Twins Offer Nishioka Multiyear Deal
7:38am: La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune gets the sense that the Twins would like to get something done sooner rather than later, despite the fact that they have until Dec. 26 to sign Nishioka. Neal says the Twins are pushing for an agreement to happen during the Winter Meetings, and the sides exchanged multiple proposals yesterday.
TUESDAY, 6:43am: Nishioka is seeking something along the lines of a three-year, $12MM deal from the Twins, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. Heyman feels there's optimism for a deal between the two sides.
MONDAY, 7:44pm: The Twins offered Tsuyoshi Nishioka a multiyear deal, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. One source tells Price that the Twins are working to sign the infielder to a two or three-year deal worth $3-4MM per season and a second source says the Twins have offered a three-year deal worth $9-10MM in total. Jon Heyman of SI.com reported earlier today that Nishioka was looking for a three-year deal.
The Twins have until late December to work out an agreement with the 26-year-old. If the sides do not reach an agreement, the Chiba Lotte Marines will not receive the $5MM that Minnesota bid for the right to negotiate with Nishioka.
Pujols Seeking A-Rod Money?
Yesterday we learned that the Cardinals' brass planned to sit down with Albert Pujols' agent Dan Lozano and discuss an extension to keep the game's best player in St. Louis.
Today, SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the Cardinal slugger is thought to be looking for the type of contract that Alex Rodriguez received to stay in New York. A-Rod inked a 10-year, $275MM contract back in December of 2007 at the age of 32, so it would be no surprise to see Pujols, 31 in January, making similar demands.
Pujols boasts a career line of .331/.426/.624 with 408 home runs and three NL MVP awards to his name. He finished second in this year's voting to Joey Votto, his fourth runner-up finish.
Day In Review: 12/6/10
The Winter Meetings kicked off yesterday, and if you didn't have time to keep up with everything, that's understandable. Here's a recap of everything that's gone down from last night through the authoring of this very post:
- We'll start with the transaction news: Boston's acquisition of Adrian Gonzalez became official. The Padres will receive Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo, Reymond Fuentes, and a player to be named later for their elite first baseman.
- The Brewers' and Jays' swap of prospect Brett Lawrie and Shaun Marcum became official as well. Milwaukee beefed up its rotation by trading a prospect who was likely blocked. The Brewers said they're willing listen on any of their players in the right deal, including another of their top prospects — center fielder Lorenzo Cain.
- The Diamondbacks had a huge day; in addition to trading Mark Reynolds to Baltimore in exchange for David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio, they also signed Melvin Mora to a one-year, $2MM deal and found their likely closer in J.J. Putz, who inked a two-year, $10MM deal with a club option. They also have an offer out to Mike Hampton.
- The Pirates are looking to improve their rotation, as they're close to a deal with lefty Scott Olsen, and agreed to sign Kevin Correia to a two-year deal worth $8MM. More money than I thought he'd get, but I don't mind the Correia signing, personally.
- The Padres agreed to terms with San Diego native Aaron Harang on a one-year deal that will guarantee the big righty $4MM. He's a reasonable candidate to rebound in San Diego.
- Seattle signed 17-year-old Dominican shortstop Esteilon Peguero for $2.9MM. It's a huge bonus, but he's one of the most advanced offensive prospects in Latin America.
- The Athletics did not reach an agreement with Japanese righty Hisashi Iwakuma. Iwakuma was said to be seeking too much money. Oakland will again pursue him when he is a free agent in 2011.
- With all of that in mind, let's look at offers that might happen and deals that might get done: The Twins offered Tsyoshi Nishioka a multiyear deal believed to be three years at an annual salary of $3MM-$5MM.
- Adrian Beltre is reportedly seeking a five-year deal worth more than $70MM, though he lost a suitor today due to the Red Sox acquiring Gonzalez.
- If you're thinking there's going to be a firesale in San Diego, think again. The Padres will not trade All-Star closer Heath Bell.
- In the wake of Washington's surprise signing of Jayson Werth to a mammoth contract, Josh Willingham is now more likely to be moved than ever.
- Despite having their rotation filled out, the Dodgers are looking to bring back Vicente Padilla. Some reports say it would be in a bullpen capacity, while others have suggested a rotation spot.
- Russell Martin may have had a bad season in 2010, but good catching is hard to find, and he'll have plenty of suitors to choose from.
- The Astros have made both Matt Lindstrom and Jeff Keppinger available, while the Cardinals are out on Jason Bartlett and shopping Brendan Ryan and his stellar glove around.
- The Rockies seem willing to spend big this offseason. They've locked up Troy Tulowitzki for ten years, signed Jorge de la Rosa, and reportedly made an informal seven- to ten-year offer to Carlos Gonzalez.
- That's not the only rumored extension we heard about today. We also learned that Albert Pujols, Trevor Cahill, and Dan Uggla will be considered for extensions as well.
- The Red Sox are interested in Magglio Ordonez, and reportedly would be willing to give up a draft pick for Scott Downs, but not Grant Balfour. They're also in on Matt Guerrier.
- Six teams have shown interest in Koji Uehara, including Baltimore, Boston, Minnesota, Seattle, Milwaukee, and St. Louis.
- Hopefully you haven't had your heart set on acquiring Justin Upton, because it looks like the D'Backs won't be trading him after all.
- The Nats, Cubs, and Brewers are among the teams who have called the Dodgers about James Loney.
- A pair of former All-Stars is looking to get back into MLB after sitting out a season or two: Chien-Ming Wang is seeking a Major League deal, while Joe Crede is looking for an opportunity to play as well. Meanwhile, here's the latest on another free agent who's missed a few seasons, Brandon Webb.
- Curious to see the latest news on the biggest free agents and trade targets left on the market? No problem. Cliff Lee could see up to seven years, Carl Crawford could benefit hugely from Jayson Werth's deal, the Royals want Travis Snider and Kyle Drabek for Zack Greinke, the Dodgers keep coming up in Prince Fielder rumors, Paul Konerko's talks with Chicago could put him in line for a $12.5MM salary, and here's the latest on Carl Pavano, who could return to the Twins.
Obviously, we can't link to everything that's happened the past few days, but hopefully that's got you caught up to speed for the most part! MLBTR will continue to have around-the-clock coverage of the 2010 Winter Meetings, including overnight coverage once again throughout the duration of the meetings, so feel free to stay up late with us!
Transaction Reactions: Harang, Werth, Marcum
As we continue on throughout the night here at MLBTR, here are some reactions from executives and the players themselves to the flurry of moves we've seen over the past few days:
- Aaron Harang calls coming home to pitch at Petco Park in San Diego "a blessing," according to Bill Center from the San Diego Union-Tribune. The San Diego native says he had other offers, but this was the best fit and he's looking forward to a fresh start.
- Former Philadelphia GM Pat Gillick is happy for Jayson Werth, according to Bob Brookover and Matt Gelb from the Philadelphia Inquirer. Phillies president David Montgomery says he's disappointed, but can't thank Werth enough for the four seasons he gave them.
- Shaun Marcum was surprised to learn that he'd been traded to the Brewers, writes MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm. Marcum says Toronto had approached him about an extension just two days prior.
Three Teams Heard Bannister Was Retiring
Brian Bannister plans to pitch in 2011. Apparently, three teams didn't get the memo — or they just got the wrong one.
FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweets that three clubs told Bannister's agents at Gaylord Sports that they'd heard the right-hander was planning on retiring this offseason. As Rosenthal points out, Bannister, a free agent, is definitely intent on pitching in 2011.
Bannister was designated for assignment and elected free agency last month (he'd have been non-tendered anyway) after the worst season of his career in 2010. The 29-year-old saw his ERA jump to 6.34 through 127 2/3 innings, a far cry from the 4.79 mark with which he entered the season.
Bannister's struggles can likely be traced to an alarming spike in his HR/FB, which rose to a career-high 14.5%. Couple that with his BB/9 raising to 3.52 (2.9 BB/9 career prior to 2010), as well as a career-high .323 BABIP, and you can see why his results soured.
If Bannister can rediscover his control, he'd be due for a rebound, especially with a move to the National League. His poor performance in 2010 and peripheral stats make him an intriguing buy-low candidate. At the very least, he's been durable since coming to the Royals. He only had one trip to the disabled list over the past four years, although the catch there is that it did come recently — he missed 31 days with shoulder tendinitis in the second half of the 2010 season.
Rockies Interested In Cantu, Harden, Bullpen Help
We've heard that Ty Wigginton is the Rockies' top target for a right-handed bat, but the club has other targets for that role, as well as interest in several other players, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. Let's go over some of them:
- Jorge Cantu is one alternative to Wigginton, despite a miserable second half to the 2010 season. GM Dan O'Dowd acknowledged that they'd prefer someone who can play in the outfield, but that's not critical.
- The Rockies have soured on Josh Willingham due to Washington's asking price and concerns over the 31-year-old's knee. They've also called about Jeff Francoeur, believing he could handle first base.
- Colorado would have interest in Rich Harden in a bullpen role, if the righty would be willing to make the switch from starting pitching. There's also the question of whether or not the injury-prone Harden could hold up physically. Renck says the Rox have tried to acquire Harden numerous times in the past, but to no avail.
- Colorado is also looking at Kevin Gregg, Bobby Jenks, Brian Fuentes, Jesse Crain, and Pedro Feliciano, though the first three prefer to close, which won't happen in Denver.
- The Rockies also haven't closed the door on Joe Beimel, who tells Renck he'd love to come back to Colorado.
Cards Out On Bartlett, Shopping Ryan
We know that St. Louis GM John Mozeliak met with the agent for Albert Pujols today in regards to a possible extension, but as Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch informs us, their immediate to-do list is far shorter.
Following the club's acquisition of Lance Berkman, the Cardinals are now focused on exploring trade interest for defensive whiz Brendan Ryan and securing a backup catcher. The $8MM allocated to Berkman, as well as the same figure that was allocated to Jake Westbrook and the acquisition of Ryan Theriot have left the redbirds with little financial flexibility.
Mozeliak adamantly denied rumors of continued interest in Tampa Bay shortstop Jason Bartlett, stating two reasons:
"One is, we've already made a trade for a player," he began. "And Number 2 is, after we did the Berkman deal, (finances) are something we have to become aware of, too. We're pretty comfortable now with what we've done in the middle infield."
Strauss says the Cardinals would want a pitching prospect or fringe major leaguer in return for Ryan's services. Mozeliak made his intentions clear when he prioritized their plans for Ryan in order: trade him for immediate help, trade him for depth, or retain him as a backup.
Ryan's bat doesn't bring much to the table — he hit just .239/.279/.294 last season — but his reputation as a defensive sensation is well-deserved. His UZR has increased in each of the past three seasons, and his cumulative UZR/150 at shortstop over that time is 11.4, second only to Jack Wilson (among players with 1500 innings or more). He's capable of swiping a base (25 SB over the past two seasons, career 75% success rate) and is arbitration-eligible for the first time, meaning he won't see a significant salary in 2011.
The Cardinals filled their backup catcher role with Jason LaRue from 2008-2010, but LaRue retired this season after suffering an injury in a team brawl with the Reds. Earlier today, they were linked to Gregg Zaun, who missed most of 2010 with an injury of his own. However at age 39 and coming off that injury, he should fit into the club's pay range.
As it stands, St. Louis is projected to have approximately a $106MM payroll, which includes a small allocation for a backup catcher in the mold of Zaun. Other options in that price range could include (my own speculation) Josh Bard, Gerald Laird, and Henry Blanco.
Odds & Ends: Yankees, Giants, Astros, Marlins
Some late night links after a busy day for the Diamondbacks…
- Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News has some quotes from Yankees GM Brian Cashman, including praise for Boston's Adrian Gonzalez acquisition and an explanation that Dustin Moseley was non-tendered because he was looking for something greater than what New York had offered, and New York didn't want to go to arbitration.
- Giants GM Brian Sabean acknowledged that the team's payroll could jump from around $100MM in 2010 to as high as $120MM in 2011, according to Carl Steward of the San Jose Mercury News.
- Astros GM Ed Wade told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that rival clubs have asked about Wandy Rodriguez, Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn (Twitter link).
- The Cubs will meet with Scott Boras to discuss his clients, including Carlos Pena, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter). The Cubs are known to have interest in the powerful first baseman.
- The Marlins are discussing free agents Joe Beimel and J.C. Romero as they look to add left-handed relievers to their bullpen, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Ron Mahay could be another possibility for the Marlins, who have about $1.5MM to spend on a reliever. Florida will have some competition for Mahay's services, as the Red Sox are also interested.
Athletics Rumors: Iwakuma, Matsui, Duchscherer
The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser has some updates regarding Oakland's offseason plans:
- Oakland increased its offer to Japanese righty Hisashi Iwakuma, but the two sides were still unable to agree on a deal. Iwakuma was looking for around $12MM per season, and the A's were unwilling to spend more than $36MM, including the posting fee. The A's will have interest in Iwakuma again next offseason, when he is a free agent and doesn't require a posting fee. However, relations may be strained after Iwakuma's agent Don Nomura told the AP the A's "never showed any respect" toward his client.
- The A's may take the $19.1MM posting fee that will be returned and focus on other areas, including Hideki Matsui. Oakland GM Billy Beane met with Matui's agent, Arn Tellem, Monday at the Winter Meetings. According to Slusser, Matsui has "strong interest" in playing for the A's. Derrek Lee and Nick Johnson are potential alternatives.
- According to this tweet from Slusser, if the A's look to add a veteran starter, it may be a familiar face, coming in the form of Justin Duchscherer.
Cubs Close To One-Year Deal With Pena
This post was originally published on Dec. 8, 2010.
The Cubs are closing in on a one-year deal with Carlos Pena, writes MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. She adds, via Twitter, that the deal is believed to be for $10MM.
Pena, 33 next May, saw his average slip below the Mendoza Line in 2010, totaling a line of .196/.325/.407. While the average and strikeout rate (32.6%) are concerns, Pena still managed to hit 28 home runs. That he managed a .325 OBP with a sub-.200 average speaks well to his plate discipline (14.9 BB%), and his average was unquestionably deflated by a career-low .222 BABIP.
Earlier, it was believed that Pena and agent Scott Boras were looking for a two- or three-year deal, which would be unsurprising in what's shaping up to be a players' market.