Archives for April 2010

No Contract Talks For Martinez During Season

By Mike Axisa | April 3, 2010 at 9:38am CDT

Victor Martinez doesn't want there to be any talks about a new contract with the Red Sox during the season, according to Scott Lauber of The Boston Herald.

“During the season, I really have enough to worry about, just playing the game,” Martinez said. “I don’t want any distractions.”

The switch-hitting catcher has maintained that he would like to remain in Boston beyond the 2010 season, but there haven't been any talks about a new deal during a Spring Training. Lauber mentions that there are reasons for Boston's apparent hesitation, including Martinez's less than stellar defense and poor throwing arm.

The 31-year-old catcher hit .336/.405/.507 after coming over from the Indians at the trade deadline, setting career highs in games played (155) and plate appearances (672) as well. The Red Sox picked up Martinez's $7.6MM option back in November.

Tim previewed V-Mart's impending free agency earlier this offseason.

Dodgers Release Doug Mientkiewicz

By Mike Axisa | April 3, 2010 at 9:03am CDT

The Dodgers have finally released first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz according to Steve Dilbeck of The Los Angeles Times, almost a week after he requested the move. Mientkiewicz was informed that he did not make the team last weekend, but the Dodgers kept him around in case Garret Anderson got hurt before Opening Day.

The 35-year-old Mientkiewicz appeared in just 20 games for LA last year because of a dislocated shoulder, and his performance in camp left much to be desired. Although he's best known as a slick fielding first baseman, he also spent time at third base and in rightfield for the Pirates in 2008. The Dodgers signed Mientkiewicz to a minor league deal in December that would have paid him a base salary of $550K in the big leagues.

Odds & Ends: Posey, Jamey Wright, Lugo, Hart

By Luke Adams 2 | April 2, 2010 at 9:20pm CDT

Let's take a look at a few more assorted Friday links….

After seeing Mike Leake earn a spot in the Reds' rotation without pitching in the minors, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon lists the other 20 drafted players who once made the leap straight to the show.
The Giants officially optioned Buster Posey to Triple A Fresno, writes Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Earlier today, we looked at a potential timeline for when we could see Posey in the majors.
Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets that the Indians will pay $900K to purchase Jamey Wright's minor league contract. Wright had a provision in his deal that allowed him to opt out if he wasn't on the big league roster by today.
Julio Lugo expects to see a good deal of playing time in Baltimore, according to the Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec.
Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas says that the Rangers anticipate a "continued improvement" from Scott Feldman over the course of the contract they signed him to today. In a separate piece, MacMahon notes that recent addition Ryan Garko will have his playing time dictated, to a certain extent, by how Chris Davis fares early on against lefties.
Corey Hart doesn't intend to let recent trade rumors involving him become a distraction, according to Anthony Witrado of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Discussion: Lance Berkman

By Luke Adams 2 | April 2, 2010 at 8:58pm CDT

The Houston Astros will be faced with a decision regarding Lance Berkman's future at some point this year. The club holds a $15MM 2011 option for Berkman, and will have to figure out whether they want to retain their switch-hitting slugger or pay him a $2MM buyout.

Berkman and teammate Roy Oswalt have represented the faces of the franchise since the days of Bagwell and Biggio, and the Astros have long resisted entering rebuilding mode. After their payroll exceeded $100MM in 2009, the club spent another $30MM on Major League free agent contracts this winter. Declining Berkman's option could indicate a commitment to the rebuilding process, and may be the prudent financial move as well. Last season, the 34-year-old battled injuries and posted career lows in batting average and slugging percentage, hitting .274/.399/.509.

Berkman, for his part, has talked about seeing "what else is out there" if Houston declines his option. If he were to become a free agent next offseason, Berkman would be an interesting case. 2011's first base class is significantly less enticing than 2012's, which could potentially include Albert Pujols, Adrian Gonzalez, Prince Fielder, and Ryan Howard. Next winter, Berkman's competition in free agency would likely be players such as Derrek Lee, Adam Dunn, Carlos Pena, and Adam LaRoche. Considering the knee problems Berkman has already experienced this spring, it's plausible that he could follow the career trajectory of someone like Vladimir Guerrero, a still-dangerous hitter whose age and health questions have diminished his value.

A plethora of scenarios could play out before Opening Day 2011. Do you see the Astros declining Berkman's option, or perhaps even trying to trade him this season, should they fall out of contention? If Berkman enjoys a relatively healthy 2010 campaign, what sort of contract might he earn next winter, on the verge of turning 35?

Reds Notes: Wells, Chapman, Leake, Balentien, Miles

By Luke Adams 2 | April 2, 2010 at 7:12pm CDT

A few Reds-related items to round up:

The team has released Kip Wells, according to the club's official Twitter page. They had signed the veteran right-hander to a minor league deal earlier in the winter.
Aroldis Chapman is among the players listed in the same tweet that will head to the Reds' Triple A affiliate in Louisville.
Mike Leake, Cincinnati's first round pick in last year's draft, has earned a spot in the rotation as the team's fifth starter, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. Sheldon points out that Leake will be the first drafted pitcher to skip the Minor Leagues entirely since Darren Dreifort, and ESPN.com's Rob Neyer adds that no starting pitcher has pulled off the feat since Jim Abbott in 1989.
John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that Wladimir Balentien and Aaron Miles remain on the roster for now, but will not be on the team. GM Walt Jocketty says that the club will try to trade them in the next few days, if possible. Fay adds in a tweet that the pair will be designated for assignment on Sunday.

Rangers No Longer Interested In Lowell

By Luke Adams 2 | April 2, 2010 at 5:35pm CDT

In an appearance on Jim Bowden's XM 175 radio show today, Rangers GM Jon Daniels confirmed that his club no longer has any interest in acquiring Mike Lowell from the Red Sox (link goes to Bowden's Twitter). Daniels says that the team's addition of Ryan Garko off waivers eliminated their need for Lowell.

We had heard conflicting reports regarding Lowell's status lately, with one report stating that talks with the Rangers were heating up, while Sox GM Theo Epstein said there had been little action on the Lowell trade front. Texas had, of course, worked out a deal to acquire Lowell earlier in the winter before it was nixed due to questions about the 36-year-old's health.

A week ago, it appeared that the Rangers and Marlins were the primary candidates to trade for Lowell. However, the Marlins denied any interest, and now that the Rangers have followed suit, it's looking increasingly likely that Lowell will be a Red Sox for the foreseeable future.

Rangers Extend Scott Feldman Through 2012

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 2, 2010 at 4:06pm CDT

The Rangers have extended Scott Feldman through 2012, according to a team press release. The contract, which guarantees Feldman $13.925MM, includes a club option for 2013 and supersedes the $2.425MM deal the sides agreed to in January for the upcoming season.

Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has the details (via Twitter): Feldman makes $2.425MM in 2010, $4.4MM in 2011 and $6.5MM in 2012. The Rangers can pick up a $9.2MM option up for 2013 or buy Feldman out for $600K.

Feldman, 27, was entering his first arbitration season, so the deal buys out all three of his arbitration years and gives the Rangers the option of retaining him for his first free agent season.

Feldman gets $13.325MM for his three arbitration years, which is less than Fausto Carmona ($13.75MM), Ian Snell ($14MM) or Ervin Santana (17.8MM) got for the same chunk of their careers. Those three pitchers recently signed extensions covering their arb years, too.

Robert Andino’s Uncertain Future

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 2, 2010 at 4:00pm CDT

Robert Andino is out of options and the Orioles just added Julio Lugo, so as MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli reports, Andino's future with the Orioles is anything but certain. The Orioles aren't likely to carry two middle infield backups, but they would have to pass Andino through waivers before sending the 25-year-old to the minors. The O's have two days to set their Opening Day roster and that makes Andino a trade candidate. President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail told Ghiroli that the club is considering a number of options.

"We will see how that plays out," MacPhail said. "We still have some moving pieces, and we will see how that shakes out here in the next week."

A week ago, the Rangers would have seemed like a logical fit for Andino, who has experience around the infield. The Rangers have since added Andres Blanco, who promptly won the team's utility infield job. At this point, the Rangers' interest in Andino presumably depends in part on the team's confidence that Ian Kinsler's sprained ankle will soon heal.

Royals Acquire Luis Mendoza

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 2, 2010 at 3:32pm CDT

The Royals acquired Luis Mendoza from the Rangers for cash considerations, according to a team press release. The 26-year-old right-hander pitched 111.1 innings for Triple A Oklahoma City last year, posting a 4.53 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9. He got roughed up in his lone big league appearance last season, when he allowed four earned runs in one innings for the Rangers.

Mendoza was out of options, which meant the Rangers couldn't have assigned him to the minors without passing him through waivers first. The Royals placed Mendoza on their 40-man roster, which is now full.

Odds & Ends: Rays, Reds, Pettitte, Robertson

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 2, 2010 at 2:40pm CDT

Here are some links for the day…

Rays GM Andrew Friedman told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that he "doesn't expect" to go outside of the organization for bullpen help (Twitter link). The Rays already added Virgil Vasquez today.
Reds GM Walt Jocketty told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that the team could make a midseason deal or two.
Andy Pettitte hinted to the YES Network's Jack Curry that this may be his last season. The lefty says he wants to spend more time with his family.
Nate Robertson tells Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald that he's glad to be back in Florida, especially since he's surrounded by a number of former Tigers.
Jayson Werth says he isn't thinking about his upcoming contract year, but Phillies hitting coach Milt Thompson told Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer that it can become a distraction for lots of players.
Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Chronicle says Buster Posey will likely start the year in the minors, partly because the Giants wouldn't mind slowing down the catcher's service time clock.
Johnny Damon tells the Associated Press that he has been impressed with the Tigers this spring.
Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that the team's front office has been a "pleasant surprise" so far.

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