Done Deals: Red Sox sign Justin Masterson; Royals add Kendrys Morales
This is The Stew’s running list of trades and signings that happen during baseball’s Winter Meetings. We’ll keep updating this post as the news happens. For more chatter and rumors, be sure to check out our Winter Meetings tracker.
THURSDAY
Justin Masterson gets one-year deal from Red Sox
The Red Sox, still intent on adding starting pitching, have reportedly added Justin Masterson on a one-year contract worth $9 million. ESPN’s Buster Olney broke the news.
BLS Take: The Red Sox are buying low on Masterson, who had a tough 2014 season with the Indians and Cardinals, accumulating a 5.88 ERA and a 7-9 record. The Red Sox have been trying to add workhorse type pitchers in their quest to rebuild their starting rotation. They traded for Rick Porcello and are reportedly getting Wade Miley in a trade. The Red Sox have said they’re looking for pitchers capable of throwing 200 innings. From 2011-2013, Masterson’s inning-count by year: 216, 206, 193. He was 14-10 with a 3.45 ERA in 2013. Anything close to that and the Red Sox would be absolutely thrilled. Then Masterson could get a bigger payday next year at this time.
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Royals sign Kendrys Morales
The Kansas City Royals have their new DH now that Billy Butler is gone, agreeing to a two-year deal with Kendrys Morales. Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan has the particulars.
BLS Take: Morales never could get right in 2014 after sitting out part of the year, but in 2013 he had a .785 OPS with 23 homers and 80 RBIs. He seems like he’s been around forever, but Morales is still just 31, so there’s a good chance he’ll be productive again for Kansas City, surrounded by the younger hitters in their lineup.
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The Washington Nationals have been in the middle of multiple interesting rumors at the Winter Meetings, but had yet to make a deal. According to Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan, that changed on Thursday afternoon when they agreed to trade left-hander Ross Detwiler to the Texas Rangers for a pair of minor leaguers.
BLS Take: The Rangers view Detwiler as a starter, which will reportedly make him very happy. The 29-year-old lefty spent 2014 in the Nationals bullpen, posting a 4.00 ERA in 47 appearances. Prior to that, Detwiler made 69 starts between 2009-2013, posting a 4.02 in 375.2 innings. As it stands now, he’ll compete for a spot behind Yu Darvish and Derek Holland in a Rangers rotation that obviously needs more retooling.
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Ervin Santana finalizing four-year contract with the Twins
As Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan reports, the Twins are giving free-agent pitcher Ervin Santana a four-year deal worth around $54 million.
BLS Take: Oh, Minnesota, home of the mid-range starting pitcher. They got Phil Hughes and Ricky Nolasco last winter (Hughes worked out well, Nolasco meh) and now they’re getting Santana. If he’s more Hughes than Nolasco, the Twins will be happy. But there’s a chance, given Santana’s inconsistency, that this is the 2014 Ubaldo Jimenez deal. And that’s not a good thing.
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Mat Latos traded to Marlins
The Reds traded two starting pitchers Thursday, the bigger name being Mat Latos, who went to the Miami Marlins in exchange for two prospects — pitcher Anthony DeSclafani and catcher Chad Wallach.
BLS Take: You can find our full rundown of the trade here.
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Reds send Alfredo Simon to the Tigers
The Tigers grabbed Simon from the Reds to fill the gap in their rotation once they traded Rick Porcello. In return, the Reds get minor-league pitcher Jonathon Crawford and 2014 rookie shortstop Eugenio Suarez.
BLS Take: You can find our full rundown of the trade here.
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Red Sox trade Yoenis Cespedes to the Tigers for Rick Porcello
Yoenis Cespedes is joining Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez is the Tigers’ lineup, after sending Rick Porcello to the Red Sox. The Tigers also get pitchers Alex Wilson and Gabe Speier.
BLS Take: You can find our full rundown of the trade here.
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Dodgers (finally) trade Matt Kemp to the Padres
Matt Kemp’s finally on the move, but he’s not going too far. The Dodgers reportedly swung a trade with the Padres that sends Kemp and catcher Tim Federowicz to San Diego and returns Yasmani Grandal, Joe Wieland and Zach Eflin.
BLS Take: You can find our full rundown of the trade here.
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WEDNESDAY
Angels trade for Josh Rutledge from Rockies
Needing to replace Howie Kendrick, the Los Angeles Angels struck a deal with the Colorado Rockies to acquire infielder Josh Rutledge. The Rockies gets prospect Jairo Diaz, a right-handed pitcher who last threw in Double-A.
BLS Take: Rutledge has shown promise at various points in his young career, but hasn’t put together a stellar season yet for the Rockies. He hit .269 in 2014, which was up from .235 the year prior. Rutledge, 25, hit four homers with 33 RBIs, and that’s with the bonus of playing Colorado. He’s not a direct replacement for what the Angels got from Kendrick, but they didn’t too much to get him either. Diaz, meanwhile, is the big loser here, because he faces a future of pitching at Coors Field. He had a 3.48 ERA in 2014 between Single-A and Double-A as a relief pitcher.
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Dodgers acquire Howie Kendrick from the Angels
The free-wheeling Dodgers didn’t keep Andrew Heaney too, flipping him to the Angels in exchange for second baseman Howie Kendrick.
BLS Take: More on the trade right here.
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Diamondbacks trade Wade Miley to the Red Sox
After losing out on Jon Lester, the Boston Red Sox added a different left-hander on Wednesday, acquired 28-year-old Wade Miley from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Two starters who appeared for Boston in 2014, Rubby De La Rosa and Allen Webster, will be headed back to Arizona.
BLS Take: For more on this deal click right here.
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Dodgers trade Dee Gordon to the Marlins in seven-player deal
The dominos fell quickly for the Dodgers on Wednesday. Shortly after acquiring Jimmy Rollins from Philadelphia, they moved Dee Gordon, Dan Haren and Miguel Rojas to the Miami Marlins in exchange for top prospect Andrew Heaney, Enrique Hernandez, Chris Hatcher and Austin Barnes.
BLS Take: A more in-depth look at this trade can be found right here.
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Pirates acquire Antonio Bastardo in trade with Phillies
The Pittsburgh Pirates accomplished one big goal at the Winter Meetings by re-signing Francisco Liriano to a three-year deal. Now they can check left-handed reliever off the to-do list as well after acquiring Antonio Bastardo from the Philadephia Phillies. Robert Murray of MLB Daily Rumors was the first to report a deal was done. According to multiple reports, the Phillies will receive minor league left-hander Joely Rodriguez.
BLS Take: Essentially a nuts-and-bolts deal as the Pirtates fill a need without having to give up a notable prospect or spend a lot of money. Bastardo has been up and down over the past four seasons, alternating sub 2.64 ERAs in 2011 and 2013 with ERAs near 4.00 in 2012 and 2014. Bastardo did hold all batters to a .188/.295/.319 line in 2014, so he’s not a guy manager Clint Hurdle has to shy away from in any situation. Rodriguez, 22, posted a 4.84 ERA in 30 games at Double-A this season. He doesn’t look like he’ll be a factor in the near future.
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Phillies trade Jimmy Rollins to the Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers found their replacement for Hanley Ramirez at shortstop, acquiring 15-year veteran Jimmy Rollins from the Philadelphia Phillies for two pitching prospects.
BLS Take: You can read analysis of what this means for the Phillies right here.
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Astros add Gregerson, Neshek for bullpen relief
We’d heard for a couple weeks now that the Houston Astros were prioritizing their bullpen, they started Wednesday by landing two relievers that should them tremendously. According to multiple reports, Houston has signed Luke Gregerson and Pat Neshek.
Gregerson pitched with the A’s last year, with a 2.12 ERA in 72.1 innings. He’s getting $18.5 million over three years from Houston, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Neshek, meanwhile, thrived in St. Louis last year, becoming an All-Star. He had a 1.87 ERA in 67.1 innings. Neshek is getting $12.5 million for two years, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
BLS Take: Two strong moves for Houston, who had the worst bullpen ERA in baseball in 2014. They were undoubtedly watching what the Royals did on their World Series run, and learned just how valuable a top-notch bullpen can be. Chad Qualls was their closer in 2014, and he’s still around, so he could keep the job, or the Astros could give Gregerson a chance there. He’s primarily been a setup man. The Astros had offered Andrew Miller $40 million, but he chose to do with the Yankees instead. Getting two good relievers and saving $9 million leaves the Astros looking good.
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TUESDAY
Angels acquire Drew Butera in trade with Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels hadn’t made a trade in 38 years, but they did Tuesday, forever rattling the L.A. baseball landscape by sending backup catcher Drew Butera to Anaheim. OK, so maybe it’s not rattling any landscape. In return, the Dodgers are getting a player to be named later or cash.
BLS Take: Unless the PTBN is Mike Trout, this is mostly a snoozer. Butera had been designated for assignment by the Dodgers recently, so he was on his way out. He’s only caught 65 games for them the past two season. For the Angels, Butera will fill the spot vacated by second catcher Hank Conger, who was traded to Houston.
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Diamondbacks trade Miguel Montero to the Cubs
The Chicago Cubs got the catcher they’ve been looking for, getting Miguel Montero from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for two prospects.
BLS Take: We discuss the trade in detail right here.
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Braves add Alberto Callaspo for infield depth
The Atlanta Braves dipped into the free-agent pool and are close to signing versatile veteran Alberto Callaspo, who last played with the Oakland Athletics. Callaspo, 31, played 127 games last season for Oakland at first, second and third bases. The deal is all but done. It’s just awaiting a physical, per David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports that Callaspo is getting $3 million on a one-year deal, plus incentives.
BLS Take: Callaspo hit .223 with four homers and 39 RBIs, so he’s not anybody’s long-term solution in the infield. But he’s a nice plug-and-play guy who can help your team in many places on the diamond when you need him. The Braves have struggled finding a second baseman in recent years, He’ll bridge the gap for Atlanta until second-base prospect Jose Peraza is ready to play.
A’s and White Sox finalize Jeff Samardzija trade
The Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox finalized their six-player trade involving Jeff Samardzija.
BLS Take: You can read more about it right here.
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MONDAY
Braves sign Cuban outfielder Dian Toscano
The Atlanta Braves added another outfielder to their roster in Dian Toscano, a 25-year-old international free agent from Cuba who could be a left field option down the road. Toscano isn’t one of the big-name Cuban imports — i.e., he’s not the Yasmany Tomas consolulation prize.
Ben Badler at Baseball America has more on Toscano:
Toscano, who is around 5-foot-10, 200 pounds, is a lefthanded hitter with good bat control and strike-zone awareness. He never played on the Cuban national team, so he wasn’t a player scouts saw much of before he left the island.
Playing for Villa Clara in Serie Nacional, Toscano batted .356/.400/.452 in 86 plate appearances with eight walks and eight strikeouts in 2012-13, his last season in Cuba. The year before, Toscano hit .287/.438/.380 with 35 walks and 16 strikeouts. He hit just three home runs that year and never showed much power in Cuba, though he’s in significantly better shape and has increased his strength since leaving Cuba.
BLS Take: Naturally, when you hear “Cuban outfielder” these days, excitement and intrigue are not reactions, but Toscano doesn’t have nearly as much hype as the high-profile Cubans we’ve seen land in MLB the last few years. As Badler writes, less is known about Toscano because he didn’t play on the Cuban national team, so there’s a chance the Braves found a diamond in the rough. But based on what we know, you shouldn’t expect Toscano to be an Opening Day starter or anything.
A’s trade Brandon Moss to the Indians
Our first trade of the Winter Meetings is in the books. The Oakland Athletics continue their roster shuffling, sending All-Star Brandon Moss to the Cleveland Indians. Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan was first to report that the deal was done, though the two sides have been working on this since last week. The return for Moss — who hit 25 homers with 81 RBIs in 2015 — is second baseman Joey Wendle, 24, a former sixth-round pick who hit .253 in Double-A last season.
BLS Take: The Oakland A’s of 2015: No Moss, no Yoenis Cespedes, no Josh Donaldson. Where’s all the power going to come from? It’s another typical Billy Beane move. The A’s GM has to figure he’s gotten the most out of Moss, who had hip surgery in October. But Moss has hit 76 homers the past three seasons, and that’s desirable for a club like the Indians looking to leapfrog the competition in the AL Central. Overall, it’s a good deal for the Indians, as they get Moss for their ninth best prospect according to MLB.com. The risk for the Indians is that Moss, 31, could end up being another Nick Swisher-type and they’re already burdened with one of those. Moss’ OPS plummeted from .954 in 2012 to .772 in 2014. If the Indians think they can trade Swisher (as has been rumored), Moss is a much cheaper first base/DH option.
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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
