John Smoltz Lands TBS Job
5:00pm: Smoltz's contract with TBS contains outs if wants to resume his baseball career, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. No surprise there. Rosenthal notes that the Phillies "have shown a strong interest in Smoltz as a possible midseason addition."
THURSDAY, 12:24pm: Smoltz put the odds of pitching again at 50-1, talking to Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution yesterday.
TUESDAY, 12:31pm: Free agent pitcher John Smoltz will join TBS as a regular season and playoff analyst, according to a press release. Smoltz's statement on the career move: "Joining Turner Sports' Major League Baseball coverage is a great opportunity for me to stay immersed in the game that I love and I'm really looking forward to this experience."
Smoltz told the AP he is not officially retired, though ESPN's Buster Olney talked to some club execs who read his career move that way. Smoltz was still able to demonstrate strikeout and control skills in his 78 big league innings last year and generated interest from ten teams as a free agent. A few days ago, Smoltz told Murray Chass he hasn't ruled out pitching but hasn't made any decisions.
D’Backs Sign Reynolds To Three-Year Deal
The Diamondbacks officially signed third baseman Mark Reynolds to a three-year, $14.5MM deal today. The deal includes a $1MM signing bonus, $500K this year, $5MM in 2011, $7.5MM in '12, and an $11MM club option for '13 with a $500K buyout. Reynolds also received a limited no-trade clause.
Reynolds narrowly missed Super Two status, so 2011 would've been his first arbitration year. This extension overwrites Reynolds' 2010 renewal, meaning the club option is on his last arbitration year. The D'Backs get Reynolds' first two arbitration years at roughly $14MM, so the cost savings don't appear to be great. Piecoro finds Reynolds comparable to Dan Uggla, who will receive $13.15MM for his first two arbitration years and is not on a multiyear deal. The 26-year-old Reynolds broke out with a 44 home run campaign in 2009.
Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic first reported the agreement, and MLB.com's Steve Gilbert added details (via Twitter).
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Odds & Ends: Lo Duca, Pujols, Strasburg, Guzman
Links for Thursday…
- The Mariners watched free agent catcher Paul Lo Duca this spring, reports Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch weighed in on the Cardinals' Albert Pujols extension situation in his chat yesterday. Strauss gives a 75% chance Pujols remains a Cardinal for life.
- Using Tim Lincecum for comparison, Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post estimates delaying Stephen Strasburg's Nationals debut until late May could save the team $18MM.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told MASN's Ben Goessling that while he considers all trade possibilities, he's "certainly, certainly not" trying to trade Cristian Guzman.
Blue Jays Release Casey Fien
The Blue Jays released pitcher Casey Fien, tweets MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. The poor guy has already bounced from the Tigers to the Red Sox to the Jays this winter. Bastian's colleague Jason Beck chronicled Fien's travels ten days ago.
Fien, 26, posted a 3.41 ERA, 10.2 K/9, and 2.3 BB/9 in 58 Triple A relief innings last year. He struggled in 11.3 big league frames, which marked his Major League debut. Baseball America ranked Fien 27th among Tigers prospects, writing that he "profiles as a middle reliever." Still, his minor league command is intriguing.
Blue Jays Return Zinicola To Nationals
The Blue Jays were forced to return Rule 5 righty Zech Zinicola to the Nationals, reports MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. Bastian learned that the Blue Jays attempted to work out a trade with the Nats, but Washington declined and instead paid the $25K to get Zinicola back. The 25-year-old Zinicola posted a 5.33 ERA, 7.8 K/9, and 3.2 BB/9 in 54 minor league innings last year. Two years ago, Baseball America suggested Zinicola "has the stuff to be a late inning reliever in the Majors, but he needs to be more consistent with his command and mental approach."
Bastian notes that at least eight pitchers are still vying for four Toronto bullpen spots, and Merkin Valdez, Shawn Camp, and Dana Eveland might have a leg up because they're out of options.
Rizzo Optimistic About Dunn Extension
Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told MASN's Ben Goessling yesterday that extension talks with Adam Dunn's agent Greg Genske are "amicable and upbeat." The two sides have met since the beginning of Spring Training. Rizzo does not consider Opening Day a hard-and-fast deadline.
Dunn, 30, hit .267/.398/.529 in 668 plate appearances for the '09 Nationals, logging 540 innings at first base and 685 in the outfield. He's set to earn $12MM as he enters the second year of a two-year contract. In the opinion of Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post, a three-year, $40MM extension would be a win for the Nats.
Rizzo spoke very fondly of Dunn to MLB.com's Bill Ladson in February, even suggesting the slugger has a shot at the Hall of Fame. Rizzo said Dunn will work hard to become an average defender at first base.
Red Sox Acquire Celestino To Complete Kotchman-Hall Trade
The Red Sox acquired minor league righty Miguel Celestino to complete the January Bill Hall–Casey Kotchman trade with the Mariners. The Sox had also received $7.15MM in that deal.
Celestino, 20, posted a 4.72 ERA, 6.5 K/9, and 3.1 BB/9 in 66.6 Rookie ball innings last year. He's never placed among the Mariners' top 30 prospects as ranked by Baseball America.
Rockies Eyeing Juan Cruz
The Rockies are showing interest in Royals reliever Juan Cruz, reports Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. Joe Beimel was named as a Rockies target as well recently, in the wake of Huston Street's shoulder injury.
Last year the Royals signed Cruz on February 28th, as the hard-throwing reliever was hampered by his Type A status. The Royals ultimately gave up the #60 pick in the draft and inked Cruz to a two-year, $6MM deal with a club option for 2011. Though he continued to throw 94 mph in his first season with Kansas City, Cruz's strikeout rate disappeared as he dealt with a shoulder strain.
Cruz has $3.75MM remaining on his contract, so the Royals would presumably have to eat salary to make a deal happen.
Offseason In Review: Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers are next in our Offseason In Review series.
Major League Signings
- Randy Wolf, SP: three years, $29.75MM. Includes $10MM club option for 2013 with a $1.5MM buyout.
- Trevor Hoffman, RP: one year, $8MM. Includes $7MM+ mutual option for 2011 with a $500K buyout.
- LaTroy Hawkins, RP: two years, $7.5MM.
- Doug Davis, SP: one year, $5.25MM. Includes $6.5MM mutual option for 2011 with a $1MM buyout.
- Gregg Zaun, C: one year, $2.15MM. Includes $2.25MM club option for 2011 with a $250K buyout.
- Craig Counsell, IF: one year, $2.1MM.
- Claudio Vargas, RP: one year, $900K.
- Total spend: $55.65MM.
Notable Minor League Signings
- Chris Capuano, Scott Schoeneweis, Matt Treanor, Jim Edmonds, Trent Oeltjen, Adam Stern, Norris Hopper, Tim Dillard, Kameron Loe
Trades and Claims
- Acquired CF Carlos Gomez for SS J.J. Hardy
- Claimed C George Kottaras off waivers from Red Sox
- Claimed SS Luis Cruz off waivers from Pirates
- Claimed Rule 5 pick P Chuck Lofgren from Indians, later traded Omar Aguilar to retain him
- Claimed P Marco Estrada off waivers from Nationals
Notable Losses
- Mike Cameron, Jason Kendall, J.J. Hardy, Felipe Lopez, Frank Catalanotto, Mike Rivera, Chris Duffy, Brad Nelson, Braden Looper, Seth McClung, David Weathers, R.J. Swindle, Hernan Iribarren, Jason Bourgeois, Omar Aguilar
Summary
Brewers GM Doug Melvin was active in free agency this offseason, adding seven players for over $55MM. The focus was understandably on pitching, as the Brewers finished 15th in the NL with a 4.83 ERA in 2009. $35MM was committed to the rotation for lefties Wolf and Davis, with a hefty $15.5MM going to the back end of the bullpen.
The Brewers' finances were limited in part by a pair of free agent pitching mistakes Melvin made previously, Jeff Suppan and David Riske. Melvin was again aggressive in giving an extra year each to Wolf and Hawkins. The latest additions at least come with better peripheral stats. Bullpen-wise, the 37-year-old Hawkins and 42-year-old Hoffman received top of the market money. Risky expenditures, but at least the Brewers weren't alone in making sizeable free agent reliever commitments.
The problem with the rotation upgrades is that the Brewers' rotation is still ugly after Yovani Gallardo and Wolf. Playing around with CHONE's innings projections for the team's expected six starters (and limiting Suppan's impact) gives me a projected rotation ERA of 4.46. That would've ranked ninth in the NL last year.
Given his desire to spend his available funds on pitching, Melvin swapped Hardy for Gomez and allowed Cameron to leave. The Brewers had the best available shortstop in Hardy, but four years of Gomez is a solid return. Even in 2010, Gomez might be Cameron's equal.
Can the 2010 Brewers bash their way to a division title? They've got monsters in Braun and Fielder, but the keys might be a healthy season from Weeks and minimal regression from McGehee.
Indians Notes: Lincecum, Mateo, Hernandez
Tim Lincecum nearly signed with the Indians in 2005? Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer has the story…
- The Indians drafted Lincecum in the 42nd round of the '05 draft. Told it'd take $1MM to sign him, the Tribe offered $700K. MLB draft exec Frank Coonelly wasn't pleased at the over-slot offer, but it still wasn't enough to convince Lincecum to sign. A year later he went tenth overall to the Giants. You can play "what might have been" with any team, but Lincecum would've changed the course of Indians history.
- The Indians are expected to work out Dominican outfielder Wagner Mateo, writes Hoynes. Mateo has already tried out for the Diamondbacks.
- Anderson Hernandez joins the mix for the Indians' utility job after yesterday's waiver claim. Assistant GM Chris Antonetti noted that manager Manny Acta is familiar with Hernandez from managing him in Washington.