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Rangers “Check In” On Mark Trumbo

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The Rangers have at least “check[ed] in” on free-agent slugger Mark Trumbo, according to a report from Jon Heyman of Fan Rag. The extent of the team’s interest, though, isn’t yet clear.

Texas had been said to be the favorite to add Mike Napoli, another right-handed power hitter who’d presumably step in at first base and/or DH. But those talks haven’t proceeded as quickly as had seemed likely; per Heyman, the Rangers and Napoli aren’t quite seeing eye to eye on a deal.

That seems to have opened up at least some space for the Rangers to consider alternatives. Trumbo, who’ll turn 31 in a few days, is significantly younger than the 35-year-old Napoli. That had led to expectations that he’d be able to land a lengthier contract, though at present there’s no indication of long-term interest on the market. Of course, despite his prodigious power output — including a league-leading 47 bombs in 2016 — Trumbo also lags Napoli in on-base ability with a career .303 mark. And while the former is theoretically capable of playing the outfield, he has never drawn strong reviews for his glovework on the grass.

Trumbo remains the top unsigned player on MLBTR’s top 50 free agent list. But it’s fair to wonder whether the Rangers are looking mostly for a chance at a relative bargain by opening up a dialogue with his representatives. That’s the course the team pursued last year with Ian Desmond — who required the sacrifice of a draft choice, as would Trumbo — and Texas has shown little inclination to hand out major, long-term contracts this winter. The Rangers hold what’s currently the 26th choice in the 2017 draft.

Bridich On Bullpen, CarGo Extension, Trumbo, Arenado

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Rockies GM Jeff Bridich spoke to reporters on a conference call on Tuesday, covering a wide range of topics pertaining to both the short- and long-term look of his team’s roster. Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post and Thomas Harding of MLB.com were among those on-hand, and while I’d encourage readers to check out those pieces for full context and full quotes, here are some highlights from the general manager’s comments…

[Related: Rockies Depth Chart and Payroll Information via Roster Resource]

  • The Rockies are still exploring both trades and free agency, per Bridich. “The focus now is pitching, specifically our bullpen, if possible,” said Bridich. The third-year general manager confirmed that the Rox have spoken to the representatives for righties Greg Holland and Joe Blanton, though he unsurprisingly declined to comment on the extent of Colorado’s interest in either free agent. Bridich also noted: “There are multiple teams interested in those types of guys.”
  • Regarding the rumored extension for Carlos Gonzalez, Bridich acknowledged that the Rox have a desire to work out a new deal. “We’ve contemplated the possibility of an extension with him,” said the GM. “We’re hopeful we can at least explore that further. We feel like there’s a good chance we’ll be able to at least explore it further.” The 31-year-old Gonzalez is set to earn $20MM in 2017 — the final season of his seven-year, $80MM contract with the club.
  • The Rockies “remain in touch” with free agent slugger Mark Trumbo, but Bridich explained that the team has other priorities at this time. Nonetheless, Bridich has never expressly ruled out a deal with Trumbo, whom he termed “a very good player” on Tuesday, so reports will likely continue to link the two sides. Signing Trumbo would obviously complicate the Rockies’ infield and outfield pictures, as it would likely force the Rockies to deal one of their left-handed-hitting outfielders in order to clear an outfield role for Ian Desmond, who currently occupies first base (where Trumbo would presumably play in Colorado).
  • There haven’t been any substantial talks with third baseman Nolan Arenado about a contract extension, as Saunders notes in his column. Bridich said the first focus is on avoiding arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal, “…and if things come up, just like anything else, we are going to keep an open mind to anything.” MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Arenado to earn a massive $13.1MM salary in his second trip through the arbitration process as a Super Two player. Arenado won’t turn 26 until April and has already cemented himself as one of the game’s truly elite players. His play to date has earned him plenty of financial security as well, so there’s little incentive for him to take any sort of discount.
  • Bridich didn’t rule out adding a bat to his bench, either. Colorado is on the verge of one such addition, as they’ve reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with Alexi Amarista. That contract hasn’t been finalized just yet, but Amarista will be taking his physical for the club this week. Even with the addition of Amarista, inexperienced names like Cristhian Adames and Jordan Patterson are set to vie for bench roles with the Rockies, so an additional bench signing would indeed seem to make sense. Gerardo Parra looks to be the current fourth outfielder, and Amarista can bounce all over the infield. A utility option with experience in both the infield and the outfield would seem like a sound upgrade, and the Rockies could also reasonably add one of the many remaining first basemen on the market to their bench. Adames is out of minor league options, which may help his cause in Spring Training.
  • Beyond the two columns linked above, Saunders tweets that Bridich “reaffirmed his faith in Tony Wolters and Tom Murphy as primary catchers.” Colorado has been speculatively listed as a landing spot for Matt Wieters, but the Rox do have an intriguing young platoon setup with the left-handed-hitting Wolters and the right-handed Murphy. Wolters draws excellent marks in pitch-framing, and each threw out better than 30 percent of attempted base thieves (40 percent, in Murphy’s case). Murphy also brings a track record of strong Triple-A production to the table, even if he’s rather inexperienced in the Majors.

Increasingly Unlikely Orioles Will Re-Sign Mark Trumbo

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With “no movement” in talks between the Orioles and slugger Mark Trumbo, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, it is “becoming less likely” that the sides will line up on a new deal. There’s still some ongoing interest, he notes, but the sides haven’t made progress since their original talks halted.

Earlier in the offseason, there was reason to believe that Trumbo was destined to reprise his role as a corner outfielder and DH in Baltimore. But the O’s have reportedly pulled the four-year offer, reportedly worth over $50MM, that was dangled early in December.

It seems there’s little momentum at this point toward a reunion. Executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette suggested recently that the club has its eye on less costly alternatives. And the addition of lefty-hitting corner outfielder Seth Smith perhaps reduces the urgency of adding a bat — though, certainly, it doesn’t preclude a move on Trumbo or another righty.

Trumbo remains the top-rated player from MLBTR’s top 50 free agent list who has yet to sign. His leverage surely isn’t helped by the ongoing presence on the open market of fellow right-handed sluggers Mike Napoli and Chris Carter, each of whom also profiles best in a first base/DH role, along with a variety of powerful lefties such as Brandon Moss, Adam Lind, and Pedro Alvarez.

Dan Duquette On Trumbo, Hammel, Bautista

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Orioles executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette joined Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM to discuss his team’s offseason plans.  Here’s a partial audio link to the interview, as well as other details from Jim Duquette’s Twitter account (links here).  Highlights included…

  • Duquette hinted that the Orioles could be moving on from Mark Trumbo, saying “we like some of the other options, some of the shorter-term options on the market that look to be a little bit more cost-effective for the club.”  Since Trumbo rejected a qualifying offer, the O’s will receive a first round draft pick if Trumbo signs elsewhere, which is no small consideration for the Orioles given how the qualifying offer system has been altered for future seasons.  “The value of that draft pick has been enhanced with the negotiations of the new basic agreement,” Duquette said.  “In other words, that’s about the last time you can acquire that level of pick for a compensation free agent.”
  • The Orioles still are looking for outfield help as well as pitching depth in the form of “another veteran pitcher.”  Duquette didn’t rule out a reunion with Jason Hammel, noting that the O’s liked Hammel and how he performed for Baltimore in the 2012-13 seasons.  The Rangers, Yankees, Mariners and Marlins have all been linked to Hammel at different points this offseason.
  • Earlier this winter, Duquette commented that Jose Bautista wasn’t an Orioles target due to the long-time Blue Jays slugger’s unpopularity amongst Baltimore fans.  Duquette clarified those comments today and while he feels his words “kind of got blown out of proportion,” he didn’t walk them back.  “I was trying to make it clear to [Bautista’s] agent that I didn’t want the Orioles in that conversation because I didn’t want the fans being upset that we were out there trying to bring Jose Bautista here after we’d competed against him…for the last 6-7 years,” Duquette said.  In my view, this is an unusual public stance for an executive to take, especially since Bautista (as a veteran slugger who could be available at something of a discount price) fits the model of past late-winter Duquette signings.

East Notes: Urena, Red Sox, Orioles

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The Marlins face a tricky decision with out-of-options righty Jose Urena, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro writes. Urena posted a 6.13 ERA last season (albeit with a somewhat more palatable 6.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9) and has yet to establish himself in the Majors. At the same time, he has terrific velocity and a good prospect pedigree, so the Marlins likely don’t want to lose him. The Marlins’ additions of Edinson Volquez and Jeff Locke to their rotation and Brad Ziegler, Junichi Tazawa and Dustin McGowan to their bullpen means there’s limited space, however. A trade is a possibility, although Frisaro thinks that’s unlikely. Alternately, the Marlins could consider keeping 13 pitchers on their staff rather than 12, although that would limit their flexibility with their bench. Here’s more from the East divisions.

  • The Orioles’ acquisition of Seth Smith this week should not impact their potential pursuit of Mark Trumbo, writes MASN’s Steve Melewski. The Orioles could still use Trumbo at DH, and their savings of about $4MM in the deal could possibly free up a bit of extra capital to sign him. As for Smith, he’s a platoon player, and neither he nor Hyun Soo Kim have much of a track record against lefties. That means the Orioles will likely continue to look for outfielders, presumably of the right-handed variety.
  • Money and the potential loss of amateur talent were key reasons the Red Sox didn’t seriously pursue Edwin Encarnacion, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe writes. Getting under the luxury tax threshold will save the Red Sox money both now and in future seasons, particularly given the possibility that they could reset their threshold this season, thus limiting their penalties in the future. Also, the new CBA calls for teams that exceed the threshold and sign a player who declined a qualifying offer to forfeit their second- and fifth-round draft picks and portions of their international bonus pools.

Market Notes: Jays, Bruce, A’s, Plouffe, Dozier, Bautista, Trumbo, Lefty Relievers, Lewis

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports argues that the Blue Jays may have misread the market for power bats this winter. In the case of Toronto, he suggests, the team ought to have been more patient with Edwin Encarnacion. By moving quickly to give a three-year deal to Kendrys Morales after Encarnacion declined to take the team’s early-offseason offer, the Jays may have spent much more than necessary to land a player of Morales’s quality while also tying their hands on Encarnacion, who ended up signing for one year and $20MM less than Toronto had reportedly offered.

  • The Mets, too, might have erred in their approach on Jay Bruce. He now seems a superfluous piece after the re-signing of Yoenis Cespedes, and Rosenthal says that he expects New York will need to pay down part of Bruce’s $13MM salary to deal him. The team picked up that option in large part to insure against the loss of Cespedes; a team source notes that insurance “doesn’t come for free,” and Rosenthal notes that the decision may have improved their bargaining position with their star free agent. But perhaps a greater recognition of the flood of sluggers would have led the team to choose an alternate path to protecting itself in the event of a departure of Cespedes.
  • As they continue to look to bolster their lineup, the Athletics are showing interest in free-agent third baseman Trevor Plouffe, per Rosenthal. He’d presumably be a value-focused addition to the overall mix at third and first base. Of course, Oakland is also said to be looking at Mark Trumbo, so it seems the organization is still casting a fairly wide net.
  • While there has been a suggestion that the Dodgers won’t form a package around Jose De Leon to pry Brian Dozier from the Twins, preferring instead to pursue a one-for-one deal, Rosenthal writes that Los Angeles is “willing to include other prospects” to get something done. Of course, it could well be that the issue isn’t so much the inclusion of some other pre-MLB players — surely, the Dodgers could find some expendable pieces to part with — so much as the question whether any are seen by Minnesota as adding significant value.
  • Jon Heyman of Fan Rag provides a lengthy list of the winners and losers in the open-market action to date, though that can still change with a lot of free agents left and perhaps some trades still to be swung. As for some of those still-unsigned open-market players, Heyman provides a few notes. Jose Bautista’s representatives “circled back” to the Orioles to gauge interest, but it still seems that Baltimore isn’t interested. And the Blue Jays “do not seem anxious” to strike a deal with the veteran. Meanwhile, the O’s remain involved on Trumbo.
  • Heyman further notes that there remains robust demand for left-handed relievers. He lists the Mets, Yankees, Indians, and Blue Jays as teams still looking at southpaws. Jerry Blevins, Boone Logan, Travis Wood, and J.P. Howell are among the established left-handed options that remain available.
  • It’s unlikely that the Rangers will bring back veteran righty Colby Lewis, as Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Though “the door’s open,” per GM Jon Daniels, he adds that he doesn’t “foresee anything happening at this point” with Lewis. Texas would be interested only in a minor-league arrangement, it seems, due in part to questions over Lewis’s health outlook.

Athletics Have Expressed Interest In Mark Trumbo

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1:15pm: Oakland is indeed still interested in adding a righty bat, GM David Forst tells reporters including Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area (Twitter link).

10:33am: The Athletics have at least expressed some interest in free-agent slugger Mark Trumbo, according to a report from Jon Heyman of Fan Rag. Oakland played a notable role in driving the market for Edwin Encarnacion, offering him a high-AAV, short-term deal before he landed with the Indians.

It’s worth emphasizing, as does the report, that it’s not yet clear to what degree Oakland intends to push for Trumbo. In theory, the organization could take an approach analogous to its pursuit of Encarnacion by dangling a shorter-term arrangement; or, it could perhaps go slightly longer at a lower annual salary. But the A’s may also be looking to function as a landing spot if Trumbo ends up failing to find a substantial contract elsewhere.

Previously, the Orioles reportedly made Trumbo an offer of four years and over $50MM. But that particular arrangement isn’t on the table at present (so far as the most recent reporting suggests). The Rockies, too, are said to be keeping an eye on Trumbo as they continue to weigh their various options — which could theoretically involve adding a first baseman, shifting Ian Desmond to the outfield, and moving an existing outfielder for pitching.

[RELATED: Athletics, Orioles, and Rockies Depth Charts]

As for the Athletics, it’s possible to imagine them utilizing Trumbo in any number of ways. He could spend time at DH and first base, joining lefties Stephen Vogt and Yonder Alonso. It’s possible to imagine Trumbo spending time in the corner outfield, too, though the team has already added two outfield pieces this winter (Matt Joyce and Rajai Davis). And, of course, Oakland already has a lumbering, OBP-challenged, right-handed-hitting corner outfielder in Khris Davis, who turned in a 2016 season remarkably similar to Trumbo’s.

Trumbo, much like Davis, drove over forty long balls in his most recent campaign (47, in the case of the former). Both posted impressive .277 isolated slugging rates, and landed with identical 123 wRC+ marks for their overall production at the plate. But their overall values were limited by relatively hefty strikeout tallies, slightly below-average walk rates, and poorly rated glovework and baserunning.

Heyman’s Latest: Encarnacion, Trumbo, Jays, Moss, Napoli, Dozier, Padres

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In the wake of Edwin Encarnacion’s signing, there are now a whole lot of power hitters who could be next in line to sign. That situation provides much of the impetus behind the latest notes column from Jon Heyman of Fan Rag. You’ll want to read the whole thing to get his full take on the market, but here are a few notable items of information:

  • The Athletics’ entry into the chase for Encarnacion helped push the action that led to his signing, per Heyman. Oakland proposed two separate scenarios, he notes, one of which would’ve been a straight two-year, $50MM deal and the other of which would have tacked on a third-year option in exchange for an opt-out clause. Before those offers pushed the Indians to boost their own deal, Encarnacion had been fielding many less-desirable possible arrangements. Indeed, the Blue Jays were mostly engaged with their former star on one-year possibilities most recently, Heyman notes.
  • With Encarnacion now off to Cleveland, the many remaining sluggers will be looking to land with a variety of other suitors. Heyman suggests that the Blue Jays, Orioles, and Rangers are all “very likely” to add bats, while listing a number of other teams that could get involved as well. That includes the Rays, Giants, Phillies, White Sox, Angels, and Rockies, each of whom has at least some interest in the remaining market.
  • Mark Trumbo is probably now the player with the highest earning capacity who has yet to sign, but his landing spot remains hard to peg. Beyond the Orioles and Rockies, Heyman says, “a couple more opportunities may have cropped up” of late.
  • It seems unlikely that the Blue Jays will punt a pick to sign Jose Bautista (which they’d technically be doing, as they’d no longer be in line for the comp pick they stand to gain when he signs elsewhere), he adds, even if he’s now available on a one-year pact. Toronto does need to make some outfield additions, though, and Heyman writes that the club has kept tabs on free agents Michael Saunders and Brandon Moss, along with “many others.” The Orioles are also said to have interest in Saunders, as has been suggested previously, and Heyman suggests that the Phillies — who’d prefer to add a lefty bat — have some interest in Moss.
  • Mike Napoli was said to be seeking a three-year deal earlier this winter, but this report now indicates that he’s seeking a two-year contract, which seems quite a bit more plausible. The Rangers are reportedly a “strong possibility” for Napoli, though Heyman notes the possibility of the ever-popular “mystery team” in Napoli’s market, suggesting that Napoli has at least one suitor that has yet to be linked to him publicly.
  • While the Dodgers are willing to give up Jose De Leon in a trade that would net them Brian Dozier from the Twins, they’re not willing to include first base prospect Cody Bellinger or well-regarded right-handed pitching prospects Yadier Alvarez or Walker Buehler alongside De Leon. Heyman writes that some clubs feel the Dodgers are being “stingy” with their prospects and overvaluing their minor league talent, though as he points out, that approach worked to their benefit with regards to Corey Seager and Julio Urias (although none of the names listed are as well-regarded as that pair was).
  • In addition to Jered Weaver, veteran right-handers Jake Peavy and Colby Lewis are on the Padres’ radar. Peavy would love the opportunity to return to San Diego, where he established himself as a star and won the 2007 National League Cy Young Award. I’ll point out that Lewis, too, has some connections to the Padres, as GM A.J. Preller was in the Rangers’ front office when Lewis returned from Japan and cemented himself as a Major League-caliber arm.

Orioles Rumors: Trumbo, Carter, Alvarez, Saunders, Wieters

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The latest from Baltimore, courtesy of Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com:

  • The Orioles’ reported interest in free agent first baseman Chris Carter is at least somewhat “exaggerated,” according to Kubatko, who does note that adding him or re-signing fellow designated hitter type Pedro Alvarez is possible. The team’s focus is still on re-signing Mark Trumbo, even though it pulled its offer to him off the table last week, and will only turn to Carter, Alvarez or another slugger if he goes elsewhere. Unlike Trumbo, who figures to land a multiyear pact, either Carter or Alvarez would likely have to take a one-year deal to end up with the Orioles. Alvarez did that last offseason with Baltimore, which inked him to a pact featuring a guaranteed $5.75MM in March. The lefty-swinging 29-year-old went on to slash .249/.322/.504 with 22 homers in 376 plate appearances. If Alvarez returns to the Orioles for a second go-around, it seems he’d share the DH spot with the right-handed Trey Mancini.
  • Given their corner outfield need, the O’s are still interested in free agent Michael Saunders – to whom they were linked at the Winter Meetings – but they’d prefer him on a one-year contract, Kubatko writes. Health has been an issue in the past with Saunders, who missed a combined 237 games from 2014-15, but he appeared in a career-high 140 contests last season as a Blue Jay and batted an above-average .253/.338/.478 with 24 homers in 558 PAs.
  • As expected, the Orioles’ signing of catcher Welington Castillo essentially closed the door on Matt Wieters’ lengthy tenure with the organization, per Kubatko. The O’s were neither willing to meet agent Scott Boras’ demands nor wait around until the new year, when Wieters is likely to sign, to settle their situation behind the plate. They’ll now go with Castillo and Caleb Joseph in the short term as they await the arrival of big-hitting prospect Chance Sisco.

Rockies “Keeping Track” Of Edwin Encarnacion, Mark Trumbo

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The Rockies have a full cast of position players on their hands after signing Ian Desmond, but they’re continuing to keep an eye on high-profile free agent sluggers Edwin Encarnacion and Mark Trumbo, according to general manager Jeff Bridich.

“It would be stupid of us not to keep track,” Bridich told MLB Network Radio on Tuesday (Twitter link).

Encarnacion and Trumbo have been connected to the Rockies throughout the offseason, but their odds of signing either seemingly decreased significantly with the addition of Desmond. Although the 31-year-old Desmond has spent his entire career in either the middle infield or the outfield, Colorado handed him a five-year, $70MM deal with the intention of deploying him at first base. The Rockies would presumably send Desmond to the outfield if they were to further increase their payroll by inking either Encarnacion or Trumbo, the former of whom would be a first base-only option in the National League. Trumbo has experience in the outfield, where he spent most of 2016 as a member of the Orioles, though he’s clearly better suited at first.

The Rockies already have a full complement of starting outfielders in Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez and David Dahl, and an expensive reserve in $8MM man Gerardo Parra. Blackmon’s name has been especially popular in the rumor mill since the club picked up Desmond; however, if the Rockies were to trade him, they would reportedly require a return similar to the haul the Nationals sent the White Sox for fellow outielder Adam Eaton earlier this month. While Blackmon is coming off a career year, having slashed .324/.381/.552 with 29 home runs, 17 steals and a personal-best 3.9 fWAR across 641 plate appearances, expecting him to bring back an Eaton-type package would likely be unrealistic. Blackmon is a couple years older (30 to 28), for starters, and is only under team control for two more seasons. He’ll make an estimated $9MM in 2017, his penultimate year of arbitration, while Eaton is controllable through 2021 (including two club options) at just $38.4MM.

Regardless of what it would mean for Blackmon or Gonzalez, who’s due $20MM in the final year of his contract and doesn’t seem likely to land an extension, pairing Encarnacion or Trumbo with hitter-friendly Coors Field would be an enticing proposition. It would also only cost the Rockies a second-round pick instead of a first, which they surrendered when they signed Desmond.

Trumbo, who will turn 31 in January, led the majors with 47 home runs last season, though his track record pales in comparison to Encarnacion’s. Since his 2012 breakout, Encarnacion is second in the majors in homers (193) and third in ISO (.273). The soon-to-be 34-year-old has also posted a .272/.367/.544 line, good for a robust 146 wRC+, along with an impressive BB/K ratio of .83. The longtime Blue Jay’s overall production took a step backward last season (.263/.357/.529 in 702 PAs), but he remained among the majors’ top hitters and tied a career high with 42 long balls.

Trumbo’s plate discipline is nowhere near that of Encarnacion, evidenced by both the subpar BB/K ratio (.27) and below-average on-base percentage (.303) he has put up in his career. Trumbo should cost less than Encarnacion as a result, which could make him a likelier target for Colorado. At last check, Trumbo’s best offer was from the Orioles – four years, $52MM – but they pulled that proposal off the table over the weekend. Encarnacion, meanwhile, is in long-term discussions with several teams, agent Paul Kinzer revealed last week.

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