Aroldis Chapman Rumors

Olney On Chapman, Dodgers, Cabrera, Tigers

"[Aroldis] Chapman stands to lose millions of dollars by committing himself to a relief role," writes ESPN's Buster Olney in his latest column (Insider subscription required).  The fact that Chapman likes closing enough to risk these future riches, however, makes Olney think the Reds are making the right move by keeping Chapman in the bullpen as the club pursues a World Series title.  "Chapman doesn't have a plow horse's show-me-the-direction approach; he's known to be a complicated guy, and if he were to fight [starting] internally all year, it would be a mess," Olney says.

Here are some more items from Olney...

• Rival executives think Asdrubal Cabrera will be on the trade block if the Indians get off to a slow start.  Olney speculates that the Dodgers could be players for Cabrera in the wake of Hanley Ramirez's thumb injury, though for now the Dodgers are satisfied to use internal options on the left side of their infield.
• The Tigers "have not made a single specific proposal to another team, asking for a particular player" in exchange for Rick Porcello.  Detroit has told teams that they will listen to offers for the right-hander but only in exchange for Major League players, not prospects.  Several teams have been linked to Porcello, with the Padres and Rangers showing the most recent interest.
• "Nothing is close" between the Giants and Buster Posey on a long-term extension.  We heard earlier this week that the two sides were still deciding the length of the possible new contract.  Olney believes that Joey Votto's recent extension with the Reds could be a model for Posey's new deal since Posey is athletic enough to handle playing third base or first base later his career.

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NL Notes: Chapman, Stewart, Rockies, Braves

St. Patrick's Day is as much of a baseball holiday as Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, or Labor Day thanks to former Reds GM Dick Wagner. Tom Singer of MLB.com chronicles how the baseball tradition of wearing the green came about 35 years ago. Elsewhere from the Reds and the rest of the National League:

• Reds GM Walt Jocketty expects a decision in the next few days on whether Aroldis Chapman will pitch out of the bullpen or be moved into the starting rotatation, reports MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. Chapman stated publicly he wants to close, which didn't sit well with Jocketty. "We don’t let every player tell us how they want to be used," the GM told MLB.com.
• Ian Stewart's lingering left quad injury could affect his chances at making the roster and how the Cubs build their bench, writes MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. Brent Lillibridge, Luis Valbuena, Edwin Maysonet, and Alberto Gonzalez are competing to fill that void while manager Dale Sveum mentioned Steve Clevenger could be an interesting option and added the team is watching all the waiver wires. 
• The Rockies are giving serious consideration to making Nolan Arenado their starting third baseman with one club official telling Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com "it’s a tough call." If Arenado receives the nod, Rosenthal believes incumbent third baseman Chris Nelson could be used to acquire a veteran starting pitcher.
• Within the same piece, sources tell Rosenthal the Rockies want to move Ramon Hernandez and are willing to assume some of his $3.2MM salary to facilitate a trade.
• Don't expect the Braves to have any interest in the recently released Matt Diaz because there isn't a need right now, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
• The Marlins have returned Rule 5 selection Braulio Lara to the Rays, reports Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post. The left-hander appeared in four games for the Marlins this spring throwing four innings allowing two earned runs on five hits with two strikeouts and two walks.

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Central Notes: Gomez, Chapman, Choate, Indians

It was on this day in 1932 that the Reds and Dodgers swung a very notable trade.  Clyde Sukeforth, Tony Cuccinello and Joe Stripp went to Brooklyn while Cincinnati acquired Babe Herman, Wally Gilbert and a then-23-year-old catcher named Ernie Lombardi.  Needless to say, this deal ended up being a big win for the Reds --- Lombardi spent the bulk (10 years) of his Hall of Fame career in Cincinnati and hit .311/.359/.469 and 120 homers with the club.  Lombardi won two batting titles during his career, and was the last catcher to lead the NL in average until Buster Posey last season.

Here are some items from around both the NL and AL Central...

• Carlos Gomez's three-year, $24MM extension with the Brewers "isn't likely to be a stinker" for the club, Fangraphs' Eno Sarris writes, and it could be a bargain if Gomez's power and ability to hit right-handed pitching continue to develop.
• An opposing NL scout tells FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal that the Reds "are crazy" if they use Aroldis Chapman as a starter.  "It’s Joba Chamberlain all over again.  His velocity dropped off in the second inning. He couldn’t get his off-speed stuff over the plate consistently. No question in my mind, he’s the closer," the scout said.  Meanwhile, Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News talked to several other scouts about Chapman and they were "nearly unanimous" that he is a better fit as a closer.  Keep following @CloserNews on Twitter for all the latest updates on the Reds and other ninth-inning situations from around baseball.
• Randy Choate talks about his career and his development into a left-handed relief specialist with Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  Choate signed a three-year, $7.5MM deal with the Cardinals in December.
• Ryan Raburn may have the edge on winning a bench job with the Indians at the expense of Ezequiel Carrera, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian opines.  Bastian thinks the Tribe could try to deal Carrera in such a scenario since he is out of options and would probably be claimed off waivers by another team.  Here is the full list of out of options players who could be facing a roster crunch by the end of Spring Training.
• Earlier today on MLBTR, we heard about the Tigers weighing their trade options, while Ben Nicholson-Smith covered the Tigers' winter moves as part of our Offseason In Review series.

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Bowden On Hamilton, Morse, Soriano, Chapman

In advance of his show this afternoon on SiriusXM, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and SiriusXM has been tweeting out a number of interesting tidbits from Nashville's Winter Meetings. Here are a few of the highlights from the former MLB GM (all links go to Twitter):

• Bowden views the Rangers and Red Sox as the frontrunners for Josh Hamilton, with the Yankees as a dark horse. He doesn't believe Hamilton would sign with the Mariners even if Seattle made the best offer.
• The Orioles, Mariners, and Rays could all approach the Nationals about trading bullpen help for Mike Morse if the Nats end up re-signing Adam LaRoche.
• Don't eliminate the Dodgers as a possible landing spot for Rafael Soriano, despite their multiyear commitment to Brandon League.
• After speaking with Reds manager Dusty Baker, Bowden believes Aroldis Chapman may be closing again in 2013 if it's Baker's call, which would affect Cincinnati's offseason plans. Of course, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes (on Twitter) that the decision isn't expected to be up to Baker.

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Jocketty On Ludwick, Chapman, Votto

It’s no secret that Reds GM Walt Jocketty intends to upgrade the Cincinnati outfield this offseason. Jocketty addressed his search for outfield help and other Reds-related questions in a conversation with MLBTR at the GM Meetings in Indian Wells, California. Here are the details.

• Jocketty said the Reds hope to re-sign Ryan Ludwick this winter. “We’ve made some progress, but it’ll probably take another week or two before we know where we’re at,” the GM said. “
• Ideally the Reds would like to add a leadoff hitter. Whether the newcomer plays center or left field has yet to be determined.
• The Reds view Aroldis Chapman as a starting pitcher long-term and they could make him a starter in 2013 if they acquire a free agent reliever. “If we re-sign Ryan Madson or [Jonathan] Broxton or someone else it would allow us to move Chapman to the rotation,” Jocketty said. Pitching coach Bryan Price feels strongly that Chapman can become a top of the rotation starter.
• Signing Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips in the spring helped the Reds focus on other needs this offseason, the GM said. “That was important for us to do, for sure.”

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Central Links: Cubs, Chapman, Madson, Asdrubal

Some late-night reading surrounding baseball's two Central divisions...

• Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer tells Doug Padilla of ESPN Chicago that he's already had dialogue with several teams in advance of the GM Meetings. Hoyer expects the offseason to unfold more quickly thanks to changes to the CBA. The team's biggest need will be starting pitching. Third base is an area of need, but the team wants to determine Ian Stewart's health first.
• The Reds have yet to decide whether Aroldis Chapman will be a starter in 2013 or continue to serve as the team's closer, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. The decision, according to GM Walt Jocketty, will be tied to whether or not the team can re-sign Ryan Madson and/or Jonathan Broxton.
• Madson wants to pitch as a team's closer in 2013, writes Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince writes that while the Indians didn't acquire Mike Aviles as a precursor to an Asdrubal Cabrera trade, the team should entertain the concept of dealing Cabrera while his value is high. The Tribe's farm system has several talented shortstop prospects -- most notably Francisco Lindor -- and Aviles could serve as a stopgap, in Castrovince's opinion.

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Stark On Chapman, Twins, Lind, Braves

Reds GM Walt Jocketty told ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark that he doesn’t mind the constant discussion surrounding Aroldis Chapman’s role. "I like it. It creates interest in our club, and that's all good,” Jocketty said. “Everybody has a theory on it.” The GM says Chapman would like to start, and that the left-hander will remain in the bullpen for the 2012 season. Here are the rest of Stark’s notes and rumors:

• Twins people have told rival teams they aren’t likely to trade Justin Morneau this summer.
• When teams have asked about Denard Span, the Twins have said they aren’t interested in making trades right now, Stark reports. However, there are indications the Twins will listen on Span if the offers are good enough.
• Stark hears that the Nationals don’t consider Bryce Harper the answer in center field.
• Scouts and executives from three teams say they don’t have interest in Adam Lind, who was recently optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas.
• The Braves are more likely to pursue an impact starting pitcher than a hitter this summer, according to rival teams. GM Frank Wren maintains that Kris Medlen is “probably better than any arm who will be available.” Medlen could join the rotation midseason, according to Wren.
• Rival teams say the Orioles would like to upgrade at first base and/or third base.
• Stark hears that Angels manager Mike Scioscia doesn’t have to worry about his job security. The skipper is under contract through 2018.

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Quick Hits: Lind, Gomes, Chapman, Votto

The Blue Jays optioned the struggling Adam Lind to Triple-A earlier today. The 28-year-old has hit just .238/.289/.420 in nearly 1,300 plate appearances since signing his four-year, $18MM contract extension in April of 2010. Toronto recalled Yan Gomes to take Lind's roster spot, and tonight he became the first first Brazilian-born player in baseball history. Here's the latest from around the league...

• Richard Griffin of The Toronto Star notes (on Twitter) that the Blue Jays would not have been able to option Lind after June 29th, when he would have accrued enough service time (five years) to decline an optional assignment.
• “The longer we go, it will be harder to stretch (Aroldis Chapman) to start,” said Reds GM Walt Jocketty to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Chapman has not allowed a run in 20 1/3 innings this season with 34 strikeouts and seven walks. “We may be resigned to the fact that he will have to pitch in the bullpen all year," adde the GM.
• Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com spoke to Reds manager Dusty Baker about the difference between signing a huge contract with a new team (like Albert Pujols) and signing a huge deal with your current team (like Joey Votto). "You get more tolerance," he said, referring to the slow starts each player has endured.

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NL Central Notes: Chapman, Francis, Punto, Heredia

Let's continue our tour of the divisions with news from the NL Central...

• "The Reds’ handling of Aroldis Chapman is beginning to resemble Joba Chamberlain 2.0," writes Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan.  Cincinnati is leaning towards using Chapman as a reliever this season but Passan argues that a pitcher with Chapman's potential should be given the chance to start and not worry about being shuttled between the rotation and the bullpen.  Another note from the piece is that Chapman's velocity is down to the 92-95 mph range this spring, but Chapman has been pleased with his improved command and his new pitch, a splitter.
• Like Chapman, Jeff Francis has pitched well this spring but may not find a spot in the Reds rotation, prompting ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter) to consider Francis an "affordable alternative for teams in the John Lannan hunt."  Francis signed a minor league deal with the Reds that contains an opt-out clause for March 28 that he could exercise if he doesn't think he'll find a job in Cincinnati.  (In regards to Lannan, he could be off the trade market altogether given Chien-Ming Wang's hamstring injury today.)
• Nick Punto told reporters (including Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch) that his top two offseason options were the Cardinals and Red Sox, but the Cards never made him a contract offer.
• Astros minor leaguer Angel Heredia has been suspended for 50 games following a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs, reports The Associated Press.  Heredia, a right-handed pitcher, played for Houston's Dominican Summer League team.

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Jocketty On Oswalt, Kazmir, Chapman

Reds GM Walt Jocketty expects to start Spring Training without making further changes to the team's roster, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Fay says the club will review its roster this week, but that it's "pretty well set." Here are some more notes from the GM:

• The Reds haven't been in touch with Roy Oswalt's agents in the past week. “I think he’s waiting for Texas to clear money,” Jocketty said. ESPN.com's Jayson Stark said on Friday that Oswalt isn't going to sign with the Rangers or Phillies, however. Perhaps the Red Sox or Cardinals will make a late push for the right-hander.
• The Reds are not interested in watching Scott Kazmir audition in front of scouts, Jocketty said. The free agent left-hander is looking for an opportunity with an MLB club and will pitch in front of an audience this Wednesday.
• Aroldis Chapman is healthy and the Reds intend to work him out as a starter this spring.

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