Let's see where Happy ends up
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Looks like Mookie to SD is going to happen.Comment -
Where is the report on Mookie going to SD????Comment -
Phillies add Francisco Liriano, Bud Norris, Drew Storen, Neil Walker on minors deals
PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Phillies have signed left-hander Francisco Liriano, right-handers Bud Norris and Drew Storen, and infielder Neil Walker to minor league contracts with invitations to attend major league spring training.
Liriano was 5-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 69 relief appearances for Pittsburgh last season. The 36-year-old Liriano is 112-114 with a 4.15 ERA and has averaged 9.01 strikeouts per nine innings over 419 career games.
Norris hasn't pitched in the majors since 2018, when he had a 3.59 ERA with 28 saves in 33 opportunities for St. Louis. Norris, who turns 35 on March 2, attended major league spring training with Toronto last year. He is 67-90 with 47 saves and a 4.45 ERA in 355 career games, including 188 starts.
Storen last pitched in the majors in 2017 for Cincinnati, posting a 4.45 ERA over 58 games. He made nine relief appearances for Kansas City's Double-A affiliate in 2019. The 32-year-old Storen is 29-18 with 99 saves and a 3.45 ERA in 470 career relief appearances.
Walker batted .261 with a .344 on-base percentage, eight homers and 38 RBIs in 115 games for Miami last season. The 34-year-old switch-hitter has a .267 average, 149 homers and 606 RBIs in 1,288 career games.Comment -
Might happen.
Talks are intensifying.
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Good content you guys are providing here gentsComment -
Peavy definitely needs to check in here. San Diego about to be an all star team.Comment -
San Diego looking to build a World Series contender if they land Betts. They'd be an exciting team to watch thats for sure.
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The Yankees’ Miguel Andujar spent 2018 at third base, where he endured his fair share of struggles. Andujar posted a horrid minus-25 Defensive Runs Saved and a similarly poor minus-16 Ultimate Zone Rating, but the doubles machine’s outstanding offensive production overshadowed his difficulties in the field. While Andujar finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting in his first season, he wasn’t able to follow it up in 2019 on account of shoulder troubles that shelved him for almost the whole campaign.
In Andujar’s absence last year, the Yankees saw fill-in Gio Urshela enjoy an out-of-nowhere breakout. Urshela’s now set to enter 2020 as the Yankees’ top option at the hot corner, which could force Andujar to another position. Yankees manager Aaron Boone has told Andujar that he’ll have to learn to play first base and left field in spring training, Randy Miller of NJ.com reports.
Andujar’s no sure thing to begin 2020 with the Yankees if he’s unable to adapt to his new spots. Considering he has minor league options left, the Yankees could opt to send him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. But Andujar’s “makeup is off the chart,” general manager Brian Cashman told the YES Network, so the Yankees are still banking on him doing enough to crack their 26-man roster.
If Andujar does start the season in the majors, it’s up in the air how much playing time he’ll receive from the get-go. As mentioned, he’s now the Yankees’ No. 2 guy at third. Meanwhile, the Yankees have fellow right-handed hitter Luke Voit, who has been quite productive since he joined the club in 2018, as well as lefty Mike Ford as first base possibilities. They also boast Giancarlo Stanton, Mike Tauchman and Clint Frazier as left field choices. So, there doesn’t appear to be an easy path to early season playing time in New York for Andujar, despite the .297/.328/.527 line he recorded and the 76 extra-base hits he amassed during his rookie campaign.Comment -
Less than a month till spring training. Season about to start folks
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Source: Ryan Zimmerman agrees to 1-year deal with Nationals
The Washington Nationals and Ryan Zimmerman have agreed to terms on a $2 million contract for 2020 that includes the possibility of earning $3 million more in incentives, a source confirmed to ESPN's Jeff Passan on Friday.
The agreement was first reported by The Washington Post.
When Zimmerman, 35, became a free agent, he figured he either would be back with the Nationals -- or out of baseball.
"I think I've made my intentions pretty clear," Zimmerman said in December. "It's either play some more here or play more golf."
He was the first player drafted by the Nationals in 2005 after the club moved from Montreal to Washington, and he has played in every one of their 15 seasons. He holds franchise career records for hits, doubles, total bases, homers and RBI.
Zimmerman was around for the consecutive 100-loss seasons in 2008 and 2009, the frequent trips to -- and early exits from -- the playoffs from 2012 to 2017, and, of course, the World Series championship last year.
Injuries limited him to 52 games and a .257 average with six homers and 27 RBIs in 2019, although he was a key contributor in the postseason. He is expected to share time at first base in 2020 with newcomer Eric Thames and holdover Howie Kendrick.
"He's the classiest big leaguer I've ever been around. He's the culmination of a lot of hard work. The guy's been through some trials and tribulations. We all forget about the first six, seven years, when he played 160 games every year. I saw needles in his shoulder. I saw him play when he probably shouldn't have played earlier in his career," general manager Mike Rizzo said late last season. "That's the kind of man he is and the kind of player he is. You see when he's a healthy player, he's a pretty damn good one still."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.Comment -
Looking at this snow outside, doesn’t feel like baseball coming soon.Comment -
Bud Norris?
Isn’t he like 1000 years old?Comment -
The phillies must be desperate.Comment -
Bud Norris was Astros Ace when they were the worst team in baseballComment -
Phillies seem chucked big timeComment -
lots of moves to be made before spring training tooComment -
2 months until season starts.
Can't believe Cubs are going to leave Ross hanging.
Get him some help.Comment -
The Marlins have agreed to a one-year contract with right-hander Brandon Kintzler, ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers reports. The deal will pay Kintzler $3.25MM in guaranteed money — $3MM in 2020 salary, and a $250K buyout of a $4MM club option for the 2021 season. In the event of a trade before the 2020 season is out, the 2021 club option increases to $5MM with a $500K buyout. Kintzler is represented by Kevin Kohler.
Miami has been linked to the 35-year-old Kintzler for the last few weeks, with MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reporting earlier today that the two sides were “working on a deal.” With Kintzler now in the fold, it would seemingly put an end to the Marlins’ pursuit of Pedro Strop, another former Cubs reliever Miami was also considering as a ninth-inning option.
Now, Kintzler will step back into a closer’s role for the first time since the 2017 season. Kintzler has spent the bulk of his career outside of save situations, though he did total 46 saves with the Twins and Nationals over the 2016-17 seasons. 2018, however, was a rougher ride for Kintzler, who struggled to a 7.00 ERA over 18 innings with the Cubs after the Nationals dealt him at the trade deadline.
After working to “simplify my mechanics” last Spring Training, Kintzler bounced back in impressive fashion, posting a 2.68 ERA, 3.69 K/BB rate, 7.6 K/9, and 54.7% grounder rate over 57 innings out of the Chicago bullpen in 2019. Despite being in the bottom eighth percentile of hard-hit ball rate, opposing batters couldn’t do much with that hard contact, as Kintzler also posted a low exit velocity (19th percentile) and limited batters to a .265 wOBA that was only slightly lower than his .286 xwOBA.
Kintzler brings some closing experience and, with 10 MLB seasons to his name, simply some experience overall to a mostly-young Marlins bullpen. With Kintzler looking like the favorite to handle the ninth inning, Miami can deploy Jose Urena, Ryne Stanek, Drew Steckenrider, or any other potential closer candidates in other high-leverage roles to gauge their readiness for any save situations. Since the Marlins are still rebuilding, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Kintzler shopped at the trade deadline if the right-hander is pitching well, and the extra control offered by the 2021 club option could increase his trade value over pure rental pitchers.Comment -
No snow here in NEPA. Has been a mild winter so far... Only one snow fall. (about 3 inches)
Today 35 partly sunnyComment
