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Archives for November 2010

Rockies Release Manny Corpas

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The Rockies released reliever Manny Corpas, reports Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.  Corpas, 27, had Tommy John surgery in September.  He'd also undergone surgery to remove bone chips in that elbow in July of '09.  $3.75MM remains on his contract, which he signed in February of '08.

This year Corpas posted a 4.62 ERA, 6.8 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 1.0 HR/9 and 42.5% groundball rate, picking up ten saves.  The Rockies locked him up after his best season, several years before he would have been arbitration eligible.  It was just unnecessary.

Odds & Ends: De La Rosa, Mariners, Thames

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Links for Tuesday, as the GM Meetings commence in Orlando and we await the announcement of the NL Cy Young winner…

Orioles, 11 Others Eyeing Adrian Beltre

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The market for free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre is hot, tweets SI's Jon Heyman, and the Orioles "seem very interested."  Heyman tweets that a dozen teams are interested in the Scott Boras client.  Last week Boras told MLB Network Radio hosts Casey Stern and Jim Bowden regarding Beltre, "I would have to say in my years of doing this I’ve never had so much interest in one player."  Heyman believes Beltre could be the first star to go off the board, but I'd still be surprised to see him sign before December.

In addition to the contract, the Orioles would have to surrender their second-round pick to sign Beltre.  There is recent precedent for that; they gave their second-round pick (#53 overall) to the Braves a year ago to sign Mike Gonzalez.

Beltre, ranked third on our Top 50 Free Agents list, is far and away the best available third baseman this winter.  In addition to the Orioles, the Red Sox, Angels, Blue Jays, Indians, Athletics, and Giants could be looking for help at the hot corner.  Even the Pirates were said a week ago by Heyman to have interest in Beltre, but not all the clubs named here will be willing to go four or five years at $15MM or more per season.

Yankees Interested In Pedro Feliciano

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The Yankees expressed interest in lefty reliever Pedro Feliciano, tweets Ken Davidoff of Newsday.  The rubber-armed 34-year-old figures to be popular this winter, with the Phillies, Angels, Mets, and others also seeking left-handed relief.  The question for the Yankees, notes Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues, is whether they're willing to commit multiple years and a $3MM+ salary to Feliciano or a similar veteran given the money they already owe to Damaso Marte and Boone Logan.

Feliciano led the National League in appearances in each of the last three seasons.  His detractors will suggest he's been overworked; his agents at MDR Sports Management will say it's proof of his durability.  One Feliciano trait that cannot be argued: he's very tough on lefties.

Team Facebook Pages

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This post is a reminder that MLBTR now has team Facebook pages.  We were already on Facebook, of course, but now we have 30 separate pages for those who are only looking to receive and comment on rumors related to their favorite club.  Click your team below, hit the Like button to sign up, and enjoy!

AL East

AL Central

AL West

NL East

NL Central

NL West

Anthopoulos Talks Encarnacion, Buck

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Alex Anthopoulos spoke to Jeff Blair of The Fan 590 before his plane took off for Orlando yesterday, and the Blue Jays GM said he was trying to get a signing done right before the radio show call.  Some have speculated on Manny Ramirez, who's been hanging out in Toronto lately, while others point out that at the very least the Jays would wait a week until after the White Sox have declined to offer him arbitration.  At this point we know Manny likes the Blue Jays but not whether interest is mutual.  It does appear Manny needs the Jays more than they need him.  If a Blue Jays signing of any kind is to happen before the 23rd, it'd have to be a free agent not ranked as a Type A.

Anthopoulos went on to say that his talks with agents over the last week suggest the free agent market might move faster than in years past, as people "try to jump out early and get things done."

On the topic of Edwin Encarnacion, Anthopoulos explained that the third baseman is in line for an arbitration raise of $1-2MM on top of this year's $4.75MM salary.  That salary, plus Encarnacion's desire to play every day, wasn't a fit for the Jays.  Encarnacion was claimed by the Athletics, but he could still be non-tendered on December 2nd.  Anthopoulos has not closed the door in the event that happens.

Anthopoulos described the market for John Buck as "very, very strong" after talking to his agents at ACES.  He says Buck is "sitting on years and dollars that might be a little steep for us," but that the catcher's agents will give the Jays a chance to match before he signs.  We saw extra contract years tossed around for multiple free agent catchers last year; could a 30-year-old Buck find a three-year deal?

Tigers Nearing Deal With Joaquin Benoit

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The Tigers are nearing a three-year deal with reliever Joaquin Benoit, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Morosi tweets that the contract "is in [the] final stages of discussion."     

Benoit signed a minor league deal with the Rays in February and was one of baseball's best bargains.  The righty posted a 1.34 ERA, 11.2 K/9, 1.6 BB/9, 0.9 HR/9, and 38.9% groundball rate in 60 1/3 innings.  The 33-year-old was available cheaply because he was coming off rotator cuff surgery performed in January of 2009.  This time around, the Tigers had to pay full sticker price.

Amateur Signing Bonuses: Nationals

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Time to wrap up our amateur signing bonus series with a trip to the nation's capitol…

  1. Stephen Strasburg, $7.5MM (2009)
  2. Bryce Harper, $6.25MM (2010)
  3. Ryan Zimmerman, $2.975MM (2006)
  4. Justin Wayne, $2.95MM (2000)
  5. Josh Karp, $2.65MM (2001)

Having the first overall pick in back-to-back years can get pretty expensive, especially if there happens to be one of the best and most-hyped prospects in draft history available each year.

By all accounts, Strasburg is the greatest pitching prospect in draft history, and he was paid as such. His bonus is the largest in draft history by more than a million bucks, and the total value of his four-year big league contract is $15.1MM, again the largest in draft history. He zoomed right through the minors as expected, putting just 44 men on base while striking out 65 in 55 1/3 innings before being called up on June 18th. Strasburg famously struck out 14 Pirates in his major league debut, and perhaps more famously will miss just about the entire 2011 season after needing Tommy John surgery. In a dozen starts with the Nats, Strasburg posted a 2.91 ERA with 12.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9.

Harper wasn't the greatest position player prospect in draft history, but he was certainly hyped as such. His signing bonus is tied with Donavan Tate for the second largest in draft history, and the total value of his five-year contract is $9.9MM. That's the record for non-pitchers, and Washington immediately moved Harper out from behind the plate and into right field to help him get the majors sooner. Although didn't play during the regular season after signing, Harper is hitting .323/.400/.613 in 31 at-bats in the Arizona Fall League.

For all the promise Strasburg and Harper have to offer, Zimmerman is the best player in the young history of the Washington Nationals. He was the fourth overall pick in 2005 and needed just 269 plate appearances in the minors (.336/.377/.564) before reaching the big leagues later that year. Zimmerman has been the team's regular third baseman ever since, and is a .288/.355/.484 career hitter. The performance is ever better over the last two years: .299/.375/.518.

Wayne was the fifth overall pick in the century's first draft, though his time with the then-Expos lasted just two years. He pitched to a 2.92 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 259 1/3 minor league innings with the franchise before being traded to the Marlins in an eight player deal that was highlighted by Carl Pavano and Cliff Floyd in July 2002. Although he pitched in the big leagues with Florida later that year and in each of the next two, Wayne has been out of baseball since 2005.

The Expos selected Karp sixth overall in 2001, but he certainly didn't give them their money's worth. He pitched to a 4.73 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 475 1/3 minor league innings, and has been out of baseball since having shoulder surgery after the 2005 season. Karp never reached the big leagues.

Cardinals Rumors: Pujols, Uribe, Tejada

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Cardinals GM John Mozeliak would like to begin talks on an Albert Pujols extension "between now and the Christmas holiday," he told Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  Strauss has a source who believes Pujols "is unlikely to revisit the matter once the 2011 season opens."  At the least, Pujols figures to sign the third-largest contract in baseball history whether this winter or as a free agent after the '11 season.

Regarding infield upgrades, Mozeliak told Strauss Sunday that "we probably have more of an emphasis on short than second at this point."  They'd also like a utility infielder to back up David Freese at third base.  Unless Dan Uggla fits into the picture somewhere, free agents Juan Uribe and Miguel Tejada are on the Cardinals' radar according to Strauss.  Though they also have an eye on recently-posted infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Mozeliak "indicated the timing may not be right for the club to make such a heavy commitment for a Pacific Rim player."    

It's becoming more and more clear the Cardinals won't be moving Colby Rasmus; today Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports quoted a source who sees a 99% chance of the center fielder staying put.  Indeed, Mozeliak told Strauss Sunday that Rasmus is "almost impossible to replace."

One note you may have missed from yesterday: the team is growing more optimistic about signing Jake Westbrook, according to Rosenthal.

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