The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed right-handed pitcher Tyler Clippard, they announced on Monday. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the move.
Clippard has signed a two-year, $12.25 million deal, according to Rosenthal. He will make $4.1 million in 2016, $4.15 million in 2017, and get a $4 million signing bonus. The Diamondbacks have been interested in Clippard for some time. Cover Those Bases wrote an article on Saturday detailing their interest, noting that they had been in contact with his representatives. The Diamondbacks bullpen was mediocre in 2015, and they added Clippard to help them attempt to contend in 2016. Their group did post a solid 3.56 ERA (good for 13th-lowest in the Majors), but sabermetrically-friendly stats, FIP and xFIP, suggest that the Diamondbacks' bullpen should have had an ERA of 3.91 (20th) or 3.97 (19th), respectively. Clippard has been an extremely reliable pitcher throughout his career but may have had a bit of a hiccup in 2015. This may have scared teams away from signing the Kentucky native. The soon-to-be 31-year-old Clippard went 5-4 with a 2.92 ERA in 71 innings last season with the Athletics and Mets. However, his 64 to 31 strikeout-to-walk ratio was the worst of his career (minimum 28 innings). This made Clippard's FIP 4.27. According to FanGraphs, Clippard posted an even worse 5.30 xFIP and was worth just 0.2 Wins Above Replacement. If Clippard wants to be able to succeed again in 2016, he will need to bring his strikeout rate back up or, at the very least, bring his walk rate down. The Diamondbacks are showing their faith in a bounce-back for Clippard. Joining Clippard in Arizona's projected 2016 bullpen are closer Brad Ziegler, Daniel Hudson, Andrew Chafin, Randall Delgado, Matt Reynolds, and Josh Collmenter. --Devan Fink
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It is no secret that the Arizona Diamondbacks want to contend in 2016.
They went out and signed Zack Greinke to the largest contracts in Major League Baseball history on a per year basis. They acquired Shelby Miller for a former No. 1 overall pick. And they dealt for Jean Segura in hopes that he has a rebound campaign. Even as the offseason begins to dwindle, the Diamondbacks may not be done making upgrades. According to Jack Magruder of FanRagSports.com, the team has been in contact with the representatives for right-handed relief pitcher Tyler Clippard. He would add to an underwhelming bullpen that registered a fairly solid 3.56 ERA (13th-lowest in ML), but a below average 3.91 FIP (20th) and an even worse 3.97 xFIP (19th). The team was led by closer Brad Ziegler, who, in his first season of doing the job, was superb. He posted a 1.85 ERA (though a 3.44 FIP) and saved 30 games in 32 chances. Clippard would likely be a set-up man in Arizona. This is a spot where he has spent the majority of his career. Clippard, who turns 31 in less than a week, went 5-4 with a 2.92 ERA with the Oakland Athletics and New York Mets last season, posting a 64 to 31 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 71 innings pitched. Clippard's high walk rate was nothing new. His 3.9 BB/9 in 2015 was just 0.2 above his career average. When Clippard has kept his walk rate under three walks per nine, he is phenomenal. This was demonstrated in 2011, when Clippard posted a 1.83 ERA in the Washington Nationals' bullpen. His strikeout-to-walk ratio was 104-to-26 in 88 1/3 innings. He was named to the National League All-Star team. The other time he did that, 2014, Clippard was also named to the All-Star team. The Diamondbacks, if they strike a deal with the former 2003 9th round pick of the Yankees, would be getting a valuable pitcher to help deepen their bullpen. --Devan Fink
The Toronto Blue Jays will begin negotiating a potential extension for both Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion during spring training, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com.
Bautista and Encarnacion are two of the Blue Jays' best players and make up the heart of their order. The 35-year-old Bautista has completely reinvented his career with Toronto, having been traded from the Pirates to the Blue Jays during the season in 2008. He broke out in 2010, hitting 54 home runs and posting a .995 OPS in 683 plate appearances. From that point on, Bautista has been a perennial American League All-Star and has been the heart and soul of the Blue Jays, manning right field for them. After his monster 2010 season, Bautista signed a six-year, $78 million extension with the Blue Jays that is set to expire at the end of the 2016 with a $14 million salary. Encarnacion has followed a similar path to Toronto. The 33-year-old was a slightly above-average bat for the Cincinnati Reds in 2009 when the Blue Jays acquired him, along with two others, for Scott Rolen. Since, he has posted a .876 OPS (137 OPS+) and slugged 197 home runs in seven years with the club. Encarnacion was locked up to a comparable six-year, $43 million deal that ran from 2011 through the end of 2016. After making $10 million this season, Encarnacion will be a free agent again. The Blue Jays greatly benefitted from both Bautista's and Encarnacion's breakouts with the club. Last season, the team went to the postseason for the first time since 1993, going 93-69 and winning the American League East. Even as they age, the team probably wants to lock up Bautista and Encarnacion not only for performance, but for fan appeal as well. It would be hard for fans, especially those who are just becoming attached to the team after their recent success, to see both of their top players leave via free agency. Bautista told The Canadian Press that it would be "an honor" to remain with the Blue Jays for the rest of his career. --Devan Fink The Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement with right-handed starter Gavin Floyd, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network and Chris Cotillo of SB Nation. According to Gideon Turk of ESPN SweetSpot's Blue Jays Plus, Floyd has signed a Major League deal worth $1 million. He can make another $1 million in performance bonuses, per the report. Floyd's contract with Toronto serves as a low-risk, high-reward type of deal. Floyd has struggled with injuries each of the past three seasons, but is still just 33 and could be a significant addition to the team's pitching staff if he manages to stay healthy. The Blue Jays' rotation remains their biggest question mark as they approach the 2016 season. Marcus Stroman leads a staff that took a big hit with the departure of David Price to the Red Sox. Behind Stroman, the Blue Jays' projected rotation includes R.A. Dickey, Marco Estrada, new addition J.A. Happ, and Aaron Sanchez. Floyd missed most of the 2015 season after breaking his right elbow for the second time in two years. He ended up making seven relief appearances with the Indians, posting a 2.70 ERA and seven-to-four strikeout-to-walk ratio in 13 1/3 innings. Floyd's last full season came all the way back in 2012, when he was with the Chicago White Sox. Since that point, he has thrown a combined 92 big league innings with good success, registering a 3.33 ERA and a 77 to 29 strikeout-to-walk ratio with three teams. Obviously, Floyd's success really is insignificant, as he will only generate value with Toronto if he stays on the field. Floyd was the 4th overall pick of the 2001 MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. Over his career, he has a 4.38 ERA (101 ERA+), 4.35 FIP, and a 955 to 407 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 1,219 innings. --Devan Fink
The Chicago White Sox are exploring a trade for Los Angeles Dodgers' outfielder Andre Ethier, Phil Rogers of MLB.com and Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago reported.
It is known that the White Sox have been looking for outfielders this offseason, showing varying degrees of interest in Yoenis Cespedes, Justin Upton, and Alex Gordon. The club could not complete a contract with any of the trio. Dexter Fowler still remains as a free agent, though Rogers reported that the White Sox would prefer to add a left-handed hitting outfielder. Fowler is a switch hitter. The team is projected to run out Adam Eaton, Melky Cabrera, and Avisail Garcia to the outfield on Opening Day. If the White Sox got any deal done, the player would likely replace Garcia, who hit for a discouraging .675 OPS (89 OPS+) in 601 plate appearances last year. He has not lived up to the top prospect potential he once had. The Dodgers would be a logical trade partner for the White Sox, even though Ethier had a good season last year. Los Angeles currently employs arguably five starting caliber outfielders, in Yasiel Puig, Joc Pederson, Carl Crawford, Enrique Hernandez, and Ethier. It is hard to know what they would be looking for in return. Ethier had a bounce-back season in 2015, hitting .294/.366/.486 with 14 home runs, 53 RBIs, and a 136 OPS+ in 445 plate appearances. The 33-year-old was worth 2.9 FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement. Ethier is still under contract through 2017 and is guaranteed $35.5 million over the next two years. His deal comes with a vesting option for 2018, valued at $17.5 million with a $2.5 million buyout. --Devan Fink |
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