Craig Stammen Re-Ups with San Diego

Another relief pitcher has found a home, as veteran right-hander Craig Stammen re-signed with the San Diego Padres on Saturday, according to Robert Murray formerly of The Athletic.

Stammen, 36 in March, is entering his 11th MLB season, and now fourth with the Friars. The deal is reportedly for $9 million over the next two years, and also includes a $4 million club option for 2022 with a $1 million buyout, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and Fox Sports.

The Ohio native has become quite the workhorse out of San Diego’s bullpen, appearing in 209 games over the last three campaigns, while logging 490.2 innings.

In 2019, Stammen pitched to a 3.29 ERA, 4.12 FIP, 3.85 xFIP, 129 ERA+ and had 8.0 K/9 with a 0.4 fWAR.

Earlier this winter, MLB Trade Rumors predicted the Mets would sign Stammen to a two-year, $10 million pact. While the destination turned out to be incorrect, the numbers were in line with what he ended up with.

Asdrubal Cabrera Stays Put in Washington

The Washington Nationals’ busy offseason continued on Saturday, as they brought back infielder Asdrubal Cabrera on a one-year contract, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

Cabrera, 34, split last season between the Texas Rangers and Nationals, the latter of which he enjoyed a World Series championship with.

After Cabrera became a free agent when his tenure with the Rangers ended midway through 2019, the Mets were interested in bringing back the infielder, but Cabrera chose to go to Washington and it paid great dividends.

The 13-year veteran appeared in 131 total games in 2019 and owned a triple slash of .260/.342/.441 with 18 home runs and 91 RBI to go along with a .331 wOBA, 98 wRC+, .294 BABIP. He was also worth 1.9 fWAR.

Cabrera primarily played third base in 2019, where he had -4 defensive runs saved but a 3.4 UZR.

With Washington’s hopes of signing third baseman Josh Donaldson dwindling, bringing in Cabrera a day after signing infielder Starlin Castro is the team’s Plan B should Donaldson sign elsewhere.

Bringer of Rain Heading Back to Atlanta?

Speaking of Josh Donaldson, the Minnesota Twins reportedly feel “pessimistic” that the third baseman will be bringing his talents to the North Star State, and are beginning to invest their energy elsewhere.

Donaldson, 34, is one of the most attractive names still left on the open market, and has a handful of suitors in the aforementioned Nationals and Twins, as well as the Los Angeles Dodgers and his incumbent Atlanta Braves.

After signing a one-year deal last offseason, then turning around and putting up 4.9 fWAR, consider Donaldson rejuvenated. It is reported that he would like a deal somewhere in the four-year, $110 million range. It’s not as though the Twins can’t afford him, but Donaldson may prefer to go somewhere, like back to Atlanta, where he reportedly has a four-year offer already on the table.

Perhaps the Donaldson saga is drawing close to an end, but at the very least, it will be interesting to see how much the Pensacola, Florida native ultimately ends up with.

Bryant to Washington at Impasse

Kris Bryant has been a hot name in trade talks this offseason, and recently, has been tied to the Washington Nationals, but at the moment the two teams are locked in a stalemate for a potential swap, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Bryant, 28, is coming off a couple “down” years. I put that in quotation marks because the third baseman has still been worth 7.1 fWAR, but has not been able to perform at the level he did during 2015-17.

Regardless, the Nevada native isn’t a free agent until 2022, and is in the middle of his prime years. It also makes sense a team like the Nats would fancy a Bryant type, especially after losing one of the best third basemen in the game in Anthony Rendon to the Los Angeles Angels this winter.

However, Bryant comes with a steep price tag, and would reportedly need to be centered around outfielder Victor Robles, which Washington is disinterested in doing.

Minor Transactions:

  • The Detroit Tigers signed right-handed pitcher Alex Wilson to a minor league deal with an invite to MLB Spring Training.
  • The Atlanta Braves inked southpaw Chris Nunn to a minor league deal with an invitation to MLB Spring Training, and signed infielder Pete Kozma.
  • The San Diego Padres agreed to terms with outfielder Abraham Almonte.
  • The Cincinnati Reds brought infielder Christian Colon back into the fold.
  • The Los Angeles Dodgers re-signed right-hander Justin De Fratus.
  • The Colorado Rockies re-upped with reliever Wes Parsons and are taking a shot on former highly-regarded prospect Michael Choice.
  • The Los Angeles Angels signed former New York Mets farmhand Arismendy Alcantara.
  • The New York Yankees look to find lightning in a bottle by bringing aboard utilityman Rosell Herrera.