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Hot-Stove: Rays ink one-year, $5-million deal with Colby Rasmus

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The Tampa Bay Rays inked a one-year, $5-million deal with 30 year-old OF Colby Rasmus on Monday. (Photo Credit: Unknown)

The Tampa Bay Rays inked a one-year, $5-million deal with 30 year-old OF Colby Rasmus on Monday. (Photo Credit: Unknown)

The Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to a one-year, $5-million deal with 30 year-old free agent outfielder Colby Rasmus, reports Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times). The deal comes with incentives that could boost its value to around $7-million.

Rasmus slashed just .206 BA/.286 OBP/.355 SLG/.641 OPS/.257 BABIP/.282 wOBA last season for Houston, following a 2015 campaign in which he batted .238 with a .475 SLG with 25 home runs and 61 RBI and a 117 wRC+ in 137 games. He is coming off of surgeries for a cyst in his ear as well as hip and core muscle maladies — which tends to explain his offensive fall-off.

Rasmus presents another left-handed bat to the outfield along with Kevin Kiermaier and Corey Dickerson. For the Rays, Rasmus will likely slot in at DH and left-field, while serving as a capable backup for Kiermaier in center, where he has spent a good amount of his career. According to Topkin, Dickerson could find himself serving more as a DH next season.

While Erik Neander and the rest of the Rays’ front office hopes for a bounce-back season, in the batter’s box, from Rasmus, the outfielder has drawn strong defensive reviews, especially last year when he posted a +20 DRS, and is known as a good base runner even though he doesn’t often attempt to steal.

It isn’t yet known whether or not the team will continue to pursue a first baseman to platoon with Brad Miller. MLB Trade Rumor’s Jeff Todd spoke to that Monday, saying:

The Rays have also been connected, at least loosely, to a variety of right-handed hitters, including veteran slugger Jose Bautista. It isn’t known at this point whether adding Rasmus will preclude the club from pursuing one of the various first base/DH types still floating around on the market, but it’s certainly possible to imagine multiple acquisitions if the price is right. Tampa Bay is also still reportedly engaged with other organizations about their surplus of capable rotation arms.

Once the deal is made official by the team, the Rays will need to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Rasmus — be that by trade or otherwise.

Hot Stove: Tampa Bay Rays Offseason Update

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(Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)

(Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)

Introducing our newest writer, Adam Hayes. Adam also heads up “USS Sports Machine,” a blog that covers sports in general. We’re excited to add him in the fold, and here’s to many more pieces like the one below.

Competing in the American League East Division is tough no matter what city you’re from. This statement pales in comparison to the 2016 Tampa Bay Rays’ season. The Rays finished dead last in the division with a 68-94 record. Although a record 3 teams reached the postseason from this division, the Rays finished their season 16 games behind the Yankees, a team that wasn’t included in this post-season grouping. The team doesn’t want to jump to the assumptions that they will now face a rebuild after a third-straight losing season. The team is focusing on retooling and adding depth to the positions that already feature talented arms, prospects or positional standouts.

Steadying the rotation

One area that the team can lean on is their rotation. There are some many arms in their system and on their big-league roster that hold individual potential and intrigue. The model for consistency has been something that was lacking last season and the team doesn’t want to face that again this season. The 5 guys that look like the favorites to lead the rotation at this point are: Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi, Blake Snell, Alex Cobb and Drew Smyly. Looking down at the farm system one will find talents like Matt Andriese, Taylor Guerrieri and Brent Honeywell. The team is very consistent when it comes to developing their talents before calling them up, especially their pool of arms. Snell is the youngest in the rotation at age 24 and Cobb is the oldest at 29.

Snell and Archer mark two names that would be hard to pry away from the Rays, but nothing is out of the question. The way the Red Sox are moving the entirety of their farm system for big arms marks a potential trade situation that would benefit both parties. The Rays don’t have a problem moving their arms either, as long as they receive enough in return. None of these guys really are hurting the team’s cap space and none are too demanding either. Smyly looks like an attractive option to other teams and it could pave the way for the acquisition of an everyday guy and give a younger guy their shot in the bigs.

Position problems

Moving away from pitching leaves the team in a bind at positional play. There is one big problem the team faces with their positional players: they like all their starters. Evan Longoria at third, Matt Duffy at short, Logan Forsythe playing second, Brad Miller at first and one Nick Franklin to fill-in as a backup; this fits the team’s vision. The outfield remains rather consistent in the names that are featured including: Kevin Kiermaier, Steve Souza, Mikie Mahtook and Corey Dickerson. If you take the combined average of these positional players, you are left will a relatively young group. In fact, the Rays roster, as a whole, ranks near the top as one of the league’s youngest on average. This is where the team needs to capitalize. They need to search through the free agent pool and find guys that have been featured members on their teams for many years.

Two names that are brought to the discussion table are Ryan Howard and Pedro Alvarez. Howard had a dismal in Philadelphia last year and that team wants nothing to do with him now. How about swinging in and picking up a former home run leader for a low price? Seems like a good move for a squad that lacks veteran leadership. Alvarez is another attractive option based off his model of consistent play and leadership capabilities. Wilson Ramos was brought in as a serviceable catcher with a mind for the game most of these player’s lack. Look for the team to go older when it comes to free agent signings and if they are to part with their arms, look for additional developmental talents in return or plug-and- play positional players.

Noteworthiness

— The Rays announced eighteen invites to Spring Training for players not currently on the 40-man roster:

LHPs Dana Eveland and Justin Marks; RHPs Diego Moreno, Neil Wagner, Jeff Ames, and Andrew Kittredge; catchers Michael McKenry, Nick Ciuffo, and Jonah Heim; infielders Casey Gillaspie, Dalton Kelly, Jake Bauers, Ryan Brett, Jake Hager, Patrick Leonard; and outfielders Shane Peterson, Johnny Field, and Dayron Varona

Only 52 days and counting until pitchers and catchers report to camp.

— JT Morgan gave a few more specifics about the aforementioned 18 players over at DRaysBay.

— The Houston Astros announced that Root Sports SW has hired Todd Kalas to be their head play-by-play announcer.

Kalas had been with Tampa Bay for 18 seasons serving as a pre and post game host, while also hosting in-game interviews, taking over in the booth when needed, perusing the confines of any given stadium, and partying with pretty much everyone.

Kalas was born in Houston and practically grew up in the booth while his father, Harry Kalas, called games for the Astros.

We too wish Kalas nothing but the best of luck!

Rays 2017 ZiPS projections; bullpen and position player notes

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rays-depth

Tampa Bay Rays projected depth chart and fWAR for 2017. (Credit: FanGraphs)

The 2017 ZiPS projections for the Tampa Bay Rays have been released, and they show some promise for a bounce back year. Still, FanGraphs projects an 82-80 season is in the cards for Tampa Bay. Be that as it may, there is still a lot of off-season left to go, and things should change as deals are made, and players are acquired. Whatever the case, this is how the projections look for the Rays’ depth chart and fWAR (above).

Let’s first start with a disclaimer from FanGraphs, where the Rays 2017 ZiPS projections can be seen in full:

ZiPS projections are computer-based projections of performance. Performances have not been allocated to predicted playing time in the majors — many of the players listed above are unlikely to play in the majors at all in 2016. ZiPS is projecting equivalent production — a .240 ZiPS projection may end up being .280 in AAA or .300 in AA, for example. Whether or not a player will play is one of many non-statistical factors one has to take into account when predicting the future. 

For the moment, we’ll be looking at the overall projections, and later we’ll look more deeply into things.

It too would be a good idea to define the statistics mentioned in the charts (below).

  • BA (Batting Average): Rate of hits per at bat, calculated as H/AB.
  • OBP (On Base Percentage): Rate at which the batter reaches base, calculated as (H+BB+HBP)/(AB+BB+HBP+SF).
  • SLG (Slugging Percentage): Average number of total bases per at bat, calculated as Total Bases/AB.
  • OPS (On Base Plus Slugging): Combination of OBP and SLG, calculated as OBP+SLG.
  • wOBA (Weighted On Base Average): Combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value. While batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage fall short in accuracy and scope, wOBA measures and captures offensive value more accurately and comprehensively.
  • ERA- and FIP-: ERA Minus, FIP Minus, and xFIP Minus are the pitching version of OPS+ and wRC+ and are a simple way to tell how well a player performed in relation to league average. All of these statistics have a similar scale, where 100 is league average and each point above or below 100 represents a percent above or below league average. However, as lower is better for (almost) all pitching stats, a lower ERA- or FIP- is better.
zips-hitting

2017 ZiPS hitting projections.

zips-pitching

2017 ZiPS pitching projections.

A few bulleted takeaways:

  • No shocker here, ZiPS paints Evan Longoria as the best hitter on the roster when speaking about wOBA (.334). He is expected to regress from last season, although ZiPS sees Longoria posting another 30+ home run season.
  • Sticking with wOBA, Longoria is followed by five hitters who each are projected to post a +.320 wOBA: Logan Forsythe (.329); Steven Souza Jr., Brad Miller, and Kevin Kiermaier (.328); and Corey Dickerson (.322).
  • Logan Forsythe appears to be due for a regression from his 2016 .264 BA/.333 OBP/.444 SLG/.777 OPS/.336 wOBA slash line.
  • Chris Archer is projected to sit atop the starting rotation once again, with Jake Odorizzi, Blake Snell, Alex Cobb, and Drew Smyly falling in behind Tampa Bay’s ace.

Noteworthiness

— With the win/loss projection in mind, the Rays appear primed to consider both outside and internal help for their bullpen and lineup.

One internal bullpen option is RHP Ryne Stanek. Rays skipper Kevin Cash told Bill Chastain (MLB.com) Stanek could slot nicely into the Rays’ bullpen.

Really happy about Ryne Stanek. He made some big jumps. Moved him from a starter to the bullpen. He excelled. He got all the way to Triple-A. There was consideration for him to come up (in September). It didn’t work out that way. …But to come into Spring Training knowing that we’ve got a guy, a power arm, I think we’re looking to add some power arms into our bullpen.

Right-hander Jamie Schultz is another option. Schultz’s possesses power stuff that misses bats consistently, and he finished second in the Minors in 2015 with an 11.2 K/9. He boasts a fastball that can reach 98-99 mph with considerable arm-side run, pairing that with a power breaking ball with depth and bite.

However, Schultz’s ability to pound the zone consistently remains a question. He was able to cut down his walks last season with Triple-A Durham, but his control problems have some within the organization believing he’s destined to become a reliever, where he could see an uptick in velocity.

I think you could look at him that way (reliever), Cash said. I don’t think we’re ready to commit one way or the other on him in Spring Training. I don’t think that would be fair to him. It would basically be come into Spring Training, let’s build you up. Let’s compete and see where the cards fall from there.

Per Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) while a complete overhaul could still be in order, the Rays feel they have a winning core of players going into 2017. The Rays’ General Manager told Topkin the team believes in the players they have.

I think we’re at a position where we feel like we need to at least play it forward and take a crack at it, Erik Neander said Friday. If the interest and market dictates that we go a different direction, we have to consider it and trust our evaluations. But we believe in a lot of the players we have.

They are still looking for an adept defensive outfielder and a first base/designated hitter type of player to add to its collection of position players. Tampa Bay has discussed left-handed hitters like Pedro Alvarez, Ryan Howard, Brandon Moss and Luis Valbuena, and righties like Billy Butler and the 2016 National League home run co-champion Chris Carter.

Topkin also suggested a reunion with Logan Morrison could be in order, noting the team’s interest in Jose Bautista as well:

…While he seems like a longshot pickup for the low-payroll Rays, they could be in position to pounce on the Tampa Bay-area resident if his market doesn’t develop as hoped this offseason. Plus, because the Rays finished in the bottom 10 of the standings last season, they wouldn’t have to give up a first-round selection to sign Bautista, who rejected the Blue Jays’ qualifying offer. The Rays would instead surrender their competitive balance pick (currently No. 31 overall) in next year’s draft to ink the longtime AL East rival.

— The Rays have discussed RHP Nathan Eovaldi, who was nontendered by the Yankees after Tommy John surgery that will keep him out all, or at least most, of 2017.

— The team has yet to decide on allowing LHP Xavier Cedeno to play for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. Cedeno missed September with neck issues

— LHP Justin Marks inked a minor-league deal with Tampa Bay, with an invitation to Spring Training. The same can be said for former Yankees RHP Diego Moreno.

— According to Peter Gammons, the Rays told the Mets an Alex Colome deal would have to start with young OF Michael Conforto or top SS prospect Amed Rosario.

Rays officially sign Wilson Ramos; DFA Justin O’Conner

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Meet the Rays newest catcher, Wilson Ramos. (Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/USA Today Sports)

Meet the Rays newest catcher, Wilson Ramos. (Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/USA Today Sports)

The Tampa Bay Rays officially announced the signing of free-agent catcher Wilson Ramos on Monday. As we reported December 7, Ramos inked a two-year deal, $12.5-million with another $5.75-million in incentives. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Rays designated Justin O’Conner for assignment.

Ramos is recovering from right knee surgery to repair his ACL and two meniscus tears, and initially was not expected to return to action until June or July at the latest. However, Ramos took part in a conference call Monday morning, and said he expects to return by early May, at least as a designated hitter, and then work in behind the plate — putting him about a month ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation.

Ramos also said he was looking to sign with an American League team for that opportunity, since he would be available as a DH  before he was ready to catch.

In spite of the injury he incurred on September 26, Ramos put together a stellar season with the Nationals, hitting .307 with 22 home runs, 80 RBI and .850 OPS. He was the top free-agent catcher available on the free-agent market entering the 2016 MLB Winter Meetings.

Rays senior VP Chaim Bloom said, “A healthy Wilson Ramos is one of the best all-around catchers in baseball,” in a team press release that you can read below in its entirety.

…Few players at the position can impact all facets of the game like he can. We’re excited for what Wilson will contribute to both our offense and our pitching staff, and we look forward to getting him back on the field soon.

Ramos, 29, made the National League All-Star Team in 2016, batting .307/.354/.496 (148-for-482) with 22 home runs and 80 RBI in 131 games (122 starts) with the Washington Nationals. Among NL catchers, he ranked first in slugging pct., tied for first in RBI, second in batting avg., second in home runs to Yasmani Grandal (Dodgers) and tied for second in extra-base hits (47). His .307 avg. ranked ninth among all NL qualifiers. He also led the majors with a 3.45 catcher’s ERA and threw out 33.3 pct. (16-of-48) of attempted base stealers, third in the NL. Following the season, he won the NL’s Silver Slugger Award among catchers and received two eighth-place votes for NL Most Valuable Player, tying for 17th in the overall balloting.

Ramos was originally signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent in 2004. He made his major league debut with the Twins in 2010 but was traded to the Nationals at the trade deadline that season. Over parts of seven major league seasons, he has hit .269/.313/.430 (574-for-2,136) with 83 home runs and 321 RBI.

According to Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times), the incentives in Ramos’ deal include some protection for the Rays, with a $2 million increase in his 2018 base salary (from $8.5 million to $10.5 million) based on starting 55 games at catcher and not going back on the DL due to the knee. There are other incentives for games caught and plate appearances.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the Rays designated longtime, and often-injured, catching prospect Justin O’Conner for assignment. O’Conner was a first-round draft pick for Tampa Bay in 2010, having been considered the top catching prospect in the Rays’ farm system, yet injuries have been an issue. He was limited to 20 minor-league games last season due to a back strain suffered while driving to Spring Training. The team also revealed that O’Conner underwent back surgery twice this off-season, in October and November.

Still O’Conner — who the Rays would be open to re-signing (to a minor-league deal) should he clear waivers — projects as a power hitting back up catcher with an 80-grade throwing arm.

It’s been a battle for him, Bloom said. Obviously it’s not out of the question certainly that he’s going to be able to be active in 2017, but we’re a ways away from that right now.

Noteworthiness

— Per Topkin, by way of the Rays VP of Baseball Operations, Tampa Bay remains “very active” in trade discussions since the winter meetings, though with “no timetable” for any deals. In addition to their starters, the Rays may now get more interest in closer Alex Colome — who would come at a high price — with Kenley Jansen re-signing with the Dodgers.

If the Rays were to deal Colome, Brad Boxberger would likely slot into the closer’s role.

— It would appear that the Seattle Mariners are interested in one of the Rays starting pitchers.

The most likely hurlers to be traded are Alex Cobb, Drew Smyly, or Erasmo Ramirez, as Chris Archer or Jake Odorizzi would cost any interested ball club a rather large sum.

— Adam Sanford (DRaysBay) profiled Wilson Ramos. The long, in depth piece is worth the read.

Winter Meetings recap: Day five — results of the 2016 Rule Five Draft

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(Photo Credit: MLB.com)

(Photo Credit: MLB.com)

The 2016 Rule Five draft took place Thursday morning, capping this year’s eventful Winter Meetings. In the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft, the Tampa Bay Rays selected a candidate for a spot in their bullpen, RHP Kevin Gadea from the Seattle Mariners. They also picked up a pair of right-handed hurlers in the minor league portion of the draft, former Yankees first-round pick Ty Hensley, who is recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, and Jairo Muñoz from the Phillies.

Those unfamiliar with how the draft works, teams with open 40-man roster spots can select players with four to five years of professional experience from other organizations if that player has not been protected on the 40-man roster. The caveat: teams must carry said players on their active rosters (or the major league disabled list) throughout the entire 2016 season. A reluctance to do so would expose them to waivers, and they then would be offered back to their original club.

Here is the draft order and the number of players on the teams’ 40-man rosters, courtesy of Jonathan Mayo (MLB.com), with more on the Rays picks to follow:

First Round

1. Twins (39) – RHP Miguel Diaz, Brewers
2. Reds (38) – C Luis Torrens, Yankees
3. Padres (33) – IF Allen Cordoba, Cardinals
4. Rays (39) – RHP Kevin Gadea, Mariners
5. Braves (39) – RHP Armando Rivero, Cubs
6. A’s (40)
7. D-backs (38) – RHP Tyler Jones, Yankees
8. Phillies (40)
9. Brewers (39) – LHP Caleb Smith, Yankees
10. Angels (39) – RHP Justin Haley, Red Sox
11. Rockies (37) – pass
12. White Sox (38) – RHP Dylan Covey, Athletics
13. Pirates (38) – LHP Tyler Webb, Yankees
14. Marlins (37) – pass
15. Royals (39) – pass
16. Astros (39)
17. Yankees (39)
18. Mariners (40)
19. Cardinals (39) – pass
20. Tigers (39) – LHP Daniel Stumpf, Royals
21. Giants (40)
22. Mets (40)
23. Orioles (36) – OF Aneury Tavarez, Red Sox
24. Blue Jays (38) – RHP Glenn Sparkman, Royals
25. Dodgers (40)
26. Red Sox (39) – IF Josh Rutledge, Rockies
27. Indians (38) – LHP Hoby Milner, Indians
28. Nationals (38) – pass
29. Rangers (39) – LHP Mike Hauschild, Astros
30. Cubs (35) – pass

Second Round

Reds – C Stuart Turner, Twins
Orioles – OF Anthony Santander, Indians

On Gadea, Hensley, and Muñoz

Gadea, 22, has only pitched as high as the Class-A level, however, Rays director of baseball development, Peter Bendix, believes the converted infielder has a chance to make the big jump to the major leagues.

Our scouts saw him really good and we’re excited to add him. We saw him well throughout the season. He missed a lot of bats. We think he has a chance to help us in the bullpen. We’ll take him into spring training and kind of see what we have. He’s a young guy and there’s a lot of long-term potential there.

Gadea relies primarily upon his fastball and changeup, combining to go 4-1 in 2016 with a 2.36 ERA in 15 games between the Mariners’ rookie-league squads in Arizona and Iowa (respectively). He currently is pitching for the Tigres de Aragua in the Venezuelan Winter League, posting a 2.10 ERA in 30 innings over six starts thus far.

The Rays paid $100,000 (up from $50,000 in 2015) to take him and, as mentioned above, have to keep him in the majors all season, or offer him back to the Mariners and then put him through waivers.

As for the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft, there aren’t any requirements to keep players at any given minor league level, while the acquisition cost is $24,000. JT Morgan (DRaysBay) wrote about the two players obtained by the Rays:

Ty Hensley was the Yankees 1st round pick, number 30 overall, in the 2012 MLB draft. In the five years since being drafted he has only managed to throw 42.2 innings. The last game action he saw was in 2014 and he’s coming off two Tommy John Surgeries.

He used to throw 95 and had a plus curve ball according to this 2015 reports by Fangraphs former prospect writer Kiley McDaniel.

Hensley’s career began with a rocky start, having his bonus adjusted down from $1.6 million to $1.2 million due to a shoulder abnormality. He pitched 12 innings after signing late in 2012, then missed the 2013 season with hip surgery. He looked to be back on track with a solid 2014 in the short-season leagues, then was hospitalized after being attacked this off-season; all indications are that he’ll be ready for 2015 and should head to Low-A. Hensley finally found some consistency this year, hitting 95 mph once again and flashing the plus curveball that made him a first round pick. He’s still learning to use the changeup and the stuff is inconsistent, but he’s showing signs of turning from a thrower into a pitcher; hopefully he’ll be 100% for Spring Training.

The Rays believe they have done due diligence on his health and mental state, and believe he could be a quality prospect for the system. With the pedigree of a first round draft pick, it’s an easy decision to bring him into the fold.

Jairo Muñoz originally signed as an international free agent for $40,000 by the Kansas City Royals. He was released after the 2014 season. He was sent back home with a child on the way, but instead of leave the country as his work visa expired, he stayed with a friend in New Jersey and worked off the books at bodega. He was found by a basketball coach that notified the Phillies and they signed him.

He only threw nine innings last year, with eight being for A+ Clearwater.

The Rays only loss was 29 year-old southpaw knuckleballer Jared Mortensen, who was taken by the Houston Astros.