Minor Moves: Baxter, Blanco, Orioles, Michaels
We'll track today's minor moves here…
- The Mets signed outfielder Mike Baxter to a minor league contract, according to the team's official Twitter feed. The deal includes an invitation to the Major League spring training camp. Baxter, 27, was born in Queens and appeared in 22 games with the Mets last season.
- The Nationals signed Andres Blanco to a minor league deal, tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson. In 82 plate appearances for the Rangers in 2011, the versatile 27-year-old posted a .224/.263/.342 line and played four positions.
- The Orioles agreed to sign outfielders Antoan Richardson and Lee Cruz to minor league deals, tweets ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. Richardson, who briefly played for the Braves in 2011, is one of six players in MLB history from the Bahamas, Crasnick tweets.
- The Nationals signed outfielder Jason Michaels to a minor league deal, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). Michaels spent the 2011 season with the Astros and posted a .199/.256/.295 line in 169 plate appearances. The 11-year veteran has a career line of .263/.335/.407 and experience at all three outfield positions.
- The Rockies signed catcher Wilkin Castillo and right-handed relievers Mike Ekstrom and Zach Simons to minor league deals, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). Castillo spent the 2011 season at Triple-A, where he hit .262/.285/.366 in 291 plate appearances. Ekstrom, who appeared in one game for the Rays in 2011, posted a 4.35 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 for Tampa Bay's top affiliate. The 26-year-old Simons posted a 5.46 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9 in 61 innings in the Tigers' and Marlins' systems in 2011.
Reds Eyeing Gonzalez, Latos, Jurrjens
Gio Gonzalez, Mat Latos and Jair Jurrjens are among the pitchers on the Reds’ wish list, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Latos may be available in the right deal, Gonzalez could be had, but Oakland's asking price is high and Jurrjens also appears to be available. GM Walt Jocketty recently told Rosenthal that he’s looking aggressively at ways of improving his team’s pitching staff, despite the high asking prices sellers are setting for available arms.
Matt Garza, who could earn a salary approaching $9MM through arbitration, is too expensive for Jocketty’s liking and John Danks is less appealing than some alternatives, as he’s under team control for just one season, Rosenthal writes. James Shields appears to be out of the reach for every team, including the Reds, and Jocketty is aiming to obtain a better pitcher than Wade Davis.
Indians Acquire Aaron Cunningham
The Indians have acquired outfielder Aaron Cunningham from the Padres for minor leaguer Cory Burns, the teams announced. ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick first tweeted news of the deal.
Cunningham, who is out of options, posted a .178/.257/.367 line in 101 plate appearances for the Padres in 2011, playing right and left field. The 25-year-old also posted a .931 OPS in 384 plate appearances for the Padres' top affiliate this past season. He has a .231/.290/.375 career line in four seasons with the Padres and A's as a corner outfielder.
Burns, 24, posted a 2.11 ERA with 10.6 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 59 2/3 innings of relief at Double-A in 2011. He has saved 88 of the 130 minor league games he's appeared in since being selected in the 2009 draft. Sosnick Cobbe Sports represents both Cunningham and Burns.
Indians Sign Jose Lopez
The Indians announced that they signed infielder Jose Lopez to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training. The team also officially announced the signing of Felix Pie to a minor league deal.
Lopez, 28, spent the 2011 season with the Rockies and Marlins and appeared at first, second and third base. He posted a .216/.245/.372 line for a second consecutive disappointing season at the plate. Lopez, who hit 25 home runs just two seasons ago, is a right-handed bat who could add some balance to a lefty-heavy Indians lineup. He has a career OPS of .713 against left-handed pitchers.
Tigers Interested In Joe Saunders
The Tigers are interested in free agent left-hander Joe Saunders, according to Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio and ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Reds and Red Sox also have some interest in Saunders, who was non-tendered by the Diamondbacks earlier in the week.
Saunders, 30, posted a 3.69 ERA with 4.6 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 44.5% ground ball rate in 212 innings this past season. He has averaged 200 innings per season since 2008 without striking out more than five batters per nine innings in any of the past four seasons. The former 12th overall pick had an average fastball velocity of 89.6 mph in 2011.
The Tigers’ projected rotation features Justin Verlander, Doug Fister, Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello at this point. Adding Saunders would provide the team with a left-handed presence capable of contributing 200 innings at the back of the rotation.
Twins Increase Efforts To Re-Sign Jason Kubel
Now that Josh Willingham signed with the Twins and Michael Cuddyer agreed to terms with the Rockies, The Twins’ outfield is taking shape. Terry Ryan’s next target is Jason Kubel, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The Twins increased their efforts to re-sign Kubel late this week, according to Christensen.
Kubel, 29, posted a .273/.332/.434 line for the Twins in 2011, adding 12 homers and 21 doubles. He's a Type B free agent who declined Minnesota’s offer of arbitration and won’t cost a draft pick. The Twins would obtain a supplementary first round selection if the left-handed hitter signs elsewhere.
It appears that Kubel’s representatives at Wasserman Media Group are getting lots of calls today, Christensen reports. Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported the Indians’ interest in Kubel a month ago.
Nationals Sign Jeff Fulchino
The Nationals have signed right-hander reliever Jeff Fulchino to a split contract according to his agent Lisa Pierce, reports Zachary Levine of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). He elected free agency back in October.
Fulchino, 32, spent last season with the Astros and Padres. He pitched to a 5.71 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9 in 34 2/3 innings, getting a ground ball 38.1% of the time. In five big league seasons, Fulchino has pitched to a 4.84 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 163 relief appearances.
Prince Fielder Rumors: Friday
The Cubs are the early front-runners to sign Prince Fielder, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. But in the words of one executive, agent Scott Boras can usually “pull a rabbit out of his hat” for his top free agent clients, so other teams are very much in the mix for the 27-year-old free agent. Here’s the latest:
- Cubs manager Dale Sveum says the team hasn't had conversations with Fielder, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). Sveum says the Cubs "haven't initiated any contact at all," according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (on Twitter).
- It looks like the Cubs and Mariners are Fielder’s most serious suitors, Rosenthal reports.
- The Cubs don’t want to give Fielder a ten-year deal and would be more comfortable with a six or seven-year term, according to Rosenthal.
- The Rangers and Marlins won’t bid on Fielder, according to Rosenthal’s sources. The Orioles may only be a viable suitor for Fielder if he lacks other options.
- Boras wants an opt-out clause for Fielder, Rosenthal reports.
Marlins & Red Sox Have Discussed Hanley Ramirez
The Red Sox are among the teams that have had cursory trade dialogue with the Marlins about Hanley Ramirez, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). However, the talks have no traction.
The Marlins don't intend to trade Ramirez, even after signing shortstop Jose Reyes. However, Olney reported Sunday that at least four teams have talked to the Marlins about a possible deal involving Ramirez. At this point he projects as the team's everyday third baseman, though he appears to prefer playing shortstop.
Ramirez, who signed with the Red Sox as an amateur free agent in 2000, appeared in just 92 games this past season due to a sprained left shoulder. He posted a .243/.333/.379 line in 385 plate appearances — far from his career .306/.380/.506 line.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Braun, Felix, Hanley
Eight years ago today, the Orioles signed Miguel Tejada to a six-year contract worth $72MM, the richest deal in franchise history. The 2002 AL MVP had the three best seasons of his career (in terms of wins over replacement, or WAR) during his first three years in Baltimore, and hit .305/.354/.481 with 109 homers during his five years with the Orioles. Tejada spent the last year of the contract with the Astros after being traded for Luke Scott, Matt Albers, Dennis Sarfate, Troy Patton, and Mike Costanzo.
Here is the latest batch of links from around the web, now that the dust from the winter meetings has settled…
- Rum Bunter interviewed Pirates GM Neal Huntington about the roster, the budget, etc.
- Phoul Ballz spoke to Phillies prospect Tyson Gillies, who's focused on a rebound year.
- The Baseball Nerds wrote about the fallout of Ryan Braun's failed drug test.
- Pro Ball NW entertains the idea of trading Felix Hernandez.
- Redbird Rants walks down memory lane with Albert Pujols.
- Ranger Rap looked at the Rangers' side of C.J. Wilson signing with the Angels.
- Chicken Friars imagines a world where the Padres sign Prince Fielder.
- Brotherly Glove thinks Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has done a good job dealing with Jimmy Rollins.
- That Ball's Outta Here is curious to see how Dontrelle Willis fares with the Phillies.
- Rant Sports Marlins wonders if the Marlins left the winter meetings as losers.
- Sports of Boston explores the possibility of Hanley Ramirez returning to the Red Sox.
- River Ave. Blues thinks the Yankees may be repeating their Johan Santana trick with Yu Darvish.
- Over The Baggy explains why Josh Willingham was built for Target Field.
- Puckett's Pond plays devil's advocate with the Willingham signing.
- Jays Journal isn't sure that Carlos Beltran is on the Blue Jays' radar.
- North and South of Royal Brougham compares Michael Cuddyer to Luke Scott.
- Through The Fence Baseball says to bank on Bryce Harper starting next season with the Nationals.
- Cubbies Crib wrote about Aramis Ramirez joining the Brewers from the Cubs' perspective.
- Breaking Wisconsin covered all of the recent moves made by the Brewers.
- Drays Bay looks at Jeremy Hellickson and David Price as extension candidates.
- U.S.S. Mariner wonders if the Mariners should sign Michael Pineda long-term.
- Rising Apple thinks Travis Snider would be a good fit for the Mets.
- Bay City Ball wonders if Brandon Crawford's glove is good enough to carry his bat.
- Blog Red Machine put together a pitching wish list for the Reds.
- Wahoo's on First thinks the Reds might be overestimating Yonder Alonso's trade value.
- Motor City Bengals asks if teams are overvaluing their prospects.
- District on Deck believes the Nationals should inquire about Eric Young Jr.
- The Hottest Stove plays "If I Were GM" with the NL East teams.
- Baseball Reality Tour looks back at the remains of the trade that sent Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to the Tigers.
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