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Nationals Have Shown Interest In Brian Dozier, Wade Miley

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The Nationals have expressed interest in free-agent second baseman Brian Dozier, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reports. They’ve also shown recent interest in free-agent left-hander Wade Miley, Dougherty adds, backing up an earlier report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Dozier joins the previously reported DJ LeMahieu and Josh Harrison as free agents who have been on the radar of the second base-needy Nationals this winter. However, Dougherty casts doubt on the possibility of Washington reeling in LeMahieu, who figures to receive the richest contract among the three. Regardless, with only Howie Kendrick – who’s coming off a ruptured Achilles – and the light-hitting Wilmer Difo as experienced options at the keystone, the Nationals may well attempt to upgrade there before the 2019 campaign begins.

At the outset of the offseason, MLBTR predicted Dozier would head to D.C. on a one-year, $10MM accord. Had he reached free agency a year ago, though, it’s likely Dozier would have landed a much more lucrative payday. Dozier was then coming off a five-year stretch with the Twins in which he racked up 21.7 fWAR (17th among position players) and 145 home runs (13th). Along the way, he authored a pair of the most powerful years in the history of second basemen – the 2016-17 campaigns, during which he combined for 76 homers (including 42, an American League record for his position, in ’16).

Dozier’s stock was certainly high 12 months ago, but it may now be at a nadir relative to the rest of his career. As a member of the Twins and Dodgers last season, Dozier did mash another 21 HRs and steal 12 of 15 bases in 2018, giving him five consecutive campaigns with 20-plus long balls and six straight with double-digit stolen bags. However, across 632 plate appearances, the 31-year-old only managed a .215/.305/.391 line – good for a 90 wRC+, the worst full-season mark of his career – and his lowest ISO (.175) since 2014. Statcast suggests Dozier didn’t deserve better than his offensive production, as his paltry expected weighted on-base average (.288) actually fell short of his real wOBA (.304). Dozier also earned negative marks in the field, with minus-8 Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-6.4 Ultimate Zone Rating. In all, the 2018 version of Dozier was worth less than a win above replacement at FanGraphs.

While Dozier’s on the market at a less-than-ideal time, the opposite may be true of Miley. After settling for a minor league pact with the Brewers last year, the former innings eater rebuilt his stock to a degree by notching a 2.57 ERA/3.59 FIP and a 52.8 percent groundball rate over 80 2/3 frames with the World Series contenders. The 32-year-old Miley’s success came in spite of subpar strikeout and walk rates (5.58 K/9, 3.01 BB/9) and an unsustainable home run-to-fly ball percentage (5.2), which could dampen enthusiasm about his future. Nevertheless, MLBTR estimates he’ll sign for two years and $12MM – a nice guarantee considering where his stock was a year ago.

Whether Miley will get his next contract from the Nationals is questionable at best, of course. They had interest in Miley between trading Tanner Roark to Cincinnati on Dec. 13 and signing Anibal Sanchez on Dec. 20, per Dougherty. While Dougherty doesn’t rule out a Miley signing, the Nats’ rotation may be set with Sanchez slotting in behind the all-world trio of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin and likely in front of either Joe Ross or Erick Fedde.

Pitching Notes: Nats, Jays, White Sox, Athletics

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The Nationals already seemed like a possible ongoing pursuer of starting pitching before trading away Tanner Roark; now, it’s all but inevitable that the club will add another new arm. Veteran free agents Wade Miley and Anibal Sanchez are both on the Nats’ radar, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter links), though it’s not clear whether either is particularly likely to land in D.C. Both hurlers turned in excellent results in 2018 after overcoming injuries, with the latter relying on his ability to induce groundballs and the latter finally overcoming his home run woes. Sustainability remains a question, of course, as each has had his share of struggles in seasons prior.

  • Whether the Nats will also be exploring higher-end pitching options isn’t yet fully clear, but president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo did say today that the club is performing “due diligence” on Japanese hurler Yusei Kikuchi, as Pete Kerzel of MASNsports.com tweets. Given the wide interest that the 27-year-old has drawn to this point, it seems safe to assume the Nationals are at least open to making another significant rotation addition this winter.
  • It’s still far too soon to know how the market will develop for Kikuchi, but we keep hearing of teams that wish to be involved to some degree. The Blue Jays intend to sit down with the 27-year-old lefty, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter), adding another organization. Though the Toronto club in no way profiles as a 2019 contender — most of the talk has surrounded its possible marketing of its own pitching — it surely has designs on a fairly quick bounce back and may view Kikuchi as a nice target to provide some good innings both now and in the future.
  • White Sox GM Rick Hahn says he’s not likely to add a significant starter via free agency (via James Fegan of The Athletic, on Twitter), but that evidently won’t stop him from checking in at the top of the market for relievers. The Chicago organization has “shown interest” in veteran hurler Adam Ottavino, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reports on Twitter. It’ll likely cost a pretty penny to reel in the talented right-hander, who is also a clear target for more obvious contenders, though perhaps the White Sox will plan to offer him and others a chance to work as the closer.
  • It seems the Athletics are contemplating another bullpen buildout after succeeding with that strategy in 2018. Rosenthal tweets that the organization is interested in a reunion with Jeurys Familia, who certainly also ought to draw quite a few hits from other teams, particularly since he only just turned 29. While the rotation is an obvious need in Oakland, Rosenthal says it’s one that’s likelier to be met at a later point in the offseason — with “inexpensive” arms. It sounds as if the A’s won’t be driving the market on any of their top free agent targets. The search for diamonds in the rough paid out handsomely last winter, but hitting it rich again will surely be a challenge.

FA/Trade Rumors: Kinsler, Jays, Yanks, Indians, Miller, Allen, Miley

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The Tigers, Brewers, Athletics and Nationals are among the teams interested in free-agent second baseman Ian Kinsler, according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com. The Brewers have met with Kinsler at the Winter Meetings, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays. Detroit’s inclusion on the list is particularly interesting in light of the fact that Kinsler thrived there from 2014-17, before the team traded him to the Angels last offseason. The 36-year-old ended up dividing the season between Anaheim and Boston, where he combined to hit a less-than-stellar .240/.301/.380 (87 wRC+) in 534 plate appearances. But to Kinsler’s credit, he swatted 14 home runs, stole 16 bases and, for the 12th consecutive season, posted at least 2.0 fWAR (2.3).

More chatter from around the game…

  • Blue Jays right-handers Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez have been mentioned in trade rumors this offseason, though teams are finding it especially difficult to pry them loose. Per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, interested clubs have found the Jays’ asking price for both pitchers to be “uncomfortably high.” Because Stroman and Sanchez each have two years of control left, Nicholson-Smith suggests the Jays are holding out for a return similar to the one the Mariners received from the Yankees for James Paxton. That doesn’t seem realistic on Toronto’s part, however, as both Stroman and Sanchez struggled through injury-limited seasons in 2018.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman met with free-agent reliever Adam Ottavino’s representative Tuesday, though no real offers have been exchanged to this point, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets.  Ottavino, 33, remains near the top of the Yankees’ free-agent wish list, Sherman notes. With free agents Zach Britton and David Robertson possibly on their way out of the Bronx, Ottavino – a New York City native – is a logical target for the club.
  • There’s “no chance” free-agent reliever Andrew Miller will re-sign with the Indians, Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com writes. On the other hand, there’s still a possibility of fellow FA reliever Cody Allen returning to Cleveland, according to Hoynes, though he adds that it would be surprising. Although both Miller and Allen fell off in 2018, it still appears the two highly accomplished late-game arms will rake in sizable paydays on the open market.
  • Free-agent lefty Wade Miley’s camp is “confident” he’ll reel in a multiyear contract, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. The 32-year-old Miley’s clearly in far better position than he was last offseason, when he had to settle for a minor league deal with Milwaukee. Miley went on to hold his own over 80 2/3 innings with the Brew Crew, pitching to a 2.57 ERA/3.59 FIP with a 52.8 percent groundball rate. At the same time, though, he recorded unappealing strikeout and walk numbers (5.58 K/9, 3.01 BB/9) and benefited from an ultra-low, likely unsustainable home run-to-fly ball rate of 5.2 percent.

Pitching Notes: Smith, Watson, Miley, Jays, Kikuchi, Cobb

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The Cardinals are among the many teams pressing the Giants with interest in southpaw Will Smith, according to Mark Saxon of The Athletic (Twitter link). Another San Francisco lefty, Tony Watson, appears to be of secondary interest to the Cards, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets. Goold notes that the St. Louis club is interested in swapping slugger Jose Martinez for a lefty reliever, though it’s fair to wonder whether he’d be of much interest to the Giants.

More on the pitching market:

  • There’s at least some preliminary interest from the Reds in southpaw Wade Miley, per MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (Twitter link). Given the Cincinnati organization’s need for significant rotation help, and its recent hiring of former Brewers pitching coach Derek Johnson, it’s not particularly surprising to hear of this link. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of deal the 32-year-old Miley is ultimately able to secure after an odd 2018 campaign in which he worked through injury to compile 80 2/3 innings of 2.57 ERA ball. He managed only 5.6 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 on the year, though did sport a healthy 52.8% groundball rate while allowing a stingy (but perhaps not sustainable) 0.33 homers per nine.
  • Pitching appears to be a key focus of the Blue Jays this winter, with the club occupying a potentially interesting place in the market. Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports that the Toronto ballclub is considering players that’d require multi-year commitments as well as bounceback types. But GM Ross Atkins emphasizes that the club won’t be “looking for free-agent pieces with the goal of trading them,” though of course future dealmaking would always be a possibility. Meanwhile, as Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi explores, Atkins evinced an increasing openness to weighing deals for existing starters Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez in his most recent comments. While the team’s own valuation of the two talented-but-uncertain hurlers has surely not changed, Atkins suggests that rivals have shown sufficient interest that it’s worth further exploring trade scenarios. Whether any deal will come together isn’t clear, but it does seem evident that the Toronto club has gained clarity on the demand for these pitchers and that, as Davidi puts it, there’s at least a realistic path to trade outcomes.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman indicated yesterday that his club is taking a look at Japanese southpaw Yusei Kikuchi, as MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch reports. The New York powerhouse is presently engaged on other players, via trade and free agency, but Cashman says that Kikuchi is “somebody that’s worthy of having conversations about potentially landing.” Having taken a long scouting look at Kikuchi already, the Yanks surely have a price point in mind. Cashman says the team will continue to stay “very active, but disciplined” in its pursuit of pitching.
  • The Mariners are another clear possibility for Kikuchi, as TJ Cotterill of the Tacoma News Tribune reports. Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto made clear that the club both holds the Japanese hurler in high regard, calling him a “very good” starter, and is interested in trying to work out a deal. While they are taking a step back in the near-term, the M’s feel the 27-year-old “does fit our timeline,” per Dipoto.
  • It seems there’s at least some interest around the game in Orioles righty Alex Cobb, as Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports. While his early showing in Baltimore was simply brutal, Cobb did turn things around in the second half, when he held opposing hitters to a .232/.288/.377 slash and carried a 2.56 ERA in 59 2/3 innings. Of course, the $43MM still owed Cobb over the next three seasons presents quite a barrier to a deal.

Brewers Notes: Murphy, Moustakas, Kikuchi, Miley

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The Brewers have interest in signing Daniel Murphy to address their second base hole, while the team has also had talks about re-signing Mike Moustakas for third base, The Athletic’s Robert Murray reports (subscription required).  Signing Murphy would perhaps be the cleaner fit, as it would allow Travis Shaw to remain at his ideal third base position.  Murphy’s second base glove is below-average, though being paired up the middle with an outstanding fielder like shortstop Orlando Arcia would at least somewhat mitigate that issue, and Murphy’s bat is still potent.  Bringing Moustakas back to Milwaukee would require Shaw to return to second base, a position he filled last season after the Moose was brought into the fold.  Murray also notes that the Cardinals “also like” Moustakas, though it’s hard to see where he would fit in St. Louis now that Paul Goldschmidt’s presence means that Matt Carpenter will be playing third base.

More from the dairy state…

  • The Brewers have an “extensive history” of scouting left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, GM David Stearns told media (including Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) today at the Winter Meetings.  It isn’t clear, however, if the Brew Crew will be able to afford Kikuchi.  Stearns seemed to imply the team may be outbid, saying “generally those types of players command a large amount of money and can dictate where they want to go.”
  • Also from Stearns’ meeting with reporters (including MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy), he noted that the team is open to the idea of re-signing Wade Miley.  The free agent lefty is testing his options in free agency, though Stearns is “keeping in touch” with Miley’s camp.
  • The front office has been “fielding incoming calls in certain areas of depth, and that’s normal. The key for us is we’re only going to move from areas of depth if we can get meaningful value,” Stearns said (all links to Haudricourt’s Twitter).  Haudricourt speculates that the GM is referring to first base, outfield, and maybe starting pitching, as Milwaukee has some level of surplus in all three areas.  In terms of spending, Stearns said the team won’t be forced to shift salary to make other moves, noting “I don’t see us putting ourselves in a position where we make a signing or acquisition that necessitates moving dollars elsewhere.”

Brewers Release Eric Sogard, Activate Wade Miley

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4:29pm: Peralta will indeed remain in the rotation after the All-Star break, manager Craig Counsell told reporters (Twitter link via Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). The move to option him, then, was simply a means of getting some additional arms in the ’pen. Peralta will be able to return to the club as early as Sunday after the All-Star break.

4:20pm: The Brewers announced this afternoon that veteran infielder Eric Sogard, who’d previously been designated for assignment, has been released. Milwaukee also announced that Wade Miley has been reinstated from the 60-day disabled list. Meanwhile, infielder Nate Orf and right-hander Jorge Lopez were optioned to Triple-A, with righties Adrian Houser and Alec Asher being recalled in their place. Lastly, right-hander Freddy Peralta was optioned to Class-A — though that move seems likely to be procedural in nature, as Peralta wouldn’t have been in line to pitch until after the All-Star break anyhow.

It’s been a nightmare of a season for the 32-year-old Sogard, who batted just .134/.241/.165 through 113 trips to the plate before being designated for assignment. He’s typically considered to be a strong defender at second base, but he’s spent more time this season at shortstop, where he hasn’t rated as well defensively.

Sogard’s production at the plate was a far cry fro last season’s .273/.393/.378 slash through 299 plate appearances — though he never seemed likely to repeat that career-best output. In 1743 career plate appearances at the MLB level, Sogard is a .238/.309/.314 hitter with terrific marks for his glovework at second base. He’s now able to sign with any club seeking to bolster its infield depth, and a new team will only owe him the pro-rated league minimum for any time spent in the Majors; the Brewers will be on the hook for the remainder of his $2.4MM salary — a sum of roughly $1.03MM through season’s end).

Miley, meanwhile, will return to the Brewers’ rotation after missing just over two months to a rather severe oblique injury. He pitched just 6 1/3 innings for Milwaukee earlier this season, missing the first several weeks of the year due to a groin strain and then injuring his oblique in just his second start of the season. Miley had a terrible run in 2016-17 between the Mariners and Orioles, leading him to a minor league pact with Milwaukee this season. He’ll look to reestablish himself as a useful source of innings moving forward, in hopes of securing a big league deal when he returns to the free-agent market this offseason.

Brewers Select Alec Asher, Wade Miley To 60-Day DL

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The Brewers have selected the contract of 26-year-old right-hander Alec Asher from Triple-A Colorado Springs. They’ve optioned right-hander Jacob Barnes to Triple-A while transferring lefty Wade Miley to the 60-Day DL to make room for Asher on the 25- and 40-man rosters, respectively.

Asher will be making both his 2018 debut and his Brewers debut if and when he pitches for the club. While he sports a very low career K/9 (5.86) across 116 2/3 career innings, he’s also somewhat stingy with walks (2.85 BB/9). Asher’s also pitched in the majors for the Phillies and Orioles, and has spent time in the farm systems of the Dodgers and Rangers.

The news of Miley going to the 60-day DL isn’t earth-shattering. Reports yesterday surfaced saying that the lefty’s updated timetable to return from an oblique strain involved a late-June target, despite an earlier rough estimate that he’d only be out four to six weeks. Miley opened the season rehabbing a groin injury, so he’s already taking his second trip to the DL since signing a minors deal with the Brew Crew in the offseason.

Brewers Activate Corey Knebel; Wade Miley Out Four To Six Weeks

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3:30pm: Miley has been told he’ll miss four to six weeks with the oblique strain (Twitter link via Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel).

May 9, 9:44am: Milwaukee has announced the moves. Franklin is indeed going to the DL, with infielder Tyler Saladino called up to take his place on the active roster.

May 8: The Brewers announced that Wade Miley left tonight’s start with a strained right oblique muscle. He’s headed to the disabled list (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy), while closer Corey Knebel is set to be activated from the DL tomorrow. It’s also possible that infielder Nick Franklin is headed for the DL after incurring an injury on the very day he returned to the big leagues. McCalvy tweets that he left tonight’s game with a quadriceps strain and is “likely” to hit the DL.

Miley’s injury comes less than a week after he was activated from the disabled list for a groin strain that cost him the first month of the season. The 31-year-old veteran notched a very solid quality start in his first outing, allowing one run through six innings, but he exited tonight’s game after recording just one out when he injured his oblique while delivering a pitch. There’s no timeline on his return, but it’s common for players to spend around a month on the disabled list for Grade 1 strains and considerably longer for Grade 2 strains.

With Miley heading to the DL and likely to miss several starts, the Brewers may once again turn to southpaw Brent Suter. The 28-year-old lefty just moved to the ’pen to accommodate Miley, but he showed that he’s still plenty stretched out by coming in and posting 4 2/3 innings of quality relief in Miley’s place tonight. Zach Davies is also on the DL with some mild inflammation in his right shoulder, so the Brewers will need to fill two spots for the time being, although Davies’ absence is expected to be extremely minimal. Prospect Brandon Woodruff is on-hand in Triple-A and could be viewed as an option for the Brewers to step into the starting mix alongside Suter.

[Related: Milwaukee Brewers depth chart]

Knebel landed on the disabled list on April 6 after collapsing on the mound while delivering a pitch. He had to be helped off the field and looked to be in excruciating pain, though the diagnosis ultimately proved to be more favorable than expected upon seeing the initial injury. The Brewers initially believed that Knebel would miss “at least” six weeks, but he’ll return to the club in a bit under five weeks after suffering his injury.

If Franklin requires a DL trip, the Brewers could give Eric Sogard another look, though he consented to an optional assignment today in an effort to get his swing sorted out in the minors. Tyler Saladino would be another option who is already on the 40-man roster and has plenty of middle infield experience in the Majors. And Jonathan Villar, of course, is still with the big league club as well, though he’s had a lackluster season at the plate so far in 2018.

It’s been an eventful day on the injury front in Milwaukee. The Brewers learned earlier today that Mauricio Dubon, one of their top infield prospects who’d been in the mix for a call to the Majors, will miss the remainder of the year following a torn ACL. And the news is somehow even more grim for veteran catcher and beloved clubhouse leader Stephen Vogt, who suffered damage to his anterior capsule, rotator cuff and labrum in his throwing shoulder and is now faced with the possibility of career-threatening surgery.

Brewers Select Wade Miley’s Contract, Designate Oliver Drake

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The Brewers announced that they’ll formally select the contract of left-hander Wade Miley prior to tomorrow’s game and designate right-hander Oliver Drake for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Miley, who signed a minor league deal with the Brewers but opened the season rehabbing a groin injury, will be added to the Brewers’ rotation now that his rehab assignment has been completed.

The 31-year-old Miley has made three rehab starts with Milwuakee’s Double-A affiliate, totaling 11 2/3 innings and allowing four earned runs on a dozen hits and two walks with 14 strikeouts. The former D-backs/Red Sox/Mariners/Orioles southpaw is coming off a dreadful stint with the O’s, having limped to a 5.75 ERA  in a season-plus in Baltimore, but he’s posted a 35-to-10 K/BB ratio in the Brewers organization between Spring Training and his rehab stint (31 2/3 innings).

[Related: Milwaukee Brewers depth chart]

He’ll join a Milwaukee rotation that includes Chase Anderson, Zach Davies, Jhoulys Chacin and Junior Guerra for the time being as they await the return of Jimmy Nelson from shoulder surgery. Miley is stepping into the rotation spot of fellow southpaw Brent Suter, who has already been moved to the bullpen in advance of the widely anticipated addition of Miley to the starting mix.

Drake, meanwhile, has gotten off to a miserable start to his 2018 season, yielding nine runs on 14 hits and eight walks in 12 2/3 innings. To his credit, he’s punched out 15 hitters in that time and induced grounders at a well-above-average 52.9 percent clip while not allowing a home run. The righty has totaled 102 1/3 innings in the Majors between the Orioles and Brewers, averaging better than 10 strikeouts per nine innings with solid ground-ball tendencies, though he’s been haunted by shaky control and a strand rate that falls quite a bit below the league average.

Brewers To Add Wade Miley To Roster

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The Brewers will add left-hander Wade Miley to their roster, according to a team announcement. He’ll start Wednesday’s game in Cincinnati, thus sending fellow southpaw Brent Suter to the bullpen. Milwaukee will have to make corresponding 40- and 25-man moves by then.

The Brewers had been facing a weekend deadline to either promote Miley to their roster or release him back into free agency. The decision was supposed to come back in late March, but the team was able to put it off after Miley went to the disabled list with a slight groin tear. The 31-year-old, who inked a minors pact in the offseason and will now earn a $2.5MM salary in the majors, looked like a decent bet to earn a rotation spot before his injury. He’ll now do so at the expense of Suter, who made six starts prior to Sunday and registered a 5.34 ERA/3.81 FIP, 6.53 K/9 against 2.08 BB/9, and a 32 percent groundball rate during that 30 1/3-inning span.

Like Suter this year, Miley has struggled to prevent runs recently. He posted ERAs in the fives over the previous two seasons – one divided between Seattle and Baltimore, the other solely with the Orioles – leading to an inability to secure a major league contract over the winter. At his best, Miley was a capable workhorse with the Diamondbacks and Red Sox from 2012-16, a period in which he ranked 14th in the majors in innings (958 1/3) and logged a 4.17 ERA/3.86 FIP with 7.12 K/9, 2.73 BB/9 and a 48.5 percent grounder mark.

Miley will now join a Brewers rotation that has managed the game’s eighth-best ERA (3.64), though the unit ranks a far less encouraging 18th in fWAR. Regardless, the hopeful playoff contenders have fared nicely in the early going (16-12) despite not having their 2017 ace, Jimmy Nelson, who’s working back from September shoulder surgery.

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