Hitters on the Move: Hot Stove 1/6

News

Dodgers designated Erisbel Arruebarrena for assignment, which is interesting because the 24 year old still has $22 million left on his $25 million contract.

Free Agent Signings

Rays signed Asdrubal Cabrera (14 HR, 61 RBI, .241 AVG, 10 SB, 2015 age: 29) to a one year, $8 million deal.

White Sox signed Emilio Bonifacio (3 HR, 24 RBI, .259 AVG, 26 SB, 2015 age: 30) to a one year, $4 million deal.

Rockies signed Nick Hundley (6 HR, 22 RBI, .243 AVG, 1 SB, 2015 age: 31) to a two year, $6 million deal ($3 million per season).

Cubs signed Chris Denorfia (3 HR, 21 RBI, .230 AVG, 9 SB, 2015 age: 34-35) to a one year, $2.6 million deal.

Tigers signed Tom Gorzelanny (0-0, 0.86 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 2015 age: 32-33) to a one year deal.

Rangers resigned Adam Rosales (4 HR, 19 RBI, .262 AVG, 4 SB, 2015 age: 32) to a one year, $900,000 deal.

Phillies signed Wandy Rodriguez (0-2, 6.75 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, 2015 age: 36) to a minor league deal.

Dodgers signed Sergio Santos (0-3, 8.57 ERA, 2.19 WHIP, 5 SV, 2015 age: 31-32) to a minor league deal.

Royals signed Ryan Madson (missed 2014, 52 career SV, 3.59 ERA, 2015 age: 34) to a minor league deal.

The Rays picked up a solid infielder in Asdrubal Cabrera, but wait, they don’t need another infielder. As of now, Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar look to man the middle with Nick Franklin, Logan Forsythe, and Tim Beckham as back-up options, so where does Cabrera fit in? The answer is intruiging. Zobrist’s name has been tossed around as a possible trade candidate, and this signing may be confirmation that Tampa is looking to deal him. Of course, I believe the Nationals would be a perfect fit, considering we are missing a second baseman (ours recently signed with the Rays). Anyways, Cabrera has an inconsistent but clutch bat, and he has a very steady glove up the middle. Cabrera can play either second base or shortstop, and his balanced bat could put him anywhere in the lineup. Cabrera’s best season was 2011 with Cleveland, when he broke out by batting .273 with 25 home runs, 92 RBI, and 17 stolen bases en route to winning a Silver Slugger and an MLB.com Gibby Award for Defensive Player of the Year. He hasn’t quite matched those numbers, but he can still handle the bat. Last year, he batted .241 with 14 home runs, 61 RBI, and 10 stolen bases for the Indians and Nationals. He will spend the entire season at 29 years old, so it is interesting that he got just a one year deal.

Trades

Phillies traded Marlon Byrd (25 HR, 85 RBI, .264 AVG, 3 SB, 2015 age: 37) to the Reds for minor leaguer Ben Lively (13-7, 3.04 ERA, 1.12 WHIP at High Class A and AA, 2015 age: 23) and cash considerations.

Yankees traded minor leauger Manny Banuelos (2-3, 4.11 ERA, 1.24 WHIP at High Class A and AA, 2015 age: 24) to the Braves for David Carpenter (6-4, 3.54 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 2015 age: 29-30) and Chasen Shreve (0-0, 0.73 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 2015 age: 24-25).

Padres traded Seth Smith (12 HR, 48 RBI, .266 AVG, 1 SB, 2015 age: 32) to the Mariners for Brandon Maurer (1-4, 4.65 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 2015 age: 24-25).

The Reds added some power to their lineup with the acquisition of Marlon Byrd. With the Phillies rebuilding and the Reds looking to upgrade their lineup, this was a perfect fit. The formidable Cincinnati outfield now includes Byrd, Jay Bruce, and Billy Hamilton, effectively giving them a right handed power bat, a left handed power bat, and a speester, respectively, as well as Skip Schumaker and Jason Bourgeois as back-ups. Byrd’s acquisition was especially important as it helps Todd Frazier and Brandon Phillips balance the Cincinnati lineup dominated by left handed power bats Bruce and Joey Votto. Though Byrd’s career seemed stalled in 2011 and 2012, he has defied age by continuing to hit well into his late 30’s. Last year, despite turning 37 in August, he set a career high with 25 home runs. He also added 156 hits and 85 RBI, the second and third highest totals of his thirteen year career, respectively. The year prior, 2013, he batted .291 with 24 home runs and 88 RBI. Of course, the 37 year old does come with a little bit of baggage. He has one year left on his contract (plus an $8 million option for 2016) and his strikeout rates have been skyrocketing. Prior to the 2013 season, his career high was 98 strikeouts, set in 2009 with the Rangers and tied in 2010 with the Cubs. In 2013, he struck out 144 times for the Mets and Pirates, and in 2014, he struck out an incredible 185 times for the Phillies. The 185 strikeouts are actually the highest in Phillies history by a player not named Ryan Howard (who topped that total four times). Byrd is a career .278 hitter with 131 home runs and 618 RBI.

Going back to Philly is pitching prospect Ben Lively, a right hander who shot up Reds prospect boards after a couple of strong seasons. He was drafted in the fourth round in 2013 out of the University of Central Florida, but after he allowed just three earned runs in 37 innings and let opponents bat just .163 in 12 starts for the Rookie level Billings Mustangs, he was promoted. A strong start at Class A Dayton helped him finish the year with a 0.88 ERA, and he was promoted to High Class A Bakersfield to start the 2014 season. There, he was absolutely un-hittable, going 10-1 with a 2.28 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP, striking out 95 batters in 79 innings and walking just 16. After finishing the season with 13 starts at AA Pensacola (where he was 3-6 with a 3.88 ERA), Lively looks like he could be a rotation candidate for 2015.

Waiver Claims

Marlins claimed Preston Claiborne (3-0, 3.00 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 2015 age: 27) off waivers from the Yankees.

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Teams followed in this update: Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers

If your team is not included, please leave a comment.
HR: home runs. RBI: runs batted in. AVG: batting average. SB: stolen bases. ERA: earned run average. WHIP: walks/hits per innings pitched. K’s: strikeouts. WPCT: winning percentage

Zack Silverman