Done Deals: Tigers acquire pitcher Justin Wilson from Yankees
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.
WEDNESDAY
Tigers acquire pitcher Justin Wilson from the Yankees
The Detroit Tigers picked up pitcher Justin Wilson from the Yankees for minor-league pitchers Luis Cessa and Chad Green. The two sides were rumored to be nearing a deal all day, and were finally able to get it done.
BLS take: Wilson has posted above-average numbers in two of the past three seasons. At this point, the season in which he posted a 4.20 ERA appears to be the aberration. Wilson is a hard thrower, and has seen his strikeout rate rise in each of the past three seasons. The 23-year-old Cessa had problems in Triple-A last season, but has nice velocity. Green, 24, posted a 3.93 ERA in Double-A last season.
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Emilio Bonifacio returns to Braves; Darwin Barney goes back to the Blue Jays
Two more minor moves to add to what’s been a Winter Meetings day full of them: Utility man Emilio Bonifacio and second baseman Darwin Barney are going to two teams that know them. Bonifacio is going back to the Atlanta Braves on a one-year deal. He played there in 2014. And Barney is returning to the Toronto Blue Jays, the team with whom he finished 2015 after being traded from the Dodgers. That’s also a one-year deal. SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo has details on each:
BLS take: Neither move is much to get excited about. They’re both made with an eye on depth. Bonifacio and Barney have had their moments of big-league productivity, but that certainly shouldn’t be counted on. Bonifacio played the White Sox last year and hit .167 in 47 games. Barney, 30, spend most of his time in the minors but did hit .304 in 15 games with the Jays in September.
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The New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates were able to come together on a deal Wednesday. Neil Walker was shipped off to New York, while Jon Niese will assume a spot in the Pirates starting rotation. The Mets confirmed the deal on Twitter, making it official.
BLS take: We covered the deal over at The Stew already. Both teams had clear needs at those spots, and did well to make upgrades.
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Craig Gentry goes to Angels on one-year deal
Free-agent outfielder Craig Gentry has agreed to join the Los Angeles Angels on a one-year deal, which could potentially deepen the team’s outfield options. According to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, the deal is non-guaranteed but worth around $1 million.
BLS take: Gentry’s value is at an all-time low after a 2015 season in which he played 101 games in Triple-A for the Oakland Athletics. Gentry, 32, has proven in the past that he could be a productive major-league player, but it’s been a while. He hit .304 with the Texas Rangers in 2012. In 2013, he had a .373 on-base percentage and stole 24 bases. His time in Oakland, however, wasn’t very productive. The Angels need a left fielder and could look at Gentry as a platoon option if they don’t sign anybody in free agency. At this point, nothing is set.
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John Axford signs a two-year deal with the A’s
John Axford has pitched for a number of teams since he led the league in saves with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2011. The list includes the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Indians and, most recently, the Colorado Rockies. Add another: The Oakland Athletics.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle broke the news that Axford has signed with the A’s. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the deal is worth $10 million over two years with a chance for $4 million in bonuses. (An earlier report from CBS Sports said the deal was worth $1 million, but that was, presumably, a typo).
BLS take: The A’s continue to add to their bullpen and Axford, who saved 25 games in Colorado last season, should be a helpful piece. He had a 4.20 ERA, which isn’t wonderful, but he also pitched in Coors Field. Axford’s been up-and-down in recent years, but the A’s are hoping he’s back on the upswing. The A’s have also added Marc Rzepczynski and Liam Hendriks this winter in hopes of turning around their 4.63 bullpen ERA (third worst in MLB). Since Axford has closing experience, he could step in if something happens to closer Sean Doolittle. Axford’s contract is also relatively cost-effective, so he could be a trade candidate (again!) if he finds success in Oakland.
Mariners get Adam Lind in trade with Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers, who had been dangling Adam Lind around all week, have struck up a trade with the Seattle Mariners. The trade-happy Mariners (this is the ninth for new GM Jerry Dipoto) are sending back three prospects to the Brewers: Daniel Missaki, Carlos Herrera and Freddy Peralta. All three are right-handed pitchers. Herrera is 18 years old, the other two are 19.
Talk of the Brewers and Mariners getting close to a deal started to ramp up Tuesday night and Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first reported it as done on Wednesday:
BLS take: It seems like the Mariners have traded for/signed an Adam Lind-type player two or three times in the last couple years. But the actual Lind might be the best of them. (Sorry, Corey Hart and Logan Morrison). Lind, 32, had one of the best seasons of his career in 2015 with the Brewers. He hit 20 homers with 87 RBIs and a .277 batting average. He had some success in Toronto in previous years too, but now he moves to pitcher-friendly Safeco Field, which could limit his offensive production. He should play first base for Seattle and could obviously DH if Nelson Cruz takes a day off or gets injured. Lind will make $8 million this season and be a free agent in 2017.
Phillies sign righty reliever David Hernandez to a one-year deal
The Philadelphia Phillies have made a move! Sorry, Phillies fans, but you know your team isn’t exactly in win-now mode. Nonetheless, they need to field a team this year and bullpens are always good to have, so the Phils made the first move of Day 3 of the Winter Meetings and signed reliever David Hernandez to a one-year deal. We don’t yet know the financial terms of the contact.
BLS take: Relievers remain a hot commodity this winter, which isn’t entirely surprising. Hernandez, 30, comes to the Philies after stints with the Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks. He had a 4.28 ERA in 40 appearances, averaging a strikeout per inning. He was often a seventh-inning guy for the D-backs, and he figures to be in the mix for a similar job in Philly. Their bullpen isn’t horrible either. It ranked 17th in MLB last year. But there’s still a possibility the Phillies move closer Ken Giles this winter, which could change that.
TUESDAY
Evan Scribner is heading to Seattle
The Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics made a rare inter-division trade Tuesday, swapping relievers Evan Scribner and Trey Cochran-Gill.
BLS take: Scribner emerged as a useful reliever for Oakland last season, but still posted a somewhat disappointing 4.35 ERA. While Scribner had been in the majors before, last year was the most he ever pitched at the level. He has a strong strikeout rate, and really limits his walks, so perhaps the Mariners see something that suggests he can be ever better. Trey Cochran-Gill is 22, but struggled in Double-A last season. He had been lights out in the lower levels of the minors, so Oakland is hoping they can rediscover that success.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are serious about contending next season. The club proved as much Tuesday, giving up prospects Dansby Swanson and Aaron Blair, plus outfielder Ender Inciarte for Atlanta Braves pitcher Shelby Miller.
BLS take: The Diamondbacks gave up a ton, but they are legitimate contenders now. With the move, the Braves continue to hoard young prospects, and they are starting to assemble a tremendous future core. Our own Tim Brown took a more in-depth look at the trade shortly after it was announced.
The Cubs made two big moves in quick succession Tuesday. They signed utility man Ben Zobrist and then traded infielder Starlin Castro to the New York Yankees just minutes later.
BLS take: We here at The Stew covered the Zobrist contract here, and the Castro trade here.
Braves sign catcher Tyler Flowers to two-year contract
The Atlanta Braves have setup a reunion for catchers Tyler Flowers and A.J. Pierzynski. Atlanta has reportedly agreed to a two-year deal with Flowers, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, with a team option for a third. Flowers was non-tendered the by Chicago White Sox last week. The agreement is pending a physical.
BLS take: Flowers will now be sharing time (again) with Pierzynski, who the Braves re-signed in November. They were teammates with the Chicago White Sox from 2009-2012, with Flowers eventually taking over the full-time catching duties from Pierznyski. They’ll probably platoon, as Pierzynski hits left-handed and Flowers hits right. It’s a nice deal for Flowers, who wasn’t unemployed long. He’s regarded as a good pitch framer, but doesn’t hit a ton. In 2015, he hit .239 with nine homers and 39 RBIs. In 2014, he hit a career high 15 homers.
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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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
