Brett Myers Rumors
White Sox Exercise Option On Floyd, Decline Myers & Youkilis
The White Sox announced that they have exercised the 2013 club option on the contract of right-hander Gavin Floyd while declining 2013 options on right-hander Brett Myers and third baseman Kevin Youkilis. Floyd will earn a base salary of $9.5MM in 2013. Myers will receive a $3MM buyout instead of his $10MM option while Youkilis will get $1MM in place of his $13MM option.
Floyd, 29, posted a 4.29 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 29 starts last season. The exercising of the option means that Floyd will earn more in 2013 than he has in any previous year. The right-hander signed a four-year, $15.5MM extension with the club in March of 2009 that now totals $25MM across five years with today's news.
The White Sox acquired Myers and a pair of minor leaguers from the Astros in July for cash considerations and a low-level minor league pitcher. The 32-year-old had a fairly even split between the two clubs, as he posted a 3.31 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in total on the year. Keeping the reliever would have been fairly costly, but team president Kenny Williams recently said that Myers could potentially be moved into a starting role for the club next season. Of course, the White Sox could still sign the veteran to a new deal.
Youkilis' $13MM option was widely considered a slam dunk to be declined, but the club has been open abou their desire to keep him in Chicago. The veteran saw his offensive production improve after coming over from the Red Sox, hitting .236/.346/.425 with 15 homers in 344 plate appearances for the club.
Central Notes: Myers, Soriano, Ryan, Morgan, Cubs
Earlier today, we looked at the latest on the White Sox courtesy of Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The club will decline options on Jake Peavy and Kevin Youkilis, but Kenny Williams will still work to retain both veterans. Speaking of Williams, he will soon be promoted from General Manager to team president with Rick Hahn assuming his former title. Here's more out of the Central divisions..
- Williams says that reliever Brett Myers could start for the White Sox in 2013, writes Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com. The White Sox hold a $10MM option on Myers for next season that they can buy out for $3MM.
- Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano told reporters that he is open to being traded in the offseason, according to the Associated Press. Soriano hopes to have one more shot at making a trip to the World Series before his career is through. The 36-year-old went on to say that he is open to retiring after the two remaining years on his contract are up.
- Twins manager Rod Gardenhire suggested to Jim Bowden of SiriusXM (via Twitter) that the club will probably have a press conference tomorrow to remove the interim tag from General Manager Terry Ryan's title.
- Brewers outfielder and former ACES client Nyjer Morgan says that he is now represented by agent Rex Gary, tweets Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. The outfielder is set to be a free agent for the first time following the 2014 campaign.
- The Cubs dismissed third base coach Pat Listach tonight, tweets Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com. The decision was made by the club and manager Dale Sveum said that he would recommend him for any other coaching job (Twitter link).
2013 Vesting Options Update
With two weeks left in the season, here's an update on the various vesting options for 2013 from around the league...
- Brett Myers, White Sox -- $10MM option vests with 45 games finished or based on a points system. Myers has finished 39 total games this season and the ChiSox have 12 games remaining. This one is unlikely to vest but is still possible.
- Kevin Gregg -- $6MM option vests with 50 games finished. Gregg finished only 13 games before the Orioles released him last weekend.
- Jason Bartlett -- $5.5MM option vests with 432 plate appearances. Bartlett came to the plate just 98 times with the Padres before hurting his knee and getting released last month. Like Gregg's, this one won't vest.
Chipper Jones has an option worth $9MM+ that will vest with 123 games played, but he's already rendered the option moot by announcing his plans to retire after the season. He recently said that he won't change his mind about retirement despite his strong play as well. Chipper has played in 103 of the Braves' 151 games, so this one isn't even mathematically possible anymore.
Alex Gonzalez has an option worth $4MM that will vest with 525 plate appearances, but he missed the majority of the season with a torn ACL. Gonzalez came to the plate just 89 times before the injury, so the Brewers do not have to worry about this one kicking in.
White Sox Expected To Decline Peavy’s Option
The White Sox have signaled to Jake Peavy that they’re unlikely to exercise their $22MM club option for 2013, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. Instead, the team is expected to pay a $4MM buyout in a move that would make Peavy a free agent.
The White Sox might try to re-sign Peavy after declining the option, but it seems likely he’ll reach the free agent market. Peavy enjoys playing for the White Sox and would like to return, agent Barry Axelrod told Heyman. The right-hander prefers manager Robin Ventura to former manager Ozzie Guillen and appears to have favorable feelings about the White Sox, Heyman reports.
Peavy could be the second best free agent starting pitcher behind Zack Greinke this offseason (FanGraphs' version of wins above replacement suggests as much). Peavy, 31, has a 3.26 ERA with 8.0 K/9, 2.0 BB/9 and a 36.8% ground ball rate in 198 2/3 innings this year. The shoulder problems that limited him to approximately 100 innings per season from 2009-11 no longer appear to be holding him back.
The White Sox could raise payroll for 2013, especially if they make the playoffs. However, they aren’t currently discussing new contracts with prospective free agents A.J. Pierzynski, Brett Myers, Francisco Liriano and Kevin Youkilis, Heyman reports.
AL Central Notes: Acta, Myers, Francoeur
Bob Feller made his first Major League start on this day in 1936 and immediately set the tone for his Hall of Fame career. Feller struck out 15 St. Louis Browns hitters, falling just short of the then-AL record of 16 strikeouts in a game. Perhaps the most impressive stat from Feller's first start was his age -- Rapid Robert was just 17 years old.
Here are some items from Feller's former team in Cleveland and elsewhere in the AL Central...
- The Indians' roster construction is to blame for the team's recent woes, not manager Manny Acta, opines Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Indians CEO Paul Dolan said today that Acta's job is safe for 2013, as well as the jobs of GM Chris Antonetti and team president Mark Shapiro.
- Brett Myers' $10MM contract option for 2013 will vest if he finishes 45 games this season, but White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper tells MLB.com's Scott Merkin that the team will use Myers in any manner necessary as the club battles for the AL Central title. Myers currently has 36 games finished, seven since joining the White Sox on July 21. Addison Reed will finish the majority of games down the stretch as the Sox closer, but Myers figures to be the backup closing option should Reed get injured or become ineffective.
- Royals officials tell Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star that Wil Myers might not be called up this season so the Royals can avoid having to protect him (and leave someone else unprotected) in the Rule 5 draft. Two team officials also think Myers may yet not quite be ready for Major League pitching, despite his .927 OPS in 388 Triple-A plate appearances this season.
- With Myers in Triple-A, Jeff Francoeur is still the incumbent right fielder. Dutton reports that the Royals would like to deal Francoeur but aren't willing to do so in a salary dump or for a negligible return.
2013 Vesting Options Update
With a little less than one-third of the season left to go, let's check in on the various vesting option situations from around the league...
- Jason Bartlett, Padres -- $5.5MM option vests with 432 plate appearances. Bartlett came to the plate just 98 times before being placed on the disabled list with a knee injury. He won't return to the lineup anytime soon, so this option will not vest.
- Kevin Gregg, Orioles -- $6MM option vests with 50 games finished. Gregg has finished just 12 of the team's 113 games, so this one is very unlikely even though it's still mathematically possible.
- Brett Myers, White Sox -- $10MM option vests with 45 games finished or based on a points system. Myers has finished 33 games this season, and he has finished four of the ten games he's appeared in with Chicago despite not being the closer. This is one worth monitoring.
Chipper Jones has an option worth $9MM+ that will vest with 123 games played, but he's already rendered the option moot by announcing his plans to retire after the season. He recently said that he won't change his mind about retirement despite his strong play as well. Chipper has played in 71 of the Braves' first 112 games.
Alex Gonzalez has an option worth $4MM that will vest with 525 plate appearances, but he is expected to miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Gonzalez came to the plate just 89 times before the injury, so the Brewers do not have to worry about this one kicking in.
Astros Acquire Devenski To Complete Myers Deal
The White Sox sent minor league right-hander Chris Devenski to the Astros to complete the trade that sent Brett Myers to Chicago, Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com reports (on Twitter). The White Sox sent right-hander Matthew Heidenreich and left-hander Blair Walters to Houston for Myers on July 21st.
Devenski, 21, was selected in the 25th round of last year's draft. He has spent the 2012 season at Class A Kannapolis, where he has a 4.23 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 61 2/3 innings.
White Sox Acquire Brett Myers From Astros
The White Sox have acquired Brett Myers from the Astros, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Houston announced that they will receive right-hander Matt Heidenreich, left-hander Blair Walters, and a player to be named later for the pitcher. The Astros will also send cash to Chicago, according to the White Sox.
The White Sox are on the hook for just $1MM of the $4.45MM still owed to Myers this year, according to Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com (via Twitter). Chicago also received money to go towards Myers' salary or possible buyout for next sesaon.
Myers, 31, has a $10MM option for 2013 that will vest if he finishes 45 games and doesn't end the season on the disabled list. To date, the closer has finished 29 games with 35 appearances in total. Rosenthal notes (via Twitter) that Myers has a $500K bonus in his contract for being traded, but it's not yet known which team will pick up the tab.
The veteran has been linked to a handful of clubs recently including the Cardinals and the Mets but the White Sox weren't among the teams rumored to be interested. The right-hander has posted a 3.52 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 for the Astros this season.
Astros GM Jeff Luhnow has extremely busy this week, having just completed a ten-player swap with the Blue Jays. That deal brought six players to Houston including four minor leaguers and a player to be named later. In total, Luhnow has replenished the Houston farm system with eight prospects through these two deals.
Heidenreich, 21, has a 3.95 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 18 Single-A and Double-A starts this year. Houston announced that the former fourth-round pick in the 2009 draft will be assigned to Double-A Corpus Christi. The 6'5" right-hander boasts a fastball in the low-to-mid 90s and will likely fill out in the years ahead as he weighs in at just 185 pounds.
Walters, 22, has split time between Single-A and Advanced-A this year, posting a 3.96 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9. Prior to this season, Baseball America had the left-hander ranked as the No. 26 prospect in the White Sox organization.
Quick Hits: Astros, Mets, Athletics, Straily
Ryan Dempster, Francisco Liriano and Shane Victorino are among the most likely players to be traded within the next 11 days, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post writes. Those players are a step behind the Astros and Blue Jays, who announced a major trade this morning. Here are today’s links...
- There are “no game-changers” in the ten-player trade completed this morning, a rival evaluator told ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (Twitter link).
- The Mets don't have interest in Brett Myers and didn't have interest in Brandon Lyon before the Blue Jays acquired him from Houston, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (on Twitter).
- The Athletics agreed to sign 16-year-old Dominican Jhonny Rodriguez, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (on Twitter). It's a $300K deal, the Dominican Prospect League announced.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports suggests we shouldn't be surprised if the Athletics work to add right-hander Daniel Straily to their rotation at some point soon. The 23-year-old has a 2.64 ERA with 162 strikeouts in 126 1/3 innings in the upper minors this year.
- Brett Lawrie, Justin Verlander and Buster Posey barely missed the cut for inclusion on Dave Cameron's list of the ten MLB players with the most trade value. Ryan Braun and Matt Kemp rank sixth and seventh, respectively, on Cameron's list at FanGraphs.
Mets Notes: Francisco Rodriguez, Brett Myers
The Mets are interested in right-handed relievers Jonathan Broxton and Grant Balfour, but they aren't close on any deals, according to reports yesterday. Here are the latest Mets-related rumors, as GM Sandy Alderson considers ways of adding to his bullpen:
- Andy Martino of the New York Daily News hears that Brewers president of baseball operations Doug Melvin told Alderson that Milwaukee isn’t selling yet (Twitter link). Martino suggests Francisco Rodriguez -- the former Mets closer who continues to intrigue the team -- would already be on the Mets if the Brewers had a worse record.
- The Mets haven’t been very aggressive in pursuing Brett Myers, Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger reports (on Twitter). The trade candidate has 19 saves and a 3.52 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in 30 2/3 innings with the Astros this year.
- Assistant GM John Ricco told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com that the team won't overpay for help.
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