The New York Yankees signed first baseman and designated hitter Chris Carter on Tuesday.
The two sides agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal, according to reports. The contract includes a $500,000 signing bonus and $100,000 in incentives at every 50 plate appearances starting from 250 PA until 450 PA. Carter is a big power bat and should supplement the Yankees at first base and designated hitter, places where they do not necessarily have holes but could need reinforcement.
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The San Francisco Giants added a very good left-handed relief pitcher on Monday.
According to Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan, San Francisco struck a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers to acquire Will Smith. In exchange for Smith, the Brewers received right-hander Phil Bickford and catcher Andrew Susac, as Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports. The 27-year-old Smith is 1-3 with a 3.68 ERA and a 22-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 22 innings pitched, good for a 4.27 FIP. He's been worth 0.1 WAR, according to FanGraphs. He is signed through the 2019 season, as he is arbitration eligible for the first time next offseason. This made him so valuable. The Giants felt they needed another bullpen piece as the trade deadline approached, and Smith certainly fits the bill. San Francisco's bullpen has been one of the worst in the Major Leagues, ranking 26th in WAR, despite posting an ERA in the middle of the pack. It took a for the Giants lot to get Smith, though, giving the Brewers what appears to be a promising return. Bickford, 21, is listed as the Giants' best prospect on MLB.com. He is in Class-A Advanced, where he has made six starts. Over his entire season, Bickford has a 2.71 ERA and a 105-27 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 93 innings pitched. He was the Giants' 1st round pick in 2013. As for Susac, he's no longer a prospect but has not been in the Majors at all this season. At Triple-A, he has a .277/.347/.455 slash line over 251 plate appearances, hitting eight home runs and driving in 38 RBI. Susac could be a replacement for Jonathan Lucroy if the Brewers decide to move him. --Devan Fink
The Boston Red Sox announced the acquisition of infielder Aaron Hill from the Milwaukee Brewers today.
The Brewers received two prospects in return for Hill: right-hander Aaron Wilkerson and infielder Wendell Rijo. The 34-year-old Hill finds himself with his third organization in the past two years. After a stint in Arizona with the Diamondbacks that lasted five years, Hill was dealt to the Brewers this offseason in the Jean Segura trade. Now, he heads to Boston. Hill's primary position is second base, but he has spent time at shortstop and at third base in the past. He'll likely fill in at all three of those spots, though it appears that he will be used as a right-handed complement to Travis Shaw, a lefty, at third. In 292 plate appearances this season in 78 games, Hill is hitting for a .283/.359/.421 slash line with eight home runs and 29 RBI. He has been worth 4.6 offensive runs above average this season but has been worth -1.2 defensive runs above average. Overall, Hill has a 1.3 fWAR, making 2016 his most productive season in four years. Hill's trade value has spiked over the past month or so. In his last 20 games, Hill has hit .333 with a .838 OPS. Fueled by a .381 BABIP, Hill added two home runs and eight RBI over his 85 plate appearances. This productivity showed that he still has some life left in his bat and could be serviceable at least in a platoon role going forward. It's hard to know if the Red Sox gave up too much to get Hill, though. With a struggling rotation, trading Aaron Wilkerson does not make too much sense. Wilkerson is 27, but he is dominating in Triple-A, prompting some to plead the Red Sox to bring him up to the Majors. Wilkerson has a 2.44 ERA in nine games (eight starts) with Pawtucket, backing up his good ERA with a solid 54 to 11 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 48 innings. He was pitching in independent ball as recently 2014, when the Red Sox decided to add him as minor league depth. Over the first few months of the season, though, he's looked like more than just depth. It'll be interesting to see how he does in Milwaukee. Rijo, on the other hand, is on the prospect radar. He ranked as the Red Sox's 17th-best prospect prior to the season, according to MLB.com. The second baseman has struggled to a .186 batting average and a .510 OPS in his first taste of Double-A, though. Overall, the Red Sox are adding depth to their already stacked lineup in Aaron Hill, though at the cost of a potentially helpful rotation arm. --Devan Fink
The Oakland Athletics have acquired outfielder Khris Davis from the Milwaukee Brewers for two prospects, catcher Jacob Nottingham and right-handed pitcher Bubba Derby, they announced on Friday.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle first reported the move. By adding Davis, the Athletics demonstrated their willingness to aim for contention in 2016. He boosts the middle of the order in Oakland, while also deepening their outfield. Alongside Davis are Josh Reddick and Billy Burns, who project to be the Athletics' right and center fielders in 2016, respectively. Reddick, in fact, led the 2015 Athletics in home runs, with just 20. Overall, the Atheltics' 146 home runs as a team were good for 12th (of 15) in the American League. The 28-year-old Davis is an up-and-coming slugger who should help add to that total in 2016. Last year, Davis hit .247/.323/.505 (122 OPS+) with 27 home runs and 66 RBIs in 440 plate appearances with Milwaukee. He ended the season on a real hot streak, homering 21 times after the All-Star break and 10 times each in the last two months of the season. According to FanGraphs, Davis was worth 1.3 Wins Above Replacement and should only continue to get better. The Athletics have the contractual rights to Davis through 2019. For the Brewers, the subtraction of Davis represents just another part of their teardown. Just this offseason, Milwaukee traded the likes of Adam Lind, Jean Segura, and Francisco Rodriguez as they attempt to rebuild after finishing 68-94 in 2015. As for their additions in this deal, Nottingham and Derby look to be legitimate pieces for the Brewers' next contending team. Both 20, the catcher Nottingham could be the heir to Jonathan Lurcoy's position at Miller Park. A catching prospect to perhaps replace the staple in their lineup was something the Brewers lacked until now. As for Derby, he's a little further away in terms of development, but posted a promising 1.21 ERA and a 47 to 10 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 37 1/3 innings last season, his first as a professional. --Devan Fink
The Arizona Diamondbacks have acquired Jean Segura from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Aaron Hill in a five-player trade, they announced on Saturday.
Other pieces in the deal include Tyler Wagner, who is headed to the Diamondbacks, as well as Chase Anderson and Isan Diaz, who are headed to the Brewers. The trade was first reported by ESPN's Keith Law. The Diamondbacks have wanted to deal Hill for quite some time now, as Robert Murray of Baseball Essential reported. He is owed $12 million in 2016 and has underperformed as he ages. In order for the Brewers to take on Hill, the Diamondbacks rewarded them with the addition of Diaz, their 2nd round pick in 2014. He has developed beautifully, posting an eye popping 1.076 OPS in 312 plate appearances last year in Rookie ball. From the Brewers' perspective, they had to pull this deal off as they look to rebuild. The team went 68-94 last season and are not near contention anytime soon. For them, Segura was expendable due to the emergence of top infield prospect Orlando Arcia. He is rated as the sixth-best prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com. Arcia is going to be the centerpiece of the next contending Brewers team, so they felt they needed to clear the path for him by dealing Segura. But it will be Hill who heads to Milwaukee's big league club in the meantime. The 33-year-old hit .230/.295/.345 with six homers and 32 RBIs in 353 plate appearances last season. He was worth 0.1 FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement. As for the the Diamondbacks, they have wanted infield depth after committing to contention this offseason. They signed Zack Greinke to a long-term deal and acquired Shelby Miller from the Braves, solidifying themselves as a force in the National League. But they didn't see themselves as complete, wanting another infield piece and an upgrade over Hill. That's where Segura came in. The only issue is, however, he has no big league experience at second base. He last played there in 2012, while still in the Angels organization. The soon-to-be 26-year-old hit .256/.281/.336 with six home runs and 50 RBIs in 584 plate appearances last season. He stole 25 bases in 31 attempts. Known for his defense, Segura was worth 0.3 FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement (fWAR). Tyler Wagner and Chase Anderson were also exchanged in the deal. Wagner, 25, made three starts for the Brewers in 2015, allowing 11 earned runs in 13 2/3 innings. Anderson, 28, has been with the Diamondbacks for two seasons and owns a career 4.18 ERA and a 216 to 80 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 267 innings pitched, making 48 starts. --Devan Fink |
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