Suspects have been arrested in conjunction with the tragedy, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times writes. It is suspected that the vehicle crashed when it struck a rock that was placed in the roadway intentionally, as part of a horrific robbery ploy.

Valbuena spent the past two seasons playing with the Angels and, prior to that, spent two years with the Astros, three years with the Cubs, three with the Indians and part of one season with the Mariners. Known for his affinity for bat flips and an ebullient personality, Valbuena was a popular clubhouse fixture in his decade-plus as a Major Leaguer — as evidenced by the outpouring of emotional messages from former teammates on social media.

Castillo saw fairly regular action at second base with the Pirates from 2004-07 and split the 2008 season between the Astros and Giants. While he hasn’t played in the Majors since that 2008 campaign, he continued his career with a pair of seasons in Japan, where he suited up for the Yokohama Bay Stars and the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2010-11. He’s played in the Venezuelan Winter League every year since 2006.

“Every day, every single day he had a smile on his face, happiness in his heart and a genuine interest in making others feel the same,” Angels VP of communications Tim Mead tweeted of Valbuena. “He treated everyone with respect, sincerity,and his wonderful gift of humor. Every day, every single day.”

MLBTR joins the baseball world in mourning the loss of the two and in expressing heartfelt condolences to the families, loved ones, friends and former teammates of both Valbuena and Castillo.

Latest…

• The Blue Jays will hold Darnell Sweeney on their active roster no longer. The club has announced that he cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A. Sweeney earned just four plate appearances with Toronto this season prior to being designated for assignment; it was his first taste of major league action since 2015, when the 27-year-old was with the Phillies. It seems as though the move was more motivated by projected potential than performance. Although Sweeney didn’t get a hit in his four trips to the plate, he did manage to draw two walks. He did, however, hit just .235/.310/.398 at the Triple-A level, and while that’s good for a nearly-average 98 wRC+, he also struck out in more than 30% of his plate appearances.
• The Angels announced that they’ve placed infielder Luis Valbuena on release waivers. The 32-year-old is finishing up a two-year, $15MM contract with a 2019 club option, which clearly won’t be exercised. He’s long been a useful major-league asset, providing at least 1 fWAR across each of the past six seasons while with the Cubs, Astros and Angels. Unfortunately, this year has been an entirely different story, as he’s mustered just a .199/.253/.335 batting line across 288 plate appearances for the Halos while striking out a whopping 34.7% of the time. Valbuena’s performance has also suffered from a 6.6% walk rate that’s nearly four full percentage points below his career average of 10.5%.

Earlier…

• The Twins have released right-hander Todd Van Steensel, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter). It seems the organization simply ran out of room for the 27-year-old reliever, who has been with the Twins since 2011. The Aussie had spent the 2018 season at the Double-A level, working to a 3.07 ERA with 10.0 K/9 against 4.7 BB/9 while allowing just 26 hits over 44 innings.

Prior to his ouster, Valbuena had been two months from completing the two-year, $15MM guarantee the Angels awarded him as a free agent before last season. The deal also comes with an $8.5MM mutual option for 2019, but given his poor production in their uniform, the Angels would have bought him out for $500K instead. While the Angels will now have a week to find a taker for Valbuena via trade, that seems unlikely to happen. Instead, it’s fair to guess that the 32-year-old will clear waivers and end up back on the free-agent market soon after that.

Valbuena, who’s on an $8MM salary this year, has hit a horrid .199/.253/.335 with nine home runs and a .135 ISO in 288 plate appearances in 2018. He also batted .199 over 401 PAs in 2017, though Valbuena still offered far better overall production than he has this year, as he posted a .294 on-base percentage, a .432 slugging percentage, 22 homers and a .233 ISO. During what amounted to nearly a two-year run in Anaheim, Valbuena slashed .199/.277/.390 in 689 PAs.

The lefty-swinging Valbuena had been an above-average offensive player earlier in his career, which led the Angels to hand him a sizable payday. From 2013-16, which he divided between the Cubs and Astros, Valbuena hit .237/.333/.428 (112 wRC+) with 66 homers, a .191 ISO and respectable walk (12.0) and strikeout (20.5) percentages in 1,773 PAs.

“Second base is more of a priority with our club than any other positions,” said Martone, who added that the Halos’ aim at third is to platoon the left-handed hitting Luis Valbuena with a right-handed bat.

The fact that the Angels are prioritizing the keystone isn’t surprising, considering the nightmarish output they received at the position last season. Only two teams had a worse fWAR at second than the Angels’ minus-0.3, which was largely the result of the horrid .207/.274/.318 slash line that Danny Espinosa, Cliff Pennington, Brandon Phillips, Kaleb Cowart, Nick Franklin and Nolan Fontana produced. The club is reportedly considering Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler and free agents Neil Walker and Zack Cozart to man the position in 2018. Other potential targets could include Howie Kendrick (an ex-Angel) and Eduardo Nunez via free agency, and trade candidates in Dee Gordon (Marlins) and Cesar Hernandez (Phillies). The Angels previously showed interest in both Gordon and Hernandez.

Should the Angels remain true to their word at the hot corner, it would rule out a pursuit of Los Angeles native Mike Moustakas in free agency. Righty-swingers in Kinsler, Nunez, Cozart or Todd Frazier could team with Valbuena, though all four are overqualified to serve on the short side of a platoon. The right-handed Yunel Escobar, the Angels’ primary third baseman from 2016-17 and now a free agent, may be a more realistic option if the two sides are interested in staying together. He and Valbuena worked in tandem to mediocre results last season.

With Valbuena apparently in line to play third next season, it’s unclear what the Angels will do at first base. C.J. Cron looks like the in-house front-runner to occupy the position, but he hasn’t been particularly effective since debuting in 2014. As such, the Halos could attempt to upgrade over Cron in free agency with Eric Hosmer, Carlos Santana, Logan Morrison, Lucas Duda, Yonder Alonso or Frazier (Santana and Duda are already on their radar). Hosmer and Santana will collect the largest paydays of the group, and because the two rejected qualifying offers, signing either would cost the Angels their second-highest draft pick in 2018 (No. 56 overall) and $500K of international bonus pool money.

Valbuena was signed to a two-year, $15MM contract in January and slated to get the bulk of playing time at first base for the Halos.  C.J. Cron will handle first base in Valbuena’s absence, with Jefry Marte in line to pick up some at-bats against right-handed pitching.  Albert Pujols underwent foot surgery in December and will only be limited to DH duty in the near future — fears that Pujols could miss the start of the season have seemingly been allayed, since Pujols has been playing regularly since March 10 and hitting very well.

[Updated Angels depth chart at Roster Resource]

While a Grade 1 is the least-serious type of hamstring strain, the injury is still quite troubling given that Valbuena underwent surgery on this same hamstring last August while still a member of the Astros.  It’s worth noting that Valbuena originally hit the DL with that injury in late July and missed almost a month before having to undergo his season-ending surgery, so it’s clear that the Angels will be quite cautious in order to prevent more lingering issues.  The Angels don’t really have anywhere else to put Valbuena besides first base since Pujols looks to be locked into the DH role.

Valbuena, 31, has hit .243/.334/.442 with 54 homers in 1382 PA for the Cubs and Astros since the start of the 2014 season, including a .260/.357/.459 slash line and 16 big flies over 342 PA for Houston in 2016.  Valbuena has hit right-handed pitching much better than southpaws over that stretch, so Cron would’ve likely been in line anyway for a good chunk of playing time when the Angels faced a left-handed starter.  There was some trade buzz around Cron earlier this winter in the wake of Valbuena’s signing, though if Valbuena’s hamstring will be an ongoing issue, there seems virtually no chance Cron will be moved.

More on Arizona and two other teams in the majors’ West divisions:

• Miller, who endured a nightmarish, well-publicized 2016 with the Diamondbacks, continued to flash high velocity Wednesday, according to Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. Miller’s four-seam fastball sat between 93 mph and 96 mph (and touched 97 mph), and “the industry is intrigued” by the improved stuff he has shown this spring, relays Castrovince. D-backs manager Torey Lovullo thinks the righty is “ready to do some special things this year,” while Miller says he’s “just trying to have a positive outlook on everything” and not dwell on last season.
• Angels first baseman Luis Valbuena left the team’s game early on Wednesday as a result of right hamstring tightness, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. While the severity is unknown, it’s worth noting that Valbuena missed a large chunk of 2016 with a right hamstring injury and underwent season-ending surgery in August. The Angels will turn to C.J. Cron as their primary first baseman if they lose Valbuena, who’s entering the first season of a two-year, $15MM deal.
• Rockies left-hander Chris Rusin had been vying for one of their available rotation spots before suffering an oblique injury March 3. Rusin returned to throwing on Wednesday, in the form of a 25-pitch bullpen session, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. The 30-year-old hopes to return by Opening Day, but he no longer has a chance to earn a starting job. The Rockies will choose two of Antonio Senzatela, Jeff Hoffman, German Marquez, Harrison Musgrave and Kyle Freeland to fill out their rotation behind Jon Gray, Tyler Anderson and Tyler Chatwood.

“I like the power and the selectivity…” Eppler said of Valbuena, who has posted a .199 isolated power mark (slugging percentage minus batting average) and an 11.5 percent walk rate over the past three seasons. “…He knows he’ll be in the lineup very regularly and the entire time against a right-handed pitcher.”

Eppler’s comments do suggest that there’s the possibility of a platoon between Valbuena and Cron. Valbuena is just a .206/.299/.335 hitter against left-handers in that previously mentioned 2014-16 stretch, but he’s posted a much more robust .253/.344/.473 batting line against right-handers in that same time. Cron, however, isn’t the most natural fit as a platoon partner. While his .252/.289/.409 career batting line against left-handed pitching is better than Valbuena’s output against southpaws, Cron has typically fared better against right-handers since debuting in 2014. (He did carry more traditional platoon splits in the minors, so perhaps there’s some yet-untapped potential against lefties in Cron’s bat.)

Naturally, though, Eppler’s comments will lead to speculation about the possibility of Cron eventually becoming a trade candidate. Eppler said playing time will sort itself out “organically,” (via Fletcher) and Shaikin notes that the GM said he’ll wait until getting through Spring Training before determining whether to trade from his potential first base surplus. The Halos, after all, don’t know exactly what to expect from Albert Pujols, who underwent foot surgery in early December in an effort to alleviate plantar fasciitis.

Recovery time for Pujols was listed at four months in the press release announcing that operation, suggesting that there’s a chance Pujols won’t be ready to begin the season. Eppler cautioned that there’s been no change in Pujols’ recovery that led to the Valbuena addition; rather, Shaikin writes that Eppler said he’s been in contact with Valbuena’s camp since November. However, if Pujols does incur any type of notable setback, the Angels could comfortably rely upon Valbuena, Cron and Jefry Marte to cover the at-bats between first base and designated hitter.

Now is hardly the best time to be marketing Cron (or any player that is limited to first base/DH) anyhow, as the free-agent market still offers plenty of options in that regard. Cron, though, could conceivably present an intriguing option for a team like the Rays (who are rumored to be looking at first basemen such as Chris Carter and Mike Napoli), as he has not yet reached arbitration and be controlled for another four seasons before reaching free agency.

Though he’s not an elite slugger, Cron did take a step forward in 2016, hitting .278/.325/.467 (all career-highs) with 16 home runs in 445 plate appearances. Adjusting for his pitcher-friendly home park, stats like wRC+ (115) and OPS+ (117) pegged him at 15 to 17 percent better than a league-average hitter.

With enough playing time, Cron seemingly has the ability to hit 20 to 25 home runs in a season while providing strong all-around value at the plate. The Angels, though, were set to enter the season with an extremely right-handed lineup, with Kole Calhoun as the only pure lefty penciled into the lineup. Second baseman Danny Espinosa is a switch-hitter but is far better from the right side of the plate, and fourth outfielder Ben Revere would bring a left-handed option to the table as well. Valbuena balances out the lineup and could replace Yunel Escobar at third base in 2018 when he’s a free agent if Cron is retained all season. (Alternatively, the Halos could look to move Escobar at some point and install Valbuena at the hot corner, where he’s spent most of his MLB career, though that’s speculation on my behalf.)

Valbuena will be paid $6.5MM in 2017, $8MM in 2018 and has a $500K buyout on the $8.5MM option for the 2019 season. The option can increase in value up to $10MM based upon Valbuena’s plate appearances in the next two years. If Valbuena is traded, he’ll pick up a one-time, $500K bonus.

Valbuena, 31, will join an infield and DH grouping that now features multiple options. Los Angeles had previously dealt for second baseman Danny Espinosa, who’ll join Andrelton Simmons in the middle-infield mix, and already employs Yunel Escobar at third. Cliff Pennington remains available as a utility option. Meanwhile, Albert Pujols and C.J. Cron had figured to handle first base and DH, though the former will be working back from foot surgery to start the year.

While it’s a bit of an odd match at first glance, it’s easier to see the rationale upon taking a closer look. All of the players just listed hit from the right side, with the exception of Espinosa and Pennington, both of whom are switch-hitters. Though Pennington has performed better against right-handed pitching historically, the opposite is true of Espinosa.

Even if Pennington offers one option to slot in the lineup against tough righties, he’s a light-hitting, part-time player. Certainly, Valbuena might be expected to do quite a bit more damage. It’s particularly interesting to note the situation with Pujols, who may not be available by Opening Day and could be a greater concern given his age and prior history of foot difficulties. At the very least, this signing represents an insurance policy there.

Plus, while Valbuena has spent most of his time at third, he’s also capable of playing second base, having logged 209 games there over his nine seasons in the majors. It’s worth bearing in mind, too, that both Espinosa and Escobar are slated to hit free agency after the 2017 season, so Valbuena will not only deepen the roster in 2017 but will also provide a ready replacement — presumably, at the hot corner. It’s also possible that the club could deal Cron, as Jon Heyman of Fan Rag notes on Twitter, though it’s far from clear just how much demand there would be for his services.

[RELATED: Updated Angels Depth Chart]

Los Angeles will undoubtedly be adding a talented hitter in Valbuena, who posted an excellent .260/.357/.459 batting line in his first 342 plate appearances of 2016 before going down to a season-ending hamstring injury. That was his third-straight season of above-average offensive production. There are some limitations, too. Valbuena has also fared much better when hitting with the platoon advantage. And though he used to grade quite well with the glove at the hot corner, he has slipped to average or slightly below-average metrics in recent years.

Despite his solid platform, the injury no doubt harmed Valbuena’s earning power. Of greater importance, perhaps, was the lack of clear demand around the league. Teams such as the Giants and Braves could have pursued upgrades, but neither has to this point. That same general market situation has kept Todd Frazier with the White Sox, despite the fact that he’s an obvious trade candidate as he enters his final year of control on a rebuilding team. Plus, the abundant stock of less defensively flexible sluggers has likely reduced the demand for Valbuena purely for his bat.

Taking the opportunity to add Valbuena does make sense for the Halos, as explained above. But the team still seems to have some needs that remain unaddressed. The catching situation is far from optimal, the bullpen could stand to add an arm or two, and the rotation depth could certainly stand to be bolstered. Certainly, there’s still time left for more moves, though springing for Valbuena will take some of the available resources, particularly assuming that the organization continues to fly beneath the luxury tax threshold.

Venezuelan journalist Efrain Zavarce first reported the agreement (via Twitter). Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweeted that it was a two-year deal with an option and later reported the terms of the deal in a full column; he went on to add the detail regarding the mutual option escalator on Twitter, while Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweeted the trade bonus.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

More from the American League:

• Right fielder Jose Bautista, who brought an end to a drawn-out saga when he re-signed with the Blue Jays earlier this week, didn’t seriously consider joining the Indians, reports Terry Pluto of cleveland.com. The Indians inquired about Bautista, but it doesn’t seem as if either side was gung-ho about a union. After all, manager Terry Francona declared that the Tribe’s pursuit of Bautista in free agency – which may have included a bid – was overstated.
• While the Astros committed a guaranteed $14MM to Charlie Morton earlier this offseason, the right-hander isn’t a lock to win a spot in their rotation, general manager Jeff Luhnow suggested to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (Twitter link). Luhnow does expect Morton to end up in the Astros’ starting five, but he’s only “softly” part of the rotation for now. The Astros have been pushing to add a front-line starter all winter, and picking one up could relegate Morton to a bullpen role. As of now, in addition to established starters Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers, Collin McHugh, Mike Fiers and Morton, the team has intriguing young options – including Joe Musgrove and Francis Martes  – knocking on the door.
• Once regarded as key building blocks for the Astros, first baseman A.J. Reed and third baseman Colin Moran are long shots to crack the big league roster this year after rough seasons, writes Jake Kaplan of Baseball America (subscription required/recommended). Reed, whom BA ranked as baseball’s 11th-best prospect a year ago, got his first taste of major league action in 2016 and batted a weak .164/.270/.262 with a 34 percent strikeout rate in 141 plate appearances. The soon-to-be 24-year-old did rake at Triple-A Fresno (.291/.368/.556 in 296 PAs), though he’s now behind $47.5MM man Yulieski Gurriel and Marwin Gonzalez on the Astros’ first base depth chart. With Carlos Beltran and Evan Gattis also on hand, Reed  stands even less of a chance to garner at-bats as a DH. Moran, the sixth overall pick in the 2013 draft, didn’t help his cause in Fresno – .259/.329/.368 in 511 trips to the plate – and the emergence of Alex Bregman in Houston only added to his problems. Bregman looks like the Astros’ long-term solution at third, putting the 24-year-old Moran’s future in question.

Pros/Strengths

It took a few seasons for Valbuena to turn into a quality major leaguer, but he’s now coming off a four-year stretch (divided between the Cubs and Astros) in which he batted a respectable .237/.333/.428 and accounted for 8.4 fWAR in 1,773 plate appearances. Since 2014, his breakout offensive season, the lefty-swinging Valbuena has handled right-handed pitchers with a .253/.344/.473 line in 1,068 trips to the plate.

Before undergoing season-ending hamstring surgery last August, Valbuena was on track for a career year with a .260/.357/.459 line in 342 PAs. He was also amid his third straight season with an above-average isolated power number (.186 – the league mean in 2016 was .162). Valbuena’s patient, too, having posted double-digit walk rates in each season since 2012. He helped his cause last year in collecting free passes at career-high 12.9 percent clip, which ranked 19th in the majors among those with at least 300 PAs and well above the 8.2 percent average. Further, Valbuena swung at pitches outside the zone a personal-best 23.1 percent of the time, which was good for 21st in the league.

Cons/Weaknesses

While Valbuena has been terrific against righties, his bat has been virtually unplayable at times versus same-handed pitchers. In 530 career PAs, he has hit a meager .221/.310/.356 against lefties – including a lackluster .206/.299/.335 over the past three seasons. Along with his platoon issues at the plate, Valbuena isn’t a threat on the bases, which is particularly unfortunate when considering his high-OBP ways against righties. It also helps explain his history of recording low batting averages despite avoiding egregious strikeout totals. Better, faster baserunners take advantage of reaching, but Valbuena has never swiped more than two bags in a year, and he hasn’t exceeded the one-steal plateau since 2009.

Defensively, Valbuena isn’t a major liability at third, but he hasn’t been able to approach the effectiveness he showed there from 2012-13. That 1,700-plus-inning sample saw Valbuena rack up 11 Defensive Runs Saved and combine for a 21.6 Ultimate Zone Rating. He has registered minus-12 DRS to go with a minus-11.7 UZR in almost 2,500 innings since, though most of the DRS damage (minus-10) came in 2014.

Valbuena’s aforementioned hamstring surgery could also qualify as a negative, but there’s no word on whether that’s affecting his market.

Background

A native of Venezuela, Valbuena joined the Mariners organization back in 2002 as an undrafted free agent. The former middle infielder ended up debuting in the majors in 2008 with Seattle, which traded him to the Indians during the ensuing offseason. That deal also involved the Mets and included 11 other players (to name a few, Jason Vargas, Franklin Gutierrez and Joe Smith). Cleveland eventually sent Valbuena to Toronto for cash considerations in November 2011, but the Blue Jays lost him on waivers to the Cubs in advance of the 2012 season. That proved fruitful for the Cubs, who got a couple good years from Valbuena before shipping him and righty Dan Straily to the Astros in January 2015 for center fielder and 2016 World Series champion Dexter Fowler.

In his major league career, Valbuena has raked in $14,275,200 in earnings, according to Baseball Reference. He’s a client of Elite Sports Group.

Market

“Several” teams have expressed interest in Valbuena this offseason, his agent, Scott Schneider, said last month. The only reported suitors are the Yankees and Rays. Neither team looks like an obvious fit, though, given the options they have on hand at third, first (Valbuena’s occasional position since 2015) and designated hitter.

Clubs that could still stand to upgrade in the corner infield include the Braves, Red Sox, Athletics and Rangers. Atlanta might be the best choice, as Valbuena and right-handed-hitting third baseman Adonis Garcia would have the potential to make for a formidable offensive platoon. Boston has the luxury tax threshold to consider, meanwhile, and has already picked up first baseman Mitch Moreland in free agency. The Sox also seem content to roll with Pablo Sandoval and Brock Holt at third. Oakland is focused on adding a righty bat, which would rule out Valbuena, and Texas is set at third with the great Adrian Beltre. The Rangers still need first base help, but they’re zeroing in on Mike Napoli.

Expected Contract

MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes forecast a two-year, $14MM deal for Valbuena entering the offseason. That still looks reasonable, but settling for less might be in the cards because so few teams look like clear matches for Valbuena.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Chris Iannetta, C: Now 33 years of age, Iannetta has turned in two straight marginal campaigns with the bat. But he hit .238/.357/.386 in over 1,000 plate appearances from 2012 through 2014, with 151 walks to go with 251 strikeouts. Iannetta still draws free passes at a hefty clip, but suffered from low BABIPs in each of the last two seasons (.225, .266). Though he’s making more soft contact than he did at his best, Iannetta turned in a 34.9% hard-contact rate and 22.4% line-drive rate last year, both of which were near his career-best marks. Though he rated as one of the game’s worst framers in 2016, he was one of the best in the season prior.

Adam Lind, 1B/DH: From the same age bracket as Iannetta, Lind maintained his power (.192 ISO, 20 home runs in 430 plate appearances) last year with the Mariners, but posted an anemic .286 OBP. There were two main culprits: a .259 BABIP and 6.0% walk rate that represented nearly a 50% drop from his personal best (11.5% in 2015). While it’s unlikely that the left-handed slugger will again post such strong walk tallies, he ought to be able to rebound somewhat in that regard. And it’s reasonable, perhaps, to anticipate a bounceback in the BABIP department; Lind continued to make about as much hard contact as he did during his productive preceding seasons and maintained a fairly typical mix of grounders, liners, and flies.

Logan Morrison, 1B/DH: As with Lind, Morrison represents a particularly intriguing target since the market was so saturated with defensively limited slugger types. The 29-year-old has never been a consistent producer, and seemed headed for an early end to his time with the Rays after an abysmal start to the 2016 season. But he rebounded beyond any expectations over his final 303 plate appearances, slashing .275/.350/.498 and driving 14 home runs in that half-season of work. While hitting to the pull side more than ever before in 2016 (an even 50%), Morrison made hard contact at a personal best rate of 34.2% and left the yard on 15.2% of his flyballs, the second-best mark of his career. His final numbers could look even better had he not ended up requiring wrist surgery in September. The injury risk may harm Morrison’s stock further, but it also increases the potential payoff.

Billy Butler, DH: There isn’t much to love about Butler’s last three seasons, as he has been about a league-average overall hitter — well shy of what you’d hope for from a right-handed hitter who’s limited to DH duties. But he did show quite well in his brief stint at the end of 2016 with the Yankees and remains rather difficult to strike out (career 14.8% walk rate). Plus, Butler produced a strong 28.9% line-drive rate in 2016 while cutting back on an infield fly rate that had soared to 9.4% in 2015, perhaps suggesting he could turn back into a reasonably productive hitter — particularly given that he’s still just 30 years of age.

Trevor Plouffe, 3B: There’s no denying that Plouffe was banged up in 2016, as he was shelved at various times by intercostal and oblique strains as well as a broken rib. He finished strong, posting a .277/.345/.465 slash over his last 113 trips to the plate, and carried a slightly above-average .248/.312/.426 batting line while swatting 74 long balls over his prior four seasons. While there isn’t much reason to expect that Plouffe will be a top-quality regular, he has every chance of returning to being a useful player: he’s just thirty years old and rated as an average-or-better third baseman in 2014-15.

Luis Valbuena, 3B: The role of injuries is even more straightforward in Valbuena’s case, as he was humming along nicely (.260/.357/.459 with 13 home runs over 342 plate appearances) before he was cut down with a hamstring injury. Unlike Plouffe, he hits from the left side, enhancing his function. While the 31-year-old is not well-regarded with the glove, Valbuena can still play third base and has spent time in the middle infield as well (along with a brief foray into the corner outfield).

Chris Coghlan, INF/OF: A left-handed hitter with some defensive versatility, Coghlan has provided the Cubs with over 1,000 plate appearances of .264/.351/.441 hitting and 26 home runs over the last three seasons. Of course, that output came on both sides of his ill-fated stint with the A’s, where he slashed an anemic .146/.215/.272 to start the 2016 campaign. The 31-year-old Coghlan typically receives good marks in the corner outfield, saw spot duty in center earlier in his career, and is at least serviceable enough at second and third to have been utilized at both spots in recent years.

Desmond Jennings, OF: While things didn’t end well in Tampa Bay, Jennings is still just 30 years of age and isn’t far removed from being a solid, everyday player. He has plenty of experience in center field and has generally drawn strong reviews for his work in the corner outfield. Jennings has been beset by injuries over the last two years, and has been inconsistent at the plate even when healthy. But he managed a .150 ISO last year, even as his on-base numbers were doomed by a .243 BABIP, and could again be a solid asset if he can return to his career plate-discipline marks. Last year’s 9.3% walk rate matched his career numbers, though he jumped to a 25.8% strikeout rate in 2016 while posting a 12.0% swinging-strike rate that was about 50% higher than he had ever carried previously.

Austin Jackson, OF: 2016 was supposed to provide a bounceback opportunity for AJax, who’ll soon turn 30, but a knee injury ended his year after just 203 largely uninspiring plate appearances with the White Sox. Jackson’s power has fallen off a cliff, and he wasn’t running as much even before the injury, but perhaps a lengthy respite can get the still-youthful player back in physical form. He was nearly a league-average hitter with solid glovework in center as recently as 2015, so perhaps his forgettable stint in Chicago is more a blip than the start of a full-scale falloff.

Colby Rasmus, OF: Rasmus played well enough in 2015 to earn a qualifying offer after the season. His return to the Astros wasn’t nearly as productive, as he scuffled to a .206/.286/.355 batting line. But Rasmus was playing with a cyst in his ear, which was ultimately removed via surgery, and also underwent hip and core muscle procedures after the season, so perhaps injuries played a major role in his poor campaign. He also wasn’t helped by a .257 BABIP. Rasmus is still just 30 years of age and produced a strong .238/.314/.475 batting line with 25 dingers in 2015. There are other sources of potential value here, too: Rasmus has typically graded quite well on the bases, though he doesn’t attempt many steals, and metrics were quite pleased with his glovework in both the corner outfield and center in his most recent campaign.

“There’s a certain belief that we have in the core of our team, that it’s not out of the question that we can compete deep into the season,” Neander said.

As Topkin previously reported, it’s unlikely the Rays will subtract their best starter, Chris Archer, from that core. But they continue to discuss left-hander Drew Smyly with other teams, and right-hander Alex Cobb is also a candidate to end up elsewhere via trade. Dealing one of those two would leave the Rays with a still-capable group that would also consist of Archer, Jake Odorizzi, Blake Snell and perhaps Matt Andriese. They’re mulling adding free agent starter Nathan Eovaldi to the mix, but he underwent Tommy John surgery in August and wouldn’t become a factor until 2018.

[RELATED: Rays Depth Chart]

In order to complement what should be a respectable 2017 starting staff, the Rays are considering outside help for their bullpen and lineup, per Topkin. Specifically, the team would like to add an adept defensive outfielder and a first base/designated hitter type to its collection of position players. With the latter need in mind, Tampa Bay has discussed such left-handed free agent hitters as Pedro Alvarez, Ryan Howard, Brandon Moss, Luis Valbuena and 2016 Ray Logan Morrison. If they opt for a right-handed batter, which could make more sense given that first baseman Brad Miller and DH Nick Franklin struggle against left-handed pitchers, 2016 National League home run co-champion Chris Carter and Billy Butler are on their radar.

However, of greater intrigue than securing any of the aforementioned names is the possibility of signing Jose Bautista. While he seems like a longshot pickup for the low-payroll Rays, they could be in position to pounce on the Tampa Bay-area resident if his market doesn’t develop as hoped this offseason. Plus, because the Rays finished in the bottom 10 of the standings last season, they wouldn’t have to give up a first-round selection to sign Bautista, who rejected the Blue Jays’ qualifying offer. The Rays would instead surrender their competitive balance pick (currently No. 31 overall) in next year’s draft to ink the longtime AL East rival.

Regardless of whether they’re able to reel in Bautista, it does seem the Rays are aiming to compete next year. Last season’s subpar record notwithstanding, the club has a bevy of quality players in the fold, and free agent signing Wilson Ramos should further help matters if the catcher is able to return from a torn ACL in early 2017.

More from the majors’ two East divisions:

• Despite reported interest in Holliday and now-Astro Carlos Beltran, Boston didn’t make offers to either, Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski told Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. “I figured we would wait to see what takes place later on, who’s out there. Our priority is to try to get a guy that can pitch the eighth inning for us,” said Dombrowski, who’s working with a limited amount of spending room because of a desire to stay under the $195MM luxury-tax threshold. “There’s a little bit more of a drive to [stay under]. But I can’t tell you where we we’re going to end up,” he stated. “There are penalties attached that I would rather not be in a position that we have to incur.” That would seem to rule out any possibility of Encarnacion to Boston, which already looked unlikely entering Monday. As for the bullpen, Dombrowski is unsure whether he’ll acquire a setup man via trade or free agency, but he hasn’t ruled out re-signing either Brad Ziegler or Koji Uehara.
• The Yankees are one of “several” teams engaging in “ongoing” dialogue with free agent infielder Luis Valbuena, his agent, Steve Schneider, told Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Bombers have so far balked at the demands of Valbuena, who is seeking a multiyear deal and wants an everyday role. New York won’t be able to offer a daily place in its lineup to Valbuena unless it deals third baseman Chase Headley, but the club hasn’t had any luck doing that. Valbuena, 31, spent the previous two years in Houston and is coming off his third straight strong offensive campaign, though his season ended in August because of hamstring surgery.
• The Blue Jays continue to have interest in acquiring outfielder Jay Bruce from the Mets, but they’re “offering little,” relays FanRag’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link). Toronto nearly acquired Bruce from Cincinnati last offseason, but the deal fell apart and he went on to hit .250/.309/.506 with 33 home runs in 589 plate appearances with the Reds and Mets. New York is now likely to move Bruce, who will make $13MM next season in the final year of his contract.
• The Marlins are “looking outside the organization” for a backup catcher to replace now-Diamondback Jeff Mathis, team president Michael Hill said Monday (Twitter link via Spencer). A.J. Ellis came up as a possibility Monday.
  

• The clubhouse fight between Billy Butler and Danny Valencia in August didn’t play a role in the Athletics’ decision to release Butler today, A’s GM David Forst and manager Bob Melvin told reporters (including CSNBayArea.com’s Joe Stiglich) today.  Butler was released because it was simply “the right time to move on.  It’s something we’ve discussed,” Forst said.  “A lot of the younger players are here now, potentially more coming once [Triple-A] Nashville’s done.  The at-bats just were not there. It’s time for us to move our focus beyond.”
• Butler also comments within the piece, saying the release wasn’t unexpected but he feels he could’ve used more at-bats to prove himself.  His rough 2015 season “was definitely below what my expectations of myself are,” Butler said.  “This season, it’s hard to even judge that.  I haven’t even had many opportunities to play.  When I did, I thought I helped the team.”
• Sonny Gray threw 11 pitches off a mound in a short bullpen session on Sunday, and the A’s righty told the media (including MLB.com’s Michael Wagaman) that he is still hopeful of pitching again this season, even if it’s just a relief outing or two.  Earlier reports this week suggested that Gray’s 2016 season was probably over, given the nature of his injury (a right forearm strain) and the fact that the A’s are well out of the pennant race.
• Tim Lincecum won’t pitch again for the Angels in 2016, but GM Billy Eppler tells John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that he’ll touch base with the righty in the offseason.  In fact, Eppler said he has already “spoke at length with [Lincecum] about some thoughts for the wintertime and I’ll probably have more dialogue with him to see what he’s doing from a rehabilitation and strengthening standpoint.”  Shea figures Lincecum will have to accept a minor league contract and be more open about converting to relief pitching if he hopes to continue his career.  The Giants were interested in Lincecum as a reliever last winter, so a reunion could be possible if Lincecum indeed accepts a role change.  While Lincecum struggled badly in limited duty with the Halos, Shea feels a proper offseason of conditioning and a full Spring Training could be greatly beneficial for the right-hander.
• This weekend’s Cubs/Astros series has led to some reflection about Houston’s decision to pass on Kris Bryant in the 2013 draft, but ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers looks back at another connection between the two clubs.  In January 2015, the Astros traded Dexter Fowler to Wrigleyville for Luis Valbuena and Dan Straily, a deal GM Jeff Luhnow said the two sides discussed for over a month before Straily’s inclusion clinched things.  While Fowler has been a star over his two seasons for the Cubs, Luhnow has no regrets, given that Fowler was a year away from free agency and Valbuena has been a pretty solid player for the Astros.  (This isn’t mentioned in Rogers’ piece, but moving Straily may actually be the bigger loss for Houston.  Straily was traded to San Diego in March for Erik Kratz, and the righty developed into a good rotation piece for the Reds this season.)

“Valbuena … got some bad news,” said Hinch. “He’s going to have surgery in the next couple days, and his season is over. His hamstring tendon needs to be worked on. He tried to play through it and see if he could rehab it, turns out he couldn’t. Surgery is the next consideration, and he’ll miss the remainder of the season.”

Valbuena went on the disabled list with a hamstring injury back in late July due to a hamstring injury but underwent a setback recently (as MLB.com’s Todd Karpovich wrote over the weekend). His absence will deprive the Astros of what has been a quietly strong left-handed bat, as Valbuena was in the midst of a career year at the plate. In 90 games and 342 plate appearances this season, Valbuena was batting .260/.357/.459 with 13 home runs, 17 doubles and a triple.

While the loss of Valbuena removes a well-above-average bat from the equation for Houston and depletes some of the their depth at both corner infield positions, the Astros are well-equipped to sustain the blow. The recent promotions of Alex Bregman and Yulieski Gurriel gives Hinch a pair of potentially high quality options at third base, while A.J. Reed brings plenty of upside across the diamond at first base. And while both Bregman and Reed got off to rocky starts as Major Leaguers, Bregman is hitting .312/.365/.558 in his past 18 games and Reed is hitting .282/.404/.436 in his past 13 contests.

From Valbuena’s standpoint, the injury is quite poorly timed, as he’s slated to hit free agency this winter and could have done so on the heels of that career-best production. While his overall numbers look plenty appealing, he’ll now need to convince teams of his health and that the hamstring injury he sustained won’t come with any lingering effects that will detract from his performance in 2017 and beyond.