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The Toronto Blue Jays signed 2013 All-Star outfielder Domonic Brown on Thursday to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training, per Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com.

Brown spent the first six years of his big league career as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, who drafted him in the 20th round of the 2006 MLB draft.

He was named to his first All-Star team three seasons ago after having career highs of 27 home runs, 83 RBI and a .272 batting average.

“Bring him into camp and see what he can do, see what he’s got left,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said, per Chisholm. “More depth, that’s one thing we’ve been concentrated on, adding depth at different positions this year in the organization, and we’ll see how it all works out.”

Chisholm noted Brown could be in play for backup left fielder behind current starter Michael Saunders. Brown has a career fielding percentage of .982 and committed 13 errors as a member of the Philadelphia outfield.

Brown is an athletic outfielder with great speed, and he could revive his career in Toronto. The reigning American League East champions led the majors in runs scored with 891, almost 130 more than the next team, the New York Yankees. 

Toronto fields a team with the reigning AL MVP, Josh Donaldson, and power hitters Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista. Adding a guy with speed like Brown can be a difference-maker for the Blue Jays.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com. Follow Danny Webster on Twitter.  

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The Chicago Cubs traded versatile veteran Chris Coghlan to the Oakland Athletics on Thursday in exchange for right-handed pitcher Aaron Brooks.  

Oakland announced the swap on its official Twitter account.

A short time later the Cubs announced the return of Dexter Fowler to fill the roster void created by Coghlan’s exit:

Coghlan played the last two seasons in Chicago after spending the first five years of his career with the Miami Marlins. Left field has been his most common position, but he’s played every fielding role other than shortstop and catcher.

His playing time became more sporadic during the latter stages of the 2015 campaign. Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com passed along comments from the 30-year-old career .268 hitter last October about dealing with a lesser role: “I definitely have thought about it. Once your playing time decreases you start to have different questions. At the end of the day it’s only about winning. That’s it.”

He also noted the decreased involvement played a key role in his drop in production: “Consistent playing time is the biggest thing.”

It doesn’t appear his role will change in Oakland, however. The A’s outfield is essentially set with Billy Burns, Josh Reddick and Khris Davis, which means Coghlan will probably spend most of his time filling in around the diamond, unless an injury creates an opening in the starting lineup.

In return, the Cubs get a pitcher in Brooks who’s struggled mightily at the MLB level during the early stages of his career. He sports a 8.38 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP across 15 appearances, including 10 starts, with the Athletics and the Kansas City Royals.

His strikeout rate is subpar and his fastball is merely average at 91.6 mph, per FanGraphs. He’s a project for the Chicago organization to work on in exchange for getting rid of Coghlan’s $4.8 million salary for 2016, per Spotrac.

Ultimately, it’s not a trade that will likely end up making a major impact for either side. Coghlan is just an insurance policy for Oakland, and his ability to play virtually anywhere makes him valuable in that regard.

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Major League Baseball has placed Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes on administrative paid leave until the completion of his legal proceedings.

Commissioner Rob Manfred made the announcement Tuesday afternoon, per MLB Communications. Shortly after, the MLB Players Association issued a statement in regard to the situation:    

Reyes was put on leave to handle the criminal proceedings stemming from his alleged domestic violence incident in Hawaii at the end of October.

MLB cited a section of the league’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy that allows the commissioner to suspend a player with pay until a case is resolved. Depending on the result of the case, the commissioner could then hand down further discipline if he or she deems it necessary.

According to Chelsea Davis of Hawaii News Now, Reyes’ wife, Katherine, told authorities he “grabbed her off the bed and shoved her” at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. Citing sources, Davis reported “she also told police that he grabbed her throat and shoved her into the sliding glass balcony door.” Reyes pleaded not guilty Nov. 24 to a domestic-abuse charge.

Joe Torre, MLB’s chief baseball officer, addressed both Reyes and New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman, who was also the subject of a domestic violence investigation, back in December:

Christian Red of the New York Daily News reported Jan. 14 that Reyes’ trial is set to begin in Maui County, Hawaii, on April 4, when the Rockies open the regular season against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The judge could potentially move up the trial date.

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Jeff Francoeur is heading back to the South, as the free-agent outfielder signed a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves on Monday, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com.

Francoeur was chosen by the Braves in the first round of the 2002 MLB draft and batted .266 in four-and-a-half years with Atlanta. He’s played for six teams in seven years since 2009 and appeared in 119 games with the Philadelphia Phillies last season.

Bowman also noted Francoeur will get an invite to spring training with a chance to make the Braves’ Opening Day roster.

When Francoeur made his big league debut with Atlanta in 2005, he was one of the more durable players in the league. He played all 162 games in 2006 and 2007 and also won his lone Gold Glove in 2007 while batting .293 and driving in 105 runs.

The Braves traded Francoeur to the New York Mets in 2009, and he was an instant upgrade to the Mets offense, batting .311 in 75 games in Queens.

After batting .285 in 2011 with the Kansas City Royals, Francoeur’s offensive production dropped the next three years. The strong-armed outfielder batted .206 while playing for the Royals, San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres.

Francoeur signed a minor league deal with the Phillies in 2014 and had a slight offensive resurgence for the 63-win Philadelphia club. The 6’4″, 220-pound outfielder batted .258 with 13 home runs.

While that may not seem like a large number of homers, Fox 5 in Atlanta puts Francoeur’s numbers in perspective:

Francoeur could have a realistic chance of making the Braves roster. Nick Markakis is listed as the starting right fielder—Francoeur’s main position—and 25-year-old Ender Inciarte is at center.

Left field may be up for grabs, as Atlanta lists Hector Olivera as the starting left fielder on its website. The 30-year-old Olivera, who debuted last year from Cuba, committed four errors in 21 games with the Braves. If the team isn’t satisfied with the production it’s getting from Olivera, Francoeur could be a viable replacement in left field.

The 32-year-old still has a strong arm, and if his time in Philadelphia is any indication, he could be in line for a solid offensive year if called to the majors.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com. Braves depth chart courtesy of AtlantaBraves.com.

Follow Danny Webster on Twitter.

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Manny Parra signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs on Monday, according to Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. The left-handed relief pitcher will have an invite to the team’s big league camp, per JW Gravley of 27 Outs Baseball.     

Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald shared that Parra has already reported to the Cubs:

Parra, 33, spent three of his first four seasons as a starter with the Milwaukee Brewers, but he struggled mightily with a 5.13 ERA over 454.1 innings, which forced him to the minors in 2011 and a role in the bullpen upon his return the following year. 

He spent the past three seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, making 40 appearances with a 3.90 ERA in 2015. Over the course of his eight-year career, Parra has been lit up by right-handed batters, which has been a huge pitfall:

Parra has also struggled with wild pitches, leading the league with 17 in 2008. Here is a look at one during the opening series at Busch Stadium against the St. Louis Cardinals in 2013:

The Cubs already have a slew of left-handed relievers competing in camp, slimming Parra’s chances of making the big league team. In addition to those already on the 40-man roster—Travis Wood, Clayton Richard and Rex Brothers—the Cubs also have Jack Leathersich and Edgar Olmos competing this spring, according to Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors.

Parra’s signing is a win for the Cubs, who at the very worst get an inexpensive option who adds depth to their relief corps as a minor league option. 

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Right-handed pitcher Jeremy Guthrie has agreed to a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers, pending a physical, per TR Sullivan of MLB.com.

The 36-year-old spent the past four seasons with the Kansas City Royals, although he was not on the postseason roster when the team made its World Series run in 2015.

Although his 91-108 record does not impress, he has been a workhorse over his career, surpassing 200 innings five times. He won a career-high 15 games in 2013 but was just 8-8 with a 70 ERA+ and a 1.91 strikeout-to-walk ratio last year, per Baseball-Reference.com.

Guthrie thanked Kansas City for his time with the team in an Instagram post:

The 12-year veteran won’t provide much more than depth at the back end of the rotation, but Baseball-Reference projects that he’ll win one more game than last season while posting a 4.83 ERA.

Texas can use all of the help it can get on the mound, as the team finished 23rd in MLB with a 4.24 ERA and 24th in the big leagues with a .262 batting average against last season.

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Seeking depth for their starting rotation, the Kansas City Royals signed left-hander Mike Minor to a two-year contract Friday.   

The Royals announced Minor’s deal on Twitter. Per Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com, Minor will make $6 million through 2017, and the agreement includes a mutual option for 2018 valued at $10 million with a $1.5 million buyout. 

To make room for Minor, per MLB Roster Moves, the Royals put left-handed starter Jason Vargas on the 60-day disabled list as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. 

Per Flanagan, the Royals believe there is a “slim chance” Vargas pitches this season after he went under the knife on Aug. 5.

Minor isn’t coming to Kansas City with a track record of staying healthy. The 28-year-old missed all of 2015 after having surgery in May to repair a slightly torn labrum in his left (pitching) shoulder. 

Royals general manager Dayton Moore told reporters (via Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star) that Minor will likely miss “six weeks to two months” of the regular season while he continues to rehab his shoulder. 

The Royals are betting on Minor’s youth and upside with this deal. He spent the first five years of his career with the Atlanta Braves, looking like a terrific young piece in their rotation in 2013 with career highs in starts (32), innings (204.2), ERA (3.21), strikeouts (181) and WHIP (1.09).

In 2014, even though things started to fall apart for Minor with a 4.77 ERA in 25 starts, he still had occasional moments of brilliance, via MLB.com:

Moore is not afraid to take risks on starting pitchers. He already signed Ian Kennedy, who had a 4.28 ERA last season, to a five-year contract. Chris Young was a reclamation project taken on in 2015 and posted a 3.06 ERA in 34 games (18 starts). 

The Royals’ success stems largely from an outstanding defense, which will put less pressure on Minor to overpower hitters when he returns. If his shoulder is close to 100 percent, this signing will be one of the biggest offseason steals. 

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According to Fox Sports’ Jon Morosi on Thursday, the Arizona Diamondbacks have extended the contract of manager Chip Hale through “at least” the 2017 season. 

In his first year with the club in 2015, Hale led the Diamondbacks to a 79-83 record. He made significant improvements with the Diamondbacks. After recording 64 wins under Kirk Gibson in 2014, Arizona improved by 15 games with Hale. 

The Diamondbacks were a bottom-six team in runs scored and runs allowed per game in 2014 under Gibson. With Hale, Arizona ranked eighth in runs scored per game at 4.44, but its pitching still struggled, ranking 19th. 

After the offseason the Diamondbacks just had, though, that number might be changing soon. Arizona went out and got one of the top free-agent pitchers in Zack Greinke and dealt one of its top prospects in Dansby Swanson to the Atlanta Braves for Shelby Miller. 

Greinke went 19-3 with a league-leading 1.66 ERA in 2015 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and will be the Diamondbacks’ ace moving forward.

For Hale, there was little thought needed to make Greinke the team’s Opening Day starter, per MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert:

Miller, on the other hand, garnered an All-Star appearance despite a 6-17 record with the Atlanta Braves. The win-loss ratio is misleading, though, as Miller posted a 3.02 ERA in over 200 innings pitched. 

Add those top-caliber arms with a lineup headlined by 2015 MVP candidate Paul Goldschmidt, and the Diamondbacks are going to be a solid team in a National League West that includes the Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants. 

With those teams’ recent success, Hale is going to have his hands full when it comes to navigating the Diamondbacks toward the postseason in such a difficult division. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Colorado Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu is fresh off a career season in 2015, and his team rewarded him with a new contract Wednesday as the two sides avoided arbitration.

The Rockies announced on Twitter they agreed to the two-year deal with the 27-year-old.   

The Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com) said the contract was for $7.8 million with LeMahieu getting $3 million in 2016 and $4.8 million in 2017. When exchanging proposed arbitration salaries, the infielder “asked for a raise from $517,500 to $3.3 million, and the Rockies had offered $2.8 million,” per the Associated Press.

The Associated Press also noted players were 3-1 in arbitration this year and added more details: “Players had their first winning record in arbitration since they went 2-1 in 2011. Management has a 302-224 advantage since arbitration started in 1974. Teams were 8-6 last year, the most hearings since 2001.” 

It is no surprise LeMahieu was set for a raise considering he turned in career-high offensive totals nearly across the board last season:   

As a result, the second baseman made his first career All-Star Game in 2015 and helped the Rockies finish fifth in the major leagues in total runs scored despite their abysmal 68-94 record.

LeMahieu also took runs off the board on the other side as an impressive fielder. He won the National League Gold Glove at second base in 2014 and is responsible for 37 total defensive runs saved above average at second base since the 2012 campaign, per FanGraphs.

The National League West is a loaded division with the Los Angeles Dodgers fresh off a 92-70 campaign and the San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks coming off notable offseasons. San Francisco added Johnny Cueto, Denard Span and Jeff Samardzija to a club that finished 84-78 last year, and Arizona bolstered its rotation with Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller.

The Rockies are facing an uphill battle in the next couple of years with that competition, and the wild-card race won’t be much easier with the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets and Washington Nationals all poised to make postseason runs in 2016 and 2017.

Perhaps Colorado’s best chance is to outscore teams with a strong offense in Coors Field, and ensuring LeMahieu is well-paid and there at second base alongside Carlos Gonzalez and Nolan Arenado is an ideal place to start.

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According to Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune, citing sources, the San Diego Padres signed utility man Skip Schumaker to a minor league deal on Tuesday.   

As a part of the deal, Schumaker will be invited to major league spring training.

Preparing for his 12th season, Schumaker hit the free-agent market this offseason when the Cincinnati Reds declined a $2.5 million club option, per Lin. 

The 36-year-old made his biggest impact with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he spent the first eight years of his career.

A slap hitter, he provided two seasons of over 150 games in which he batted over .300 from 2008-2009. He also came off of the bench as a part of the Cardinals’ World Series-winning team in 2011 and batted .380 in the playoffs. 

In those 2008 and 2009 seasons, Schumaker appeared in the top 10 among all hitters in singles.

While on the back end of his career with stops in Los Angeles with the Dodgers and with the Reds, Schumaker still provided a lift to his team despite his lack of playing time. 

He holds a career .278 average with a .337 on-base percentage and 905 hits.

Schumaker can play second base as well as the outfield, and according to Lin, he is expected to compete for a roster spot with the big club on the bench. 

Lin noted that 24-year-old Cory Spangenberg will be the favorite for the job at second base, with Alexi Amarista and Jose Pirela backing him up. Bringing in Schumaker, though, creates another option for the Padres at second base in case any of those three struggle during spring training. 

In an outfield that also lost Justin Upton to the Detroit Tigers this offseason, Schumaker can add some depth coming off the bench behind the likes of Matt Kemp, Melvin Upton and John Jay. Along with his winning experience with the Cardinals, Schumaker will be a nice addition to the Padres clubhouse if he’s able to make the team. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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