Hot Stove: 11/27

A quick note: Devan Fink, a longtime recipient of my blog and member of this email list, was the first to break news of the Billy Butler signing. It was such a big deal that Ken Rosenthal, one of baseball’s most distinguished reporters (you’ve likely read his articles or heard of him somehow or another), personally interviewed Devan and his reporting partner on MLB Network. Here is the video of his interview: http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/7417714/v36949207/murray-and-fink-join-matt-and-harold-on-hot-stove. Congratulations to him and his partner.

News

Former slugger Josh Willingham elected to retire at age 35, ending an eleven year career.

Mariners signed Kyle Seager (25 HR, 96 RBI, .268 AVG, 7 SB, 2015 age: 27) to a seven year, $100 million extension ($14.3 million per season).

The Nationals have not ruled out trading Jordan Zimmermann or Doug Fister if they get the right deal. Both Zimmermann and Fister are set to be free agents after the 2015 season.

The Hammer from Alabama is hanging it up after eleven seasons, holding a track record of power and success. As his nickname suggests, Josh Willingham grew up in Florence, Alabama, before attending the University of North Alabama in Florence. Despite being drafted in the 17th round by the Marlins in 2000, he clawed his way to the majors on the back of a 24 home run season for AA Carolina in 2004, making his major league debut in July of that season before being sent down. He again split time between the majors and minors in 2005, but his big power numbers for AAA Albuquerque made it hard to keep him down. The 27 year old Willingham finally made the Marlins’ Opening Day roster in 2006, and his huge rookie season included 26 home runs, 74 RBI, and a .277 average in 142 games. However, a crowded NL Rookie of the Year field that also included his teammates Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, Josh Johnson, and Anibal Sanchez as well as Ryan Zimmerman, Russell Martin, Matt Cain, Andre Ethier, and Prince Fielder kept him from winning any hardware. He experienced no sophomore slump in 2007, batting .265 with 21 home runs, 89 RBI, and even eight stolen bases. His 32 doubles would remain a career high. Injuries slowed him in 2008, and he finished with just a .254 average and 15 home runs in 102 games. That would be the end of his Marlins career, as he was flipped to the Nationals with Scott Olsen for Emilio Bonifacio and Jake Smolinski. Willingham rebounded in his first season in Washington, batting .260 with 24 home runs over 133 games. Injuries returned in 2010, as he managed to bat .268 but hit only 16 home runs in 114 games, tying a career high with eight stolen bases. The Nats sent him to Oakland for Henry Rodriguez and Cory Brown, and he regained his power stroke in his only season there in 2011, batting .246 with 29 home runs and 98 RBI in 136 games. Signing on with the Twins as a free agent, he put up arguably the best year of his career in 2012 when he crushed 35 home runs, drove in 110, and batted .260 while scoring 85 runs, winning a Silver Slugger in the process. However, his offense diminished in 2013, and he finished with just 14 home runs and a .208 average over 111 games. After putting up similar numbers in the first part of 2014, he was traded to Kansas City, where he finished his final season with 14 home runs, 40 RBI, and a .215 average over 92 games. He also played in the postseason for the first time, garnering one hit, a single in the Wild Card Game, in four at bats. He could have signed a major league deal to play elsewhere, but the 35 year old ultimately elected to hang up his cleats instead. He finished his eleven year career with 195 home runs, 632 RBI, and a .253 average over 1147 games.

Free Agent Signings

Red Sox signed Pablo Sandoval (16 HR, 73 RBI, .279 AVG, 0 SB, 2015 age: 28) to a five year, $100 million deal ($20 million per season).

Red Sox signed Hanley Ramirez (13 HR, 71 RBI, .283 AVG, 14 SB, 2015 age: 31) to a four year, $88 million deal ($22 million per season).

White Sox signed Adam LaRoche (26 HR, 92 RBI, .259 AVG, 3 SB, 2015 age: 35) to a two year, $25 million deal ($12.5 million per season).

A’s signed Billy Butler (9 HR, 66 RBI, .271 AVG, 0 SB, 2015 age: 29) to a three year, $30 million deal ($15 million per season).

Pirates signed A.J. Burnett (8-18, 4.59 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 2015 age: 38) to a one year, $8.5 million deal.

Rays signed Ernesto Frieri (1-4, 7.34 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 2015 age: 29-30) to a one year, $800,000 deal.

White Sox signed Joe Savery (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 2015 age: 29) to a minor league deal.

Phillies signed Chris Nelson (0 HR, 7 RBI, .233 AVG, 1 SB, 2015 age: 29) to a minor league deal.

Rangers signed Chris Gimenez (0 HR, 11 RBI, .241 AVG, 0 SB, 2015 age: 32) to a minor league deal.

Phillies signed Paul Clemens (0-1, 5.86 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, 2015 age: 27) to a minor league deal.

Pablo Sandoval was a fan favorite in San Francisco, and he’ll get the chance to again rise to that role in Boston. His mix if big and fun as well as scrappy and hard-working will blend well with teammates like David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia. Originally, it was not the Red Sox’ intent to go after a third baseman, but the struggles of Will Middlebrooks, who batted just .191 with little power in 2014, led the Red Sox to sign the switch-hitting Sandoval. Panda is an excellent all-around ballplayer, combining high averages with good power and surprisingly sound defense. Despite standing at 5’11” and weighing in at 245 pounds, the Panda has proven to be extremely athletic around the bag at third. He also knows his speed, and he hasn’t been caught stealing since 2012, spanning 319 games (though he’s only stolen one base in that interval). On top of that, the guy knows how to win, earning three World Series rings in five years from 2010-2014 and batting .344 with six home runs in 39 postseason games. The 2012 World Series MVP is even better on the game’s biggest stage, holding a .426 average and three home runs in 12 World Series games. The Venezuela native broke out in 2009, when he batted .330 with 25 home runs and 90 RBI in 153 games, and he’s been productive ever since. His best year since 2009 was 2011, when he batted .315 with 23 home runs and 70 RBI in just 117 games. Sandoval is a career .294 hitter who averages 18 home runs per 150 games played.

After garnering all of two at bats with the Red Sox back in 2005, Hanley Ramirez is back in a Red Sox uniform for the 2015 through 2019 seasons. Ramirez, one of the game’s premier shortstops, will move to left field in Boston as Yoenis Cespedes moves to right. Though inconsistent, the Dominican Republic native can put up hot streaks that can carry a team. In 22 September games in 2014, he hit .352. He can hit for power and average, as well as steal bases, but his one weakness is his defense. It is because of this (as well as Xander Bogaerts’ presence at shortstop) that the Red Sox will slot him in front of the Green Monster in left. Hanley had his best season in 2007, when he hit .332 with 29 home runs, 81 RBI, and 51 stolen bases in 154 games for the Marlins. He also won a batting title in 2009 when he hit .342 with 24 home runs and 106 RBI, and an injury shortened 2013 saw him bat .345 with 20 home runs in just 86 games. Last year was a bit of a down year, as the 30 year old hit .283 with 13 home runs and 14 stolen bases while struggling through injuries again. His career average sits at .300 for now, and he remains nine home runs short of being a career 200-200 (HR-SB) player.

There aren’t many power bats in baseball in this pitching-dominant era, but the White Sox now have two home run hitters. Joining AL Rookie of the Year Jose Abreu will be Adam LaRoche, who is a lock to produce 20-30 home runs per season along with excellent defense, all for just $25 million over two years. Getting a two-way guy like this for so cheap was something the White Sox couldn’t pass up, and LaRoche’s left handed bat will compliment right handers Abreu, Dayan Viciedo, Tyler Flowers, and Alexei Ramirez (assuming he’s still with the team). The part-time Kansas rancher had his best years between 2006 and 2009 with the Braves and Pirates, but he can still mash. In 2012, he led the Nationals to the best record in baseball with his 33 home runs, 100 RBI, .271 average, and his defense netted him a Gold Glove. After a down year in 2013, he added 26 home runs, 92 RBI, and a .259 average in 2014. His best year came in 2006 with the Braves, when he hit 32 hom runs, drove in 90, and batted .285 with 38 doubles in 149 games. He’ll be looking to pad his postseason record, as he batted just .114 (4-35) over nine postseason games with the Nationals (though he did hit .320 [8-25] in eight postseason games for the Braves from 2004-2005). LaRoche may reach a pair of milestones in his second year in Chicago, as he is 67 home runs and 162 RBI short of 300 and 1000, respectively.

Trades

Pirates traded Ike Davis (11 HR, 51 RBI, .233 AVG, 0 SB, 2015 age: 28) to the A’s for an international signing bonus slot.

Rays traded Joel Peralta (3-4, 4.41 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 1 SV, 2015 age: 39) and minor leaguer Adam Liberatore (6-1, 1.66 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 4 SV at AAA, 2015 age: 28) to the Dodgers for Jose Dominguez (0-0, 11.37 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 2015 age: 24-25) and minor leaguer Greg Harris (7-6, 4.45 ERA, 1.33 WHIP at Class A, 2015 age: 20).

Rockies traded Juan Nicasio (6-6, 5.38 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 2015 age: 28) to the Dodgers for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Diamondbacks traded Mike Bolsinger (1-6, 5.50 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 2015 age: 27) to the Dodgers for cash considerations.

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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