The Texas Rangers agreed to sign first baseman and designated hitter Mike Napoli to a one-year deal on Tuesday.
Media reports suggest that Napoli's deal is worth $8.5 million and could include a club option. An announcement probably will not come until next week. The contract represents a return to Texas for Napoli, who spent two seasons there from 2011 through 2012.
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The Cleveland Indians agreed to sign left-handed relief pitcher Boone Logan on Thursday.
Logan and the Indians reached a one-year, $5.5 million deal with a club option for 2018. The option is valued at $7 million with a $1 million buyout. At a minimum, Logan will earn a guaranteed $6.5 million. The Indians have recognized that this is their chance to win the World Series, coming off an AL pennant run in 2016. Logan is the second big addition for them this offseason, with the first coming in the form of slugging first baseman Edwin Encarnacion.
The Cleveland Indians agreed to sign designated hitter and first baseman Edwin Encarnacion on Thursday.
Encarnacion and Cleveland reach have reached a three-year, $55 million contract with an option for 2020 valued at $25 million with a $5 million buyout. In theory, Encarnacion is guaranteed at least $60 million with the opportunity to earn $80 million. It has been a long offseason for Encarnacion, who allegedly wanted to return to the Toronto Blue Jays but rejected a four-year, $80 million deal from them in November. Then, his suitors continued to dwindle as time went on, but the Indians recognzied the need and ponied up the money on an apparently reduced price tag in order to make the splash.
The Cleveland Indians have a deal in place to acquire outfielder Coco Crisp from the Oakland Athletics, MLB Trade Rumors' Steve Adams reports on Tuesday.
In return, the Athletics received left-handed pitcher Colt Hynes, they announced Wednesday. Crisp has full no-trade status because he has played 10 years in Major League Baseball and has played at least five years with his current team. He has provided his consent to a deal, Adams reports. Cleveland has a good collection of outfielders already on the big league squad, with Lonnie Chisenhall, Tyler Naquin, Abraham Almonte, Rajai Davis and Brandon Guyer all serving a considerable amount of time in the starting lineup. Almonte, though, is ineligible for the postseason after serving a PED suspension, likely leading to the need for another outfielder. The team also has utility man Michael Martinez on hand, who may lose his spot when the team officially makes the move for Crisp. The loss of Michael Brantley for the season, though, was unfortunate for Cleveland, as he was a budding star in the outfield the past two seasons. He finished third in the AL MVP voting in 2014. Regardless, the Indians have received great value out of their tandem of outfielders, which Crisp will only add to. Coming into Tuesday, the Indians posted the third-highest team fWAR from their outfielders and the seventh-highest wRC+ among all Major League teams. In this trade, the 36-year-old Crisp will be going back to the team where he spent his first four seasons in the Major Leagues from 2002 to 2005. It's likely his new stay in Cleveland won't last long, however, as Crisp has a $13 million vesting option with a $750,000 buyout for 2017. It vests at 130 games played or 550 plate appearances this season, both of which seem out of reach considering he probably will not get a large role in the crowded outfield. This will make him a free agent at the end of the year. In the meantime, Crisp is closing out a two-year, $22.75 million deal that pays him $11 million this season. The Athletics will be paying all but $500,000 that remains on his deal, FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman reports. In 434 plate appearances, Crisp is hitting .234/.299/.399 (89 wRC+) with 11 home runs and 47 RBI in 102 games. According to FanGraphs, Crisp has also been a below-average defender, making him worth a total of -0.5 wins above replacement. Lifetime, Crisp is a .266/.327/.402 hitter over 15 seasons in the big leagues. --Devan Fink
Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce was thought to have been a huge trade chip last season as a left-handed, power hitting outfielder that came with a year-and-a-half of team control.
Aug. 1 came and Jay Bruce was still a Red. But this season, Bruce has an even higher chance to be traded. The Reds are 34-58, sitting in last in the NL Central and are in full rebuild-mode. Bruce is a free agent at the end of the season, finishing off of a six-year, $51 million contract. And teams need him. According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, six teams have already checked in on Bruce. These are the Indians, Rangers, Nationals, Orioles, Giants and Dodgers. The Blue Jays have also reportedly shown interest in Bruce. In addition, all six of these teams have been in the markets for other outfielders such as Ryan Braun, Josh Reddick and perhaps even Carlos Gonzalez. The 29-year-old Bruce was picked by the Reds in the 1st round (12th overall) in the 2005 MLB Draft and has been a staple in their lineup ever since coming up to the Major Leagues. The three-time All-Star (including 2016) is a defensive liability, however, many teams value offensive contributions, especially on the left-handed side of the plate. This season, Bruce is hitting .265/.317/.532 with 18 home runs and 64 RBI over 353 plate appearances in 86 games. Though according to FanGraphs, Bruce has only been worth 0.1 Wins Above Replacement. This is because of his defense. Bruce has an awful -20.6 ultimate zone rating per 150 games (UZR/150), meaning that he would be almost 21 runs worse than the average right fielder in terms of range and making defensive plays. Over his career, Bruce has always been an offense-first player, carrying a .249/.319/.467 line with 226 home runs and 644 RBI in parts of nine seasons. His career wRC+ of 107 suggests that he has been seven percent better offensively than the league-average hitter. This year, his wRC+ is 118. As the Aug. 1 trade deadline quickly approaches, it's more than likely Jay Bruce will find himself in a new home. --Devan Fink |
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