Odds & Ends: Lee, Blue Jays, Mets, Hampton
Here are the rest of the day's links on the 11th anniversary of the Shawn Green–Raul Mondesi trade…
- Darek Braunecker, the agent for Cliff Lee, told the AP (on CBS Sports) that his client is “clearly the best player on the free-agent market.” Hard to argue with that one.
- If the A's reach a deal with Japanese righty Hisashi Iwakuma, they'll have a surplus of arms and a number of suitors for them, so Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea wouldn't be surprised if Oakland flips a starter for some offense this offseason.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson will interview DeMarlo Hale, Clint Hurdle and Don Wakamatsu for the team's managerial opening according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter).
- Andy Martino of the New York Daily News hears that the Mets will also consider internal candidates Tim Teufel and Ken Oberkfell.
- The Blue Jays announced that Wakamatsu will serve as the team's bench coach assuming the Mets don't hire him to be their next manager. Joining Wakamatsu on John Farrell's staff: former AL Cy Young Award winner Pat Hentgen.
- Derrek Lee, who had surgery on a ligament in his right thumb, told Yahoo's Tim Brown that he'd like to sign with a team that has a good chance of reaching the playoffs.
- The Pirates agreed to a minor league deal with left-handed reliever Justin Thomas, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.
- Mike Hampton, who pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings with Arizona last year, wants to pitch again and is drawing interest, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Rockies Interested In Westbrook, Garland, Kuroda
The Rockies are interested in Jake Westbrook, Jon Garland and Hiroki Kuroda and will be in touch with the representatives for all three starters, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). Free agent left-handers Jeff Francis and Jorge de la Rosa may not return to Colorado, so the Rockies are exploring the open market in case they have to look elsewhere to solidify their rotation.
The Dodgers may also have interest in Westbrook, Garland and Kuroda, according to the LA Times. The pitchers figure to be looking for multi-year deals. Last week Garland turned down his side of a $6.75MM option with the Padres, which suggests he'll look for a longer term contract. The Cardinals were discussing an extension with Westbrook last month, but the sides didn't reach a deal.
None of the Rockies' three potential targets will cost a compensation pick; Garland and Kuroda are Type B free agents and Westbrook is not ranked. They are among the more attractive free agent starters other than Cliff Lee, De La Rosa and Carl Pavano. Click here for details on the free agent market for righty and lefty starters.
Athletics Win Bidding On Hisashi Iwakuma
8:03pm: The A's bid about $17MM, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
10:25am: The Athletics won the bidding on Japanese righty Hisashi Iwakuma, MLB announced (via Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports on Twitter). Last night, Iwakuma's agent Don Nomura appeared to tweet the same. The A's now have 30 days to hammer out a contract with Iwakuma. Iwakuma's team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles, are expected to accept the bid, tweets NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman. He adds that the Athletics and Golden Eagles already have a working relationship. The Rangers and Mariners also submitted bids, according to Ken Rosenthal.
There's been speculation that Rakuten wanted roughly $18MM in a posting fee, but we really don't know what the A's bid. Iwakuma could be a fairly risky signing with a contract on top. Rosenthal suggested Saturday that the A's may be trying to create a pitching surplus, which for me conjures memories of their unexpected Esteban Loaiza signing five years ago.
Iwakuma, 30 in April, posted a 2.82 ERA, 6.9 K/9, 1.6 BB/9, and 0.49 HR/9 in 201 innings this year. In August, Newman rated him as "the second best MLB pitching prospect currently active in NPB" in a FanGraphs article. He described Iwakuma as "a fairly standard fastball/slider/forkball righty." ESPN's Keith Law ranked Iwakuma as seventh-best free agent starter available, pegging him as a solid No. 4.
Renteria Open To Playing Second Base
Edgar Renteria told Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes that he would not mind switching to second base if that’s where a potential suitor needs him most (link in Spanish). Renteria says switching to third would be more difficult, but he is confident that he could play second. The 34-year-old has never played second or third base in over 2,000 games at the major league level.
Renteria’s willingness to move to second could lead to offers from teams like the Rockies and Dodgers, who have potential openings at second base and established shortstops.
The World Series MVP's postseason heroics should help him convince teams he can still play despite a forgettable regular season performance. The Colombia native batted .276/.332/.374 in 267 plate appearance last year, battling elbow, groin, hamstring and shoulder injuries. He considered retirement, but recently announced his intention to play in 2011.
Reds Rumors: Cairo, Hernandez, Rhodes, Arroyo
Reds GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he doesn’t expect to sign a big name free agent this winter. Carl Crawford and Cliff Lee will likely be playing elsewhere next year, though the Reds will boost payroll in 2011.
“I’m always trying to do something, but [signing a top free agent] would be pretty tough,” Jocketty said.
The Reds have had preliminary talks with the agents for Miguel Cairo, Ramon Hernandez and Arthur Rhodes, but Jocketty says he hasn’t yet exchanged potential salaries. The Reds have not spoken to Bronson Arroyo about an extension since picking up his option last week and they are not currently discussing long-term deals with Joey Votto or Jay Bruce.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote yesterday that he expected the Reds to complete a two-year extension with Arroyo this week. Jocketty has said he'd like to reach a deal before the 2011 season begins, but the potential contract may not become a priority until later this offseason.
The Marlins’ Offer To Dan Uggla: Part 2
Back in September, the Marlins offered Dan Uggla a three-year deal “in the range of” $24MM, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Uggla should earn $10MM through arbitration next season after hitting 33 homers and posting a career-best .877 OPS in 2010, so the team’s initial offer seemed inadequate, as I pointed out at the time:
“The Marlins' offer does not appear to be worth taking, but the sides have six months before the 2011 season, so the team's proposal is by no means final.”
The Marlins have since doubled the value of their offer and are now prepared to spend $48MM over four years, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. If we assume Uggla is set for a payday of roughly $10MM in 2011, that means the Marlins are offering nearly $13MM per year for Uggla’s age 32-34 seasons. Those would otherwise be free agent years for the second baseman, who can hit the open market after 2011.
Uggla may be able to earn more than $38MM for his 2012-14 production if he hits free agency instead of signing an extension. But the Marlins are willing to offer the money now. For Uggla to have a shot at a $50MM payday next offseason, he would have to stay healthy and continue hitting 30 homers a year.
Uggla hasn’t accepted the Marlins’ offer and if he still wants the five-year $58MM deal he was reportedly seeking earlier in the fall, he may not accept it. That’s his prerogative, of course, but Florida’s offer now seems fair.
Yankees Likely To Offer Jeter $45-60MM
The Yankees are likely to offer Derek Jeter a three-year deal worth $45-60MM, according to Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com. One of Matthews’ sources, someone intimately familiar with knowledge of the team’s negotiations with agent Casey Close, says the Yankees are prepared to “overpay” the shortstop.
No team other than the Yankees has shown interest in Jeter, according to Matthews’ sources. That's not a surprise, considering that Jeter seems likely to re-sign in New York. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote Friday that "Jeter is still Jeter, the Yankees are still the Yankees and no other team will be a factor" [in the negotiations]. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reported that the Yankees are willing to pay Jeter more than any other team would, even though they aren’t going to invest recklessly in their captain.
MLBTR's Tim Dierkes predicted a four-year $65MM deal between Jeter and the Yankees.
Why Most Type A Free Agents Won’t Sign Right Away
Free agents can now negotiate with any team, but it would be a surprise to see more than a few Type As sign in the next two weeks. Clubs forfeit a top draft pick if they sign Type A free agents before the deadline for teams to offer arbitration to departing free agents. That means teams are probably going to wait until after November 23rd to sign Type A free agents who aren't guaranteed offers of arbitration. If the player's former team doesn't offer arbitration he won't cost anything despite his Type A ranking, so the signing team gets to keep its draft pick.
Some Type A free agents – Carl Crawford and Cliff Lee, for example – are definitely getting offers of arbitration from their former clubs. But the group of Type As below won't necessarily see offers of arbitration, so it seems likely that teams will wait until after the 23rd to finalize deals. Their patience could allow them to hold onto picks in the 2011 draft.
Grant Balfour, Frank Francisco, Jason Frasor, Vladimir Guerrero, Matt Guerrier, Ramon Hernandez, Paul Konerko, Derrek Lee, Bengie Molina, Magglio Ordonez, Carl Pavano, A.J. Pierzynski, Manny Ramirez, Arthur Rhodes, Takashi Saito, Miguel Tejada and Dan Wheeler could certainly re-sign with their former clubs in the next two weeks, but it seems unlikely that they'll reach deals with new teams before November 23rd.
Amateur Signing Bonuses: Mariners
Next up in our amateur signing bonus series, the Mariners…
- Dustin Ackley, $6MM (2009)
- Jeff Clement, $3.4MM (2005)
- Brandon Morrow, $2.45MM (2006)
- Matt Tuiasosopo, $2.29MM (2004)
- Philips Castillo, $2.2MM (2010)
The Mariners have long been a powerhouse when it comes to signing international free agents, but their four largest signing bonuses were given to drafted players. Ackley, the second overall pick last year, hit .267/.368/.407 in 587 plate appearances in 2010, his first professional season. He's also in the process of learning a new position (second base) after playing the outfield and first base at UNC.
Clement was the third overall pick in a top heavy 2005 draft, but that tends to happen when a catcher hits 46 homers in his three-year college career. He reached Triple-A in 2006 and the big leagues a year later, but he flunked a 224 plate appearance audition as the team's regular catcher in the second half of 2008. The Mariners traded Clement and four others to the Pirates for Jack Wilson and Ian Snell before the 2009 trade deadline. He was a .237/.309/.393 hitter in 243 plate appearances for Seattle.
Morrow was one of several power-armed college pitchers in the 2006 draft, going fifth overall. He threw just 16 minor league innings after signing (2.25 ERA, 9.6 K/9, 5.1 BB/9) then broke camp with the team as a reliever in 2007. Morrow pitched to a 4.12 ERA in 63.1 relief innings as a rookie, then tossed up a 3.34 ERA in 40 relief appearances and five starts the next year. It seemed like the Mariners were changing his role every other month, at least until they traded him to the Blue Jays for Brandon League and a minor leaguer last December. All told, Morrow threw 197.2 innings with a 3.96 ERA and 9.3 K/9 for the Mariners (116 relief appearances, 15 starts).
Seattle gave Tuiasosopo a huge bonus as the 93rd overall pick in 2004 (third round), buying him away from a football scholarship to the University of Washington. His brother Marques and father Manu both played in the NFL. Tuiasosopo never lived up to the bonus, hitting just .270/.363/.407 in close to 2,700 minor league plate appearances, though he has had several stints in the big leagues. He's a career .176/.234/.306 hitter in 210 major league plate appearances spread across three seasons.
Castillo signed earlier this summer out of the Dominican Republic. The 16-year-old corner outfielder will begin his professional career next season.
Seattle paid a $13.125MM posting fee for the rights to negotiate with Ichiro Suzuki before the 2001 season, and they then signed him to a three-year, $14.088MM contract that included a $5MM signing bonus. He was far from an amateur though, at least when it comes to his experience level. Felix Hernandez, meanwhile, signed for $710K out of Venezuela in 2002, reportedly turning down larger offers from the Braves and Yankees.
Trade Market For Relievers
The free agent market is packed with useful relievers, especially from the right side. Today let's survey relievers who may be available in trade this offseason.
Closers
Heath Bell, Jonathan Papelbon, David Aardsma, and Leo Nunez could be made available if their teams seek cheaper replacements. All four could earn $4MM+ as arbitration eligible players; Papelbon will jump past $10MM.
Joakim Soria can be retained affordably by the Royals through 2014, and he's only earning $4MM in 2011. In the unlikely event the Royals trade him, it'll be because they were bowled over by an offer of multiple young players. He can block trades to the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, Phillies, Cardinals, or Cubs.
Bad Contracts
Francisco Cordero ($13MM through '11), Francisco Rodriguez ($15MM through '11 or $29MM through '12), and Scott Linebrink ($5.5MM through '11) are overpaid and likely immovable right-handed relievers.
Setup Arms
Brandon League and Joba Chamberlain are a couple of arbitration eligible late-inning guys who could be available. League seems less likely to be dealt than Aardsma, and the Mariners probably wouldn't move both. Chamberlain could be acquired by a team looking to use him as a starter.
Non-Tender Candidates
Plenty of relievers are non-tender candidates, meaning they could be trade bait prior to the December 2nd deadline. Gustavo Chacin, Tim Byrdak, Brian Tallet, Jeremy Accardo, Todd Coffey, D.J. Carrasco, Blaine Boyer, George Sherrill, Chris Ray, Joe Smith, Sean White, Jim Johnson, Matt Albers, Dustin Nippert, Lance Cormier, Hideki Okajima, Jared Burton, Manny Delcarmen, Zach Miner, Pat Neshek, Tony Pena, Bobby Jenks, Dustin Moseley, and Sergio Mitre comprise this huge group.
Summary
The list of relief trade candidates is lengthy, but closer types such as Aardsma and Nunez are the most likely to go. A few more trade candidates could surface if certain free agent relievers accept arbitration offers. Teams are unlikely to overpay in trade with so many interesting free agents out there.