International Signings, Zobrist Traded: Hot Stove 1/14

News

After 16 major league seasons, 40 year old infielder John McDonald has decided to retire. His best season came in 2010, when he batted .250 with six home runs in 63 games for the Blue Jays. He completes his 1100 game career with 28 home runs, 210 RBI, and a .233 average for the Indians (1999-2004, 2013), Tigers (2005), Blue Jays (2005-2011), Diamondbacks (2011-2012), Pirates (2013), Phillies (2013), Red Sox (2013), and Angels (2014).

Yoan Lopez‘s $8.27 million deal broke the record for the largest contract ever for an international amateur.

Free Agent Signings

Pirates signed Jeong-Ho Kang (40 HR, 117 RBI, .356 AVG, 3 SB in South Korea, 2015 age: 28) to a four year, $16 million deal ($4 million per season).

Diamondbacks signed Yoan Lopez (3-1, 3.12 ERA, 1.22 WHIP in Cuba, 2015 age: 21-22) to an $8.27 milllion deal.

Nationals signed Mike Carp (0 HR, 13 RBI, .175 AVG, 0 SB, 2015 age: 28-29) to a minor league deal.

Orioles signed J.P. Arencibia (10 HR, 35 RBI, .177 AVG, 0 SB, 2015 age: 29) to a minor league deal.

Phillies signed Jeanmar Gomez (2-2, 3.19 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 1 SV, 2015 age: 27) to a minor league deal.

Marlins signed Tyler Colvin (2 HR, 18 RBI, .223 AVG, 1 SB, 2015 age: 29) to a minor league deal.

Diamondbacks signed Nick Punto (2 HR, 14 RBI, .207 AVG, 3 SB, 2015 age: 37) to a minor league deal.

Nationals signed minor leaguer Steven Lerud (4 HR, 19 RBI, .250 AVG, 1 SB at AAA, 2015 age: 30) to a minor league deal.

Jeong-Ho Kang has proven that the pitching in the Korean Baseball Organization is no match for him, so he will now try his bat in the U.S. The Pirates picked him up for $16 million (plus a $5 million fee paid to the Nexen Heroes, his former team) to be their new shortstop. Kang is a 27 year old right handed hitter, and after proving to be one of the better hitters in South Korea early in his career, he went off in 2014. In 117 games for the Nexen Heroes, he batted .356 with 40 home runs, 117 RBI, and 36 doubles, leading the KBO in slugging percentage (.739) and OPS (1.198). It is important to note that South Korea is a hitter-friendly league. For comparison, Eric Thames hit .232 with nine home runs in 2012 with the Blue Jays, then batted .343 with 37 home runs and 121 RBI for the NC Dinos in 2014. Basically, the Pirates can expect a reliable bat and a cost-effective shortstop for the next four years. For his career in South Korea, which began when he was 19 years old in 2006, he batted .298 with 139 home runs, 545 RBI, and 51 stolen bases.

The Diamondbacks brought on their second Cuban import of the offseason, this time in pitcher Yoan Lopez. Lopez is only 21, and due to his limited service time in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, he was subject to international bonus rules. Still, his $8.27 million deal was enough to set a new record for a player under those rules. Lopez is a power pitcher with a wide arsenal of pitches. His fastball sits at 93-95 MPH, but he also throws a cutter, a slider, a changeup, and a curveball. He likely won’t make it to the big league club until 2016 the earliest, but there is no reason to think that he won’t be a star some day. In seven starts last season in Cuba, Lopez went 3-1 with a 3.12 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. Over his three seasons for Cuba’s Isla de Juventud (Literally “Island of Youth”), Lopez went 15-13 with a 3.76 ERA, and a 1.53 WHIP over 47 games (39 starts), all before he reached the U.S.’s drinking age.

The Nationals picked up a bench bat in Mike Carp. After struggling last season, Carp is not guaranteed a spot, but the 28 year old will get a shot to back up Ryan Zimmerman at first base as well as Bryce Harper, Denard Span, and Jayson Werth in the outfield. Additionally, he could be a left-handed power option in late game pinch-hitting situations. Carp’s two best seasons were 2011 and 2013. In 2011, he batted .276 with 12 home runs and 46 RBI in 79 games for the Mariners, and in 2013, he batted .296 with 9 home runs and 43 RBI in 86 games for the Red Sox. He struggled last year, finishing with just a .175 average over 59 games for the Red Sox and Rangers. Catcher Steven Lerud is nothing to get excited about; in nine games for the Phillies in 2012 and 2013, he knocked two hits in 15 at bats (.133 AVG). He will likely play at AAA Syracuse in 2015, but a strong showing there plus injuries to the catchers ahead of him on the depth chart (Wilson Ramos, Jose Lobaton, Sandy Leon) could net him a call-up.

Trades

Rays traded Ben Zobrist (10 HR, 52 RBI, .272 AVG, 10 SB, 2015 age: 34) and Yunel Escobar (7 HR, 39 RBI, .258 AVG, 1 SB, 2015 age: 32) to the A’s for John Jaso (9 HR, 40 RBI, .264 AVG, 2 SB, 2015 age: 31) and minor leaguers Daniel Robertson (15 HR, 60 RBI, .310 AVG, 4 SB at High Class A, 2015 age: 21) and Boog Powell (3 HR, 28 RBI, .343 AVG, 16 SB at Class A and High Class A, 2015 age: 22).

Ben Zobrist‘s name has been all over internet forums as a trade candidate, and when the Rays signed Asdrubal Cabrera, it seemed certain that Zobrist would be dealt. In fact, the Nationals, Mets, and Rays had a deal in place that would have sent Zobrist and Yunel Escobar to the Nationals, Ian Desmond to the Mets, and two top prospects to the A’s. However, the deal fell through when the Mets and Rays could not decide on who those two prospects would be. Instead, Zobrist and Escobar went to Oakland to fill the void left by Jed Lowrie, now with the Astros. Oakland originally had Eric Sogard pencilled in at second base and Marcus Semien (acquired from Chicago in the Jeff Samardzija deal) at shortstop, but Zobrist and Escobar will give Semien and Sogard a chance to play back-up/utility roles. Zobrist also comes with the rare ability to play literally everywhere; though his specialty is second base, he has appeared in every position on the diamond except pitcher and catcher since 2010. Originally a utility man with the Devil Rays, he had a massive breakout season in 2009 when he batted .297 with 27 home runs, 91 RBI, and 17 stolen bases. Though his power never quite returned, he hit 20 home runs in 2011 and 2012 while also stealing double digit bases every year since then. He’s also been incredibly consistent; he batted .270, .275, and .272 in 2012, 2013, and 2014. Zobrist is a doubles-machine, having cranked out at least 34 doubles in every season since 2011. Interestingly, the 33 year old will leave Tampa as the team’s all time leader in doubles (229) and walks (542). Replacing Jed Lowrie at shorstop will be Yunel Escobar. Though he doesn’t have the flashiest name or the biggest bat, Escobar can be a reliable shortstop and hitter. He’s played in over 130 games in each of the past seven seasons, never batting below .253 and never striking out more than 73 times. In his best season, 2009, he batted .299 with 14 home runs, 76 RBI, and 89 runs scored in 141 games for the Braves. Though he’s not that type of hitter anymore, he can still provide 7-10 home runs per season and bat between .250 and .270. Last year, he hit .258 with seven home runs in 137 games for the Rays. For his career, he is a .276 hitter with 69 home runs, 393 RBI, and 31 stolen bases in 1074 games.

The one major leaguer going back to Tampa is John Jaso, a 31 year old catcher who will likely be the team’s starting designated hitter. The left-handed hitter played for the Rays from 2008-2011 before joining the Mariners (2012) and A’s (2013-2014), so it will be a little bit of a homecoming for him. Like Escobar, he doesn’t put up flashy numbers with the bat, but he will get the job done. In 2012, his best season, he hit .276 with 10 home runs and 50 RBI in 108 games for the Mariners. Last season, he knocked another nine home runs while batting .264 in 99 games for the A’s. Though Jaso was the only major leaguer, Daniel Robertson was arguably the main return. After two unflashy seasons in 2012 and 2013 in the minors, Robertson broke out with 15 home runs, a .310 average, 37 doubles, and 110 runs scored for High Class A Stockton in 2014, earning himself a place on the Arizona Fall League All-Prospect Team. The 20 year old has power now and could have more on the way, but he is not a strikeout machine like many power hitters. His ability to get on base made him a very attractive prospect for Billy Beane’s A’s, but now he is a member of the Rays organization and will eventually be Yunel Escobar’s replacement at shortstop. Also going to the Rays is outfielder Boog Powell. No, he is not related to the former Orioles star, and no, he doesn’t own any barbeque stands on Eutaw Street. What he does bring to the table is an incredible ability to get on base. His career on-base percentage in the minor leagues stands at an incredible .412, with a .317 average to boot. He possesses little power in his 5’10”, 180 pound frame, but the left hander could be a future leadoff or number two hitter in the majors. While missing 50 games due to a suspension on the basis of using amphetamines, Powell managed to bat a scorching .343 with three home runs and 16 stolen bases in 83 games for Class A Beloit and High Class A Stockton, where he was a teammate of Robertson’s. His on-base percentage for the 2014 season was an incredible .451, so he’ll do just fine despite the lack of power.

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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