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Archives for November 2010

Phillies, Contreras Close To Two-Year Deal

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The Phillies and reliever Jose Contreras are close to reaching an agreement on a two-year deal worth $5MM, reports ESPNDeportes.com's Enrique Rojas. The deal also includes an option for a third year plus performance based incentives.

Contreras, 39 next month, was very good for the Phillies in 2010, pitching to a 3.34 ERA in 56.2 innings. He struck out 9.1 and walked just 2.5 batters for every nine innings pitched. Earlier this week we heard that the Phillies were "working aggressively" to re-sign him.

Tim Dierkes broke down Contreras' free agent stock back in May, saying that he could be in line for a two-year deal if his strong work as a reliever held up.

Phillies Interested In Hisanori Takahashi

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The Phillies are showing interest in Hisanori Takahashi, reports ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin. Philadelphia declined J.C. Romero's option a few weeks ago, so they're in the market for a left-handed reliever.

The Mets were unable to work out a new contract with Takahashi despite numerous deadline extensions earlier this month, and they were contractually obligated to release him. The 35-year-old is reportedly seeking a three-year deal worth upwards of $15MM coming off his first season in MLB. In 122 innings with New York, he struck out 8.4 men per nine innings and walked 3.2, resulting in a 3.61 ERA. Takahashi made a dozen starts and 41 relief appearances, filling in as closer when Francisco Rodriguez was injured late in the season.

Tim Dierkes examined Takahashi's free agent stock in-depth back in September.

MLBTR Originals: 11/7/10 – 11/14/10

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The GM Meetings are upon us this week, but let's review the original content featured at MLBTR over the last seven days…

Braves’ Pursuit Of A Hitter Could Heat Up Next Week

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The annual GM Meetings will be held this Tuesday and Wednesday in Orlando, and although most of the items on the agenda involve off-the-field issues, the Braves' pursuit of a middle-of-the-order hitter could gain momentum according to Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. GM Frank Wren declined to comment on the team's rumored interest in Dan Uggla, but he did offer this…

"There's a number of things we'd like to do, but with the realization that there's 29 other clubs that want to do things as well," said Wren. "We're hesitant to trade from our base, which we think is getting stronger all the time. That's what is going to sustain us for a long time, and we need to be mindful of that."

O'Brien says Wren made it clear that a right-handed power hitter is a priority, and that said hitter is likely to come through trade rather than free agency. He also acknowledged a desire to add a veteran reliever, unsurprising given Billy Wagner's retirement and the likely departure of Takashi Saito. O'Brien speculates that Colby Rasmus might be the most attractive trade target, though he's a lefty hitter and Wren will certainly have to part with some pieces of his young core to acquire him. 

Week In Review: 11/7/2010 – 11/13/2010

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I doubt that the Marlins were thinking they'd flip the two centerpieces to the Miguel Cabrera/Dontrelle Willis trade for three relievers just three years after making the trade, but sometimes trades don't go as planned, and that's just what we saw this week. Here's your rundown of the last seven days here at MLBTR:

  • The Marlins sent Cameron Maybin to the Padres in exchange for relievers Ryan Webb and Edward Mujica. Maybin, the former centerpiece to their blockbuster deal with the Tigers in 2007, was out of options and would have had to clear waivers to be sent to the minors. He'll likely receive every chance to be San Diego's everyday center fielder.
  • The other centerpiece to that same deal, Andrew Miller, was flipped to Boston in exchange for reliever Dustin Richardson. As I said before, hardly the outcome the Fish had envisioned.
  • Busy week for Oakland! The A's acquired David DeJesus from Kansas City in exchange for Vin Mazzaro and minor leaguer Justin Marks. DeJesus presents an upgrade to Oakland's offense, but isn't exactly an impact bat. The Royals receive a young pitcher they can control for years to come, although Mazzaro's peripherals aren't particularly dazzling.
  • Oakland was able to comfortably move Mazzaro because they'd won the bidding on Hisashi Iwakuma earlier in the week. The A's bid about $17MM for Iwakuma and now must negotiate his contract.
  • The A's also signed Dominican outfielder Vicmal de la Cruz for $800K. The 16-year-old topped Blake Bentley's list of Dominican prospects for MLBTR this past July. Baseball America's Ben Badler had high praise for the center fielder as well. The A's also claimed Edwin Encarnacion from the Blue Jays this week and are rumored to have interest in Lance Berkman.
  • The Dodgers are closing in on a one-year deal with Hiroki Kuroda worth $12MM. I'm surprised to see Kuroda signing for just one year, as he's one of the best names available on the free agent market. If the deal gets done, it'll be a nice bargain for the club and provide them with a strong 1-4 in its rotation.
  • The D'Backs are nearing a two-year deal with Geoff Blum that's reportedly worth just over $2MM. I'm not sure why Arizona felt they needed to guarantee Blum two years, or sign him this early, but it's not a move that will cripple them even if it flops.
  • Iwakuma wasn't the only Japanese name in the news this week. The Braves outrighted Kenshin Kawakami to Double-A, removing him from their 40-man roster. We also learned that Japanese batting champ Tsuyoshi Nishioka is hoping to be posted. The 26-year-old can play either middle infield position and would draw plenty of interest. Akinori Iwamura reached a deal with Iwakuma's former team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles, this week as well.
  • The Marlins broke off extension talks with Dan Uggla this week and are now measuring trade interest in the slugger. Earlier today, Buster Olney reported that the Jays would be the favorites to land Uggla's services in a trade. The Tigers are also interested.
  • The Tigers are also interested in Victor Martinez, though they're not the only team. The Red Sox are prioritizing V-Mart, along with Adrian Beltre. If they miss out on Martinez, Boston may turn to John Buck.
  • Both Jeff Francoeur and Brian Bannister elected free agency this week; they both were locks to be non-tendered anyway.
  • The Yankees' main target may be Cliff Lee, but they're also interested in Jorge de la Rosa. We also heard they're planning on offering Derek Jeter $45-$60MM.
  • We've heard that there's a good chance Aubrey Huff winds up back with the Giants, but he'll at least have a decision on his hands. He's received offers from several clubs.
  • The Phillies signed both Eddie Bonine and Erik Kratz to minor league deals this week, but there were far more minor transactions than that. Be sure to check out our Transactions section for all of this week's minor moves!

International Links: Nishioka, Twins, Blanco

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Patrick Newman from NPB Tracker and MLBTR's Nick Collias relay some information from foreign sources:

  • According to Newman, the Chiba Lotte Marines made a conditional agreement last offseason to allow Tsuyoshi Nishioka to move to MLB. This explains the otherwise puzzling move to post Nishioka coming off his strongest season, with three years left before he's eligible for free agency. Newman says the decision to post Nishioka will be resolved by the 17th.
  • According to this article (translated by Collias), the Twins signed right-handed reliever Yorman Bazardo to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. The 26-year-old has previously been with the Marlins, Tigers, Mariners, and Astros organizations. He's seen 60 1/3 innings in the big leagues, but hasn't duplicated his minor league success (3.89 ERA, 2.6 BB/9, 5.4 K/9 in 1091 innings).
  • In a second article translated by Collias, we hear that the Rangers have told Andres Blanco that they view him as either an outfielder or catcher, but no longer as an infielder. The 26-year-old will work out at both positions in the Venezuelan winter leagues to try to earn another spot with the Rangers. In 68 games (185 PAs) this season, Blanco hit .277/.330/.349 while backing up Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus.

Jays The Favorite For Uggla, Rox Priced Out?

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After having their four-year, $48MM extension offer to Dan Uggla rejected, the Marlins seem intent on trading their second baseman. Uggla has his faults; he's not a gifted defender, strikes out in more than one of every four plate appearances for his career, and he's due a nice raise on his $7.8MM salary for 2010. What Uggla does best is hit the ball far, and hit the ball hard. He's never hit fewer than 27 home runs, and has topped 31 long balls in each of the past four seasons.

ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that two rival executives have told him Toronto would be the favorite to acquire Uggla in a trade, should the Marlins indeed follow through on their trade intentions.

The Blue Jays may not seem the most apparent fit at first, given Aaron Hill's presence, however they could intend on moving Uggla to third base. And Uggla certainly fits in with the Blue Jays' mold from 2010. Toronto led the Majors with 257 home runs, and the club parted ways with third baseman Edwin Encarnacion earlier in the week.

Toronto also has a depth of pitching talent available, something that other teams no doubt covet. While the Marlins have acquired three young relievers in the past week (Ryan Webb, Edward Mujica, and Dustin Richardson), they'll no doubt still be on the lookout for young, controllable talent in any return for Uggla.

In a second tweet, Olney also notes that the Rockies were interested in acquiring Uggla midseason in 2010, but the Marlins slugger is likely to be too expensive for their tastes now.

Terry Collins Favorite To Manage Mets?

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1:35pm: In this series of tweets, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News tweets that there's no clear favorite between Collins and Melvin, but that Tim Teufel could fit as a first base coach. If Collins is hired as the manager, Melvin could still fit as a bench coach, according to Martino. Chip Hale will likely be retained regardless of the managerial decision, and the Mets may go outside the organization for their hitting coach.

In a second tweet, Rubin seems to agree as he offers up his prediction for the Mets' coaching staff: Collins managing, Melvin as the bench coach, Teufel at first base, Hale at third base, and Dan Warthen as the pitching coach.

12:51pm: When the Pirates hired Clint Hurdle, it left the Mets as baseball's only team without a manager and reduced their list of candidates by one. While the team has yet to finish conducting interviews, Terry Collins has emerged as the favorite to land the job, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.

Collins and Hurdle, along with Bob Melvin, were rumored to be the leading candidates for the Mets' job, with a handful of other names also in the mix. Rubin tweeted yesterday that he keeps hearing Collins mentioned as the team's most likely choice, and today confirmed Collins' front-runner status with a club source. The former Astros and Angels skipper has many supporters in the Mets organization, including Jeff Wilpon and Paul DePodesta.

Pirates Hire Clint Hurdle

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The Pirates have hired Clint Hurdle to fill their managerial opening, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter). The deal is for three years, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (Twitter link) adds that the team will hold a press conference on Monday to make the official announcement.

Hurdle managed the Rockies from April 2002 to May of 2009, before being hired as the Rangers' hitting coach last offseason. During his time in Colorado, Hurdle compiled a 534-625 (.457) record, leading the club to the World Series once, in 2007.

Earlier this month, Pittsburgh narrowed their managerial search to two finalists – Hurdle and internal candidate Jeff Banister. Yesterday, Rosenthal reported that the Pirates had ramped up their efforts to land Hurdle.

With the hiring, Hurdle is of course out of the running for the Mets' managerial opening. In a separate tweet, Heyman suggests that New York's list of finalists will include Terry Collins, Bob Melvin, and perhaps Chip Hale, with Jose Oquendo to be interviewed tomorrow.

Sherman On Crawford, Angels, Tigers, Greinke

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In his latest Hardball piece for the New York Post, Joel Sherman previews the upcoming GM meetings and look specifically at what to expect for a few top free agents and trade targets. Here are some of the highlights:

  • "Three teams with money will definitely be bidding" on Carl Crawford, according to an American League insider. Those three teams? The Red Sox, Tigers, and Angels.
  • People around baseball expect the Angels to spend big this winter, with one of Sherman's sources indicating that it wouldn't surprise him to see the Halos end up with Crawford, Rafael Soriano, and Adrian Beltre.
  • Several executives believe the Tigers will make a play for two bats from the top tier of free agents, which includes Crawford, Jayson Werth, Adam Dunn, and Victor Martinez.
  • Sherman predicts that Werth will sign a contract that lands somewhere in between the deals signed by Jason Bay and Matt Holliday a year ago. Five years and $90MM is the estimate from Sherman.
  • According to an NL exec, a Zack Greinke trade may be unlikely because the Royals "are starting from a position of not wanting to trade [Greinke], and when you start there, it is hard to get anywhere." Still, Sherman names the Rangers as a team to watch in the Greinke sweepstakes, particularly if Cliff Lee signs elsewhere.

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