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The Toronto Blue Jays’ new front office is not resting on its laurels following the team’s playoff appearance last season, with starting pitcher R.A. Dickey reportedly available in a trade. 

Jeff Blair of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reported that Dickey is “in play” for a possible deal if the Blue Jays find the right match. 

Continue for updates. 

Blue Jays’ Pitching Surplus

Saturday, Jan. 9

The Blue Jays exercised Dickey’s $12 million option for 2016 in November. It’s the final year of the deal he signed prior to the 2013 season. 

The 41-year-old has been a reliable presence in Toronto’s rotation, with 101 combined starts covering 681.2 innings over the past three seasons, though he’s been unable to reach the heights of his Cy Young season in 2012 as a member of the New York Mets. 

New Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro is accustomed to making long-term decisions. He came over from Cleveland, where significant payroll restrictions forced him to trade marquee players to keep the talent pipeline fresh. 

Shapiro has helped the Blue Jays acquire a lot of pitching depth this offseason, re-signing Marco Estrada, trading for Jesse Chavez and signing free agent J.A. Happ to go along with Dickey, Marcus Stroman and Drew Hutchison. 

The team has picked the action back up recently, with Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reporting Friday it traded Ben Revere to Washington for Drew Storen. 

Given Dickey’s age and contract status, it’s understandable why the Blue Jays would explore his market now to try to add a player who can provide impact at another area of need (left field) or a prospect who can play a role in their long-term future.

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Former Miami Marlins general manager Dan Jennings is going back to the National League East, joining the Washington Nationals as an assistant general manager. 

The team confirmed the decision. Jon Morosi of Fox Sports first reported Jennings was expected to join Washington’s front office.

Jennings was general manager for the Marlins from 2013 through the end of last season. He also served as the team’s interim manager last year after Mike Redmond was fired, with Mike Berger taking over as general manager. 

The Marlins fired Jennings after the season. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports cited a rift with owner Jeffrey Loria as one reason for his dismissal:

According to Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post, Jennings’ full role with the Nationals will be as a special assistant to general manager Mike Rizzo and pro scout.

Jennings comes from a scouting background, starting with his first MLB job as part of the Cincinnati Reds scouting staff in 1986. He went to the Marlins in 2002 and worked his way up the ladder before becoming general manager. 

The Nationals’ hiring of Jennings is definitely a shrewd move, taking advantage of his knowledge about one of their National League East rivals and using his scouting expertise to help with potential free-agent signings and trades. 

Even though Jennings won’t have the same amount of power he did with the Marlins, he’ll be used in a role that worked well for him in the past and is going to a much more stable situation where his voice can have more impact. 

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As the MLB free-agent market continues to play out, shortstop Alexei Ramirez finds himself starting to generate interest from clubs.   

Per Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com, citing Bruce Levine of 670 The Score in Chicago, the San Diego Padres are “still talking” with Ramirez about a possible deal. 

Continue for updates. 

Examining Ramirez’s Market

Friday, Jan. 8

Ramirez’s name has been floated around a few times this offseason, though nothing has come of it thus far.

Levine reported on Dec. 28 the Chicago White Sox had not “completely closed the door” on bringing Ramirez back for a ninth season after they already acquired infielders Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie in separate trades. 

Ramirez became a free agent after the White Sox declined his $10 million option in November 2015. Levine did note most insiders felt the White Sox were likely to invest whatever money they had left in upgrading their outfield.

The Padres are in need of an upgrade at shortstop. Alexi Amarista played 118 games for the team in 2015, hitting a dismal .204/.257/.287 and had the worst FanGraphs‘ wins above replacement (minus-0.8) among shortstops with at least 300 plate appearances. 

Ramirez was actually the second-worst shortstop in terms of FanGraphs’ WAR (minus-0.5), yet he still managed to be a superior offensive performer compared to Amarista (.249/.285/.357).

His defense is in decline, which has cost the White Sox 10 runs at shortstop combined over the last two seasons, but the offensive upgrade over Amarista could make him a worthwhile risk for the Padres. 

Stats per FanGraphs.com.

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The Miami Marlins continue to push outfielder Marcell Ozuna on teams for a potential trade, with a market reportedly starting to develop.

Continue for updates.

Rangers Inquire on Ozuna

Wednesday, Jan. 6

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the Texas Rangers were one of the teams to inquire, but Miami’s “asking price remains high, and any deal may be a long shot.”

Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reported that Chi Chi Gonzalez and another piece could be involved.

Passan: Ozuna Market Developing

Wednesday, Jan. 6

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported that the market for Ozuna is “moving fast” with “multiple teams” in talks with the Marlins.

Ozuna Commanding High Price

The Marlins have been exploring trade options involving Ozuna virtually all offseason with no success. Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reported in November the Marlins were taking “a lot of calls” about the 25-year-old. 

One reason for the lack of movement with Ozuna thus far, as Passan noted, is what the Marlins are asking for. During the initial discussions in December, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reported the team wanted pitchers like the Seattle Mariners’ Taijuan Walker, the Cleveland Indians’ Danny Salazar or the Kansas City Royals’ Yordano Ventura in return. 

While it’s unclear at this point if the Marlins have lowered their demands from those steep prices, teams are right to be reluctant about parting with cost-controlled starting pitching. 

It also doesn’t help Miami’s leverage in negotiations that Crasnick reported in a separate tweet from last November that one executive said Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria “can’t stand” Ozuna and “everybody knows it.” 

Ozuna is coming off of a bad 2015 season in which he hit .259/.308/.383 with 10 homers in 123 games. His .311 career on-base percentage in 1,299 at-bats is not particularly encouraging, though his 23 homers in 2014 was an encouraging sign before falling off last year. 

The Marlins are valuing Ozuna like he’s a budding star when his actual performance has been more erratic than anything else, though they do appear to be getting closer to a deal. 

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Always seeking depth for their bullpen, the Pittsburgh Pirates have signed free-agent right-hander Neftali Feliz to a one-year deal. 

The Pirates officially announced Feliz’s deal on Twitter. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported he will make $3.9 million. 

Feliz is coming off a brutal 2015 season split between the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers. The 27-year-old had a 6.38 ERA with 57 hits allowed, 39 strikeouts and 18 walks in 48 innings. 

There are reasons to believe, as the Pirates clearly do, that he will be able to turn things around. He’s still young, despite having seven years of MLB experience, and his average fastball velocity of 94.6 mph last year was the highest since 2012. 

Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review noted how Feliz’s uptick in velocity fits in with the Pirates’ current philosophy:

Injuries have taken a toll on Feliz, limiting him to a total of 44 games from 2012-14 before he was able to pitch in 48 games last year. 

But the Pirates have a knack for rehabilitating the careers of pitchers who have been cast aside due to poor performance and/or injuries. Francisco Liriano, A.J. Burnett and Mark Melancon vastly improved their standing after putting on a black and yellow jersey. 

Pittsburgh’s bullpen, headlined by Melancon in the closer’s role, is already loaded with Tony Watson, Jared Hughes and Arquimedes Caminero serving as the primary setup guys. Feliz just needs to be placed in low-pressure situations early in the year, get command of his fastball and let his power arm do the work. 

If Feliz can pitch anywhere near the level he did in his first three years as a member of the Rangers, he’ll give the Pirates’ already-dominant bullpen another stellar piece to use.  

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Washington Nationals infielder Ryan Zimmerman will reportedly sue Al Jazeera America for alleged defamation. 

Reuters reported Tuesday that the 31-year-old was going to file suit against the broadcast news outlet. 

According to John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal, Zimmerman’s lawsuit denies he took any illegal performance-enhancing substances:

Zimmerman was among the athletes Al Jazeera America included in a report titled The Dark Side: Secrets of the Sports Dopers that aired on Dec. 27 in connection to a doping ring, according to Travis Waldron and Ryan Grim of the Huffington Post.

“The report, ‘The Dark Side,’ is the result of a monthslong investigation in which Liam Collins, a British hurdler, went undercover in an attempt to expose the widespread nature of performance-enhancing drugs in global sports,” Waldron and Grim’s report stated. 

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was the centerpiece of Al Jazeera America’s piece, with Zimmerman one of the nine other athletes from various sports mentioned.

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard and Chicago Cubs minor league catcher Taylor Teagarden were the other baseball players named. A source told CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury Howard is filing a defamation lawsuit against Al Jazeera as well.

Per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, Howard and Zimmerman’s attorney, William Burck, released a statement on behalf of his clients denying the allegations:

It’s inexcusable and irresponsible that Al Jazeera would provide a platform and broadcast outright lies about Mr. Howard and Mr. Zimmerman.

The extraordinarily reckless claims made against our clients in this report are completely false and rely on a source who has already recanted his claims. We will go to court to hold Al Jazeera and other responsible parties accountable for smearing our clients’ good names.

The Nationals also released a statement included in Zolecki’s report about the allegations against Zimmerman.

“Ryan has unequivocally stated that these allegations are false,” the statement said. “The Lerner family and our organization fully support him. We are confident Major League Baseball’s investigation will show the allegations levied in the report are unfounded.”

Zimmerman has spent his entire 11-year career with the Nationals, playing just 156 games the last two seasons because of injuries. He was named to the National League All-Star team and won a Gold Glove in 2009. 

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After losing Zack Greinke via free agency, the Los Angeles Dodgers made a move to bolster their pitching staff, as they reportedly agreed to a deal with Japanese starting pitcher Kenta Maeda. 

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first reported the signing, and ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden and Mark Saxon confirmed the deal Saturday. 

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported the deal is for eight years and worth $25 million with lots of performance incentives. 

It’s been a busy week for L.A., which also agreed to a three-year deal with lefty Scott Kazmir on Wednesday. Kazmir and Maeda will bolster a talented rotation led by Clayton Kershaw. 

Maeda’s path to Major League Baseball has been complicated, as is often the case with Japanese players under contract to a team. Joey Nowak of MLB.com reported on Dec. 9 he was going to be posted by the Hiroshima Carp. 

After Maeda was posted, Baseball America‘s Ben Badler tweeted his expectation was that the Carp were going to be seeking the maximum $20 million posting fee to release him. That likely changed Maeda’s market, as Tom Singer of MLB.com pointed out at least one team (Arizona) had interest before learning of the Carp’s demands. 

Maeda is an unusual starting pitcher to project in MLB because he’s short at 6’0″ and rail-thin at 154 pounds. If you are curious as to why Maeda’s weight is such a big talking point, let Phil Rogers of MLB.com explain it with a few examples. 

“Here’s a list of guys 166 pounds or less who pitched in the majors last season: Shane Robinson, Sam Freeman, Raudel Lazo, Everett Teaford, Zach Davies, Jesse Chavez and Severino Gonzalez,” Rogers wrote. 

Injuries and durability haven’t been a concern for Maeda in Japan, as he’s racked up 1,509.2 innings since 2008. But leagues in that country also use a six-man rotation. 

The stuff Maeda brings isn’t bad, though it’s not dazzling like that of recent Japanese pitchers Yu Darvish and Masahiro Tanaka, as Badler wrote (via Mike Axisa of CBS Sports): 

Maeda is a slightly-built 6 feet, 160 pounds and throws around 87-93 mph with good sink and run, though he doesn’t get great angle on his fastball. He’s a good athlete, which helps him repeat his delivery and thrive when his command, which can be plus at times, is on point. Maeda doesn’t have one knockout secondary pitch, but he has a solid-average slider and mixes in a curveball and a changeup as well.

Badler also spoke to an international scouting director who views Maeda as a “fourth starter at the big league level” because his game is built more on command and needing to hit spots than a power arsenal. 

Despite all of these concerns, the 27-year-old now has the opportunity to work with an MLB coaching staff and can add bulk to his frame that could help him add velocity to his arsenal. 

Investing in pitchers is always risky, but Maeda is one worth investing in. His upside is greater than any starter who was left on the market.

Stats and weight per Baseball-Reference.com.

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Cleveland Indians infielder Zach Walters was involved in a car accident that required a hospital visit but is expected to be OK. 

Continue for updates. 

Indians’ Statement on Walters

Wednesday, Dec. 23

According to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, the Indians released a brief statement about Walters’ accident, noting he “is home, and is in good spirits.”       

“Everything to this point has checked out fine,” the statement said. “We will continue to stay in touch with him and monitor his situation.”

Details of Walters’ accident were not available, though Bastian did note the team is “still in the process of gathering as much information as possible.”

Bastian added that Walters’ private Instagram account includes a picture of the veteran utility man in the hospital wearing “a neckbrace and [he] had a cut above his left eye.”

Walters, who was originally drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2010, made his MLB debut with the Washington Nationals in 2013. He was traded to Cleveland in July 2014 and has appeared in 42 games with the team, hitting .161/.202/.356. 

This has been a rough offseason for Walters, who had shoulder surgery in October that will require five to six months of recovery time, putting his status for spring training in doubt. 

The Indians have given themselves plenty of infield options to choose from with Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana at first base, Jason Kipnis at second base, Francisco Lindor at shortstop and some combination of Giovanny Urshela and Jose Ramirez at third base. 

Walters’ car accident doesn’t sound like it will alter his timetable to return from shoulder surgery, so hopefully he is able to make a full recovery to compete for a spot on the 25-man roster when camp opens in February. 

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The New York Mets have bolstered their outfield depth for next season as they announced a one-year deal with Alejandro De Aza.

On Tuesday, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first reported the agreement between De Aza and the Mets, noting the team plans to use him and Juan Lagares in center field. 

Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported the deal is worth $5.75 million with $1.25 million in incentives.

De Aza played for three teams last season, playing a total of 114 games with the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants. The 31-year-old hit .262/.333/.422 with 31 extra-base hits. 

Joel Sherman of the New York Post noted De Aza‘s addition should end any speculation about the Mets re-signing Yoenis Cespedes, adding the team was “never serious” about doing it. 

One player the Mets reportedly had a lot of interest in before signing De Aza was Denard Span. ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick wrote Monday that Span was the “preferred choice” if all things were equal. 

However, Mike Puma of the New York Post reported the Mets had concerns about the health of Span after he had season-ending hip surgery last August. Puma also noted they didn’t want to commit multiple years on a deal to Span or Gerardo Parra. 

Even though De Aza isn’t the blockbuster signing Mets fans likely hoped for, he’s not a bad low-cost alternative. He had an above-average 104 OPS+ last season, and he had positive defensive-runs saved totals in center field from 2012 to 2014, before spending most of last year in the two corner spots.

Lagares is an outstanding defensive center fielder who has a .297 career on-base percentage, so the Mets can deploy him as a late-inning replacement for De Aza when they have a lead to avoid relying on his bat.

Given the strength of the Mets’ starting rotation, they aren’t going to need a lot of offense to win games next season. De Aza is a capable hitter and defensive player who fits this roster heading into 2016. 

Stats per Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs.

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For the second time in less than a year, Mike Leake has found a new home, agreeing to terms with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports first reported the deal, while Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reported the agreement is for five years and $75 million with an option for $18 million in 2021. However, Rosenthal reported the agreement is worth $80 million with a mutual option that could increase the value to $93-94 million, adding that there is a full no-trade clause.

“One of the game’s most consistent performers,” Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said of Leake at his introductory press conference.

“His proven experience and all-around ability should be a real plus for us,” Mozeliak added.

“I always enjoyed facing him and now I’m going to enjoy learning from him,” Leake said of fellow starting pitcher Adam Wainwright.

The San Francisco Giants acquired the right-hander last summer from the Cincinnati Reds, getting no substantial value in return, as Leake had a 4.07 ERA in just 55.1 innings over nine starts.

Leake isn’t a game-changing starter who will be in the Cy Young mix, but he’s established himself as a strong innings-eater. The former first-round pick has made at least 30 starts covering at least 179 innings in each of the past four seasons. St. Louis especially needed to bolster its rotation after missing out on David Price, who went to the Boston Red Sox.

There are limitations to Leake’s game, as Chris Cwik of Yahoo Sports pointed out after the Reds traded Leake to the Giants:

One of Leake’s other issues is that, since he doesn’t have exceptional swing and miss stuff, when he gets hit, he gets hit hard.

That can lead to some high home run totals. Some of those issues were due to Leake pitching in one of the friendlier hitter’s parks while he was in Cincinnati. According to Statcorner.com, Great American Ball Park has one of the highest home run park factors in the game.

Pitching to contact isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Leake keeps the ball on the ground, generating a 51.8 percent ground-ball rate in 2015, so pairing him with a strong infield defense will make him look even better.

Even though Leake wasn’t one of the marquee starting pitchers available this offseason, he’s one of the most valuable because he takes the ball every fifth day, throws five or six solid innings and gives the team a chance to win.

In this era of advanced metrics and analysis, Leake doesn’t check all of the boxes, but he hits enough to be a terrific asset moving forward. The Cardinals will be thrilled to have the right-hander in the rotation as a No. 2 or No. 3 starter for the next few years.

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