Brendan Bianowicz has one more big update to our GM Trade History Series. Check out the AL West spreadsheets below for GM information on trades, free agent signings, and more.
Archives for January 2010
Odds & Ends: Schumaker, Chapman, Thome
Sunday linkage…
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reflects on Eric Byrnes' time with the D'Backs.
- Skip Schumaker tells MLB.com's Matthew Leach that he and the Cardinals are nearing an agreement on a 2010 contract.
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweets that the Marlins were willing to offer $20MM to Aroldis Chapman.
- MLB.com's Scott Merkin writes that a handful of teams have contacted Jim Thome, including the Rays, though nothing is imminent.
- Owner Tom Ricketts defended general manager Jim Hendry this Saturday at the Cubs' annual convention, according to Melissa Isaacson of ESPNChicago.com.
- Shi Davidi from the Canadian Press spoke with both Justin Morneau and Jeff Francis at Baseball Canada's Annual Awards Banquet Saturday. Morneau expects to begin full workouts in a couple of weeks as a season-ending stress fracture in his back appears to have healed without issue. Francis is recovering from shoulder surgery but expects to be ready for Spring Training.
- Bill Ladson tweets that Ryan Zimmerman thinks the Nationals are having their best offseason since he's been with the organization. Some of the larger moves we've seen the Nats make include signing Jason Marquis, Matt Capps, and Ivan Rodriguez, in addition to trading for Brian Bruney.
- Eric Chavez told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he is comfortable with shifting to a utility role after the addition of third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff.
- Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter) "overheard" that the Brewers will sign at least one more pitcher. Recently, Milwaukee outrighted pitcher Omar Aguilar to Triple-A, though assistant GM Gord Ash claimed it wasn't in anticipation of an acquisition.
- ESPN's Buster Olney writes that the Marlins didn't give Josh Johnson an extension just to appease the "Powers That Be". Those within the organization expected the deal to get done well before the joint press release from the commissioner's office and the players' union.
- Olney also writes that the Marlins are still looking for bullpen help and will sift through the remaining free agent relievers, including Kiko Calero. Florida declined to offer arbitration to Calero, to avoid giving him a raise on his $500K salary in 2009.
Olney On Mauer, Byrnes, Marlins
ESPN.com's Buster Olney explains that fans aren't nearly as preoccupied with performance-enhancing drugs in baseball as they were a few years ago. Here are some hot stove-related notes:
- Olney hears that the Twins are still optimistic about signing Joe Mauer long-term. The catcher is less than a year away from hitting the open market, but that's more than enough time for the sides to reach an agreement.
- D'Backs GM Josh Byrnes takes responsibility for the Eric Byrnes deal. However, Olney hears that ownership decided to sign the left fielder for $30MM.
- As we noted earlier today, the Marlins wanted to sign Josh Johnson before MLB and the MLBPA called them out for their spending habits. Now that they've locked up their ace, the Marlins are looking to add to their bullpen.
How Did Type A Free Agents Do This Winter?
You'd think it would be a good thing to be identified as a premium player at your position, but Type A status is more of a curse than a blessing for some free agents. Teams have to give up a top pick to sign Type A free agents who turn down arbitration, and that scares some clubs away. GMs covet high draft picks since they can become cheap, young contributors within a couple years, so there's a league-wide reluctance to hand over top picks for Type A free agents who aren't elite players.
That's not an issue for Mark Teixeira types – teams will want to sign Hall of Fame caliber talent no matter what – but the Elias system doesn't rank players the way front offices do, so the market for some players is limited by their Type A status. Ask Juan Cruz and Orlando Hudson about the effect the Elias Rankings can have on a player's contract.
This year, however, those who declined arbitration don't have reason to regret their decisions. All the Type A free agents below had multiple suitors and all but Billy Wagner signed multi-year deals. This doesn't mean teams are willing to hand over top picks. Instead it's likely an indication that agents are only letting Type As decline arbitration offers if the players are sure to attract lots of interest on the market.
But players aren't necessarily handcuffed by the Elias rankings. Some, like Justin Duchscherer and Orlando Cabrera, have negotiated clauses into their contracts that forbid their teams from offering arbitration if they're designated Type A free agents.
Here's a complete look at the deals signed by the group of Type A free agents who turned down their teams' offers of arbitration this winter.
- Matt Holliday signed a seven-year $120MM deal.
- John Lackey signed a five-year $82.5MM deal.
- Jason Bay signed a four-year $66MM deal.
- Chone Figgins signed a four-year $36MM deal.
- Jose Valverde signed a two-year $14MM deal.
- Marco Scutaro signed a two-year $12.5MM deal.
- Mike Gonzalez signed a two-year $12MM deal.
- Billy Wagner signed a one-year $7MM deal.
Week In Review: 1/10/10 – 1/16/10
Here's your look back at the signings, trades, and other rumors of the past week:
- Things kicked off with a bang last Sunday, as the Reds made a surprising surge for Aroldis Chapman and signed the coveted lefty to a six-year, $30.25MM deal. While it's a lot of money for someone who's never thrown a pitch in the Majors and still needs development, I like the gamble for Cincinnati. As many have pointed out, the future of the Reds' rotation is impressive to say the least.
- One big trade this week, as the Athletics acquired Kevin Kouzmanoff from the Padres in a four-player deal. Kouzmanoff and minor leaguer Eric Sogard make their way to Oakland, with Scott Hairston being sent back to San Diego along with Aaron Cunningham. Kouzmanoff's a nice player, but a prospect like Cunningham is a steep price to pay. San Diego got a much nicer return than I'd have expected for Kouzmanoff.
- After all the talk about not wanting to guarantee Josh Johnson four years, the Marlins did just that, locking up their ace on a four-year extension. Johnson's contract will pay him $39MM, nearly the exact same deal signed by AL Cy Young winner Zack Greinke last offseason. This comes on the heels of some criticism from the MLB and MLBPA, though the Marlins had re-opened negotiations with Johnson prior to that news.
- Another of the NL's best young players signed a multi-year deal this week, when Matt Kemp signed a two-year, $11MM contract with the Dodgers, avoiding arbitration. Kemp's just one of several arbitration-eligible Dodgers, who are said to be discussing two-year deals for Andre Ethier, Jonathan Broxton, and James Loney.
- Shortly after declining a two-year, $17MM deal from San Francisco, Adam LaRoche signed a one-year deal worth just $6MM with the Diamondbacks. LaRoche has said he prefers Chase Field's dimensions to those of AT&T Park, which is understandable. However, he's going to find himself on a free agent market that includes several other productive first basemen next year. Even with a big year, the competition on the market could limit his payday. Arizona DFA'ed Eric Byrnes to make room for LaRoche.
- The Giants acted quickly after being turned down by LaRoche. San Francisco signed Aubrey Huff to a one-year deal worth $3MM. Given the team's other versatile options such as Pablo Sandoval and Mark DeRosa, it's tough to say that this move is a legitimate upgrade for the Giants. Still, it's a low-risk deal and if Huff can rediscover some of the magic he's shown with the Rays and O's in the past, the deal has the potential to be a great one.
- After several years of less-than-stellar closers in Detroit, the Tigers landed a big name for the ninth inning when they agreed to terms with Jose Valverde on a two-year, $14MM deal with a $9MM option for a third year. Detroit sacrifices its 19th overall pick in the draft next season. Houston will also receive a supplemental round pick for their loss, the 34th overall.
- The Pirates also added to their bullpen this week. They agreed to terms with both Brendan Donnelly and D.J. Carrasco, and are close to signing Octavio Dotel. Dotel will presumably fill the ninth-inning void in Pittsburgh. It was a busy week for the Buccos, who also added Ryan Church on a one-year, $1.5MM deal this week.
- The Rangers agreed to a two-year, $5MM contract with Colby Lewis this week. Lewis was flat-out dominant for the past two seasons in Japan; several teams had interest, but Lewis ended up back in Texas, where he was drafted.
- Perhaps the most talented pitcher left on the market, though also one of the riskiest, will throw for teams on Tuesday this week. Ben Sheets says that teams are "going to like what they see," and if he's healthy, then he's probably correct. The Rangers, Cubs, Cardinals, Dodgers, Brewers, and Mets will all be in attendance, in addition to some other unnamed teams.
- MLBTR keeps coming up with new ways to bring you all of the news and rumors about your favorite teams. This week, we introduced team-specific RSS and Twitter feeds, for those who would prefer not to sift through every last rumor for info on their favorite clubs.
Cafardo On Washburn, Garland, Marlins
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe spoke to Red Sox hitting coach Dave Magadan who talked about free agent pickups Mike Cameron and Adrian Beltre. Let's take a look at his news and notes from around the majors:
- Free agent pitcher Jarrod Washburn could have a suitor in the Milwaukee Brewers. Back in November the lefty said that the Brewers were one of the teams "on his radar". Cafardo also writes that none of the free agent pitchers on the market should expect a commitment similar to Randy Wolf's three-year, $30MM deal.
- Meanwhile, Jon Garland could be a fit for the Giants, who are still looking to add a starter, although we heard otherwise on Friday this week. Recently we heard that the Dodgers contacted his agent, though they still appear to be hamstrung by their financial situation.
- Cafardo believes that Scott Boras played a role in MLB and the players' union coming down on the Marlins' thin payroll. Boras told him during the general managers' meetings in November that the Marlins were pocketing their revenue-sharing and central-fund sourcing money. Meanwhile, Cafardo wonders aloud how the Pirates have avoided similar scrutiny from the union and MLB.
Giants Notes: Byrnes, Winn, LaRoche
Let's take a look at some Giants-related tidbits courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle's John Shea..
- Eric Byrnes, who was recently designated for assignment by the D-Backs, told Shea that San Francisco would be the "best fit" for him geographically. Byrnes grew up a Giants fan and makes his offseason home in the Bay Area. The 33-year-old outfielder also admitted that he's not in a position to call himself an everyday player.
- Shea floats ex-Giant Randy Winn as an option for the Mets should they seek someone to fill-in while Carlos Beltran recovers from surgery.
- Adam LaRoche turned down a two-year, $17MM offer from the Giants to sign with the Arizona, where he may receive as little as $6MM for one year. LaRoche said that one reason for his decision was that he preferred Chase Field's hitting conditions to AT&T Park.
Odds & Ends: Kouzmanoff, Taguchi, Draft
Some links on this frosty Saturday night…
- Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic spoke to Diamondbacks general manager Josh Byrnes, who took full responsibility for Eric Byrnes' three-year, $30MM contract. Arizona designated Byrnes for assignment on Friday.
- The Rays have four remaining arbitration-eligible players in Jason Bartlett, Matt Garza, J.P. Howell, and B.J. Upton. The club will stick with their policy of cutting off negotiations after exchanging figures, which happens at noon on Tuesday, writes Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Tampa Bay does this to try to bring about a settlement and to avoid settling at an artificial midpoint between the two figures.
- Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com isn't terribly upset that the O's weren't the club to land Kevin Kouzmanoff. Kubatko understands frustrations over the Orioles' lack of production at third, but notes that the 28-year-old's offensive production was nothing to write home about in 2009. Kouzmanoff hit .255/.302/.420 with 18 HRs for the Padres last season.
- As we heard earlier today, a committee is being formed to work on changes to the amateur draft. The committee will look into making the draft worldwide and instituting a slotting system. Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues doesn't see any changes being made until after 2011, when the collective bargaining agreement expires.
- The Orix Buffaloes are close to signing So Taguchi, according to a report from Sponichi passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker (via Twitter). The 40-year-old emerged with the Cubs at the end of last season, making 12 plate appearances in six games.
Ben Sheets To Throw For Teams Tuesday
SATURDAY, 8:31pm: The Mets will be in attendance when Sheets throws on Tuesday, according to Ed Price of Fanhouse.com (via Twitter).
Earlier today, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak confirmed to fans and reporters that the club will be in Monroe, Louisiana to watch Sheets as well.
FRIDAY, 4:36pm: Brewers GM Doug Melvin tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the Brewers will watch Sheets next week. Haudricourt suggests the Brewers are just being dilligent.
1:33pm: The Dodgers will watch Sheets pitch, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (via Twitter).
11:42am: The Angels could use Sheets, but will they watch him throw? "Not at this time," GM Tony Reagins tells Bill Shaikin of the LA Times.
8:40am: Cardinals GM John Mozeliak tells Rob Rains of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat that the Cards will "likely" watch Sheets throw.
MLB.com's Jordan Bastian adds the Blue Jays to the list of interested teams.
THURSDAY, 1:52pm: The Rangers will be in attendance on Tuesday, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Sheets and Rich Harden would be a high-upside, high-injury risk pair of rotation additions.
White Sox Avoid Arbitration With Jenks, Quentin
6:58pm: Jenks will make $7.5MM in 2010 while Quentin will make $3.2MM, according to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com. John Danks and Tony Pena are the two remaining arbitration-eligible members of the White Sox.
6:28pm: Bobby Jenks and Carlos Quentin have agreed to terms with the White Sox, according to team VP Scott Reifert (via Twitter).
Around this time last year, Jenks avoided arbitration with the club by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $5.6MM. In 2009 the 28-year-old closer posted a 3.71 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9. Despite having a slightly underwhelming campaign, Jenks threw his fastball at an average of 94.8 MPH, his hardest since 2006.
Meanwhile, plantar fasciitis slowed down Quentin in '09, as he played in just 99 games. In his limited action, the left fielder managed to post .236/.323/.456 with 21 HRs. The 28-year-old Quentin earned $550K last season.
