Snake Bytes, 1/11: Arbitration day

Team news

As we discussed last night, today’s the day for teams and arbitration-eligible players to exchange numbers. After the signing of John Ryan Murphy, the D-backs have ten players left in that category. We may well see a whole bunch of further agreements before the deadline, so here’s the full list with service time and MLB Trade Rumours estimates: we’ll update with numbers as appropriate.

• David Peralta (4.120) – $7.7MM (signed at $7.0MM)
• Robbie Ray (4.007) – $6.1MM (signed at $6.05MM)
• Taijuan Walker (4.142) – $4.825MM (signed at $5.025MM)
• Jake Lamb (4.053) – $4.7MM (signed at $4.825MM)
• Steven Souza Jr. (4.072) – $4.0MM (signed at $4.125MM)
• Nick Ahmed (4.054) – $3.1MM (signed, no figure)
• Archie Bradley (3.112) – $2.0MM (signed, no figure)
• Andrew Chafin (4.020) – $1.8MM (signed at $1.945MM)
• T.J. McFarland (4.164) – $1.4MM
• Matt Andriese (3.071) – $1.1MM (signed, no figure)
• John Ryan Murphy (3.043) – $1.1MM (signed at $0.9MM)

[AZ Central] Randy Johnson's Paradise Valley mansion up for auction - The 6-foot-10-inch former MLB pitcher nicknamed "The Big Unit" put the Tuscan-style house near Mummy Mountain on the market for $25 million in 2014. The price has been lowered a couple of times, most recently to $14.5 million. On Jan. 31, Johnson's megamansion as well as one of Arizona's priciest estates will be up for bids at a live auction at Scottsdale's Phoenician Resort, according to New York-based Concierge Auctions.

[Beyond the Box Score] Robbie Ray is an intriguing trade target - Since 2015, Ray’s 28.7 strikeout percentage ranks sixth among all qualified starters. Over the past two years, that mark has been north of 30. The other pitcher is a guy who has no idea where the ball is going. His 10.4 walk percentage is tied for fifth-worst over that same four-year period. 2018 was his worst year for giving up free passes. His 13.3 walk percentage was the highest among all starters with 100 innings thrown.

[The Athletic] No obvious answers: How will the Diamondbacks use their relievers in 2019? - As good as the bullpen was, it did have some major weaknesses. Diamondbacks relievers were in the bottom third of baseball in strikeout rate (21.7 percent) and mid-pack in walk rate (9.4 percent). Keeping the ball out of play and unnecessary base runners off the basepaths are important functions for any pitcher, relievers included. Being particularly good in both of these areas (lots of strikeouts, few walks) tends to correlate to success (low ERA), and while it’s not exactly “hard science,” it does stand to reason.

The left-handed outfielder was a first-round pick in 2006, and has a 93 OPS over parts of eight major-league seasons. The last of these was in 2015 though, and he was most recently playing for the Long Island Ducks in Indy ball, alongside former Diamondback Emilio Bonifacio.

And, elsewhere...

[NBC Chicago] White Sox Officially Sign Jon Jay to 1-Year Deal - The Chicago White Sox have once again dipped their toes into the free agency pool, signing outfielder Jon Jay to a one-year contract. “Jon is a veteran major leaguer who can help a team win in any number of ways,” said Rick Hahn, White Sox senior vice president/general manager. “From getting on base consistently, to being a solid hitter, smart baserunner and solid defender at all three outfield spots, Jon makes any team better.”

[Abiilene Reporters] Brownwood's Miller returns to Texas with something to prove - If you are a half glass empty person, you see the Rangers putting money and a year into a pitcher past his prime — even at 28 years old. But if you choose to look at the glass half full, you will see a pitcher with a lot of potential who caught some tough breaks and is looking to prove he still has it. And if he does, there are another $3 million in incentives built into his contract –incentives the Rangers appear happy to pay if they are earned.

[SI.com] College student says Trevor Bauer has harassed her on Twitter - Texas State University senior Nikki Giles told USA TODAY Sports that she has reported Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer to the team several times for repeated "harassment." Bauer had mentioned the college student in 80 different tweets as of Tuesday after the two exchanged then-seemingly-playful jabs on Twitter on Saturday night. The 27-year-old pitcher said Thursday that he did not intend for his actions to have a negative impact. [Worth noting, this began when Giles tweeted at Bauer that he was her “least favorite person in all sports.” When you start that kind of thing, I don’t have much sympathy if things then turn against you.]

That’s 77 wins projected for the D-backs in 2019. Would you take the over or under on that line?