just 27, recorded 14 strikeouts and six walks while allowing nine earned runs in 10 2/3 innings at the High-A level in 2017. Elbow issues halted his season at that point. Though Gose never showed quite enough bat in the majors, which is why he ended up attempting the conversion, he does have a useful skillset — quality speed and defense — that would make him a hypothetically interesting roster piece if he can develop sufficiently on the mound.
Joining the Twins on minor-league pacts are outfielder Ryan LaMarre, catcher Bobby Wilson, righty Myles Jaye, and catcher/infielder Willians Astudillo, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger tweets. LaMarre has reached the majors very briefly in each of the past three seasons; he spent most of last year at Triple-A with the Athletics and Angels organizations, slashing just .247/.328/.300 in 194 plate appearances. The 34-year-old Wilson, an eight-year MLB veteran, hit .243/.318/.428 for the Dodgers’ top affiliate lat year and will likely head to Rochester for depth. Jaye, who’ll soon turn 26, struggled in his first chance at the game’s highest level last year but has also compiled three consecutive sub-4.00 ERA seasons in the upper minors. The versatile Astudillo — the only member of this group that hasn’t tasted the bigs — posted great numbers in limited action at Triple-A last year but is a lifetime .750 OPS hitter in the minors.
The Marlins have added righty Drew Rucinski on a minors deal, per SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter link). Rucinski, who turns 29 at the end of December, has seen minimal action in three MLB campaigns. He transitioned to full-time relief in 2017 for the first time since his earliest work in the low minors, with fairly promising results. In 63 frames at Triple-A, Rucinski compiled a 2.57 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9.

Jimmy Paredes Signs With Japan’s Chiba Lotte Marines

By Steve Adams | January 5, 2017 at 8:04am CDT

The Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball have announced the signing of infielder/outfielder Jimmy Paredes to a one-year deal. He’ll earn $1.2MM, according to the Japan Times. The Marines also announced the re-signing of former MLB right-hander Jason Standridge to a one-year deal — also worth $1.2MM, per the Times.

Paredes, who turned 28 in November, has spent parts of each of the past five seasons at the Major League level. Most recently, he appeared in 76 games for the 2016 Phillies but struggled at the plate, hitting .217/.242/.350 with four homers in 150 trips to the plate. He’s also spent time with the Astros, Orioles, Royals and Blue Jays, posting a collective .251/.286/.369 batting line in 1012 plate appearances along the way. A switch-hitter, Paredes has traditionally fared better as a left-handed batter, hitting righties at a .266/.299/.401 clip (compared to .197/.241/.247 from his weaker side).

Paredes has shown flashes of potential at the Major League level, including an .807 OPS and 10 homers in 68 first-half games with the Orioles in 2015. However, his position on the diamond has long been a question mark. Though Paredes has experience at second base, third base and in both outfield corners, his glovework rates as below average at each position. He’s listed as an infielder on the Marines’ official web site, so it seems fair to expect Paredes to spend most of his time at either second or third base in his first taste of Japanese baseball.

As for the 38-year-old Standridge, his name is likely familiar to many MLBTR readers, though it’s been a decade since he’s pitched in the Majors. The Rays selected Standridge with the 31st overall pick back in 1997, but he struggled to a 5.80 ERA across 80 games and 127 1/3 innings as a big leaguer from 2001-07. However, Standridge found great success pitching overseas and is signing on for his eighth professional season in Japan with this new deal. The Birmingham, Ala. native has spent four seasons with the Hanshin Tigers, two with the Fukuok Softbank Hawks and will now return for his second season with the Marines. In 1059 2/3 innings as a starter in NPB, Standridge has a career 3.21 ERA with 6.3 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9.

Phillies Announce Six Outrights

By Jeff Todd | October 7, 2016 at 2:40pm CDT

The Phillies have outrighted six players, per a club announcement. Infielder Emmanuel Burriss, outfielder Jimmy Paredes, lefty Patrick Schuster, and righties Frank Herrmann, Dalier Hinojosa, and Colton Murray all lost their roster spots.

It’s no surprise to see Philadelphia partaking in some aggressive roster trimming. The organization has been utilizing a variety of temporary options while its best young talent develops in the minors. With another offseason at hand, the Phils will need to protect a new round of players from the Rule 5 draft while also pursuing new additions from the group of players that will inevitable enter the open market as other organizations make their winter decisions.

Paredes, 27, struggled badly in his 150 plate appearances, posting a .217/.242/.350 slash a season after providing the Orioles with an approximately league-average bat last year in over 100 games of action. Likewise, Burris didn’t show much at all in his fifty plate appearances, which represent his most extensive MLB action since way back in 2012.

The southpaw Schuster, who is still just 25, was bombed in his two major league innings. But he showed quite well in 44 2/3 Triple-A innings on the year, allowing just six earned runs on 31 hits and 18 walks while punching out 46 batters.

As for the righties, Herrmann earned a return to the majors for the first time since 2012 but was hit hard in 15 frames. The 30-year-old Hinojosa held opponents to four earned runs in 11 innings, with eight strikeouts and three walks, and also carried a 2.86 ERA with 10.5 K/9 against 5.1 BB/9 in his 28 1/3 innings at the highest level of the minors.

Among these players, only Murray was drafted and developed by the Phils. He was coming off of two straight quality campaigns in the upper minors and continued to perform well at Triple-A, but didn’t impress in the bigs. Over 31 2/3 innings, Murray worked to a 6.25 ERA with 8.8 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9. Though ERA estimators suggest he was a bit unlucky, he was quite susceptible to the long ball and gave up a ton of hard contact (41.1%).

Phillies Acquire Jimmy Paredes

By Jeff Todd | June 1, 2016 at 1:32pm CDT

The Phillies have acquired utilityman Jimmy Paredes from the Blue Jays, Philadelphia announced. Toronto will receive cash considerations in return for Paredes, who had been designated for assignment recently by the Jays.

The 27-year-old Paredes is capable of playing second, third, and the corner outfield. Plus, he swings from both sides of the plate, making him a flexible addition for a Phillies club that’s struggled to score runs. Clearly, the Phillies are intrigued by Paredes, as the club reportedly placed a waiver claim on him after he was designated for assignment and waived by the Orioles. However, the Blue Jays had waiver priority over the Phils at that point. This time around, the Phillies circumvented the waiver process by simply acquiring him in a trade.

Paredes certainly could help in the offensive department if he can keep up or improve upon his recent results. Since the start of 2014, he owns a roughly league-average .277/.311/.424 batting line with 13 home run and eight steals over 466 plate appearances.

Of course, Paredes isn’t very highly regarded with the glove, and he’s generally been much more successful against right-handed pitching. That limits his function for Philadelphia, but it’s not hard to see how he could be deployed to add some punch to a lineup that has received sub-par production from second base (Cesar Hernandez) and the corner outfield (Peter Bourjos, Tyler Goeddel, David Lough).

Blue Jays Designate Jimmy Paredes For Assignment

By Mark Polishuk | May 30, 2016 at 2:23pm CDT

The Blue Jays have designated Jimmy Paredes for assignment, the Toronto Star’s Brendan Kennedy reports (Twitter link). In a corresponding move, righty reliever Ryan Tepera was called up from Triple-A.

Toronto claimed Paredes off waivers from the Orioles two weeks ago. He hit quite well (.267/.353/.533) over 17 plate appearances and also filled in around the diamond for the Jays, making one start each at second, third and DH while also appearing in right field for a game. As MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm tweets, however, the Jays needed an extra reliever for their struggling bullpen and other infield bench candidates like Ryan Goins or Darwin Barney are needed with Troy Tulowitzki on the DL.

Paredes has never exhibited much defensive value despite his versatility over his six years in the majors, and he owns a .257/.294/.373 slash line over 862 PA with Toronto, Baltimore, Kansas City and Houston. The 27-year-old was originally signed by the Yankees in 2006, and notably dealt along with Mark Melancon to the Astros in the July 2010 trade deadline deal that brought Lance Berkman to New York.

NL East Notes: Baker, Matz, Paredes, Altherr

By Steve Adams and Jeff Todd | May 16, 2016 at 9:47pm CDT

Nationals manager Dusty Baker is known as a motivator more than as an in-game tactician, but James Wagner of the Washington Post suggests that the veteran skipper may be under-sold in the game management department. Numerous players say that they are believers in the way that Baker has operated, and he has managed to coax plenty of quality innings from his rotation while making situational use of his pen. Baker also chatted with MLB.com’s Bill Ladson about his first six weeks at the helm of the division-leading Nats. He says he’s pleased with the construction of the ballclub and intends to remain steady with the approach that has worked for the team out of the gates. Baker praised GM Mike Rizzo for his work and said their relationship has been very positive thus far.

Blue Jays Claim Jimmy Paredes From Orioles

By Steve Adams | May 16, 2016 at 1:10pm CDT

1:10pm: The Blue Jays and Orioles have both announced the claim. In a full column on the move, Kubatko offers the following quote from Duquette about Toronto’s claim of Paredes:

“The O’s tried but we just didn’t find a fit for Jimmy Paredes on this year’s team when it was time for him to be reinstated. Jimmy worked hard with us and we appreciate his contributions over the past two seasons.”

12:21pm: The Blue Jays have claimed infielder/designated hitter Jimmy Paredes off waivers from the Orioles, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). Baltimore placed Paredes on waivers over the weekend.

Paredes, 27, had a big first half for the O’s in 2015, batting .299/.332/.475 with 10 homers in 277 plate appearances. However, he was unable to maintain that production in the second half as his slash line dipped to .216/.252./265 in 107 plate appearances. This season, Paredes has yet to appear in a Major League game, as sprained left wrist caused him to open the season on the disabled list. Paredes batted a combined .309/.377/.471 across three minor league levels on a rehab assignment (77 plate appearances, 19 games), but the Orioles’ offseason additions left him without a clear spot on the roster.

While Paredes has played second base and third base extensively in the minors, the Orioles were skeptical enough of his defense to limit him to just 72 2/3 innings in the field last season. Even as Jonathan Schoop missed time due to injuries last season, Baltimore’s preference was to move first baseman/outfielder Steve Pearce to second base with Paredes DHing, despite the fact that Pearce had never played the position in the Majors or minors. The offseason addition of Pedro Alvarez gives the O’s another option that the club considers to be more or less a strict DH, thus leaving the team without an easy of way of carrying Paredes.

The Blue Jays currently have a bench consisting of backup catcher Josh Thole, fourth outfielder Ezequiel Carrera, backup shortstop/second baseman Darwin Barney and corner infielder Andy Burns. Given the defensive capabilities of Thole, Carrera and Barney, it would seem that Paredes’ best fit on the roster would be to supplant Burns for the fourth bench spot.

Orioles Place Jimmy Paredes On Waivers

By Connor Byrne | May 15, 2016 at 11:52am CDT

The Orioles have placed infielder/designated hitter Jimmy Paredes on waivers, reports Rich Dubroff of CSN Mid-Atlantic (Twitter link). Because Paredes has been outrighted in the past, he could refuse a minor league assignment and become a free agent, notes Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link).

Baltimore had to make a decision on the out-of-options Paredes, whose Triple-A rehab assignment was set to end today. The 27-year-old had been working his way back from a wrist injury since beginning the season on the disabled list. While Paredes logged extensive time at the plate in 2015, slashing .275/.310/.416 with 10 home runs in 384 trips, the Orioles’ lack of trust in his defense limited him to just 72 2/3 innings over a career-high 104 games. Given his defensive issues and Pedro Alvarez’s presence as their DH, Paredes no longer had a place on the Orioles’ roster.

Paredes, a career .257/.293/.369 hitter in 845 major league PAs, is owed a $520K salary this season and has three years of arbitration eligibility remaining.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Rays, Paredes, Smith

By Steve Adams | May 2, 2016 at 10:45am CDT

With the Yankees off to a woeful 8-15 start to the season, the New York Post’s Ken Davidoff opines that it’s time to make some significant changes to the lineup. Chief among them, writes Davidoff, is the benching of struggling third baseman Chase Headley in favor of Ronald Torreyes. While he notes that such a move wouldn’t be a long-term fit, Davidoff feels Torreyes would provide quality at-bats on a more consistent basis. Davidoff also calls for a demotion for right-hander Luis Severino if his struggles persist much longer, writes that aging veterans (Carlos Beltran, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira) should receive less playing time and adds that the Yankees should make it known that they’ll eat a large portion of Jacoby Ellsbury’s salary in a trade.

While the Yankees could certainly look to move Ellsbury, that’s far easier said than done, even if they’re eating a huge portion of his contract. Ellsbury has nearly $107MM remaining on his contract through the end of the 2020 season (including the $5MM buyout on his 2021 option). While the Dodgers were able to move Matt Kemp with nearly an identical amount remaining on his deal, Kemp was significantly more productive at the plate prior to his trade, and the Dodgers still had to eat $32MM of his deal. L.A.’s inability to move Carl Crawford and the longtime struggles the Braves faced in trying to shed Melvin Upton Jr. serve as reminders that it would be exceptionally difficult to move Ellsbury.

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