MLB PLAYER NEWS

Comeback players for all 30 MLB teams

The Sports Xchange

February 26, 2015 at 1:59 pm.

The Giants need a healthy Angel Pagan in 2015. (Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports)

A pair of 31-year-old, former Most Valuable Player award winners head the list of players seeking a bounce-back season in 2015.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto is attempting to shake off a quadriceps ailment that kept him out for the majority of last season and left him ineffective when he was on the field.

The Minnesota Twins’ Joe Mauer saw his production drop sharply in 2014 after his full-time switch to first base, a move that was intended to help keep him healthy and productive at the plate.

A look at the most notable players seeking a comeback with each team this spring, according to The Sports Xchange’s network of baseball correspondents:

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: The D-backs invited long-time major league catcher Gerald Laird to camp on a minor league deal, and he appears to have a chance to make the team. A 12-year veteran, Laird, 35, is the most experienced of a catching corps that starts Tuffy Gosewisch and Rule 5 pick Oscar Hernandez. In 52 games for the Braves last year, Laird hit .204 with no homers and 10 RBIs. He is a career .244 hitter in the big leagues, but he has thrown out 35 percent of the runners who attempted to steal against him.

COLORADO ROCKIES: RHP John Axford will bring a power arm and plenty of experience to the bullpen, if he makes the club. He signed a minor league contract and would earn a $2.6 million base salary in the big leagues with an additional $1.5 million in performance bonuses. Axford, who turns 32 on April 1 and has pitched in 343 games, has swing-and-miss stuff and plenty of experience closing with 116 career saves. Axford’s fastball still sits in the 94-95 mph range, and last year his ground-ball percentage was 54 percent. However, command can be an issue for Axford, who averaged 10.4 strikeouts and 5.9 walks per nine innings last year.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS: The Dodgers’ bullpen was their weakness in 2014. The new front office tried to address that by collecting as many alternatives and as much depth as possible. RHP Sergio Santos is in that group. Santos, 31, signed a minor league contract and received a non-roster invitation to spring training, where he will vie for a spot in the bullpen. A 30-save closer for the White Sox in 2011, Santos struggled since then, bottoming out with a disastrous 8.57 ERA in 26 appearances for the Blue Jays last season.

SAN DIEGO PADRES: After missing all of last season following his second Tommy John surgery, RHP Josh Johnson re-signed with the Padres as a minor league free agent. He says his rehab is ahead of schedule, and the Padres hope Johnson might be ready in the first half of June. If he is, the former Marlins ace would be a nice addition to the San Diego rotation. “It would be like adding a top-of-the-rotation starter in a late-July trade,” Padres pitching coach Darren Balsley said. Johnson, 31, was an All-Star in 2009 and 2010 before his arm woes began.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: The Giants are a far more productive team when CF Angel Pagan resides at the top of the batting order. That is a bit scary to consider when you recall the club won a championship in 2014 while Pagan was laid up with a back injury. It is critical for Pagan to stay healthy and get on base at or near the same clip (on-base percentages of .338, 334, .342 the past three seasons) as before he got injured if the Giants, who lost about 20 percent of their run production in the free agent exports of 3B Pablo Sandoval and OF/1B Michael Morse, are going to take some of the pressure off their shaky pitching staff.

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

CHICAGO CUBS: RHP Edwin Jackson, signed through 2016, endured baffling, hard-luck runs the past two years and looks for redemption in his 13th major league season. Jackson, 31, went 8-15 in 2013 and 6-15 with a 6.33 ERA in 28 games last year. He basically was shut down after Aug. 20 after allowing seven runs and eight hits in 2 2/3 innings against the Giants, but he made two brief appearances in September. Jackson has had past success, especially under new Cubs manager Joe Maddon, going a 14-11 record in 2008 with the Rays.

CINCINNATI REDS: The condition of 1B Joey Votto’s quadriceps remained a mystery throughout the final 76 games of last season, all of which he missed. Votto sat out a total of 99 games with a distal quad strain in his left leg. When he played, Votto batted .255, far below his .310 career mark. Votto, 31, ranked second on the club with 47 walks, but due in part to his limited action, Cincinnati ranked near the bottom of the NL in on-base percentage and on-base-plus-slugging percentage. The Reds are holding their breath that Votto can regain the form that led him to the 2010 NL Most Valuable Player award.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS: RF Ryan Braun was in the spotlight last season, when he returned from a 65-game suspension for violating baseball’s drug policy. Braun, 31, appeared to handle the boos and jeers just fine, but a nagging thumb injury led to career lows in batting average (.266), home runs (19) and RBIs (81). Not long after the season, Braun underwent a procedure that froze a nerve in the base of the thumb and has reported no further issues. The Brewers hope it holds up because not only is the 2011 NL MVP the lynchpin to their offense, he also is due $118 million over the next six seasons.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES: LHP Clayton Richard is confident his shoulder woes are behind him and that he is ready to return to the big leagues. He compiled a 46-47 record in six major league seasons with the White Sox (2008-09) and Padres (2009-13) while posting a 4.33 ERA in 147 games, 129 of which were starts. In 2013, he had a 2-5 record with a 7.01 ERA in 12 games with the Padres before he was injured. Richard, 31, returned to pitch in the minor leagues last year and was largely ineffective.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS: LHP Jaime Garcia, who has one year left on his contract, wants to make the team in spring training. Garcia, 28, is a proven winner and innings-eater when he takes the ball every fifth day. And that is the problem … when he takes the ball. Garcia has battled injuries most of the past two seasons, making just 16 starts. It is foolish to count on Garcia as a 32-start guy at this point, but with some uncertainty about the back end of this rotation, the Cardinals aren’t excising him from their plans just yet.

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

ATLANTA BRAVES: LHP Wandy Rodriguez was signed to a minor league contract, and he will try to show he is healthy enough to compete for the open slot as the fifth starter. The 36-year-old veteran pitched just half a season with Pittsburgh in 2013, and got into only six games for the Pirates last year, finishing 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA. The Braves signed him after a deal with Philadelphia fell through this winter. Rodriguez has a career 91-94 record with a 4.06 ERA in 258 games (248 starts).

MIAMI MARLINS: The conditions could be right for Jhonatan Solano, 29, to make the team as a non-roster invitee. He is a native of Colombia, and he would be playing in a city with a majority Hispanic population, including lots of fellow Colombians. Also, his brother, Donovan Solano, is a reserve infielder on the Marlins, which should add to his comfort level. Jhonatan Solano posted a modest .602 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 36 big-league games for Washington in 2012-13 before spending all of last season in the minors. He will be challenging perhaps the most vulnerable Marlins veteran for a job — backup catcher Jeff Mathis (.537 OPS last year).

NEW YORK METS: RHP Buddy Carlyle actually came back last year, when he posted a 1.45 ERA over 27 relief outings — more games than he appeared in between 2009 and 2013 combined. The Mets probably didn’t expect Carlyle to return after outrighting him off the roster last Oct. 31, but he didn’t find any big league offers before agreeing to a minor league deal with the Mets in January. The Mets like Carlyle, who will be the beneficiary if a reliever gets hurt and has to miss Opening Day.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES: OF Jeff Francoeur was once one of baseball’s rising stars, driving 103 runs in 2006 and 105 in 2007 for Atlanta in his first two full major league seasons. However, Francoeur is now considered a “4A” player at 31, not quite good enough to play regularly in the major leagues but too good to be playing in the minor leagues. Francoeur has played in just 91 major league games over the last three seasons. He will get a chance to resurrect his career with the Phillies, and he could wind up being the right-handed-hitting side of a platoon in right field with Grady Sizemore.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS: OF Nate McLouth has a lot to prove. He was signed to a two-year contract by the Nationals prior to 2014 but batted only .173 with a .517 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 139 at-bats over 79 games last year, hitting six doubles and one home run. His season ended after right shoulder surgery on Aug. 21 to repair a labral tear. The Nationals hope McLouth, 33, can recapture some of the magic that made him an All-Star with the Pirates in 2008 or at least come close to his .258 average with the Orioles in 2013.

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

HOUSTON ASTROS: RHP Dan Straily, once deemed ascendant by the Athletics, is seeking to rebound following a rough seven-appearance stretch with the Cubs last season. Straily, 26, finished 10-8 with a 3.96 ERA over 27 starts with Oakland in 2013, but after his trade to Chicago last July 5, he posted an 11.85 ERA while making just one start over the final three months. The Astros view Straily as a viable candidate for the fifth spot in their rotation. They hope to see the pitcher who went a combined 12-9 with a 3.94 ERA in 34 starts for Oakland in 2012 and 2013.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS: RHP Matt Lindstrom, 35, was signed to a minor league deal, and he enters camp as a non-roster player, but he could crack the Opening Day roster if he has a good spring. Lindstrom has a 3.47 ERA and 51 saves in eight big league seasons, including spending time as a closer for the Marlins, Astros and White Sox. Last season with the White Sox, Lindstrom went 2-2 with a 5.03 ERA and six saves in 35 games. He likely will have to beat out RHP Vinnie Pestano for one of the final spots in the bullpen.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS: INF Andy Parrino, a non-roster veteran, is a .179 career hitter in 114 major league games, but his glove could earn him a job with the A’s if SS Marcus Semien, the projected new starter, falters in the field. Parrino, 29, spent three stints with the A’s last season and started 15 games, including 11 at shortstop. He made just one error at shortstop and had a .972 fielding percentage. Parrino hit .274 with seven home runs and a minor league career-high 57 RBIs for Triple-A Round Rock and Sacramento last season.

SEATTLE MARINERS: INF Rickie Weeks had a slow fall from grace with the over the past two-plus seasons, but Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik believes Weeks may have a little more left in his 32-year-old bat. The former Brewer hit 21 home runs in 2012 but managed just 18 total homers and 53 RBIs over the past two seasons. He won’t challenge 2B Robinson Cano for a starting spot but could prove valuable as a utility infielder and pinch hitter off the bench.

TEXAS RANGERS: Anyone remember how good Juan Carlos Oviedo was as a late-inning reliever? Well, maybe you remember him as Leo Nunez, the right-hander who totaled 92 saves from 2009-11 while pitching for the Marlins. Tommy John surgery and issues with his name change helped keep him out of the majors the next two seasons, but he showed flashes of what he could do last year with Tampa Bay. He posted a 3.69 ERA in 32 games and had 26 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings of work. Nunez, 32, could be just what the Rangers need in a young bullpen that could use a veteran stabilizing force or two.

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

CHICAGO WHITE SOX: RHP Brad Penny is making yet another effort at a big-league comeback — this time with the White Sox. Penny, 36, signed a minor league deal with Chicago after a disappointing 2014 season in which he went 2-1 with a 6.58 ERA in eight appearances (four starts) with the Marlins. That was his first major league action since an unsuccessful, 22-game stint as a reliever for the Giants in 2012. A strong spring could give Penny a chance at a job as a starter or long reliever.

CLEVELAND INDIANS: RHP Anthony Swarzak could squeeze his way into the bullpen with a strong training camp. The 29-year-old veteran signed a minor league contract with the Indians after pitching in the big leagues with the Twins for the last five years. In 50 appearances for Minnesota last year, Swarzak went 3-2 with a 4.60 ERA. The Indians need bullpen depth in the majors and in Triple-A. Swarzak and LHP Scott Downs, 38, appear to be the two strongest such candidates to fill that void.

DETROIT TIGERS: RHP Joel Hanrahan, 33, was paid $1 million by the Tigers last year while working his way back from Tommy John surgery, although he did not appear in a game at any level. He signed a minor league contract for similar money with various release clauses this year. Hanrahan saved 40 and 36 games for Pittsburgh in 2011 and 2012 but only pitched nine games for Boston in 2013 before needing the surgery. He was throwing in the low 90s when the Tigers signed him last year but couldn’t get healthy enough to pitch in minor league games.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS: While the rotation appears set, RHP Joe Blanton will get a chance to make a comeback, likely starting the season with Triple-A Omaha. Blanton, 34, retired last May after compiling a 5.06 ERA in two starts with the Athletics’ Triple-A Sacramento club following a spring training release by the Angels. Blanton last pitched in the majors in 2013 with the Angels, and it was ugly, 2-14 with a 6.04 ERA. Blanton, however, did have some productive seasons with the A’s and Phillies before that, and he has a 4.51 ERA in 1,567 career innings. He provides insurance should a starter falter or if there is an injury.

MINNESOTA TWINS: When the Twins moved Joe Mauer from catcher the first base, the hope was it would keep Mauer’s prolific bat in the lineup more often. Mauer, who turns 32 a couple weeks into the season, had a nightmare of a first season at first base, hitting a career-low .277 with only four home runs — the fewest he hit in a full season in his career. The Twins don’t expect him to suddenly turn into a major power source, but a slash line around his career averages .319/.401/.459 would do a lot to bolster the middle of Minnesota’s lineup.

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

BALTIMORE ORIOLES: C J.P. Arencibia gives the team some veteran depth behind the plate since there are still some questions about whether C Matt Wieters will be ready for Opening Day. C Caleb Joseph and C Nick Hundley shared the regular job for the final five months last year, and the team didn’t get much offense there. Arencibia, 29, struggled with the Rangers in 2014, hitting .177 in 62 games and getting sent down to Triple-A, but he has worked with the Orioles’ new hitting coach, Scott Coolbaugh, who also comes from the Rangers.

BOSTON RED SOX: While the Red Sox have key players returning from surgeries, they also have a pitcher trying to regain his form to claim a spot in the rotation. RHP Justin Masterson, traded by Boston in the deal that brought DH Victor Martinez from Cleveland, endured an injury-plagued season with Cleveland and St. Louis last year, going 5-8 with a 5.88 ERA in 28 games (25 starts). He rejoined the Red Sox in December, signing a one-year, $9.5 million deal. Masterson, 30, was an All-Star for the Indians in 2013, going 14-10 with a 3.45 ERA.

NEW YORK YANKEES: Before undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2012, RHP Scott Baker was a fairly effective pitcher for the Twins. From 2007-2011, he went 55-37 with a 3.98 ERA in 821 innings. After missing all of 2012, Baker made three starts for the Cubs in 2013, then went 3-4 with a 5.47 ERA in 25 appearances (eight starts) for the Rangers last year. The Yankees signed him to a minor league deal in January, and he would earn $1.5 million if he makes the major league roster. If he can stay healthy, Baker, 33, may get a shot at cracking the rotation or serving as a long reliever.

TAMPA BAY RAYS: RHP Ronald Belisario fits the profile of the kind of veteran reliever the Rays tend to remake. The 32-year-old is coming off a terrible season with the White Sox: 4-8 with a 5.56 ERA in 66 1/3 innings. However, he was 13-8 with a 3.24 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 139 innings for the Dodgers in 2012-13. That was enough for Tampa Bay to invite him to big league camp on a minor league contract. With rehabbing LHP Jake McGee unlikely to return before late April, there should be a spot or two open in the Rays’ bullpen. Don’t be surprised if Belisario grabs one of them and rebuilds his value this season.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS: Back surgery limited OF Andy Dirks, 28, to 14 minor league games in 2014. The Blue Jays claimed him off waivers from the Tigers in the offseason, did not tender him a major league contract and signed him to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring camp. He could be valuable as a left fielder. Michael Saunders (knee) could miss significant time after he was injured Wednesday. Already, Saunders was considered an option in center because rookie CF Dalton Pompey isn’t guaranteed the job. Dirks batted .322/.370/.487 with eight homers and 35 RBIs in 88 games with the Tigers in 2012. He played 131 games with Detroit in 2013, batting .256/.323/.363 with nine homers and 37 RBIs.