Do The Yankees Have A Leg Up For Recruiting Werth?
Phillies' rightfielder Jayson Werth will be one of the hottest commodities on the free agent market next year, and the Yankees might have an ace in the hole if they choose to pursue him. As if they need any more help, Joel Sherman of The New York Post notes that Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson – a special advisor for the Yanks – has a longstanding relationship with Werth's family.
Jackson became good friends with Werth's stepfather Dennis when the two patrolled the Yankees' outfield in the late-70's/early-80's, and he also played with Dick Schofield during his Angels years, who is Jayson's uncle (his mother's brother, to be specific). Sherman says that Jackson and Werth had lunch together before the two teams played yesterday, and then were spotted on the field chatting before first pitch. The commissioner's office frowns upon members of different organizations interacting like that, but Sherman says it happens all the time and the league would have to be able to illustrate tampering to act in any way.
GM Brian Cashman said he didn't know of the meeting and was unaware of Jackson's relationship with Werth's family, but history has shown that he's not above bringing the heat to recruit big free agents. Last offseason he brought Jackson along to a key meeting during their courtship of CC Sabathia.
Werth, 31 in May, finally started to deliver on some of the promise that landed him on Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects List four times from 1999 to 2003. A career .265/.360/.467 hitter in close to 2,300 big league plate appearances, Werth has hit .276/.376/.494 since arriving in Philadelphia during the 2007 season. His power has improved every year since then, topping out at 36 bombs last year, and he's a top notch defender in all three outfield spots according to UZR. Werth will earn $7MM this season as part of the two-year deal he signed last January.
Rosenthal’s Latest: D’Backs, Robertson, Pirates
Some notes from Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com…
- The Diamondbacks continue to pursue a number three or four starter in the wake of Brandon Webb's setback. A club official acknowledged that such a pickup was possible, but “I don’t think any team will be willing to give up that kind of pitcher at the start of the season.”
- Rosenthal says the team has infield depth to use in a trade, and reiterated that they'd love to move Chris Snyder and the $11.25MM left on his contract. The Rangers and Red Sox are said to be looking for infielders, and the Mariners could join them following Jack Hannahan's injury.
- The Tigers are shopping Nate Robertson, but Arizona doesn't consider him enough of an upgrade. Zach Duke and Paul Maholm are not available.
- The best available starter may be Chad Gaudin, who was released by the Yankees on Thursday.
- The Brewers considered a Jeff Suppan for Snyder trade, but didn't want to take on Snyder's 2011 salary. Suppan will earn $12.5MM this season, the final one on his contract.
- The Cubs do not expect to make a trade for a reliever before Opening Day, but they've scouted Jason Frasor and Scott Downs, plus Luke Gregerson of the Padres.
- Nick Green has an out clause in his minor league contract, but the Dodgers may add him to the roster to serve as the backup shortstop.
Odds & Ends: Braun, Reds, Marlins, Washburn
A few more Friday links for your browsing pleasure…
- Speaking to Tim Allen of 1250 WSSP in Milwaukee (via SportsRadioInterviews.com), Ryan Braun said he has no regrets about signing an eight-year $45MM deal with the Brewers in 2008.
- The Reds haven't been very involved in trade discussions during the spring, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (Twitter link) thinks the Marlins will fill out their bullpen via a waiver claim or trade.
- Larry Stone of The Seattle Times would like to see the Mariners get something done with Jarrod Washburn.
- Cristian Guzman is making a case to be the Nationals' starting shortstop, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson. If the Nats named Guzman the starter, Ian Desmond would start the season at Triple-A so he could play every day.
- In his latest mailbag, Scott Merkin of MLB.com answers questions about the futures of A.J. Pierzynski and Jermaine Dye. He also gives his opinion on which player would be the ideal big-name trade target for the White Sox.
Tigers Shopping Nate Robertson
The Detroit Tigers are looking for a suitor for Nate Robertson, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Morosi tweets that three different sources have told him the Tigers are shopping the left-hander.
Robertson is entering the last year of a three-year $21.25MM contract, and will earn $10MM this season. While the 32-year-old has struggled over the last few seasons, he posted a 3.84 ERA over 208.2 IP in 2006. It's possible that there are teams out there willing to roll the dice that Robertson could regain that form, but as Morosi suggests, the Tigers would have to take on a significant chunk of his 2010 salary.
In a second tweet, Morosi adds that the Tigers' willingness to move Robertson could be a good sign for Dontrelle Willis' big league prospects.
What Would A Matt Cain Extension Cost?
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle speculated today, via Twitter, that an extension for Matt Cain might be in the works. Considering that the Giants have yet to officially announce extensions for Jeremy Affeldt and Brian Wilson, Schulman wonders (Twitter link) if a deal for Cain could come "sooner rather than later."
While we wait to see if there's any merit to this speculation, let's examine a pair of comparable contract extensions: Felix Hernandez's $78MM deal with Seattle and Justin Verlander's $80MM pact with the Tigers. Both pitchers, like Cain, were poised to hit free agency after the 2011 season, before their teams locked them up.
Cain's career resume to date is impressive, matching up reasonably well with the Mariners' and Tigers' aces. He has been durable, making at least 31 starts in each of the last four seasons, and his career 1.25 WHIP bests both Felix's (1.27) and Verlander's (1.28). Still, Cain has yet to post a truly elite season like the 2009 campaigns that earned Hernandez and Verlander Cy Young and MVP votes.
The Tigers will pay Verlander $20MM annually in what would have been his first three free agent years, while the Mariners will pay Hernandez $19.3MM per year over the same period. If the Giants were to sign Cain long-term, you'd have to think it could cost them up to $15MM annually for those free agency seasons.
The 25-year-old Cain has a $6.25MM club option for 2011 (his final arbitration season) that should vest if he stays healthy. If the Giants were to extend the right-hander today, they would likely re-do that year, perhaps guaranteeing him $7MM or so. All told, San Francisco could be looking at a price tag in excess of $50MM to retain their #2 starter from 2011 through 2014.
Red Sox To Sign Scott Schoeneweis
5:45pm: Schoeneweis will earn $500K if he makes the Red Sox' big league roster, according to Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). Benjamin notes that the deal is similar to the one Alan Embree signed with Boston last week.
3:38pm: The Red Sox agreed to sign lefty reliever Scott Schoeneweis to a minor league deal, according to a team press release. The Brewers released Schoeneweis Tuesday after signing him to a minor league deal last month. Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports that Schoeneweis can opt out of the deal on April 15th if he isn't on the 25-man roster (Twitter link).
Schoeneweis, 36, pitched 24 innings for the D'Backs last year, posting a 7.12 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9. His rate stats were markedly better against lefties in 2009 (7.1 K/9, 3.2 BB/9), though the sample size is small. The Red Sox expect him in camp tomorrow.
It's been a productive day for the Red Sox, who released Brian Shouse this morning and traded for Kevin Frandsen and signed Schoeneweis almost immediately after Nick Cafardo reported the team was looking at infielders and relievers.
Odds & Ends: Giants, Harper, Heyward, Padres
Some links as the weekend draws closer…
- In his organizational rankings, Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says it's a good time to be a Brewers fan and explains why 2010 is a critical year for the Angels.
- Don't expect the Giants to sign an outfielder. GM Brian Sabean told Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News that the club's right fielder will come from within the organization (Twitter link).
- The Giants have yet to announce the extensions for Jeremy Affeldt and Brian Wilson, so Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle wonders (via Twitter) if Matt Cain will get an extension of his own soon.
- MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo offers an extensive scouting report for Bryce Harper, the 17-year-old slugger whose power is "off the charts" according to one scout.
- Jason Heyward made the Braves, according to Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. They're going for it in Bobby Cox's last season in Atlanta.
- Chipper Jones would not be surprised to see the Braves lock Heyward up after the season, according to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez (via Twitter).
- The Cardinals released ten minor leaguers, including knuckleballer Charlie Zink, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- Bill James tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that he thinks players peak defensively around the age of 25.
- Jeff Moorad assured Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune that his partnership will be able to complete its purchase of the Padres without trouble.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson reminds us that Cristian Guzman has ten and five rights.
Red Sox Acquire Kevin Frandsen
The Red Sox acquired Kevin Frandsen from the Giants for a player to be named later or cash, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News (via Twitter). The 27-year-old infielder has a .240/.304/.341 line in 453 major league plate appearances, all of which have come in a Giants uniform. Frandsen, who has an option remaining, hit .295/.352/.438 in Triple A last year.
He played second and short for the Giants in 2009 and has major league experience at third and at both corner outfield positions. He has played all four infield positions in the minors, so he's clearly versatile. Other than that it's hard to draw conclusions about his defense because of his limited time in the majors.
Earlier in the week, when it became apparent that Frandsen was available, Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner thought he would be a great fit for the Mariners. The acquisition of Frandsen presumably means Boston's search for backup infield help is now less urgent.
Red Sox Looking At Relievers & Infielders
The Red Sox are interested in relievers and infielders and have been scouting players around the league, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The club would like to add shortstop depth behind free agent acquisition Marco Scutaro and add options out of the bullpen.
We heard earlier in the week that the Red Sox had communicated their interest in adding shortstop depth to other teams. They may need Mike Lowell's roster spot to add a backup shortstop, but the club isn't close to dealing him.
It's been a busy week for the Red Sox, who signed Alan Embree and released Brian Shouse, and they are still looking at other relievers. Cafardo says the club doesn't want to rush Embree, who may not make the team's Opening Day roster.
Discussion: Chad Gaudin’s Next Team
Chad Gaudin is young and talented enough to find a major league job, even though the Yankees didn't have room for him and released him. Gaudin, 27, pitched to a 4.64 ERA in 147.1 innings last year with 8.5 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9. That's solid production (1.5 WAR) and there's no reason to expect him to decline.
Yesterday, we heard that the Mets and Dodgers are interested in the righty, though the D'Backs are not. The Phillies are looking for rotation depth, but they wouldn't be able to guarantee Gaudin a rotation spot, so he might prefer to sign elsewhere.
The Tigers could contend, but they have limited rotation depth. Jeremy Bonderman is competing with Nate Robertson and Dontrelle Willis for Detroit's last two rotation spots. Tigers manager Jim Leyland told MLB.com's Jason Beck that they've all been "OK," but it wouldn't be surprising to see the Tigers pursue Gaudin.
The Mariners could use some depth, since Cliff Lee will miss the beginning of the season. Unlike Jarrod Washburn, Gaudin has been training and could start contributing immediately.
Jaime Garcia has a good chance of beating Kyle McClellan and Rich Hill for the Cardinals' final rotation spot, so the Cards' rotation appears set for now. Even if no one offers Gaudin a rotation spot, there's a long list of clubs that could use a long reliever or swingman.
So where do you think Chad Gaudin will end up?