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Diamondbacks To Pursue Paul Konerko

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Long-time White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko went to high school in Scottsdale and still makes his offseason home in the area, and if the Diamondbacks have their way he'll be playing there year-round as well. ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine reports Konerko will be an offseason priority for the D-Backs once the free agency period opens in another week or so.

Arizona received good but not great production out of Adam LaRoche in 2010 (.261/.320/.468 with 25 homers), and this report seems to indicate that they will buy out his $7.5MM mutual option for $1.5MM rather than pick it up. Konerko had a monster season, hitting .312/.393/.584 with 39 home runs in 631 plate appearances. New GM Kevin Towers expressed an interest in cutting down on his team's strikeouts, something Konerko would certainly help with; he struck out 62 fewer times than LaRoche in 16 more plate appearances. 

The 34-year-old Konerko told reporters back in September that he could retire if he's unhappy with the way his offseason shakes out, but I'm sure playing close to home will be an interesting option. Konerko has also said that contract length isn't much of a priority because he isn't sure how much longer he wants to play. He just wrapped up five-year deal that paid him $12MM annually. 

Amateur Signing Bonuses: Athletics

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Let's take a trip to the Bay Area and continue our amateur signing bonus series…

  1. Michael Ynoa, $4.25MM (2008)
  2. Mark Mulder, $3.2MM (1998)
  3. Grant Green $2.75MM (2009)
  4. Renato Nunez, $2.2MM (2010)
  5. Michael Choice, $2MM (2010)

The Athletics are undeniably a small market team, but they spend like financial powerhouses when it comes to young talent. Ynoa, formerly known as Michel Inoa and arguably the most hyped Latin America pitching prospect of all-time, had a deal in place with the Yankees for $2.7MM before agent Adam Katz stepped in and raised the price. He ended up signing with Oakland for the largest bonus ever given to an international prospect, nearly doubling the previous record (Wily Mo Pena's $2.44MM). Ynoa missed a big chunk of the 2009 season with elbow soreness, then managed just nine innings (six hits, five runs, four walks, eleven strikeouts) this season behind needing Tommy John surgery that will cost him most of 2011.

Mulder was the second overall pick in 1998 reached the big leagues less than two years later. He pitched to a 5.44 ERA in 154 innings as a rookie in 2000, then finished second in the Cy Young voting thanks to a 3.45 ERA, 6.0 K/9, and 2.0 BB/9 in 229.1 innings the very next season. Mulder was a horse for the Athletics (3.92 ERA in 1003 innings from 2000-2004) before being dealt to the Cardinals for a package highlighted by a 24-year-old righty named Dan Haren.

Green (13th overall) and Choice (tenth) are Oakland's last two first round picks. Green hit .318/.363/.520 in his full season as a professional in 2010, Choice .266/.377/.587 in 130 plate appearances after signing. Nunez was the team's top international signing this summer, agreeing to his deal on July 2nd, the day the signing period began. He'll begin his career next season. The A's also signed another top Latin American prospect this year in 16-year-old catcher Argy Raga. His bonus is unknown, however.

Mariners Hire Eric Wedge As Manager

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SATURDAY, 5:20pm: SI.com's Jon Heyman tweets that Wedge will be paid close to $1.9MM per year through the life of the contract. He was likely the Pirates' top choice for their managerial opening as well.

MONDAY, 12:09pm: The Mariners announced Wedge's hiring today, with a press conference to take place tomorrow.  Said Wedge: "With the fan support, the ballpark, the ownership and management, the Mariners are in a great position to be very successful."

FRIDAY, 7:34pm: Wedge's deal is for three years, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.

3:45pm: The Mariners will hire Eric Wedge to be the team's next manager, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Wedge, the 2007 manager of the year with the Indians, beat out Bobby Valentine, John Gibbons, Lloyd McClendon, Cecil Cooper and others for the job. The Blue Jays and Pirates were among the teams who were reportedly considering Wedge for their managerial vacancies.

The highlight of Wedge's tenure in Cleveland came back in 2007, when the Tribe made it to the ALCS before losing to Boston. The 42-year-old led the Indians to a 561-573 record in seven seasons. 

Back in April of 2004, the Indians traded Milton Bradley to the Dodgers when it became clear that he was no longer a fit in Cleveland. Wedge perceived a lack of hustle from Bradley, and that perception contributed to the trade. The two will be reunited in Seattle, but Wedge no doubt convinced Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik that his relationship with Bradley will be workable.

Gabe Gross, Jeff Larish Declare Free Agency

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Outfielder Gabe Gross and infielder Jeff Larish declared free agency after being outrighted off the Athletics' 40-man roster according to a team press release. Righthanders Jon Meloan and Justin Souza were also outrighted, but remain in the organization.

Gross, 31, hit just .239/.290/.311 in 243 plate appearances this year after signing a one-year, $750K deal last offseason. Despite the down year, Gross said he would return to the A's in 2011 "with bells on." Larish, 28, was claimed off waivers from the Tigers in August and hit .175/.277/.333 in 65 plate appearances with Oakland.

Neither Meloan nor Souza appeared in the big leagues this year. The former didn't pitch at all due to Tommy John surgery, the latter managed a 4.33 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9 in 49 relief innings, mostly at the Double-A level level. 

Hiroyuki Nakajima Hasn’t Given Up On Being Posted

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SATURDAY: Newman passes along another report (via Twitter) saying that Nakajima hasn't given up on being posted just yet. He wants to meet with Seibu Lions management again and try to get them to change to their minds.

FRIDAY: Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima will not be posted, according to reports passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker (on Twitter). He had been drawing interest from MLB teams including the Orioles and Mariners, but those clubs will have to look elsewhere for middle infield help. Nakajima would have added some pop to the otherwise ordinary group of shortstops available via trade or free agency.

The 28-year-old hit .314/.385/.511 with 20 home runs in 579 plate appearances in Japan this year.  In an article for Fangraphs, Newman suggested Nakajima is a line drive hitter whose power could fade in the majors. 

Amateur Signing Bonuses: Yankees

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Next up in our amateur signing bonus series, the soon-to-be no longer defending champs…

  1. Andrew Brackman, $3.55MM (2007)
  2. Gary Sanchez, $3MM (2009)
  3. Wily Mo Pena, $2.44MM (1999)
  4. Ian Kennedy, $2.25MM (2006)
  5. Slade Heathcott, $2.2MM (2009)

The Yankees are no strangers to spending money, and that goes for the amateur players as well. Brackman was considered one of the best talents available in the 2007 draft but fell to the 30th overall pick due to bonus demands and injury concerns. The Scott Boras client signed his big league deal right at the deadline and had Tommy John surgery almost immediately after the ink dried, which New York knew he needed. Brackman returned from the procedure at the start of the 2009 season, and has thrown 247.1 innings with a 4.77 ERA, 8.3 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 as he climbs the ladder.

Sanchez received one of the largest bonuses among international free agents last year, and hit .329/.393/.543 in 196 plate appeared in the low minors this season, his professional debut. Heathcott was the team's first round pick in 2009 (29th overall), the pick they received as compensation for failing to sign Gerrit Cole in 2008. Like Sanchez, he made his pro debut this season, hitting .253/.354/.344 in 362 plate appearances at the Single-A level.

Despite being just 17-years-old at the time, the Yankees signed Pena to a major league contract worth a total of $3.7MM. His bonus stood as the record for international prospects for nearly a decade. Pena had originally signed with the Mets the previous summer, but MLB questioned the validity of the deal and it was eventually voided. He was with the Yankees for just over two full seasons (.234/.299/.391 in 541 Single-A plate appearances) before being traded to the Reds for Michael Coleman and former Yankee farmhand Drew Henson before the 2001 season.

Kennedy zoomed up the minor league ladder after being the 21st overall pick in 2006, making his big league debut just a year after signing. He spend most of his Yankee career in the minors (1.95 ERA, 9.9 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 in 248.2 innings) and also missed most of 2009 due to an aneurysm near his pitching arm, though he did throw 59.2 innings with a 6.03 ERA with the big league team. The Yanks shipped him to Arizona last offseason in the Edwin Jackson–Curtis Granderson–Max Scherzer blockbuster.

We're not counting veterans of the Japanese or Cuban leagues in this series even though they have zero MLB experience, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Hideki Matsui and Jose Contreras received $8.5MM and $6MM signing bonuses, respectively.

Poll: David Ortiz’s Future

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Yesterday we heard that Red Sox slugger David Ortiz is still seeking a multi-year contract, brushing off criticism about his declining offense. The one they call Big Papi hit .270/.370/.529 with 32 homers last season, but he again had to overcome a brutally slow start (.143/.238/.286 in April). After hitting .302/.402/.612 with an average of 41 homers per year from 2003-2007, Ortiz has hit dipped down to .257/.356/.498 since 2008, which is still very good production.

The Red Sox hold a $12.5MM option for Ortiz's services in 2011, and last month we heard that they were prepared to pick it up. Their alternatives would be to decline the option and make him a free agent (no buyout), or attempt to work out the multi-year deal he desires. It's not an easy call, and it's made even more complicated by Ortiz's status as a franchise icon. Time to hit the polls…

What should the Red Sox do with David Ortiz this winter?

Click here to vote, and here to see the results. 

White Sox Have Targeted Colby Rasmus

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10:27am: Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that the Quentin-for-Rasmus stuff has been percolating since the end of the season. One Cardinals front office type told him "Gotta do better than that."

8:38am: Kenny Williams is certainly no stranger to blockbuster trades, and a source tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times that the White Sox general manager has targeted Cardinals outfielder Colby Rasmus. Williams is said to be willing to part with Carlos Quentin in a package to acquire the young center fielder. 

"It was obvious that [the Cardinals] were paying extra attention to Quentin at the end of the season, so this might have been something that was already talked about,'' says Cowley's source.

The 24-year-old Rasmus reportedly demanded a trade earlier this summer after which his rift with manager Tony LaRussa was made public, though he later denied that claim. GM John Mozeliak has said repeatedly that he will not trade his youngest regular, but you have to assume that he'd at least listen to any offers made. Rasmus hit .276/.361/.498 with 23 homers in 534 plate appearances this year, and UZR likes his defense: +2.6 over the last two seasons.

Quentin, 28, hit .243/.342/.479 in 527 plate appearances this year, though he missed a big chunk of the 2009 season with plantar fasciitis and is an awful defensive player (-40.6 UZR over the last three years). The salaries don't line up here, which would be one hurdle if the two clubs do pursue a deal. Rasmus is still a year away from arbitration eligibility (four years from free agency) while Quentin earned $3.2MM in 2010, his first year of arb eligibility (two years from free agency).

If Williams makes a run at Rasmus, he's going to have plenty of competition. Earlier this month we heard that several teams, including the Braves, Blue Jays, and Diamondbacks have interest in acquiring Alabama's high school single season homerun record holder. Ben Nicholson-Smith recently put together a list of potential trade destinations for Rasmus, though more than 57% of MLBTR readers would not trade him based on last month's poll. 

Amateur Signing Bonuses: Mets

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Next up in our look at each team's spending on amateur players, the Mets…

  1. Mike Pelfrey, $3.55MM (2005)
  2. Phil Humber, $3MM (2004)
  3. Matt Harvey, $2.525MM (2010)
  4. Scott Kazmir, $2.15MM (2002)
  5. Lastings Milledge, $2.075MM (2003)

The Mets made Pelfrey the ninth overall pick in 2005 after three utterly dominant years at Wichita State (2.19 ERA, 9.0 K/9, 1.7 BB/9), and just a year later he was making his big league debut. He didn't stick for good until the middle of the 2007 season, but the Amazins have gotten their money's worth. Pelfrey owns a 4.31 ERA in 113 career starts (and three relief appearances), and he just wrapped up the best season of his young career: 3.66 ERA in 204 innings. He'll be a fixture in New York's rotation for years to come.

Humber was the first of three Rice pitchers taken within the first eight picks of the 2004 draft (joining Jeff Niemann and Wade Townsend), going third overall. He missed the second half of 2005 and the first half of 2006 after having Tommy John surgery, but he made his major league debut shortly after returning. Humber spent most of the 2007 season in the minors, and he threw just nine innings for the Mets (6.00 ERA) before being sent to the Twins in February 2008 as part of the Johan Santana trade.

Harvey was the team's first round pick this year, seventh overall, marking a change in the team's recent stance of adhering to MLB's slot recommendations. He didn't pitch after signing and will start his career next spring. Kazmir was the 15th overall pick in 2002 but as we all know that he never appeared in a game for the Mets. After posting a 2.41 ERA, 11.2 K/9, and 3.7 BB/9 in 49 minor league starts, he was traded to the then-Devil Rays for Victor Zambrano at the 2004 trade deadline. Nothing more to say here, this one's been beaten to death already.

Milledge was considered one of the three or four best prospects in the 2003 draft, but his stock took a hit after he was expelled from high school before his senior year for alleged sexual misconduct with a minor. The Mets gambled on him with the 12th overall pick, but negotiations between the two sides were halted a few months later after more allegations arose. The team eventually signed him after being satisfied with the results of their own investigation. Milledge climbed the ladder and made his big league debut in 2006, though he drew the ire of some team veterans by showboating. He hit .257/.326/.414 in 391 plate appearances with the Mets before being traded to the Nationals for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider after the 2007 season.

Yankees Seek Left-Handed Reliever

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Yankees GM Brian Cashman addressed the media this afternoon to talk about the brand new deal for manager Joe Girardi and the club's plans for the offseason.  While he didn't tip his hand too much, he did indicate that the club will be on the look out for a left-handed reliever this winter, writes Chad Jennings of The Journal News.

“If I can find a left-handed reliever who can join Boone Logan, I think that will make our choices out of the pen better for our manager,” the GM said. “It’s easy to talk about it. It’s harder to find it. Those are the obvious things that stand out for me: Continue to improve your starting rotation, find a left-handed reliever and then get after it.”

The Yankees already know that they'll be short-staffed in the bullpen to start the year as Damaso Marte will miss significant time after undergoing shoulder surgery.  Recently, our own Ben Nicholson-Smith identified five lefties on the open market this winter that can be had on the cheap.  If the Yankees are willing to spend more, however, they could pursue the likes of Pedro Feliciano and Scott Downs.

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