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Cabrera not going anywhere with that dead money coming his way. No more good tigers teams coming soon.Comment -
Major League Signings
- Wade Davis, RHP: three years, $52MM (plus vesting player option)
- Jake McGee, LHP: three years, $27MM (plus vesting/club option)
- Bryan Shaw, RHP: three years, $27MM (plus vesting/club option)
- Carlos Gonzalez, OF: one year, $5MM (includes $3MM in service-time-based incentives)
- Chris Iannetta, C: two years, $8.5MM (plus club option)
- Total Spend: $122.5MM
Trades & Claims
- None
Option Decisions
- RHP Greg Holland declined $15MM player option, $17.4MM qualifying offer
- Declined $2.5MM option ($150K buyout) over INF Alexi Amarista
Notable Minor League Signings
Notable Losses
- Amarista, Tyler Chatwood, Holland, Ryan Hanigan, Jonathan Lucroy, Pat Neshek, Mark Reynolds
Needs Addressed
After turning in a solid, Wild Card-winning campaign in 2017, but facing a difficult task ahead in a strong NL West division, the Rockies largely elected to utilize the open market to address their key needs. The result was a fairly straightforward path that resulted in several (relatively) early investments as much of the market stalled. With a focus on re-loading the relief corps — the one area of free agency that did follow a generally typical path in a strange winter — the Rox ended up as one of the more active spenders in the game.
Before getting underway with the relief unit, the Rockies addressed their need for a backstop. The club pursued Jonathan Lucroy, who had a solid late-2017 run in Colorado, but moved on when he did not bite at the team’s three-year offer. Instead, veteran Chris Iannetta secured a somewhat larger-than-anticipated promise, though the annual rate falls in line with what quality non-regular receivers have earned in recent years. Iannetta is coming off of a strong showing with the division-rival Diamondbacks, though at 35 years of age it’s reasonable to anticipate he won’t quite perform to the same level offensively (.254/.354/.511 with 17 home runs in 316 plate appearances). Iannetta won’t be pressed into everyday duties, anyway, with Tony Wolters expected to share time and the still-interesting Tom Murphy also still in the organization.
With that decision out of the way, the Rockies turned to addressing the openings created when a notable trio of relievers departed at the end of the 2017 season. Closer Greg Holland turned down both a player option and a qualifying offer, thus joining southpaw Jake McGee and mid-season trade acquisition Pat Neshek on the open market.
The Rox ended up striking Winter Meetings deals with both McGee and sturdy late-inning hurler Bryan Shaw. Both took down rather hefty guarantees ($27MM apiece) on three-year terms. Those contracts beat expectations, but did not seem entirely out of place in a bullpen market that came out of the gates hot.
Colorado nearly came away from the Swan and Dolphin resort with three pen additions, as the team reportedly made progress on a deal to bring back Holland as the meetings drew to a close. Those talks fizzled out, however, leaving the Rockies to line up a deal — at a reputedly similar price to what had been dangled to Holland — with top free-agent closer Wade Davis. He’s earning at a record annual rate for a reliever, but it was nice to get him on a three-year term when it long seemed four were likely. Davis seems the better bet than Holland, so it all worked out for the Rox, though the club surely wouldn’t have minded lucking into Holland on a one-year deal instead, as the Cardinals did.
After plunking down $106MM in total commitments to those three relievers, the Rockies seemed likely to turn to another area of uncertainty: first base. The Ian Desmond experiment did not really work out last year, and he seemed better situated to taking residence in the corner outfield with Carlos Gonzalez hitting free agency. Mark Reynolds, who took the bulk of the action at first in 2017 and performed solidly, was also back on the open market and was one of several cheaply available possibilities. While quality prospect Ryan McMahon loomed, finding a complement to his lefty bat (if not a higher-end player) appeared to be the next item on the list.
While there was evidently some chatter with Reynolds, however, the team never ended up adding a right-handed-hitting first baseman. Instead, after a long transactional lull, GM Jeff Bridich lined up a fairly surprising reunion with Gonzalez, who faced a difficult market situation after a substandard 2017 season. His re-signing was welcomed by the clubhouse, but also creates some questions as the season gets underway.
Questions Remaining
The Rockies know Gonzalez better than anyone, and they obviously feel he has more in the tank at 32 years of age. He’ll earn less annually (up to $8MM) than any of the three just-signed relievers, but on only a one-year commitment, and the price doesn’t feel too steep for a player of his established ability level. It prices in CarGo’s ceiling as well as his injuries and poor 2017 production.
Still, it’s rather a curious fit, because the Rockies are loaded with lefty outfield bats. Star Charlie Blackmon is locked into center for the coming season, though he’ll test free agency at year end unless the sides come to a new deal during the coming campaign. Gerardo Parra was already slated for something like semi-regular duty after a nice bounceback season. Highly regarded youngsters Raimel Tapia and David Dahl are also options along with Mike Tauchman.
As it turns out, there are four southpaw swinging outfielders on the roster to open the year, with Desmond shifting back to first base. While the general talent level is fine, it’s an extremely awkward alignment. Blackmon is obviously going to play every day, but the corner rotation looks hapless against left-handed pitching. Gonzalez and Parra both have sizable platoon splits over their careers; Tauchman hit lefties well last year in a small sample (101 plate appearances) but has otherwise been far better with the platoon advantage in the upper minors.
To be sure, the Rox could end up acquiring or promoting another righty bat to take a fourth outfielder role. Noel Cuevas is perhaps the top internal option after Desmond. Even if that comes to pass, it doesn’t make further sense of the decision to splurge on Gonzalez. Barring injury, Tapia and Dahl are now largely buried at Triple-A for the season to come, despite the fact that both have already shown the ability to perform at the game’s highest level.
Meanwhile, the club has Desmond locked into most of the time at first. When he was first signed to play there, the decision was hard to comprehend. Desmond, after all, generally profiled as a solid-but-streaky hitter, great baserunner, and good defender with lots of versatility. Plugging such a player at first base never made loads of sense, but it seemed the Rockies might at least utilize him elsewhere in the future. Using Desmond as a much-needed right-handed-hitting outfielder while investing the $8MM CarGo cash elsewhere made quite a lot more sense on paper. Indeed, given the glut of sluggers, the Rockies easily could have found a player with superior offensive chops to Desmond while saving the bulk of the money for any mid-season needs that might arise. The resulting roster would have been more cost-efficient and much better positioned to take advantage of platoon advantages. Unless the Rockies are all but certain — despite the evidence to the contrary — that Gonzalez is primed to return to being a premium bat, the decision to utilize those funds on the former star is about as perplexing as the move for Desmond was last winter.
Of course, the Colorado organization was able to reach the postseason despite the rough showing from Desmond last year. And perhaps there’s still reason to hope he can be a part of an otherwise quality infield unit. Nolan Arenado remains one of the game’s best all-around players, while DJ LeMahieu is a good option at second entering his final season of team control. There’s a bit more uncertainty in the rest of the unit. At short, Trevor Story seems a likely bet to provide quality glovework — UZR has rated him as average, DRS as excellent — though his offensive output remains in question. Story burst on the scene with 27 home runs in just 415 plate appearances in 2016, but he dropped back to 24 dingers in 555 trips to the dish last season — and also went down on strikes 34.4% of the time while sporting an ugly .308 on-base percentage. Iannetta and Wolters aren’t a terribly exciting pairing behind the dish, but Murphy perhaps still offers a bit of upside if Wolters again lags at the plate.
The new Rockies relief unit looks to be quite a good one. While there’s ample risk in the lengthy, high-dollar contracts that were required to land the team’s late-inning trio, all the pitchers acquired seem likely to be productive, at least in the near term. Adam Ottavino and Mike Dunn have plenty of late-inning experience of their own; while each struggled to limit their free passes last year, their power arsenals are still impressive. Lefty Chris Rusin has been a highly useful multi-inning piece, adding a different dimension to the group. And there’s some young fire from the likes of Antonio Senzatela (a multi-inning threat after spending most of 2017 as a starter), Carlos Estevez (who’ll open on the DL but has big-time raw stuff), and Jairo Diaz (who’s still trying to iron things out in the minors). There isn’t much established depth beyond that group, as non-roster invitee Brooks Pounders is the only other reliever in the organization with MLB experience.
And that brings us to a rotation that did not require offseason tweaking, but isn’t loaded with certainties either. Whether Jon Gray will continue to improve remains to be seen, but he’s a quality front-of-the-rotation starter as-is. German Marquez emerged with a very strong 2017 effort at just 22 years of age, when Kyle Freeland showed an ability to get grounders and good results in the majors, though neither has a long track record at the game’s highest level. It has been a bit of a rollercoaster for Tyler Anderson, whose first start of the new season was a mess, but he could be productive if he can tamp down on the long balls. Righty Chad Bettis will look to get fully back up to speed after making his return from testicular cancer in 2017.
It’s tough to see that five-man unit ending up as one of the best in the National League, but it could well be good enough to support another postseason run. Senzatela will be available if a need arises, though he may need some time to ramp up to a starter’s workload if he’s called upon in the middle of the year. It’s not exactly promising to see Jeff Hoffman sidelined by shoulder issues, though he could still be a factor. Otherwise, there are four starters on the 40-man roster — Yency Almonte, Zach Jemiola, Sam Howard, and Jesus Tinoco — that all lack MLB experience but could be given a first shot. The Rockies haven’t shied away from relying on young arms in recent years, after all, and any of that group could show up in the rotation or pen.
Overview
The Rockies have really extended their payroll in recent seasons. They first pushed past $100MM by the end of the 2015 campaign, reached $156MM by the close of 2017, and now open 2018 with a club-record of just under $137MM on the books. That has helped the club add in some rather expensive complimentary pieces around a core of excellent position players and a cost-effective set of starters. And the results were on display with the nice run last year.
Trouble is, the Rockies are facing stringent competition both in the NL West and in the Wild Card hunt in a top-heavy National League. And the payroll dynamic will soon get tricky as their starters hit arbitration, Arenado reaches his final arb year (at what will surely be a huge rate), and Blackmon and LeMahieu prepare to hit the open market. There’s plenty of good young talent still moving toward the majors — to Colorado’s credit, they’ve avoided parting with it via trade — though it may not quite fully arrive by the time these changes occur.
If things don’t break right in 2018, and the next round of premium talent isn’t quite ready, it could be a bit of an awkward winter. Arenado’s situation will no doubt hang over the organization regardless. But that’ll all go much smoother if the Rockies play to the level they hope. While there’s little question the roster, as assembled, can compete, some of the decisions may not have optimally allocated resources. In particular, the thinking on Desmond and Gonzalez is still a bit difficult to comprehend fully — though the Rockies seem to believe they’re best off betting on talent and character. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how it all turns out over the course of the 2018 campaign.
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
- ATLANTA BRAVES | Depth Chart
- Promoted: RP Luke Jackson(contract purchased)
- Designated for assignment: C Chris Stewart
- COLORADO ROCKIES | Depth Chart | Team Payroll
- Contract Extension: OF Charlie Blackmon (5 years, $94MM)
- LOS ANGELES DODGERS | Depth Chart
- Acquired: SP/RP Alec Asher (claimed off waivers from Orioles)
- Asher was optioned to Triple-A.
- Designated for assignment: RP/SP Zach Neal
- Neal’s removal from the 25-man roster clears a spot for Josh Fields to return from the Paternity List.
- Acquired: SP/RP Alec Asher (claimed off waivers from Orioles)
- MIAMI MARLINS | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: 1B/OF Garrett Cooper (wrist contusion)
- Recalled: OF Braxton Lee
- NEW YORK METS | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: OF Michael Conforto
- Optioned: INF/OF Phillip Evans
- Activated from 10-Day DL: OF Michael Conforto
- PITTSBURGH PIRATES | Depth Chart
- Acquired: RP Jesus Liranzo (claimed off waivers from Dodgers)
- Liranzo was optioned to Double-A.
- Acquired: RP Jesus Liranzo (claimed off waivers from Dodgers)
- SAN DIEGO PADRES | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: OF Wil Myers (nerve irritation in arm)
- Promoted: RP Phil Maton
- ST. LOUIS CARDINALS | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: SP Adam Wainwright
- Wainwright started versus the Diamondbacks on Thursday.
- Optioned: SP Jack Flaherty
- Activated from 10-Day DL: SP Adam Wainwright
AMERICAN LEAGUE
- CLEVELAND INDIANS | Depth Chart
- Optioned: OF Tyler Naquin
- This clears a spot for Michael Brantley, who is expected to return from the DL on Friday.
- Optioned: OF Tyler Naquin
- DETROIT TIGERS | Depth Chart
- Activated from DL: RP Johnny Barbato
- Barbato was optioned to Triple-A
- Activated from DL: RP Johnny Barbato
- LOS ANGELES ANGELS | Depth Chart
- Acquired: SP/RP Miguel Almonte (acquired from Royals for PTBNL or cash considerations)
- Almonte was optioned to Triple-A.
- Designated for assignment: C Juan Graterol
- Acquired: SP/RP Miguel Almonte (acquired from Royals for PTBNL or cash considerations)
- OAKLAND ATHLETICS | Depth Chart
- Acquired: OF Trayce Thompson (claimed off waivers from Yankees)
- Thompson is expected to join the team on Friday. A corresponding move has not been reported.
- Transferred to 60-Day DL: SP Paul Blackburn
- Acquired: OF Trayce Thompson (claimed off waivers from Yankees)
- TEXAS RANGERS | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: SP Martin Perez
- Perez started versus the A’s on Thursday.
- Optioned: RP Jose Leclerc
- Activated from 10-Day DL: SP Martin Perez
REHAB ASSIGNMENTS | Injury Report
- Johan Camargo (ATL), Carlos Estevez (COL), Yuli Gurriel (HOU), James Hoyt (HOU), Phil Hughes (MIN), Dominic Smith (NYM), Renato Nunez (OAK), Ryan Dull (OAK), Ben Gamel (SEA), Tony Barnette (TEX)
FUTURE EXPECTED MOVES
- BOS: SP Eduardo Rodriguez will be activated from the DL on Sunday April 8th, according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
- CLE: The Indians plan to activate OF Michael Brantley from the DL on Friday April 6th, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
- MIL: The Brewers will place RP Corey Knebel on the disabled list on Friday, April 6th, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy.
- PHI: SP Jake Arrieta will be recalled on Sunday April 8th, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic. He will be making his Phillies debut versus the Marlins.
- STL: RP Greg Holland could be recalled as early as Monday April 9th, according to Brian Stull of stlbaseballweekly.com.
Comment - ATLANTA BRAVES | Depth Chart
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Jesus Liranzo is a good baseball nameComment -
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Peavy, your boys made me sweat for 9 innings yesterday.Comment -
Jays play the Rangers tonight. With Bautista gone I wonder if the rivalry and bad blood is over between the teams.Comment -
Closer Corey Knebel to miss 4-6 weeks with injured hamstring
MILWAUKEE -- Brewers All-Star closer Corey Knebel was placed on the disabled list Friday due to a left hamstring injury and is expected to miss four to six weeks.
Knebel said, though, he was encouraged by Friday's MRI result.
"It's not as serious as anybody thought," he said. "It really worried me yesterday, but today I woke up and felt a lot better."
Knebel collapsed on the mound while getting in some work in a non-save situation in the ninth inning of Thursday's 8-0 loss to the Cubs. The right-hander was helped off the field by the training staff, unable to put much weight on the left side of his body.
Knebel had 39 saves last season as Milwaukee made a run at the National League Central title before fading late in the season.Comment -
Colorado overpaid Gonzalez and Blackmon considering the home/road splits
Can't see how any other team would've paid that much[quote=jjgold;5683305]I win again like usual
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[quote=Whippit;7921056]miami won't lose a single eastern conference game through end of season[/quote]Comment -
Ohtani homered for the 3rd straight game.
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Faced with questions about his free agent plans next winter, Orioles shortstop Manny Machado mostly declined to offer much insight — and didn’t take the bait when asked about playing in New York. As Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun was among those to report, though, Machado did reiterate that he is only interested in signing as a shortstop, which is certainly notable given that he has just moved back to his accustomed position after lining up at third to this point in his MLB career. His decision to press for a return to short wasn’t about future financial considerations, Machado added. Rather, he says that’s “just where my heart is and has always been.”
Here’s more from Baltimore and the rest of the AL East:
- Orioles righty Alex Cobb is now planning to take another outing in extended spring training on Monday, as Meoli further reports. While there had been some suggestion he might be activated at the end of the weekend, it seems Cobb prefers to continue a measured build-up before going at full bore. The Baltimore rotation could use an early season shot in the arm, which is why Cobb was signed in the first place, though clearly there’s little sense in rushing him onto the mound with a long season (and three more seasons under contract) still ahead.
- The Yankees may be cool again, but they are dealing with some hip issues in the season’s early going. Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury is now slated to visit a specialist to address a problem that arose while he was already on the DL, as Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports (Twitter links). And veteran lefty CC Sabathia is slated for an MRI on his right hip after leaving his start early today with some soreness. The Yankees aren’t yet in desperate straights from an injury perspective, but have already endured enough dents and dings that they have had to dip into much of their best depth options already. Starting pitching is perhaps the area the team can least afford to endure any major losses, though at this point there’s no reason at all to think Sabathia will miss time.
- While it wasn’t clear just how hard the Rays and Brendan McKay would push for the recent first-rounder to make it to the majors as a two-way player, that certainly seems to be the current intention. As Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes, though, plenty of uncertainty still remains. McKay impressed more on the hill than at the plate in his 2017 short-season debut, though as Topkin rightly notes, the real test will come in performing both functions in full-season ball. His dual developmental course has already required some attentive scheduling and — given that it is largely unprecedented — is likely to trigger some novel questions over the years to come. The piece is well worth a full read, not only for Rays fans but for anyone who’d like to learn more about this interesting experiment as it really gets underway.
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Ohtani has quickly gone from looking overmatched against MLB pitching in spring training (4-for-32) to looking like an All-Star hitter in the regular season (he's hitting .389 with a 1.310 OPS). He's the first Angels rookie to homer in his first three games. Ohtani isn't expected to start at DH on Saturday, as he'll be rested the day ahead of his scheduled Sunday start on the mound.Comment -
Ohtani just messsed around in spring training, lol.Comment -
xxOhtani iS Such a talent[quote=jjgold;5683305]I win again like usual
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[quote=Whippit;7921056]miami won't lose a single eastern conference game through end of season[/quote]Comment -
Brew crew and cubs look like playoff series.Comment -
A bit more on the Mariners…
- Speaking of Seattle catchers, Mike Zunino’s 10-day minimum DL stint is up today but he won’t be immediately rejoining the team, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times writes. Zunino is on the DL with a mild oblique strain, though the organization expressed confidence at the time of the injury that Zunino wouldn’t require the type of month-long absence that is commonly associated with oblique issues. There had been some hope that he could be ready for the second game in Minnesota, but manager Scott Servais now says the team plans to “slow Zunino down a little.” The skipper was insistent that there’s been no setback for his catcher, though, characterizing the decision as largely cautious in nature. Meanwhile, Divish also notes that outfielder Ben Gamel is set to embark on a minor league rehab assignment for his own oblique strain, and he gives some positive news on slugger Nelson Cruz as well.
- After seeing how veteran players struggled to find long-term contracts in free agency this winter, Robinson Cano is relieved to have his future spoken for, the second baseman told the New York Times’ Tyler Kepner during Spring Training. Cano’s ten-year, $240MM deal runs through the 2023 season, giving him both security but also added motivation to keep living up to that hefty salary. “I want to earn every penny that I get here. I don’t want to be like those guys that, two or three years into their contract, they do really good and then they don’t care. I do care,” Cano said. “I love this game so much, this is what I dreamed when I was a kid….If you keep working hard, you tell your body that you’re ready to go — not like guys that start sitting down, they’re gaining weight, they don’t care. I have fans out there, I have my son, I have to be a good example. I feel comfortable now because I got the money, but money’s not everything.” It remains to be seen if Cano can successfully fend off the normal decline process as he enters his age-35 season, though it’s hard to argue that he hasn’t delivered for the M’s, hitting .295/.351/.472 with 97 homers over his first four years in Seattle.
- Despite Edwin Diaz’s early-career success, he is still something of a work in progress, TJ Cotterill of the Tacoma News Tribune writes. To this end, Juan Nicasio has already become a veteran mentor to the M’s closer. “He knows how to pitch,” Diaz said. “So I talk to him a lot, how he can teach me how to pitch, too, how to attack hitters to get an out.” Mariners pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. believes Nicasio’s influence will further help Diaz “train his thought process and his mindset,” which is a particularly key facet to the game for Diaz considering that “slowing the game down” helps him better control his mechanics.
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Seattle/Minnesota postponed.[quote=jjgold;5683305]I win again like usual
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[quote=Whippit;7921056]miami won't lose a single eastern conference game through end of season[/quote]Comment -
Injured Yankees first baseman Greg Bird will have the stitches taken out tomorrow from the right ankle surgery he had a couple weeks ago. The rehab process will begin. He's still targeting a return by sometime in May, although that timeline also depends on how long he'll play in a rehab assignment. Dr. Martin O'Malley, who performed the procedure to remove a bone spur, told Bird to remember: "You have a great ankle."Comment -
I confess, I thought Ohtani was going to be a bust in the majors.Comment -
Ohtani has some talent.Comment
