2011 Rule 5 Draft Preview
Today marks not only the conclusion of the Winter Meetings, but also the annual Rule 5 Draft. If you're not familiar with the Rule 5 Draft, be sure to check out MLBTR's primer.
While most of the names that come out of the Rule 5 Draft are inconsequential, every so often there's a gem that's uncovered; Johan Santana, Shane Victorino, Dan Uggla, and Josh Hamilton have all been Rule 5 selections, so you never know when you might run into an All-Star. Here's a preview of today's action:
- Baseball America's John Manuel provides the draft order and the number of open 40-man roster spots each team has.
- MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo discusses the Rule 5 Draft and some names to look for in this video segment.
- In a two part draft preview, Manuel also names some of the top candidates to be selected. While the links require a BA subscription to see all of the players and their scouting reports, we'll at least cover the names here.
- Pitchers: Caleb Brewer, Justin Fitzgerald, Brett Lorin, Diego Moreno, T.J. McFarland, Bryce Stowell, and Ryan Searle.
- Hitters: Abraham Almonte, Eduardo Sosa, Ryan Flaherty, Jiwan James, and Beamer Weems.
- Utility Guys and Role Players: Drew Cumberland, Jordan Danks, Blaine Hardy, Brandon Sisk, Justin Henry, Joe Ortiz, Trevor Reckling, Dae-Eun Rhee, Josh Smoker, and Johan Yan.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin said his team probably won't make a pick in Thursday's Rule 5 Draft,tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
- The Pirates have at least thought about picking Nationals lefty Josh Smoker in the Rule 5 Draft, though it's not a lock according to John Perotto of Baseball Prospectus (on Twitter). Smoker was selected 31st overall by the Nats in 2007
- Even with tonight's hiring of Jeff Luhnow as the new Astros GM, it will be interim GM Dave Gottfried and scouting director/assistant GM Bobby Heck calling the shots at the Rule 5 Draft tomorrow, tweets Alyson Footer of the Astros
- Manuel writes that reports of the Twins focusing on pitching led to speculation on Mets righty Rhiner Cruz, but a club source said the team is looking in another direction.
- The Pirates have made a 40-man roster move that they haven't yet announced in order to open a spot to make a pick in the draft, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- As of last night the Yankees were planning on making a selection in the draft, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Mets Considered Trading Parnell Yesterday
ESPN's Adam Rubin reports that the Mets were mulling over the idea of trading Bobby Parnell to an unknown team for a starting position player.
The Mets drastically revamped their bullpen on Tuesday, signing Jon Rauch and Frank Francisco to handle the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, and also landing Ramon Ramirez in a trade with the Giants, so they've got the depth to make it work. Parnell though, as Rubin points out, is controllable for four more years, while Ramirez and Rauch are free agents following 2012.
It's not surprising to see other teams interested in the flamethrowing 27-year-old, though. Parnell's average fastball sat at a blistering 97.2mph last season, and he posted a 3.64 ERA, 9.7 K/9, 4.1 BB/9, and 50.6% groundball rate in 59 1/3 innings.
Day In Review: Top Stories From Day 3
Recaps from Day 1 and Day 2 are available for those who missed anything, and let's jump right into Day 3's highlights as the sun prepares to rise on the final day of the Winter Meetings:
- There will be no decision by Albert Pujols prior to the Meetings' conclusion, however we do know this: The Marlins are likely out, but the Angels are definitely in. The Angels claim they can sign both Pujols and C.J. Wilson. Reports of a 10-year, $220MM offer from the Cardinals may not be accurate, and ESPN's Jayson Stark reported there is indeed an unknown third team in the mix that would need to trade an established first baseman to clear room for The Machine.
- One big reason the Marlins are out on Pujols is the fact that $58MM of their perhaps not endless budget went to a four-year deal for Mark Buehrle. The long-time South Side hurler will now reunite with manager Ozzie Guillen in South Beach.
- With Buehrle off the market, all eyes are on C.J. Wilson, who is expected to announce that he'll sign with the Angels or Marlins this morning. While the Fish have a six-year offer on the table for Wilson, it's the industry consensus right now that he'll take a five-year deal to pitch for the Angels near his California home.
- With the top two American southpaws set to come off the market, it'll become open season on Yu Darvish. The Nippon-Ham Fighters ace announced late last night that he'll be posted today. So far, reports suggest the Rangers, Blue Jays, and Yankees are expected to bid with the Red Sox being a potential wild card.
- Those not wanting to spend big in dollars could instead spend big in prospects and pony up for the Dan Haren-esque haul the Athletics want in exchange for Gio Gonzalez. While the Oakland ace is a hot topic, he's not expected to be dealt before the Meetings end.
- If a Haren haul's not your thing but controllable left-handed pitchers are, you might try giving the Mets a call about Jonathon Niese. The Amazins are willing to listen on Niese and any player whose last name isn't "Wright."
- The Padres found Heath Bell's replacement when they nabbed Huston Street from the Rockies for nothing more than a player to be named later and the majority of Street's salary.
- The Red Sox are looking to trade for a Western division closer of their own, but their talks with the A's about Andrew Bailey aren't progressing as well. They offered Josh Reddick and some prospects, but the two sides aren't close.
- Marlins executives shot down the reports that Hanley Ramirez wanted to restructure his contract following the signing of Jose Reyes and assure that he will not be traded.
- Last night was the deadline for free agents who'd been offered arbitration to accept or decline. Here's the rundown, but all you really need to know is that the only three who accepted are Kelly Johnson, David Ortiz, and Francisco Rodriguez.
- K-Rod's acceptance seems to have really thrown a wrench into the Brewers' offseason plans, but GM Doug Melvin says they knew it was a possibility and took the risk. The Brew Crew expected Jimmy Rollins to re-sign with the Phillies even before that decision, at least.
- The Astros hired former Cardinals exec Jeff Luhnow as their new general manager.
- The Tigers are nearing a deal with the well-traveled Octavio Dotel, while the Angels came to terms with righty LaTroy Hawkins for $3MM on a one-year deal.
- The Yankees surprisingly won the bid for Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima and are also willing to eat $8MM of A.J. Burnett's salary to faciliate a trade.
- The Pirates bought a whole bunch of upside for $4.5MM when they signed free agent lefty Erik Bedard to a one-year deal.
Orioles Expected To Announce Trade Today
The Orioles are "real close" to a trade that is expected to be announced today, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com.
Originally published on December 8th at 9:44am.
C.J. Wilson Rumors: Thursday
Will C.J. Wilson follow Albert Pujols to Los Angeles? The latest on the free agent lefty…
- The Marlins have a six-year, $80MM offer on the table for Wilson but it may not be enough, tweets MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Given that $80MM over five years seems attainable for Wilson, the fact that the Marlins went to six years doesn't hold much weight in my opinion.
Originally published on December 8th at 9:55am.
No Bids On Hiroki Sanada
December 8: No teams posted a bid on Sanada, writes Newman. Sanada becomes the third player to be posted and not receive a bid, following Akinori Otsuka in 2002 and Koji Mitsui twice, most recently in 2009.
November 22: The Yokohama Bay Stars have agreed to post right-handed reliever Hiroki Sanada this offseason, according to a report passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. It will be the first time Yokohama has used the posting system, though they have lost Takashi Saito and Kazuhiro Sasaki to MLB via free agency.
Sanada, 28 in February, posted a 4.22 ERA in 49 innings this season. He struck out just 18 batters while allowing 74 baserunners (66 hits and eight walks). Newman doesn't expect Sanada to be a hot commodity in part because his velocity has declined, suggesting that he could be in line for a minor league deal following a minimal posting fee.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
Rangers Not Confident They Can Land Garza
3:27am: FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal (who apparently doesn't sleep) tweets that the Rangers are "not at all" confident that they will be able to pry Garza away from the Cubs. Texas considers Chicago's asking price to be too steep.
10:06pm: The Cubs and Rangers are discussing a possible swap of Matt Garza for prospects, but aren't close to matching up yet, tweets Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago. Danny Knobler of CBS Sports confirms (via Twitter) that the Rangers are trying to acquire the right-hander.
The Cubs are rumored to be seeking an "overwhelming offer" for Garza.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
Overnight Links: Wise, Gonzalez, Fielder, Rule 5
Some links for the bleary-eyed readers still awake at their computers/smartphones/tablets:
- The Yankees are discussing a minor league deal with outfielder Dewayne Wise, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). A strong defender, Wise is probably best known for preserving former teammate Mark Buehrle's 2009 perfect game in the ninth inning by robbing a home run off the bat of Gabe Kapler.
- Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets that the Rangers met with Scott Boras to discuss Mike Gonzalez today, and they also checked in on Prince Fielder.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin said his team probably won't make a pick in Thursday's Rule 5 Draft, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
- The Pirates have at least thought about picking Nationals lefty Josh Smoker in the Rule 5 Draft, though it's not a lock according to John Perotto of Baseball Prospectus (on Twitter). Smoker was selected 31st overall by the Nats in 2007.
- Even with tonight's hiring of Jeff Luhnow as the new Astros GM, it will be interim GM Dave Gottfried and scouting director/assistant GM Bobby Heck calling the shots at the Rule 5 Draft tomorrow, tweets Alyson Footer of the Astros.
- Baseball America's John Manuel writes that reports of the Twins focusing on pitching led to speculation on Mets righty Rhiner Cruz, but a club source said the team is looking in another direction.
- The Red Sox compensation from the Cubs for Theo Epstein is expected to be sorted out after the Rule 5 Draft, writes MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
NL West Notes: Rockies, Stewart, Dodgers
Earlier today we saw a rare trade between division rivals when the Rockies sent Huston Street to the Padres for a player to be named later and cash. Let's take a look at some other news and rumors from the NL West…
- The Rockies "immediately contacted" Hiroki Kuroda's agent following the Street trade, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post. With $7MM freed up, Colorado has a number of options. Renck once again mentions Colorado's interest in Michael Cuddyer as well.
- The Rockies like Jonathon Niese a lot, but have had no conversations to date with the Mets, according to Renck. New York is open to moving the 25-year-old lefty.
- The Pirates are keeping in touch with the Rox on Ian Stewart, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times tweets that the Dodgers are keeping in touch with the agent for Mike MacDougal. GM Ned Colletti is also talking with other relievers, but talks with MacDougal are the furthest along.
- The Dodgers have "no interest" in bringing back Manny Ramirez, writes Hernandez's colleague Steve Dilbeck.
No Pujols Decision During Winter Meetings
The Cardinals, Angels, and a third team are still involved in the bidding for Albert Pujols, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The third team is not the Marlins, who are out of the running for the slugger.
In today's round-up of Pujols rumors, we also learned that the Cardinals' offer may be for only nine years, rather than ten. It was also reported that Pujols still has three offers in excess of $200MM+ on the table, even with the Marlins out of the mix. It's unclear if the Angels have extended that significant an offer, but Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets that the Halos are "in strong." Here's the latest on Pujols:
- There's "no shot" Pujols is ready to sign before the meetings are over, or perhaps anytime soon, writes Stark. He also says that there is less and less skepticism that a third team really is in the bidding, and that the team is believed to be a club with an established first baseman it would need to trade to accommodate Pujols.
- The Angels say they can afford to sign both Pujols and Wilson, tweets USA Today's Bob Nightengale, noting that doing so would likely require $300MM.
- A decision from Pujols isn't coming before the end of the Winter Meetings, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark.
- The Angels' bid for Pujols is for ten years and at least $210MM, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
- A "Pujols associate" tells Jon Heyman of MLB Network that it would probably take "$40MM more" from a team besides the Cardinals for Pujols to leave St. Louis (Twitter link).
- C.J. Wilson is seriously considering signing with the Angels, in which case the Halos would almost certainly be out on Pujols, tweets Rosenthal.
- Within a piece at FOX Sports, Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi write that the Angels had a "lengthy set of negotiations" with agent Dan Lozano today.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.