Non-Tender Candidate: Blaine Boyer
As new Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers looks to remake his bullpen, he may choose to cut 29-year-old right-handed reliever Blaine Boyer loose. Towers will need to decide by the December 2nd non-tender deadline, as Boyer is arbitration eligible for the second time in his career after earning $725K in 2010.
Boyer tossed 57 innings out of Arizona's pen this year, with a 4.26 ERA, 4.6 K/9, 4.6 BB/9, and 0.5 HR/9. His 65.8% groundball rate stood out; that ranked third among all pitchers with at least 50 innings. He also throws hard, averaging a 94.6 mph fastball this year.
Boyer has moved around in his career since coming up with the Braves. The Braves traded him to the Cardinals in April of '09, and then the D'Backs claimed him off waivers two months later after he'd been designated for assignment. Former D'Backs GM Josh Byrnes designated Boyer again in May of this year, but he cleared waivers and was added back to the roster in June.
Boyer's control in 2010 had been horrible prior to his demotion, but an arm slot adjustment led to a 3.7 BB/9 after his recall. That's tolerable, but with so few strikeouts it's tough to make that formula work even with frequent groundballs.
We've shown you the good and the bad; now it's your turn to predict what Kevin Towers will do. Click here to make your prediction and here to view the poll results.
One Year Ago: Early November 2009
A look back at the first half of November 2009 reveals interesting parallels with what we've seen so far this month. Last year the offseason began on November 5th, three days later than this year. However, the offseason deadlines have been moved up for 2010, so we're still on a similar pace. Burning up the hot stove a year ago:
Teams Extending Their Own Free Agents
- The Mariners signed Jack Wilson to a two-year, $10MM extension. Perhaps Jhonny Peralta's recent two-year, $11.25MM deal is the parallel. The Mariners do deserve credit for resisting Russell Branyan's demands for a two-year deal a year ago.
- The Braves signed Tim Hudson to a three-year, $28MM extension. One of the few early deals that worked out, this could match up with Ted Lilly's three-year, $33MM extension.
- The Cubs were close to an extension for John Grabow, who ultimately signed for two years and $7.5MM.
- The Red Sox signed Tim Wakefield to a two-year, $5MM extension.
- The Angels signed Bobby Abreu to a two-year, $19MM extension, and also locked up GM Tony Reagins.
- The White Sox signed Mark Kotsay to a one-year, $1.5MM deal. The Sox jumped out early this year too, re-upping Omar Vizquel.
- Several of these early extensions were at inflated prices, and in most cases teams would have been better off waiting.
Trades For Near Non-Tender Candidates
Mark Teahen, J.J. Hardy, and Jeremy Hermida were dealt. Akinori Iwamura fits here as well, as a player the Rays would have cut loose but the Pirates found worthwhile. None of them panned out. A few who could be dealt prior to the December 2nd non-tender deadline this year: Mike Napoli, Russell Martin, James Loney, Leo Nunez, Jason Bartlett, and Carlos Quentin.
Under The Radar Pickups
The Royals signed Wilson Betemit to a minor league deal, and the Nationals claimed reliever Doug Slaten off waivers from the Diamondbacks. Both were more useful than expected. The Royals have already made a couple of low-profile pickups this year in Joaquin Arias and Lance Zawadzki. Willie Eyre, Travis Blackley, Brent Dlugach, Joe Mather, and Justin James also changed teams this month.
Free Agent And Trade Rumors
- The Nationals showed early interest in Mark DeRosa and Mike Gonzalez. It appears they're being aggressive early this year too.
- The Yankees were focused on whether they'd retain Andy Pettitte, Johnny Damon, and Hideki Matsui. This year they've got bigger concerns with Pettitte, Derek Jeter, and Mariano Rivera.
- There were plenty of early suitors for Aroldis Chapman, who had not yet switched agents. The Reds weren't known to be in the mix. Of course, John Lackey, Matt Holliday, and Jason Bay were filling up our pages too. This year it'll be about Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth, Adrian Beltre, Adam Dunn, and Victor Martinez.
- The big trade candidates were Roy Halladay, Curtis Granderson, Edwin Jackson, Milton Bradley, and Dan Uggla. This year it looks like Prince Fielder, and Zack Greinke. Matt Garza, James Shields, Matt Kemp, Mark Reynolds, Josh Willingham, and Uggla could also be popular rumor subjects.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Lance Berkman
Less than a year ago, Lance Berkman felt that the Astros picking up his $15MM option for 2011 was a possibility. He was since traded to the Yankees, who declined the option without pause. Let's examine his free agent story.
The Good
- Berkman's .368 OBP this year was actually his worst since his rookie campaign. If his batting average comes back up from .248 he'll be even more of an on-base asset.
- He can still play some first base, logging almost 800 innings there in 2010.
- Berkman will not cost a draft pick to sign and ought to be open to a one-year deal.
The Bad
- Like Manny Ramirez, the walks are still there but the power is slipping. Berkman slugged just .413 in 481 plate appearances this year, about on par with Miguel Cairo and Ty Wigginton. Berkman did not finish strong, slugging .349 in 123 Yankees plate appearances.
- Berkman turns 35 in February. He had 41 DL days this year due to knee surgery and an ankle sprain. On the flip side, if he acts mostly as a DH in 2011 and stays healthy, some power could return.
- He's a switch-hitter, but left-handed pitching has been a problem the last few years.
The Verdict
Berkman could make a quality platoon bat, but he's probably not ready to take that role. If he's flexible on first base versus designated hitter, he can probably find 500 plate appearances in 2011 for around $5MM. The Orioles, Red Sox, Rays, Blue Jays, Rangers, Nationals, Cubs, Brewers, Diamondbacks, Giants, Tigers, Athletics, and Mariners could have openings. However, a few DH types figure to be left out in the cold this offseason so it makes sense to sign early.
Top Japanese Infielder Hopes To Be Posted
TUESDAY, 7:10am: Though it seems Nishioka wants to be posted, the Marines haven't committed to it, based on quotes from a team official passed along by Jason Coskrey of the Japan Times. The player will make a formal request tomorrow and the team will decide after talking to him. For an excellent profile of Nishioka, check out Patrick Newman's latest at FanGraphs.
MONDAY, 7:47pm: The Chiba Lotte Marines are posting the Pacific League’s most recent batting champion, according to Tim Kurkjian of ESPN The Magazine. The Marines are posting Tsuyoshi Nishioka this week and teams in the market for middle infielders will surely take notice; the 26-year-old switch hitter can play second and short.
Nishioka batted .346 with 22 steals and more hits (206) than any Pacific Leaguer since Ichiro Suzuki. ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine, who managed Nishioka in Japan, says he thinks the infielder has the tools to be “an outstanding shortstop,” but suggests most organizations will consider him a second baseman.
Teams will soon be able to place bids for Nishioka through a blind auction. The organization with the winning bid will have 30 days of exclusive negotiating rights to reach a deal.
The free agent market for second basemen and shortstops is relatively thin and the trade market offers few alternatives. It appears that Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima will not be posted, though he hasn't given up on playing in the major leagues in 2011.
Adam Everett Intends To Play In 2011
The agent for Adam Everett told MLB.com's Jason Beck that his client intends to play in 2011 and has heard from multiple interested teams. Clubs looking for a cheap, defense-first shortstop could turn to the 33-year-old, but they shouldn't expect much offense from him. Everett batted just .185/.221/.247 for the Tigers in 89 plate appearances last year, before Detroit released him.
The trade market for shortstops isn't deep and the free agent market isn't either, but it just got a little more interesting. The Chiba Lotte Marines will post Japanese batting champion Tsuyoshi Nishioka this week, according to Tim Kurkjian of ESPN The Magazine.
Odds & Ends: Lee, Blue Jays, Mets, Hampton
Here are the rest of the day's links on the 11th anniversary of the Shawn Green–Raul Mondesi trade…
- Darek Braunecker, the agent for Cliff Lee, told the AP (on CBS Sports) that his client is “clearly the best player on the free-agent market.” Hard to argue with that one.
- If the A's reach a deal with Japanese righty Hisashi Iwakuma, they'll have a surplus of arms and a number of suitors for them, so Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea wouldn't be surprised if Oakland flips a starter for some offense this offseason.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson will interview DeMarlo Hale, Clint Hurdle and Don Wakamatsu for the team's managerial opening according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter).
- Andy Martino of the New York Daily News hears that the Mets will also consider internal candidates Tim Teufel and Ken Oberkfell.
- The Blue Jays announced that Wakamatsu will serve as the team's bench coach assuming the Mets don't hire him to be their next manager. Joining Wakamatsu on John Farrell's staff: former AL Cy Young Award winner Pat Hentgen.
- Derrek Lee, who had surgery on a ligament in his right thumb, told Yahoo's Tim Brown that he'd like to sign with a team that has a good chance of reaching the playoffs.
- The Pirates agreed to a minor league deal with left-handed reliever Justin Thomas, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.
- Mike Hampton, who pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings with Arizona last year, wants to pitch again and is drawing interest, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Rockies Interested In Westbrook, Garland, Kuroda
The Rockies are interested in Jake Westbrook, Jon Garland and Hiroki Kuroda and will be in touch with the representatives for all three starters, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). Free agent left-handers Jeff Francis and Jorge de la Rosa may not return to Colorado, so the Rockies are exploring the open market in case they have to look elsewhere to solidify their rotation.
The Dodgers may also have interest in Westbrook, Garland and Kuroda, according to the LA Times. The pitchers figure to be looking for multi-year deals. Last week Garland turned down his side of a $6.75MM option with the Padres, which suggests he'll look for a longer term contract. The Cardinals were discussing an extension with Westbrook last month, but the sides didn't reach a deal.
None of the Rockies' three potential targets will cost a compensation pick; Garland and Kuroda are Type B free agents and Westbrook is not ranked. They are among the more attractive free agent starters other than Cliff Lee, De La Rosa and Carl Pavano. Click here for details on the free agent market for righty and lefty starters.
Athletics Win Bidding On Hisashi Iwakuma
8:03pm: The A's bid about $17MM, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
10:25am: The Athletics won the bidding on Japanese righty Hisashi Iwakuma, MLB announced (via Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports on Twitter). Last night, Iwakuma's agent Don Nomura appeared to tweet the same. The A's now have 30 days to hammer out a contract with Iwakuma. Iwakuma's team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles, are expected to accept the bid, tweets NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman. He adds that the Athletics and Golden Eagles already have a working relationship. The Rangers and Mariners also submitted bids, according to Ken Rosenthal.
There's been speculation that Rakuten wanted roughly $18MM in a posting fee, but we really don't know what the A's bid. Iwakuma could be a fairly risky signing with a contract on top. Rosenthal suggested Saturday that the A's may be trying to create a pitching surplus, which for me conjures memories of their unexpected Esteban Loaiza signing five years ago.
Iwakuma, 30 in April, posted a 2.82 ERA, 6.9 K/9, 1.6 BB/9, and 0.49 HR/9 in 201 innings this year. In August, Newman rated him as "the second best MLB pitching prospect currently active in NPB" in a FanGraphs article. He described Iwakuma as "a fairly standard fastball/slider/forkball righty." ESPN's Keith Law ranked Iwakuma as seventh-best free agent starter available, pegging him as a solid No. 4.
Renteria Open To Playing Second Base
Edgar Renteria told Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes that he would not mind switching to second base if that’s where a potential suitor needs him most (link in Spanish). Renteria says switching to third would be more difficult, but he is confident that he could play second. The 34-year-old has never played second or third base in over 2,000 games at the major league level.
Renteria’s willingness to move to second could lead to offers from teams like the Rockies and Dodgers, who have potential openings at second base and established shortstops.
The World Series MVP's postseason heroics should help him convince teams he can still play despite a forgettable regular season performance. The Colombia native batted .276/.332/.374 in 267 plate appearance last year, battling elbow, groin, hamstring and shoulder injuries. He considered retirement, but recently announced his intention to play in 2011.
Reds Rumors: Cairo, Hernandez, Rhodes, Arroyo
Reds GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he doesn’t expect to sign a big name free agent this winter. Carl Crawford and Cliff Lee will likely be playing elsewhere next year, though the Reds will boost payroll in 2011.
“I’m always trying to do something, but [signing a top free agent] would be pretty tough,” Jocketty said.
The Reds have had preliminary talks with the agents for Miguel Cairo, Ramon Hernandez and Arthur Rhodes, but Jocketty says he hasn’t yet exchanged potential salaries. The Reds have not spoken to Bronson Arroyo about an extension since picking up his option last week and they are not currently discussing long-term deals with Joey Votto or Jay Bruce.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote yesterday that he expected the Reds to complete a two-year extension with Arroyo this week. Jocketty has said he'd like to reach a deal before the 2011 season begins, but the potential contract may not become a priority until later this offseason.