Done Deals: Cardinals acquire Jedd Gyorko in trade with Padres
This is The Stew’s running list of trades and signings that happen during baseball’s Winter Meetings. We’ll update this post as news happens. For up-to-the-second chatter and rumors, be sure to check out our Winter Meeting tracker.
TUESDAY
Cardinals acquire Jedd Gyorko in trade with Padres for Jon Jay
The San Diego Padres unloaded former top prospect Jedd Gyorko on Tuesday morning, sending him in a trade to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielder Jon Jay.
The deal was first reported as close by Fox Sports’ Jon Morosi and confirmed by the teams not long after.
BLS take: Gyorko seems like a guy who could use a change of scenery. He showed promise in his rookie year, was a big disappointment in 2014 and rebounded slightly in 2015. But he wasn’t good enough that the Padres like he was a future building block anymore. Gyorko, 27, hit .247 with 16 homers and 57 homers last season. He hasn’t done anything in his career at this point to prove that he’s capable of more than hitting around .250 and blasting some homers. However, you have to wonder if he can turn it around in St. Louis, where the plan is reportedly to use him as a utility player. He can play first, second and shortstop. Can the Cardinal Way save him? Stranger things have happened.
Jon Jay gives the Padres some versatility in the outfield. When he’s healthy, he can hit about .300 and get on base 37 percent of the time, but doesn’t hit for power and doesn’t steal a lot of bases. Perhaps more importantly for the Padres, he’s a free agent after this season. Gyorko is signed for $33 million through 2020, having inked a pre-arbitration deal with the Pads. He’s owed $4 million in 2016, $6 million in 2017, then $9 million and $13 million in 2018 and 2019. There’s also a team option in his contract for $13 million in 2020 with a $1 million buyout.
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Reliever Shawn Kelley reportedly agrees to join the Nats
Lots of relief pitchers off the board in the last few days, and that continues with Shawn Kelley. He’s reportedly agreed to a deal with the Washington Nationals, according to Jack Curry of the YES Network and LaVelle Neal of the Star Tribune. We don’t know the specifics of the deal yet. He ranks No. 77 on Jeff Passan’s free-agent tracker, making him one of the better relievers left on the market.
BLS take: The Nats had been chasing relievers with little luck thus far. They were among the finalists for Darren O’Day before he opted to return to the Orioles. Kelley, 31, struck out 63 batters in 51.1 innings last season with the San Diego Padres. He had a 2.45 ERA last year and did as part of the 23rd best bullpen in baseball. Kelley isn’t the missing piece for the Nats, who will need to figure out what they’re doing at closer, but he’ll help.
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Rockies sign a pair of veteran relievers in Jason Motte and Chad Qualls
We start off Day Two of the Winter Meetings with news that the Colorado Rockies have signed a pair of relievers in Jason Motte and Chad Qualls, both of whom signed two-year contracts. Qualls is getting two years and $6 million, according to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal and Motte is getting $10 million for both seasons.
BLS take: Well, Coors Field isn’t the ideal destination for any pitcher, but the Rockies needed help, so credit to them for making at attempt to get it. The Rockies had the worst bullpen ERA in 2015 (and worst overall ERA), so they needed to do something. Motte and Qualls aren’t elite, but they’re veterans who have had success over the years. Motte had a 3.91 ERA last season with the Cubs and Qualls had a 4.38 ERA with the Astros. The relief market isn’t especially thick — and the list of pitchers who want to pitch in Colorado isn’t long — so the Rockies got what they got.
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MONDAY
Darren O’Day officially agrees to return to the Orioles
After some back-and-forth, it appears Darren O’Day is going back to the Baltimore Orioles. News broke that O’Day had signed with the club Sunday, but he initially refuted that report. Things became a little more clear Monday, and it looks like the deal is official now pending a physical.
BLS take: We here at The Stew covered the O’Day signing when the news initially broke. O’Day is an elite option in the bullpen, but there’s some reason to be concerned about the fact that he’s receiving four years. Relievers don’t usually remain at such a high level for such a long time but, until he breaks, O’Day is going to give the Orioles tremendous production.
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Mariners get Wade Miley in trade with Red Sox
The Seattle Mariners, after losing Hisashi Iwakuma in free agency, reacted quick and landed Wade Miley in trade with the Boston Red Sox. The deal sends starter Roenis Elías and reliever Carson Smith to the Red Sox. The Mariners are also getting pitcher Jonathan Aro.
BLS take: Smith is a good get for the Red Sox, who need bullpen help. He has a high ceiling. He’s young, under club control for a long time and struck out 92 batters in 70 innings last year. On the other side, Miley isn’t great, but he’s an innings eater who made at least 30 starts each of the past four seasons. We wrote more about the trade here.
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Trevor Cahill returns to the Cubs
It’s appears Trevor Cahill enjoyed his time with the Chicago Cubs last season. After experiencing a brief resurgence with the club in the bullpen, Cahill has agreed to return to Chicago, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.
BLS take: Cahill was once a promising starter who was starting to look like he bound for the minors after a couple tough seasons. While his initial conversion to the bullpen didn’t go well with the Atlanta Braves, the Cubs, and pitching coach Chris Bosio, appeared to find a way to turn Cahill into a viable late-inning option. It’s a small sample, but Cahill posted a 2.12 ERA over 17 innings with Chicago. His strikeout rate rose dramatically, which could mean Bosio figured something out that could make Cahill effective moving forward. There’s still some reason to be skeptical about Cahill being a knockout reliever moving forward, but staying with the Cubs gives him the best chance to reach that ceiling.
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The Dodgers will welcome Hisashi Iwakuma to Los Angeles
Los Angeles officially signed pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma to a three-year deal, hoping to fill the rotation hole left by Zack Greinke signing with Arizona. The Dodgers had a tentative agreemtent in place to trade for closer Aroldis Chapman, but that is now being held up after Yahoo Sports uncovered an alleged domestic violence incident involving Chapman and his girlfriend.
BLS take: Our own Tim Brown covered the Iwakuma signing here.
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The Royals sign pitchers Chris Young, Joakim Soria
On the first morning of the MLB Winter Meetings, the World Series-winning Kansas City Royals added two pitchers to keep their championship staff going strong.
That’s lanky starter Chris Young, who was with the Royals last season, and free agent reliever Joakim Soria, who they’re reportedly paying $25 million over three years. That Soria news was first reported by Jerry Crasnick of ESPN early Monday morning. The Young news was said to be “just a matter of time” for a few days now.
Here’s the latest from the Royals, via Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com.
BLS take: The Kansas City Royals know how to win and they’ll have the World Series rings to prove it in a few months. One of their keys is pitching, particularly their bullpen, so getting Soria is a move that makes a ton of sense for K.C. They lost Ryan Madson in free agency and Greg Holland is gone too, so they want another arm to go with Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera. As for Young, the Royals know what they’re getting with him. He’s versatile (can pitch in long relief or start), smart and experienced. The 36-year-old was 11-6 with a 3.06 ERA last season, so getting him for two years and close to $12 million (as reported) seems like a bargain.
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Tigers add reliever Mark Lowe on two-year deal
The Detroit Tigers, still trying to bulk up that bullpen, have landed Mark Lowe on a two-year deal. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick first said they were close and CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman said it was a done deal.
BLS take: Lowe is 32, but found new life on his fastball last season, making him alluring for the Tigers. He had a 1.96 ERA in 57 appearances for the Mariners and Blue Jays, striking out more than a batter per inning. We don’t know yet what the Tigers paid, so it’s hard to judge the value. Lowe figures to be a setup man for new Tigers closer Francisco Rodriguez.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
