Potential Free Agent Starters For 2012-13 Offseason
We already know the free agent market for starting pitching is likely to lack big names following the 2011 season. How about those who may hit free agency after the 2012 season? Ricky Nolasco is off the board; let's see who's left.
The following starting pitchers are on pace to have six-plus years of service time for the first time once the '12 season ends: Jered Weaver, Cole Hamels, Francisco Liriano, John Danks, Shaun Marcum, Chad Billingsley, Jonathan Sanchez, Jeremy Guthrie, Joe Saunders, and Anibal Sanchez. They're each two seasons away from a shot at free agency, unless they agree to extensions before November 2012. If top names like Weaver, Hamels, Liriano, Danks, Marcum, Billingsley, and Jonathan Sanchez are willing to gamble that they'll post strong, healthy 2012 seasons, they could be the cream of the free agent crop.
These players are signed to multiyear contracts that will end after the 2012 season: Zack Greinke, Matt Cain, Derek Lowe, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Joe Blanton, Kevin Correia, and Kyle Lohse. Greinke and Cain are the standouts.
These pitchers have contract options for 2012: Chris Carpenter, Roy Oswalt, Ryan Dempster, Colby Lewis, Aaron Cook, Zach Duke, Jon Garland, Aaron Harang, Scott Kazmir, Paul Maholm, Scott Olsen, and Carlos Silva. They'd be free agents for the 2011-12 offseason if the options are declined, or the 2012-13 offseason if exercised or vested. So there's a good chance Carpenter, Oswalt, Dempster, and Lewis become free agents after the 2012 season.
The following pitchers have options for 2013, which if declined would make them free agents for the 2012-13 offseason: Dan Haren, Ervin Santana, Brett Myers, Tim Hudson, Jake Westbrook, Carlos Zambrano, Jorge de la Rosa, Scott Baker, Jake Peavy, Gavin Floyd, Randy Wolf, and Scott Feldman. Zambrano's is an unlikely vesting option, so he'll probably hit the market.
Fausto Carmona and James Shields have club options for '12, '13, and '14. If their '12 options are picked up and '13 declined, they'd join this free agent class. Additionally, current free agent starters could join this group by signing two-year deals or one-year contracts with options that are picked up. Still more names will be added from those who sign one-year deals now and again after the season, as well as those non-tendered after '12.
Cot's Baseball Contracts was instrumental in creating this post.
Yankees, Mets, Others Considering Freddy Garcia
The Yankees, Mets, and others have asked for medicals on free agent starter Freddy Garcia, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News was first to report the Yankees' request. The White Sox have also checked in, tweets Feinsand's colleague Andy Martino. Heyman opines that Garcia is the best free agent starter left after Carl Pavano.
Garcia, 35, posted a 4.64 ERA, 5.1 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 1.3 HR/9, and 40.7% groundball rate for the White Sox in 157 innings this year. It was his highest innings total since 2006, though he did miss time with back pain. He's not close to signing and is believed to be seeking less than Jon Garland's $5MM guarantee, tweets Martino.
As for Heyman's contention? Garcia's competition includes injury bounceback candidates like Brandon Webb, Jeff Francis, Chris Young, and Brad Penny, as well as innings guys like Kevin Millwood, Rodrigo Lopez, and Dave Bush.
iPhone App Available
When new Padres shortstop Jason Bartlett wanted to track the progress of his own trade, where did he turn? Our new Baseball Trade Rumors iPhone app, of course. The app allows you to select only the players or teams you want, and receive a push notification for every related new rumor. The app also has a clean, crisp interface with the 25 latest MLBTR posts, easily refreshed. You can customize headline size and leave comments on MLBTradeRumors.com as well.
Even baseball executives are getting in on the Baseball Trade Rumors app. According to Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Padres GM Jed Hoyer recently purchased an iPhone – and he says Baseball Trade Rumors might be his first application.
Braves Agree To Sign Yohan Flande
The Braves have agreed to sign left-hander Yohan Flande to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, tweets Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes.
Flande, 25 in January, has spent the last six seasons in the Phillies' farm system. He owns a 3.28 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 501.2 career innings, and spent all of 2010 with Philadelphia's Double-A affiliate. Baseball America ranked Flande as the 17th best prospect in their system before the 2010 season, noting that he sits at 91-92 mph with his fastball and backs it up with a "plus changeup, which gains deception from his stiff, unconventional arm action." They call him a back-of-the-rotation starter or lefty specialist.
Yankees Sign Luis Vizcaino
The Yankees have signed right-hander Luis Vizcaino to a minor league contract according to Marc Carig of The Star Ledger (via Twitter). If he makes the team, he'll earn $750K.
Vizcaino, now 36, has not pitched in the majors or minors since being designated for assignment by the Indians back in June of 2009. The former workhorse reliever appeared in fewer than 70 games just once from 2002 through 2007, and he owns a 4.33 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in his career. If we remove intentional walks, that drops all the way down to 3.3 BB/9.
MLB.com's Tom Singer recently listed Vizcaino as one of several players looking to revive his career, noting his effective stint in the Dominican Winter League.
Giants To Sign Guillermo Mota
The Giants have agreed to sign Guillermo Mota to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, tweets Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes. The Dodgers and Rays were also considered finalists for his services.
Mota, 37, appeared in 56 games for the World Champion Giants in 2010, pitching to a 4.33 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9. He then chipped in another 2.1 scoreless innings in the postseason. According to PitchFX, he was still flirting with the mid-90's with his fastball.
Poll: Joakim Soria’s Future
The Royals completed a franchise altering trade today, sending Zack Greinke to the Brewers for a package of four young players. Earlier this offseason they shipped David DeJesus to Oakland, the team’s longest-tenured player at the time. As much as Kansas City would love to unload the $12MM left on Gil Meche‘s contract, it simply won’t happen. If GM Dayton Moore wants to continue purging his roster of veterans, could closer Joakim Soria be the next to go?
The old axiom says that bad teams don’t need a good closer, and the Royals are expected to be among the league’s worst clubs in 2011 while Soria is once again one of the game’s top closers. Compared to the multiyear contracts handed out to non-elite relievers this offseason, Soria’s $4MM salary for 2011 with club options for 2012 ($6MM), 2013 ($8MM), and 2014 ($8.75MM) is a bargain. Trade interest would be plentiful, and the Royals could expect several young players in return.
Because his contract is so team friendly, Moore could also hold on to Soria and see how the trade market develops before the deadline. We can’t forget the fans in KC either, Moore might not want to alienate them anymore by dealing his All Star closer so soon after trading away Greinke. The Padres reportedly kept Heath Bell for similar reasons.
A radical, albeit unlikely, third option would be to convert Soria into a starter. He started in the Mexican League for quite some time, throwing a perfect game in his first start after the Royals selected him in the 2006 Rule 5 Draft. PitchFX data available at FanGraphs tells us that he still throws four pitches regularly (cutter, curveball, changeup, slider), so the repertoire is certainly there. It’s just a matter of health and getting stretched out. Like I said, it’s an unlikely move, but it wouldn’t be unprecedented. Just look at C.J. Wilson. What do you think the Royals should do with Soria?
What should the Royals do with Joakim Soria?
-
Keep him and trade him before the deadline 36% (4,061)
-
Trade him this offseason 32% (3,643)
-
Turn him into a starting pitcher 18% (1,982)
-
Keep him and don't trade him before the deadline 14% (1,537)
Total votes: 11,223
Week In Review: 12/12/10 – 12/19/10
It's been a busy seven days since last Sunday. Let's look back at the top stories from last week:
- Doubters of a Cliff Lee mystery team were silenced when the Phillies swooped in and signed the market's top free agent to a five-year deal worth $120MM with a vesting option. Here's some reactions to Lee's signing and his decision to leave tens of millions of dollars on the table.
- Lee wasn't the only big name pitcher to change teams this week. The Brewers jumped in and acquired Zack Greinke (along with Yuniesky Betancourt and cash) for Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain, Jeremy Jeffress, and Jake Odorizzi. The move came not long after Greinke requested a trade. Here are some reactions.
- The Padres overhauled their middle infield with a pair of moves. The long awaited Jason Bartlett trade was finalized, with four players (Brandon Gomes, Adam Russell, Cesar Ramos, and Cole Figueroa) going to Tampa. San Diego also received a player to be named later. The Padres also agreed to terms with Orlando Hudson on a two-year deal worth $11.5MM, and received Eric Patterson from the Red Sox as the player to be named later in the Adrian Gonzalez trade.
- Minnesota strengthened its middle infield as well, signing Tsuyoshi Nishioka to a three-year deal worth $9MM. There is also an option for a fourth year.
- The A's bolstered their offense with two moves this week. First, they signed Hideki Matsui to a one-year deal worth $4.25MM. Secondly, they acquired Josh Willingham from the Nationals in exchange for Henry Rodriguez and minor leaguer Corey Brown. Oakland also brought back Rich Harden on a one-year, $1.5MM deal and signed Brandon McCarthy for one year and $1MM.
- The Tigers brought back Magglio Ordonez to deepen their lineup, signing him for one year and $10MM. They are now looking at Brad Penny and a few other free agent starters.
- Lee wasn't the only one who turned down more money to go where he wanted. Despite a larger offer from the White Sox, Kerry Wood signed for just one year and $1.5MM to return to the Cubs, where it all began.
- Wood certainly wasn't the only reliever to sign this week, in fact a whole bunch came off the board. The Red Sox signed Bobby Jenks (two-years, $12MM), Dan Wheeler (one year, $3MM with a vesting option), Andrew Miller (minor league contract), and Matt Albers (unknown terms). The Yankees agreed to sign Pedro Feliciano (two years, $8MM with an option) and Mark Prior (minor league deal). The Orioles brought in Jeremy Accardo (one year, $1.08MM) and re-signed Koji Uehara (one-year, $3MM with a vesting option). The Marlins signed Randy Choate (two-years, $2.5MM)and the Dodgers signed Matt Guerrier (three-years, $12MM). The White Sox agreed to deals with Jesse Crain (three-years, $13MM) and Brian Bruney (minor league deal). The Rays signed Joel Peralta (one year, $900K) and J.P. Howell (one year, $1.1MM). The Nationals brought in Chad Gaudin on a minor league deal.
- The Red Sox are still looking at some lefties for their bullpen, and the Phillies will as well after their deal with Dennys Reyes fell apart. Joe Beimel has a few offers, and David Aardsma is available.
- Adrian Beltre received a "significant" offer from the Angels and the Rangers may be pursuing him aggressively. The Nationals are one of several teams interested in Derrek Lee while the O's are on Adam LaRoche. The Braves are optimistic about signing Dan Uggla long-term.
- The quartet of backup catchers landed with new teams. Henry Blanco signed with the Diamondbacks for one-year and $1MM, while Gerald Laird and Dioner Navarro got the same exact contract from the Cardinals and Dodgers, respectively. Matt Treanor took one-year and $850K from the Rangers. The Yankees signed Russell Martin for one-year and $4MM (with incentives), though he'll be a starter.
- Arizona imported Xavier Nady on a one-year deal worth $1.75MM while the Pirates brought in Matt Diaz for two-years and $4.25MM. Lyle Overbay also went to Pittsburgh for one-year and $5MM and Bill Hall joined the Astros for one-year and $3.25MM. The Nats added Matt Stairs on a minor league deal and the Blue Jays brought Edwin Encarnacion back a few weeks after waiving him.
- There's a bit of a hiccup in talks between the Marlins and Ricky Nolasco about a long-term extension. Despite strong interest in Matt Garza, the Rays aren't looking to trade a starting pitcher. Fausto Carmona is a popular target, however. Brandon Webb is likely to decide on a new club soon, but another injury rehab pitcher landed in Washington: Chien-Ming Wang re-upped with the Nats for one-year and $1MM with incentives.
- The Brewers avoided arbitration with Carlos Gomez as did the A's and Joey Devine.
- The Rangers took a flier on Seth McClung, and the Pirates finalized their contract with Kevin Correia. Pedro Martinez is "most likely" finished.
MLBTR Originals: 12/12/10 – 12/19/10
It was a very busy week on the hot stove, but we still managed to churn out some original content here at MLBTR. We don't want you to miss anything, so let's recap it all…
- First and foremost, we introduced MLBTR's latest and greatest feature this week, the Transaction Tracker. Make sure you check out the post to see all the cool things you can do with it. We also added a new Tools menu button.
- In the wake of the Cliff Lee signing, Tim Dierkes told us what we learned from the deal and also dug up some possible fits for Joe Blanton.
- Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at the Dodgers' busy offseason while I examined all of the compensation draft picks the Rays are accumulating.
- This week's poll questions asked where Carl Pavano will sign, who will play first for the Padres, which team will acquire Zack Greinke, whether or not you'd offer a non-elite reliever a multiyear deal, the top remaining free agent, and whether or not there was a mystery team in on Lee. That last one sounds silly in hindsight.
- Howard Medgal broke down the top five Phillies GMs since 1960.
- I compiled the best from around the web in this week's Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
- Ben's chat transcript can be found here.
- If you're a new reader, welcome, and here's a handy guide with all the different ways you can use MLBTR.
Odds & Ends: Rays, Red Sox, Rockies, Yankees
Links for Sunday, though it's unlikely that any news will top today's Zack Greinke trade:
- The Rays have enough money to pursue another low-end bullpen signing or two, writes Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Topkin quotes executive vice president Andrew Friedman in saying there's no way they could've predicted the relief market would look like this.
- WEEI.com's Alex Speier says the Red Sox would like to add a left-hander to their bullpen, but will wait to see if someone falls into their lap. Boston is against multiyear deals for relievers, though they did recently make an exception in the case of Bobby Jenks.
- Rockies' owner Dick Monfort answered some questions for the Denver Post's Troy E. Renck. Topics included Troy Tulowitzki's new contract, extending young stars, and their odds of keeping Carlos Gonzalez long-term.
- Bill Madden of the New York Daily News opines that the Padres' elite bullpen last season which nearly brought them an NL West title has fueled the rising prices in the relief market. Madden also wonders if the Yankees might make a run at Jon Rauch to replace the departed Kerry Wood.