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AL Central Notes: Twins, Tigers, Abreu

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Darren Wolfson of KSTP tweeted today that while the Twins remain “engaged and interested” in regards to a few big name free agent pitchers, there’s no indication yet that they are “in heavily” on anyone. While that can change quickly, Wolfson acknowledges that the trade market is also a very real possibility. It would seem that Minnesota is in a position to take their time in exploring all possible options. It makes plenty of sense to wonder whether the Twins might wait to see where Shohei Ohtani signs before making any significant pitching acquisitions. The market for pitching is likely to hold fast until the two-way Japanese sensation picks a landing spot, and on the off-chance that he chooses Minnesota, they might be able to focus their resources on other areas of the roster. A particularly weak bullpen comes to mind as another area the Twins will need to improve upon if they expect to contend again in 2018.

More notes out of the American League’s central division…

  • While the Tigers probably won’t be serious pursuers of big name free agents this offseason, Katie Strang of The Athletic provides a short list of potential bargain buys for a depleted Detroit rotation. Strang notes that Michael Fulmer is coming off elbow surgery, while veteran Jordan Zimmerman has spent the offseason overhauling his delivery in hopes to return to form after a disastrous 2017 season. Beyond them, Matthew Boyd and Daniel Norris aren’t sure bets to hold down rotation spots. Chris Tillman, Miles Mikolas and Clay Buchholz are some interesting names Strang suggests as options for the Tigers to explore. While none are particularly exciting, they all have some upside as comeback players and could eat innings for Detroit in 2018.
  • Although the Red Sox are players for White Sox slugger Jose Abreu, Scott Lauber of ESPN notes that the south siders are reportedly asking for “an arm and a leg” in exchange for their first baseman. Boston might not have the prospects necessary to swing a deal; the White Sox were able to land huge hauls for Chris Sale and Adam Eaton last offseason and might be holding out for a similar return for Abreu. The Cuban native has put up a .301/.359/.524 batting line for his four-year major league career. His slugging percentage and 124 home runs both rank 13th in the majors during that span, while his 410 RBI rank 5th. MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk recently detailed the trade market for Abreu.

West Notes: Taylor, Joc, Rangers, QO, A’s

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Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto understandably regrets the deal that sent Chris Taylor to the Dodgers,telling Matt Calkins of the Seattle Times that “it’s clearly the worst deal I’ve ever made.” The veteran baseball executive surely had little reason to expect Taylor to break through as he has, but he still says he “whiffed” by parting with such a controllable player for a pitcher (Zach Lee) that has not worked out.

More from out west:

  • He is playing for the Dodgers in the World Series, but Joc Pederson might conceivably not remain in Los Angeles beyond the present season, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. There are alternatives on hand, particularly in light of Taylor’s emergence, and the Dodgers could also look to add other pieces. Of course, the Los Angeles front office has thrived on ensuring plenty of depth and surely won’t just give Pederson away despite his struggles in 2017, though surely there’d be quite a few teams intrigued at the idea of buying low on Pederson’s powerful bat. Sherman also notes that the Dodgers were in on Yulieski Gurriel before he landed with the Astros, though Dodgers president of baseball ops Andrew Friedman says his team never formally bid on the Cuban star.
  • MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan looks at some recent Rangers players currently slated to hit the open market. As he notes, veteran knuckler R.A. Dickey could conceivably be a consideration for a reunion, though it’s not clear that the team will suit Dickey’s geographical preferences. More intriguingly, perhaps, Sullivan adds that Miles Mikolas — who excelled in Japan after leaving Texas — has left the Rangers “highly intrigued.” Elsewhere, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News analyzes the team’s options at first base. Ronald Guzman could be an option alongside Joey Gallo, notes Grant, perhaps leaving the team interested in acquiring a part-time, right-handed-hitting option to join the mix.
  • First, the Rangers will have to decide upon a qualifying offer for righty Andrew Cashner. Despite some prior indications that the team might issue one, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reports that’s not likely at this point. Similarly, says Heyman, the Reds are “leaning against” a QO for shortstop Zack Cozart — though the team is said to be willing to pursue a multi-year deal in free agency.
  • The Athletics may be looking into some intriguing extension possibilities, Heyman further reports. Young standouts Matt Olson and Matt Chapman appear to be in the team’s sights. While neither is really even approaching arbitration, let alone free agency, perhaps Oakland will look to find value by making an early-career guarantee or two over the winter to come. Otherwise, says Heyman, the A’s are focused on adding some pieces to the bullpen and perhaps getting a righty outfield bat over the offseason.

Quick Hits: Twins, Sano, DeSclafani, Mikolas

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The Twins announced a few baseball operations changes on Tuesday, including the hiring of 27-year-old Jeremy Zoll as the team’s new director of minor league operations. Brad Steil, who had previously been the team’s farm director since 2013, will now instead head up the Twins’ pro scouting department. Zoll has spent the past few seasons in the Dodgers organization, most recently holding the title of assistant director of player development. Zoll has also worked as an advance scouting coordinator with the Angels. “We’re really fortunate and excited to have him,” said chief baseball officer Derek Falvey of the newly hired Zoll (link via MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger). “He came in highly recommended from the people he worked with and around. He’ll bring some new ideas into what we’re doing developmentally.”

A bit more from around the league…

  • While it’s been suggested that surgery isn’t expected for Twins slugger Miguel Sano, GM Thad Levine said today that surgery is still an option for the third baseman’s ailing shin (via Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press). Levine painted surgery as a last resort, however, and said the team will explore other avenues. A decision will be made sooner rather than later though, as the procedure Sano would theoretically require would come with an eight-week recovery, so the Twins understandably don’t want to wait too long before making the call. Whether Sano requires surgery or avoids going under the knife, manager Paul Molitor said today that he doesn’t think Sano needs to play in the Dominican Winter League this year, per Berardino.
  • In some other notable injury news, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets that Reds righty Anthony DeSclafani threw seven innings in an instructional league start today. That could be DeSclafani’s final start of instructional league play, though it’s nonetheless a positive step for a key part of the Cincinnati pitching staff after missing the entire 2017 season. DeSclafani was diagnosed with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament early in the year and was never able to make it back to a Major League mound during the regular season.
  • The Rangers could have interest in right-hander Miles Mikolas as he eyes a return to the Majors after a strong three-year run in Japan, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. (We noted at MLBTR last week that Mikolas was aiming for an MLB comeback.) Limiting walks is high on the Rangers’ wishlist in terms of offseason pitching targets, and Mikolas excelled in that area over his three-year career with the Yomiuri Giants, Sullivan points out. He also notes that the Rangers have had success on the Japanese market in the past under GM Jon Daniels, getting value out of signings such as Colby Lewis, Yu Darvish and Tony Barnette. Obviously, a pursuit of Mikolas would more closely resemble the modest contracts given to Lewis and Barnette than the massive financial commitment that the Rangers spent to acquire Darvish, but Sullivan notes that Texas is likely to explore as many avenues to rotation upgrades as possible this winter. Mikolas’ most recent stint in the Majors came with the Rangers back in 2014.

Cafardo’s Latest: J.D., Red Sox, Mariners, Stanton, Cubs, Braves

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It “would appear” the Red Sox will be involved in the chase for Diamondbacks outfielder J.D. Martinez if he hits free agency in the offseason, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes. As Cafardo points out, there’s a connection between Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski and Martinez, whom the former plucked off the scrapheap when he was Detroit’s general manager in 2014. Now one of the premier hitters in the game, Martinez would provide some much-needed punch to a Red Sox club that’s lacking in the power department, though it’s unclear where he’d play in Boston. On paper, the Red Sox look set in the outfield for the next few years with Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi and Jackie Bradley Jr. in the fold.

More rumblings from Cafardo:

  • Indians first baseman/designated hitter Carlos Santana is another free agent-to-be who’s likely to land on the Red Sox’s radar, per Cafardo, who also names the Mariners as a probable suitor. Considering their positions, the switch-hitting Santana would seem to be a more natural fit than Martinez for Boston, which has gotten subpar production at first from impending free agent Mitch Moreland this year. Meanwhile, Mariners first basemen ranked last in the majors in fWAR (minus-0.7) during the regular season. Their top option, Yonder Alonso, could depart in free agency, which may lead to a Santana pursuit.
  • The Cubs could be a team to watch if the Marlins shop right fielder Giancarlo Stanton in the offseason, Cafardo suggests. It’s unclear whether the Cubs would have interest in the potential NL MVP, who’s due $295MM through 2028 (if he doesn’t opt out of his contract after 2020), but they have plenty of players the Marlins “would love” to acquire, notes Cafardo.
  • Royals GM Dayton Moore will only head to Atlanta if the Braves give him complete control, according to Cafardo. That jibes with a previous report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale and suggests that president John Hart would have to exit for a Moore-Braves union to come to fruition. Hart isn’t planning on leaving, however, Cafardo reports. Two members of the Nationals’ front office – assistant GM Doug Harris and the previously reported Dan Jennings – as well as ex-Red Sox GM Ben Cherington (now in Toronto) are on Hart’s radar as he seeks a replacement for John Coppolella, Cafardo relays.
  • Yomiuri Giants right-hander Miles Mikolas is eyeing a return to the majors, and if he does opt out of his contract in Japan, it appears he’ll draw plenty of big league interest. Fourteen major league teams scouted Mikolas’ most recent starts, and there’s a belief among some that he could be a capable mid-rotation starter if he comes back, according to Cafardo. Mikolas, 29, logged 37 appearances (10 starts) with the Padres and Rangers from 2012-14 and recorded a 5.32 ERA, 6.1 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9. He has been stellar with Yomiuri since 2015, though, with a 2.18 ERA, 8.0 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 across 62 starts.
  • The Tigers decided before the season ended to part with manager Brad Ausmus, but he told Cafardo that he wouldn’t have returned “even if they had offered me a three-year deal.” Ausmus didn’t believe he was the right match for a Detroit team in the initial stages of a rebuild. On potentially managing someplace else, he said, “I’d have to study the situation and see if it was the right fit for me.”

Miles Mikolas Interested In Returning To MLB After Thriving In Japan

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While Shohei Otani rightly draws the majority of headlines when it comes to international free agents potentially making the jump to Major League Baseball, there’s another interesting righty that could try to transition from Nippon Professional Baseball star to MLB starter. Right-hander Miles Mikolas is now a free agent after wrapping up a successful three-year stint with the Yomiuri Giants, and MLBTR has learned that he is interested in making his way back to the big leagues.

Mikolas’s name probably rings a bell with Padres and Rangers fans, but it’s been a while since he has factored into the discussion on this side of the Pacific. After failing to find his footing in parts of three seasons in the majors, Mikolas has spent the past three campaigns as one of the best starters in Japan.

Over 91 1/3 MLB innings from 2012-14, Mikolas managed only a 5.32 ERA with pedestrian peripheral marks: 6.1 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 along with a middle-of-the-road 44 percent ground-ball rate as a big leaguer. He’d shown impeccable control early in his pro career, but his walk rates spiked as he reached the upper levels of the game.

Mikolas began reversing that trend in 2014 — the same year he attempted to work from the rotation for the first time. While he struggled through 10 MLB starts, he also worked to a 3.22 ERA with 7.7 K/9 against just 0.6 BB/9 in his 44 2/3 Triple-A frames that year.

That performance caught some attention overseas, as Yomiuri purchased the rights to Mikolas from the Rangers in the 2014-15 offseason. The move allowed the Texas organization to clear some space on its 40-man roster and gave the righty a chance to earn more money while functioning as a starter overseas.

Mikolas impressed enough in his first campaign in Japan that the Giants re-signed him to a fairly notable two-year, $5MM contract. While that agreement looks modest by MLB standards, it’s a relatively sizable commitment overseas and certainly a life-changing figure for a pitcher who hadn’t established himself in the majors as he headed into his age-26 season.

Now 29 years of age (30 next August), Mikolas has posted video-game numbers over the life of his three-year tenure in Japan. He carries a 2.18 ERA through 424 1/3 innings with Yomiuri, and he really put things together in a 2017 season in which he spun 188 frames of 2.25 ERA ball over 27 starts. He not only struck out a batter per inning but also dropped his walk rate to 1.1 BB/9.

It isn’t entirely clear at this point just what kind of offers Mikolas might receive, but he should generate interest and could well command a 40-man roster spot. We’ve seen guaranteed money go to other pitchers who rejuvenated their careers in Japan. Colby Lewis, for instance, signed for $5MM over two years back in 2010. More recently, reliever Tony Barnette took home a $3.5MM promise over two seasons. Both of those pitchers landed with the Rangers, who along with the Padres are not only prior employers of Mikolas, but also figure to be among the numerous teams that will be looking to add rotation candidates this winter.

Mikolas will not be the only former big leaguer on the radar for a possible return. Reliever Chris Martin has also thrived in Japan, allowing just 11 earned runs on 46 hits over 88 1/3 innings across the past two seasons while carrying a 91-to-13 K/BB ratio. That translates to a 1.08 ERA in his two seasons with the Nippon Ham Fighters, and the fact that he’s been a teammate of Otani for two years means that big league scouts have had plenty of chances to determine whether the former Yankees/Rockies reliever can plausibly sustain some of that success in the Majors in what would be his age-32 season. Martin has just a 6.19 ERA in 36 1/3 MLB innings, but he had a solid 3.48 ERA with 9.2 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 in 106 Triple-A innings before landing in NPB.

Beyond that duo, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has already reported that the Cardinals have interest in Orix Buffaloes closer Yoshihisa Hirano, who is also a free agent this year and can explore MLB opportunities without needing to go through NPB’s posting system. Even beyond Otani — whose pursuit has the potential to surpass the Masahiro Tanaka sweepstakes in attention and drama — it’ll be an interesting winter to watch trans-Pacific player movement.

Miles Mikolas Signs Two-Year Deal With Yomiuri Giants

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Former Major League right-hander Miles Mikolas has signed a two-year, $5MM contract with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

Mikolas, 27, spent the 2015 season pitching for those same Giants and enjoyed an outstanding campaign. In 145 innings, he worked to a pristine 1.92 ERA with 6.6 K/9 against 1.4 BB/9 and held opponents to a minuscule .192 batting average. While it’s possible that such an impressive performance could’ve drummed up some interest from MLB clubs, it’s unlikely that he’d have matched a $5MM guarantee in a return to the U.S.

Formerly a seventh-round pick of the Padres, Mikolas debuted with San Diego in 2012 and totaled 34 innings of 3.44 ERA ball for the Friars from 2012-13. He was traded to Pittsburgh along with Jaff Dacker for Alex Dickerson, and the Bucs would eventually send him to the Rangers in exchange for Chris McGuiness. Mikolas saw 57 1/3 innings for the injury-depleted 2014 Rangers but was roughed up to the tune of a 6.44 ERA in that time.

The Octagon client will now spend the 2016-17 seasons in Japan, but if he can enjoy similar success there over the next two seasons, he could find some big league offers and return to the Major Leagues at the reasonably young age of 29.

Rangers Likely To Sell Contracts Of Poreda, Mikolas To Japanese Team

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The Rangers will likely clear some space on their crowded 40-man roster by selling the rights of left-hander Aaron Poreda and right-hander Miles Mikolas to the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.

While many clubs have trimmed the total players on their 40-man roster down into the mid-30s by outrighting players, the Rangers still have a full 40-man roster. Grant notes that this type of deal typically brings back about $150-200K for the selling team, so there’s a bit of financial benefit as well. On the players’ side of the transaction, Japanese teams will often pay seven-figure salary to this type of player, making the move a potential win for all parties involved.

The 28-year-old Poreda, a former top prospect with the White Sox that went to the Padres in the original Jake Peavy trade, has bounced around the league since seeing his stock fade. He made his first appearance in the Majors since 2009 with the Rangers this past season, struggling to a 5.91 ERA in 21 1/3 innings, though his 21-to-7 K/BB ratio was encouraging.

Control problems have plagued Poreda in the minors, as he’s averaged more than eight walks per nine innings in 157 1/3 Triple-A innings after displaying far better control at previous levels. However, he seemed to rein that problem in this year, and he also averaged 95.4 mph with his fastball in the Majors this season in an admittedly small sample. Grant notes that he even touched 100 mph with his fastball at one point.

Mikolas, 26, pitched 57 1/3 innings for Texas this season but had struggles of his own, posting a 6.44 ERA with 38 strikeouts against 18 walks. He has a rather strong track record in Triple-A, however, where he’s compiled a 3.23 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 125 1/3 innings in parts of three seasons.

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