The Detroit Tigers have acquired right-handed relief pitcher Francisco Rodriguez from the Milwaukee Brewers, they announced on Wednesday. The deal was first reported by Venezuelan journalist Augusto Cárdenas.
In return, Class-A Advanced infielder Javier Betancourt heads to Milwaukee. Also, one or two players to be named later is included in the deal, with one possibly headed to both sides. Tigers GM Al Avila noted that the team will be sending a player to be named later to Milwaukee but noted that the Tigers might get one as well. "It could happen that way, but it may not. ... It's complicated," Avila told Jason Beck of MLB.com. The Tigers have been needing relief pitching for some time now. Their bullpen posted the third-worst collective Wins Above Replacement in 2015, according to FanGraphs. Thee group's ERA (4th-highest), FIP (T-2nd), and xFIP (1st) were all in the bottom five in baseball. The team had issues finding a true closer last season. Five players on their team recorded a save. Joakim Soria, their main closer, is a free agent this offseason and will likely head elsewhere. Even he, however, was not the best at his job, saving 23 games in 26 opportunities, posting a 2.85 ERA and 4.87 FIP. In Rodriguez, the Tigers will be getting a sure-fire closer. The 33-year-old has closed almost his entire career, breaking onto the scene as one of the best in 2005, when he saved 45 games. Three years later, he set the single-season record for saves with 62. Since 2008, Rodriguez has averaged 25 saves a season, but has made a reemergence in the past two years with the Brewers. He was named to the National League All-Star team both seasons. In 2015, Rodriguez went 1-3 with a 2.21 ERA and 2.91 FIP in 57 innings out of the bullpen, saving 38 games in 40 opportunities. He posted a 62 to 11 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Rodriguez could be a free agent at the end of the 2016 season, but has a $6 million team option with a $4 million buyout for 2017 that looks almost like a lock to be picked up. Assuming it is, the Tigers will be on the hook for $11.5 million of Rodriguez's salary over the next two years. --Devan Fink
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The Milwaukee Brewers will hire Houston Astros assistant GM David Stearns to become their new general manager, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported on Sunday.
Stearns will be replacing Doug Melvin, who spent almost thirteen years in the GM position in Milwaukee. The club announced that he transitioned to an advisory role on August 11, ending his tenure and opening up the spot that Stearns will now fill. The 30-year-old Stearns brings to the table what the Brewers reportedly wanted in their new GM. First off, he is from an Ivy League alma mater, graduating from Harvard in 2007. Secondly, he is big in analytics, having worked for the Astros for three years. And finally, Stearns is young and should be able to hold the position for awhile if he does well. Stearns has worked within baseball virtually since he graduated. He spent 2008 to 2011 working within the MLB's office of the commissioner, assisting with the salary arbitration process and uniform player contracts, as well as being a member for the MLB's negotiating team for the Collective Bargaining Agreement. He served as the Indians' Director of Baseball Operations from 2011 to 2012. Since, he's been with Houston and "assists General Manager Jeff Luhnow in all baseball operations capacities including player evaluations, player transactions, and contract negotiations and helps oversee the Astros' scouting, player development, and analytics departments," according to the team website. --Devan Fink
The Minnesota Twins acquired left-hander Neal Cotts from the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. In return, Milwaukee will receive a player to be named later or cash.
Cotts was reportedly claimed off of waivers by an unknown team earlier this morning, so therefore that team must have been the Twins. He was claimed due to a relatively low salary ($3 million full season) and was traded because he is a free agent at the end of the year. The Twins had been in the market for relief pitching at the trade deadline, with their group of relievers greatly underperforming to a 4.33 xFIP this year (last in MLB). On the season, the 35-year-old Cotts is 1-0 with a 3.28 ERA (4.75 FIP) in 49 1/3 innings, posting 8.8 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 ratios. Overall, he has a 48 to 17 strikeout-to-walkratio. --Devan Fink
The Baltimore Orioles have acquired Gerardo Parra from the Milwaukee Brewers, SB Nation blog Lookout Landing reports.
In return, the Orioles received Zach Davies, the blog reported. Both these reports were confirmed by Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, with the team announcement coming later in the day. The Orioles have been in the market for an outfielder, with the team getting below average production from their Opening Day right fielder, Delmon Young. Young is no longer with the team. As a group, Orioles' outfielders rank 22nd in the MLB in fWAR and 27th in wRC+, causing them to show interest in Justin Upton, Carlos Gonzalez, and other options. The 28-year-old Parra will be a welcome addition to the Orioles' outfield corps, especially on offense, where he is having a career year. Parra is hitting .328/.369/.517 this season, hitting nine homers and driving in 31 RBIs over 351 plate appearances. The Orioles can use Parra to help shore up one of the few issues they had with their team. They hope his offensive production will help carry them to the playoffs. --Devan Fink
The Houston Astros have acquired Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers from the Milwaukee Brewers, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports.
In return, the Brewers received an impressive haul of Brett Phillips and Domingo Santana, right-hander Adrian Houser, and lefty Josh Hader, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Gomez was reportedly heading to the Mets last night, but did not officially head there due to medical issues, when the Mets backed out after seeing his hip medicals. When the Mets backed out, it became no secret that the Brewers wanted to move Gomez. The Astros swooped in today and offered a huge return for him, in hopes that they'll contend and perhaps make a deep playoff run. The 29-year-old Gomez is signed to a team-friendly deal through next season and is slashing .262/.328/.423/.751 in 314 plate appearances this season. He is a two-time All-Star center fielder and possesses a lot of power and ability to hit. The Astros do have a solid outfield, but with the injury to George Springer, they have been somewhat limited. Gomez still is an upgrade to their other options. Coming with Gomez is 30-year-old righty Mike Fiers, who is under team control through the 2019 season. This year, Fiers is 5-9 with a 3.89 ERA (3.79 FIP) in 21 starts. He has a 121 to 43 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 118 innings pitched. --Devan Fink |
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