Bullpen Report: November 23, 2016 Offseason Check In

It’s too early in the offseason to put together an updated grid as there are too many open spaces due to both Free Agency and unassigned roles. However, we won’t let the Bullpen Report be forgotten this winter and once a week we will check in with updates around the league that will affect your yearly chase for saves and holds.

• With relief aces Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen and in some respects, Mark Melancon still on the market, the Cardinals went straight for Brett Cecil locking him up for four years and $30.5M. Dave Cameron listed Cecil has a potential 2017 bargain and Cecil signed a more team-friendly deal than Cameron even projected. Seung Hwan Oh is entrenched in the closer’s chair in St. Louis but with Trevor Rosenthal working to become a starter, Cecil should find his way to some high leverage innings along with fellow lefty Kevin Siegrist. The Cardinals have a lot of starting pitching depth, so Rosenthal isn’t assured a rotation spot by any means but it does mean his days of pitching high leverage spots in St. Louis might be coming to an end. Relief roles are changing rapidly, especially during the playoffs and while it’s impossible to carry over Andrew Miller’s October usage to April, it is possible that more teams will have relievers for multiple innings and that’s what I would guess the Cardinals are doing here.

It’s also worth noting that while Rosenthal is likely being streched out this spring, Michael Wacha could be doing the reverse and move into a bullpen role. The Cardinals have Carlos Martinez, Adam Wainwright, Mike Leake, Lance Lynn, Alex Reyes for the rotation which might not leave a spot for Wacha and his inflated ERA and shoulder problems. Wacha is also available in a trade according to Ken Rosenthal but if he’s not moved, consider him a sleeper for a multi-inning relief role as well.

Cardinals Updated Grid: Seung Hwan Oh// Kevin Siegrist // Bret Cecil // Michael Wacha (Sleeper)

• Aroldis Chapman does not come with draft pick compensation so even if you think Jansen is a better option, Chapman will likely garner a larger contract when you consider the cost of the pick to sign Jansen. With that said, the World Series champions don’t seem too likely to retain his services but the Yankees are interested and the feeling might be mutual. In that same Rosenthal piece, he talks about the Yankees being spenders and linking them with Chapman who had nice things to say about his time in New York. Granted these are all rumors and things can change on a dime, but I’ll project Chapman returning to pinstripes.

Yankees Updated Grid: Aroldis Chapman (Projected) // Dellin Betances // Tyler Clippard // Luis Severino (Sleeper)

• The rumors for Kenley Jansen and Mark Melancon have been a bit quieter. Jansen of course will require draft pick compensation while Melancon could be a landmine. Cameron’s basis for being hesitant on Melancon is quite simple: it’s easy to see Aroldis losing some velocity and still maintaining an ability to miss bats, it’s harder to envision Melancon losing a tick and inducing weak contact at 89 mph. Any competitive team will be linked to these guys (Giants, Cubs, Dodgers, Rangers, even the Marlins) but I see Chapman and Jansen signing first before Melancon goes. We will update this situation next week as we know more information.

• Andrew Cashner signed a one-year pillow contract with the Rangers. Eno Sarris did a great write-up on it so I will simply link to his article here.  Cashner the starter has gone from compelling fire baller to someone who could make you yawn. The Rangers intend to try him out in the rotation again, as that has the largest upside but here at the Bullpen Report, we’re more interested in Cashner the possible reliever. The Rangers lack of rotation depth means Cashner should have a leash there but if he were to move to the bullpen, Sam Dyson, Matt Bush, and Jeremy Jeffress isn’t the hardest bar to clear.

• Other signings: Andrew Bailey signed a one-year $1M  deal with the Angels. Huston Street is terrible and Cam Bedrosian ended the year with an injury. For a $1M sweat, Bailey could actually see some big innings if he can stay healthy, even for a moment. The angels also signed Jesse Chavez to a one-year $5.75M deal. He will likely start or be stretched out to start for the Angels but he could be a multi inning reliever as well. He, along with Bailey are good July trade candidates.