Blue Jays Claim Sean Henn From Orioles
The Blue Jays claimed lefty Sean Henn off waivers from the Orioles, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (via Twitter). The 28-year-old appeared in 20 games for the Twins and Orioles this year. He allowed 15 hits and 12 walks in 14.1 innings, striking out 15. His major league numbers aren't impressive, but Henn struck out 10.5 batters per nine in the Twins' system before the Orioles acquired him in September. GM Alex Anthopoulos on his first move:
"The Yankees gave Damaso Marte a three-year $12MM deal, we can't. If we have to claim 10 arms and click on the 10th, it's a good investment with a huge upside."
The Jays designated Michael Barrett for assignment to clear space for Henn on the 40-man roster.
Heyman On Lee, Lackey, Mets, Nats
Cliff Lee out-pitched C.C. Sabathia last night, there's no question about that. Now, as Jon Heyman of SI.com points out, Lee's value is at an all-time high. The Phillies figure to try to lock Lee up this offseason, but he may cost $100MM or more. After two straight World Series appearances, however, Heyman says the Phillies have the "loot" to reach an agreement with their ace.
Agent Darek Braunecker, can make the argument that Lee has out-pitched Sabathia for the last two years, not just in Game 1. (FanGraphs happens to value Lee's 2008-09 performance a little higher than Sabathia's). But Lee is older than Sabathia and the Phillies have a $9MM option for Lee's services next year, so he doesn't have the negotiating power he would as a free agent.
When Heyman quizzed a couple of other agents about Lee's prospects, they predicted deals worth between $75-100MM. Here are some other rumors from around the league:
- Heyman says it's possible John Lackey will also command $100MM this winter.
- Mets ownership plans to hire another top executive, leading some team officials to suggest the higher-ups are preparing to oust GM Omar Minaya - or at least reduce his power.
- It's getting harder to imagine that the Nats' new manager will be anyone but Jim Riggleman, who took over after the team fired Manny Acta last summer.
Bay Open-Minded As Free Agency Nears
Jason Bay is keeping his options open as he approaches free agency. In a chat with fans on WEEI.com, Bay said he is open-minded about where and when he signs.
"The window for my career doesn’t last forever," Bay said. "So limiting myself to one geographical spot really has no bearing on my decision."
The 31-year-old outfielder said he understands he may not sign a deal right away, though he would prefer to sign soon. Bay repeated that he enjoyed playing for the Red Sox under Terry Francona, so a return to Fenway seems like a real possibility.
Jon Heyman of SI.com wrote today that the Red Sox may be willing to offer Bay close to $15MM per year for four years. Heyman guesses that the Giants and Mets may bid even more.
Bay's agent, Joe Urbon, told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com earlier in the week that his client is the "most complete" free agent out there. Advanced defensive metrics suggest that's not the case, but Bay's .921 OPS makes him one of the offseason's most coveted free agents.
Odds & Ends: Bay, Damon, Josh Johnson
More links for Thursday…
- Jon Heyman of SI.com suggests (via Twitter) that the Red Sox might be willing to offer Jason Bay $60MM over four years. Heyman can see the Giants and, possibly, the Mets bidding more than that for the Canadian left fielder.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law can imagine some team signing Johnny Damon to a three-year deal this offseason, but cautions that it's riskly to sign a player in decline to a long-term pact.
- Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald had an interesting line at the end of his article yesterday - the Marlins are "preparing a multi-year offer for Josh Johnson." Earlier in the month, Ken Rosenthal said signing Johnson was the team's top offseason priority.
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro presents some of the options the Marlins are considering for their coaching vacancies. The team may hire longtime big leaguer Jamie Quirk.
- Tyler Hissey of Around the Majors is unimpressed with this year's class of free agent first basemen. Adam LaRoche should be productive next year and the Mariners will likely want to bring Russell Branyan back if he's not too pricey, but there's no Mark Teixeira around this year.
- Hissey responds to the Josh Johnson chatter, arguing that he's an elite pitcher worth investing in. He suggests a four-year $48MM deal would be fair for both sides. What kind of contract would you offer Johnson?
Trades Of The Decade: Colon To The Expos
From Larry Walker to John Wetteland to Pedro Martinez, Montreal Expos talent seemed to head south as quickly as the club could develop it. By 2002, it seemed possible that the Expos were playing their final season in Montreal and the threat of contraction put the organization's future in jeopardy. So they surprised some people when they acquired an All-Star caliber player mid-way through the 2002 season.
GM Omar Minaya obtained Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew from the Indians for Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips and Lee Stevens.
The Canadian Press wrote that Minaya made a "stunning acquisition," and some of Colon's teammates agreed. C.C. Sabathia told the AP the move was a "big blow," a "shock."
Combine a bold GM, a franchise in peril and a division title within reach and you'll see some surprising moves.
The Expos were in the playoff race after acquiring Colon on June 27th, 2002. They trailed the Braves by 6.5 games and found themselves 5.0 games behind the Wild Card-leading Diamondbacks. At the time of the trade, many writers pointed to the Expos' rotation depth; Colon joined Javier Vazquez, Tomo Ohka and Tony Armas Jr. to form one of the Senior Circuit's deepest rotations.
Colon played well for the Expos. He pitched 117 innings of 3.31 ERA ball, allowing less than a hit per frame and striking out two men for every one he walked. The Expos won 83 games – more than they'd won since 1996 – but it wasn't enough to topple the Braves, who won 101 times.
The Indians weren't in a position to make a playoff run so, like this year and last, they dealt their ace away. But not even GM Mark Shapiro can hope his recent deadline deals turn out as well as the one he made in 2002.
Shapiro told the AP at the time that the Indians were "clearly moving to a total rebuilding process." So how did he plan to rebuild the franchise? Start with an athletic center fielder and a left-handed ace.
Sizemore, who was 19 at the time of the trade, has combined power, speed, plate discipline and defense to become one of the league's elite players. Lee followed up his 2008 Cy Young campaign with a strong start that allowed Shapiro to obtain four Phillies prospects for him in a midseason trade.
Lee Stevens was a non factor and the Indians sent Phillips to the Reds for Jeff Stevens in a 2006 trade. Shapiro sold low on a second baseman who plays strong defense and has a 30-30 season to his name. But they acquired talent to spare for Colon, who was under team control for a year and a half after the trade.
The Expos traded Colon to the White Sox after the season. In return, they obtained Rocky Biddle, Orlando Hernandez, Jeff Liefer and cash. Minaya's gamble turned the Expos' top minor leaguers into a trio of considerably less valuable players. A playoff appearance would not necessarily have prevented the Expos from moving to D.C. after 2004, but the Bartolo Colon trade was anything but the solution to the organization's problems.
Pujols Hopes To Stay In St. Louis
Albert Pujols surprised many, including the Cardinals front office, when he said he wasn't "desperate" to sign a long-term deal earlier this month. Now, Pujols tells ESPN radio in St. Louis that he wants to be a Cardinal for life, he just doesn't see the need to obsess over his contract yet (transcription from Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).
"You know the Cardinals need to worry about signing Matt Holliday and all the free agents," Pujols said. "There's no rush for me to sign right now, you know? But if they come tomorrow and say 'Albert, you know, we want to lock you up,' – hey, they know that we're open to that."
Pujols, who will hit free agency two winters from now if the Cards pick up his 2011 option, repeated that he wants to be a Cardinal for life. The 29-year-old combines above-average defense with one of the most potent bats in baseball history.
Aroldis Chapman And The Red Sox
Aroldis Chapman's agent told Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe that his client was impressed with the Red Sox after visiting with the team yesterday. Edwin Mejia, who represents the 21-year-old lefty, said the visit with Red Sox executives and an unknown player was a "very good" one. But the Red Sox are far from the only team interested.
"I'd say ten teams have said they want to meet with us," Mejia told the Globe. "It's no secret who he is and what he can do."
Tim recently counted 12 teams with some interest, so Mejia may be getting more calls in the near future. ESPN.com's Peter Gammons believes the Red Sox may have an advantage over other bidders for Chapman; they signed shortstop Jose Iglesias, a former teammate of Chapman's, to an $8.5MM deal this summer.
Odds & Ends: Kikuchi, Astros, Smoltz, Hermida
Some links to read for Thursday morning…
- The AP reports (via the Miami Herald) that the Seibu Lions won the rights to negotiate with top Japanese amateur Yusei Kikuchi.
- Another top young pitcher, Stephen Strasburg, hit 100 mph repeatedly in his third AFL start, according to ESPN.com's Jason Grey.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle says fans and media members need to hold Astros owner Drayton McLane accountable, and says it wasn't GM Ed Wade's fault that managerial candidate Manny Acta signed with the Indians.
- Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch hears that the Cardinals still have interest in bringing John Smoltz back next year, perhaps as the team's fourth starter. The club seems likely to find a fifth starter within the organization.
- The Pirates and Reds will swap A ball affiliates next year, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- Padres GM Jed Hoyer offered contracts to all of the organization's scouts and player development personnel, according to Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs expects Tim Hudson to be worth the extension he's expected to sign.
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro lists the Blue Jays, Mariners, Rays and Mets as possible destinations for Jeremy Hermida. The Marlins may trade the outfielder, who should hit free agency after 2011.
Rockies Rumors: Giambi, Betancourt, Peralta
It sounds like the Rockies will bring back manager Jim Tracy and GM Dan O'Dowd. Here are some more rumors regarding the club's offseason plans:
- Tracy Ringolsby of Inside the Rockies says the team's coaching staff will return in 2010. Jim Tracy works well with his coaches, though he did not hand-pick them.
- Ringolsby expects the Rockies to decline the options for Jason Giambi ($6.5MM), Rafael Betancourt ($5.4MM), Yorvit Torrealba ($4MM, $500K buyout) and Alan Embree ($3MM, $250K buyout).
- Instead of picking up Betancourt's option, the club will try to sign him to a two-year deal that guaranatees less money in 2010.
- If Torrealba returns, it would likely be for about $1MM.
- It seems unlikely that Embree will return and Ringolsby says Giambi doesn't fit the Rockies' needs.
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports that reliever Joel Peralta has chosen free agency after being outrighted off the team's 40-man roster.
Hudson To Ink Three-Year Extension
9:14pm: David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution has also heard that the deal will be worth approximately $9MM per season, or around $27MM over three seasons.
6:39pm: Mark Bowman of MLB.com believes the new three-year deal "will likely be worth $24-27 million."
5:22pm: According to FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal, veteran right-hander Tim Hudson is expected to sign a three-year extension with the Braves by the end of this week.
"It will be a shocker if something doesn't get finished in the next three or four days," said Rosenthal's major league source.
Hudson spent most of the 2009 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, but went 2-1 with a 3.61 ERA and a 30/13 K/BB ratio in seven starts once he rejoined the Braves. The 34-year-old had a $12MM mutual option sitting on 2010, so the new deal is probably structured around that figure as an annual salary. He has 148 career wins and a 3.49 career ERA.
Rosenthal believes the Braves might decide to trade one of their other veteran arms — "most likely right-hander Javier Vazquez or right-hander Derek Lowe" — for a hitter.