Archives for January 2011

Quick Hits: Francisco, Manny, Rays, Athletics

By Mike Axisa | January 16, 2011 at 3:23pm CDT

On this date two years ago, the Dodgers signed Ronald Belisario as a minor league free agent after he had spent the previous eight years in the Marlins' and Pirates' systems. Belisario made the team's Opening Day roster in 2009 and has pitched to a 3.36 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and a 58.5% ground ball rate in 126 innings since.

Here are Sunday's links…

Paul Hagen of The Philadelphia Daily News has the breakdown of the incentives included in Ben Francisco's contract with the Phillies. The outfielder can earn another $100K in bonuses tied to plate appearances, plus more for various awards.
Kevin Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News sees just one reason why the Rangers should consider signing Manny Ramirez. Texas is one of five teams that have recently expressed interest in Manny.
Some estimates say the Rays should budget upwards of $15MM for the 2011 draft because of all the extra picks they have, according to Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times. Once the Rafael Soriano, Grant Balfour, and Chad Qualls signings become official, Tampa will own a dozen of the first 90 or so picks.
The Athletics are optimistic about their offseason moves says Joe Stiglich of The Oakland Tribune, and rightfully so.

Ryan Franklin Wants To Play Beyond 2011

By Mike Axisa | January 16, 2011 at 2:31pm CDT

Just a few months ago, Ryan Franklin announced that he intended to retire after the 2011 season, when his current contract is up. Seven months and some rethinking later, Franklin told Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he would like to continue pitching beyond the 2011 campaign.

"I've done a lot of [thinking] this offseason," said Franklin. "I've come to the conclusion that if this year goes well, I'm going to keep playing. If I stay healthy, and I don't see why I shouldn't. The family has told me to keep playing, so I'm going to keep playing."

We heard that Franklin was reconsidering his retirement plans back in September, but he emphasized that the decision would be based around his family and what they want. As the reliever stated, his family is on board with him continuing his career.

Franklin will turn 38 early in Spring Training, and specifically mentioned Jason Motte, Mitchell Boggs, and Kyle McClellan to Goold as potential understudies for the closer's role. He pitched to a 3.46 ERA with 27 saves in 65 innings in 2010, one year after he posted a 1.92 ERA with 38 saves in 2009. Franklin's current contract guarantees him $6.5MM.

Twins Avoid Arbitration With Alexi Casilla

By Mike Axisa | January 16, 2011 at 1:30pm CDT

The Twins and Alexi Casilla have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract worth $865K, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. It was his first time eligible for arbitration.

Casilla, 26, missed almost two months of the 2010 season after having surgery to remove bone spurs from his throwing elbow. When he was on the field, he hit .276/.331/.395 in 170 plate appearances, a nice rebound from a .202/.280/.259 effort in 2009. The departures of J.J. Hardy, Orlando Hudson, and Brendan Harris have created an opening for Casilla to get regular playing at one of the middle infield spots. New pick-up Tsuyoshi Nishioka will handle the other spot.

MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows that the Twins still have five players eligible for arbitration: Matt Capps, Kevin Slowey, Glen Perkins, Delmon Young, and Francisco Liriano.

Cafardo’s Latest: Bonderman, Pettitte, Pavano, Bautista

By Luke Adams 2 | January 16, 2011 at 11:42am CDT

Despite their impressive offseason, the Red Sox will still need some luck at a couple positions, says Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Cafardo leads this week's column by discussing the production the Red Sox hope to receive behind the plate and from their left-handed relievers. Here are the rest of the items of interest from the piece:

Jeremy Bonderman is still looking to land a spot at the back of a rotation, and is drawing "minor interest" from the Rangers and Cardinals. The Yankees, whose interest in Bonderman we heard about earlier this month, have also been in touch with the right-hander's representation.
Someone "close to" Andy Pettitte told Cafardo that he would be shocked if we've seen the last of the left-hander in the bigs. The longtime Yankee won't start the 2011 season with the club, but hasn't officially announced any plans to retire.
There has been a "strange silence" surrounding Carl Pavano's situation over the last week, but Cafardo suggests that since Pavano definitely wants to remain a Twin, there's no urgency to act quickly.
According to Cafardo, Jose Bautista would prefer to play right field rather than third base for the Blue Jays this season. Where Bautista ends up on the field may hinge on whether the Jays add another bat.

NL Central Notes: Pirates, Pujols, Rasmus, Wandy

By Luke Adams 2 | January 16, 2011 at 10:33am CDT

The fact that the Pirates haven't had a winning season since 1992 isn't stopping new manager Clint Hurdle from aiming high in 2011. Speaking to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Hurdle said that "people can laugh," but Pittsburgh will head into the season with the goal of winning the NL Central. Here are the latest updates on the Pirates and the rest of the division they hope to win:

Hurdle was a major factor in Lyle Overbay's decision to sign with the Pirates, as Colin Dunlap of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette explains.
As ESPN's Buster Olney hinted yesterday on Twitter, Albert Pujols is serious about his Spring Training negotiating deadline. In Olney's Insider-only blog, he says that if the deadline passes without an extension in place, "all bets are off. Because the talks will shift from a nice one-on-one conversation between the Cardinals and their star player to being a straight bidding war."
Cardinals GM John Mozeliak tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that trade rumors surrounding Colby Rasmus were blown out of proportion. According to Mozelieak, most of the calls he received on Rasmus were from teams who were "bottom-fishing," thinking the Cards might part with the 24-year-old at a reduced price.
The Astros will face a tough decision this year regarding the future of Wandy Rodriguez, writes Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle. Justice expects the team to try to extend the left-hander, a possibility the Astros and Rodriguez have already discussed, but cautions that "the money can't get crazy."

Yankees Notes: Jones, Damon, Soriano, Rays

By Luke Adams 2 | January 16, 2011 at 9:37am CDT

Let's check out the latest rumblings from the Bronx….

The Yankees have stepped up their pursuit of Andruw Jones, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. Heyman previously reported that the two sides were apart on money, despite the team's strong interest in the outfielder. While the Rays and other clubs are still involved, the Yankees appear to be making a push to get something done with the 33-year-old.
In the same tweet, Heyman adds that Johnny Damon remains a possibility for both the Yankees and Rays.
Bill Madden of the New York Daily News writes that Rafael Soriano's $35MM price tag isn't the only reason to be concerned about the signing. Madden questions the right-hander's make-up, but says the Yankees are confident that Mariano Rivera will be a "calming, guiding force" for Soriano.
Speaking to Roger Rubin of the New York Daily News, Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey said that while Soriano didn't make a great first impression in Tampa Bay, he turned out to be a "consummate pro." "I wish we were the ones signed up for three more years with him," Hickey added.

Reds, Votto Discussing Multiyear Contract

By Luke Adams 2 | January 16, 2011 at 9:02am CDT

The Reds and Joey Votto are "working hard" on a multiyear extension for the reigning NL MVP, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. Votto, who is eligible for arbitration for the first time, is currently under team control through 2013.

Heyman suggests Votto and the Reds could end up agreeing to a three-year contract, which would only buy out the 27-year-old's arbitration seasons. In such a scenario, Votto would still be eligible to hit free agency after the 2013 campaign, though it would give the two sides some cost certainty until that point.

The Reds have already extended one of their lineup's cornerstones this winter, signing Jay Bruce to a six-year deal. While the Reds may not commit more guaranteed money to Votto than the $51MM Bruce will earn, the average annual value of a Votto extension would certainly be higher, even with no free agent years included. In a second tweet, Heyman indicates that, if it gets done, a three-year deal would likely be worth around $37MM.

Nationals, Alex Cora In Serious Talks

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 16, 2011 at 9:00am CDT

The Nationals are in serious talks with Alex Cora about a potential deal, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Former Nationals utility player Willie Harris recently finalized a deal with the Mets, so GM Mike Rizzo is looking outside the organization for potential infielders.

Cora played all four infield positions in 2010, though most of his big league experience has come at second and short. The 35-year-old hit .210/.266/.278 with the Mets and Rangers last year, before Texas released him in September. Rizzo has a good working relationship with agent Scott Boras, who represents Cora and Nationals such as Jayson Werth, Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg.

Though the team considered Jerry Hairston Jr. as a utility player, some in the organization believe his asking price would be too high, according to Ladson.

This post was originally published on January 17th.

Quick Hits: Carpenter, Martin, Francis, Yankees

By Mike Axisa | January 15, 2011 at 10:26pm CDT

Eighteen years ago today, the Angels traded Lee Stevens to the Expos for minor leaguer Jeff Tuss, but Tuss refused to report to his new team. Keith Morrison, another minor leaguer, was included in the deal instead, and Tuss never played affiliated baseball again.

Here are today's batch of links…

Chris Carpenter told MLB.com's Matthew Leach that he's not worried about his future with the Cardinals. The right-hander is under contract for 2011 with a $15MM club option for 2012, but an extension for Albert Pujols might push the 35-year-old Carpenter out of town if the team needs to shed payroll.
Richard Griffin of The Toronto Star reports that the Blue Jays offered Russell Martin the same amount of money as the Yankees, but the catcher signed with New York because of a better opportunity to win (Twitter link). Shi Davidi of The Canadian Press tweets that the Jays wanted Martin to catch four times a week as well as play another position.
Jeff Francis said the Blue Jays did not show any interest in him before he joined the Royals according to Davidi on Twitter. Francis grew up in Canada, but nowhere close to Toronto.
Chad Jennings of the The Journal News takes a look at the Yankees' multiyear relief contract from the last decade.
Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that Cardinals GM John Mozeliak has pledged to keep negotiations about a contract extension with Albert Pujols private.
The Rangers offered Jim Thome more than $4MM before he decided to sign with the Twins for $3MM, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). We knew that Thome turned down more money from Texas, but now we know how much.
Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts told fans that he has confidence in GM Jim Hendry at today's Cubs Convention according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter).
Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer says this winter's market for free agent relievers has been wonderful for Ryan Madson. The Phillies' setup man is due to become a free agent next offseason after his three-year, $12MM contract expires.

Rockies Sign Two To Minor League Contracts

By Mike Axisa | January 15, 2011 at 9:52pm CDT

The Rockies have signed right-hander Jim Miller and left-hander Josh Muecke to minor league contracts, reports Jack Etkin of Inside The Rockies. It is unclear if either will receive an invite to Spring Training.

Miller, 28, was Colorado's eighth round pick in 2004, though the Rockies traded him to the Orioles for Rodrigo Lopez before the 2007 season. He made his big league debut with the O's in 2008, allowing just one earned run in 7 2/3 innings. Miller has yet to return to the show and posted a 4.84 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 57 2/3 relief innings for Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate this past season.

Muecke, 29, spent the 2010 season with the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate. He posted a 5.94 ERA in 119 2/3 innings (22 starts, three relief appearances), striking out 6.1 and walking 3.2 batters per nine innings, respectively. He was Houston's fifth round pick way back in 2003.

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