White Sox Not Likely To Pursue Rafael Soriano
The White Sox aren't likely to sign Rafael Soriano unless his price drops "way, way down," according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The White Sox were reportedly eyeing the reliever early in the month, but like other teams, they moved on.
Soriano, the top reliever and arguably the top free agent on the open market, will cost more than money. Since the Type A free agent turned down the Rays' offer of arbitration, the team that signs Soriano will lose a top pick.
That possibility scared the Yankees away, even though Soriano would have considered a setup role behind Mariano Rivera. The AL Champion Rangers signed Adrian Beltre, but they are not pursuing Soriano, another Scott Boras client. The Cardinals don't appear to have much interest in the closer either.
As MLBTR's Mark Polishuk explains, the Angels are a possibility for Soriano. In a separate piece, Morosi argues that finding a substantial contract for the right-hander could be Boras' biggest coup of the 2010-11 offseason.
Yankees Will Not Surrender First Round Pick
Yankees GM Brian Cashman says he intends to hold onto his 2011 first round draft choice, according to Chad Jennings of the Journal News. That means the team won’t sign any of the three remaining free agents tied to draft pick compensation: Rafael Soriano, Carl Pavano and Grant Balfour.
“I will not lose our No. 1 draft pick,” Cashman said. “I would have for Cliff Lee. I won’t lose our No. 1 draft pick for anyone else.”
Since Soriano, Pavano and Balfour turned down their teams’ offers of arbitration after being ranked as Type A free agents, clubs have to surrender a top 2011 pick to sign them. The Yankees’ first round pick (31st overall) is unprotected.
Though the Yankees were in contact with Soriano and agent Scott Boras, they are not pursuing him. It's hardly shocking to hear that the Yankees are out on Pavano, who spent four injury-plagued seasons in the Bronx and earned nearly $40MM in the process.
Rangers Designate Guillermo Moscoso For Assignment
The Rangers designated Guillermo Moscoso for assignment, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter). The 27-year-old right-hander appeared in one game for the Rangers last year, after appearing in ten contests in 2009. He has a 4.30 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 in his brief major league career.
Moscoso started 22 games for the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate last year, posting a 5.18 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 123 1/3 total innings. He has a 3.46 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in parts of six minor league seasons.
The Rangers acquired Moscoso in the 2008 deal that sent Gerald Laird to Detroit. The year before the trade, the righty threw a perfect game in the minors. Baseball America said before the 2010 season that Moscoso's "best asset is his ability to pound the bottom of the strike zone with a low-90s fastball." He could become a long reliever or swingman in the major leagues and may be able to start if he hones his secondary pitches, according to BA.
Quick Hits: Pettitte, Figgins, Giants, Hoffman
On this date in 2002, the Diamondbacks signed Carlos Gonzalez as an amateur free agent. Two blockbuster trades and one breakout season later, CarGo has agreed to a seven-year extension with the Rockies. Here are today's links…
- Andy Pettitte told Brian Costello of the New York Post at his home in Texas that he's just "chilling out, hanging" and still hasn't decided whether he'll play in 2011.
- The Mariners have officially asked Chone Figgins to move back to third base, reports Kirby Arnold of the Daily Herald. Figgins has played more games at third than at any other position, but he played second base last year.
- The Giants will likely rely on players already in the organization for infield depth now that Edgar Renteria has agreed to sign with the Reds, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- Trevor Hoffman is leaning toward retirement, according to Heyman (on Twitter). The reliever has drawn some interest this offseason, but he had hoped for the chance to close in 2011.
- Michael Girsch will replace John Abbamondi as the Cardinals' assistant GM, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Beltre, Angels, Dodgers
On this date in 1992, Tom Seaver was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame along with Rollie Fingers. Seaver received 425 of 430 votes (98.8%), still the highest percentage in baseball history. Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar joined the pair in Cooperstown earlier this week. Congrats to both.
Here is this week's batch of links from around the web…
- Baseball Time in Arlington writes about the impact Adrian Beltre will have on the Rangers.
- Pine Tar And Pocket Protectors also discusses what Beltre brings to Texas.
- Monkey with a Halo has some options for the Angels now that Beltre is off the board.
- The Sports Banter asks if there's something wrong with Anaheim.
- True Grich is still waiting for the Halos to get to work this offseason.
- Purple Row breaks down the Carlos Gonzalez contract extension.
- Capitol Avenue Club does the same for the Dan Uggla contract extension.
- Talking Chop, meanwhile, calls the deal an overreaction on Atlanta's part.
- True Blue LA looks at a pair of arbitration-eligible Dodgers, Hong-Chih Kuo and James Loney (Kuo, Loney).
- Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness asks if the Dodgers should be looking for a lefty reliever.
- Feeling Dodger Blue believes the Dodgers are still missing one piece.
- Prospect Insider looks ahead to next year's version of Zack Greinke.
- The Process Report talks about Matt Garza and the endowment effect.
- Camden Crazies isn't thrilled about the Kevin Gregg signing.
- We Should Be GMs tries to figure out where the Phillies can trade Joe Blanton.
- Friarhood says Brad Hawpe brings stability to the middle of the Padres' lineup.
- Examiner wonders if Edwin Jackson's success with the White Sox is sustainable.
- Beyond The Box Score breaks down the Mets' options at second base.
- Some Thoughts On Baseball is curious to know who will serve as the Blue Jays' fifth starter.
- The Biz of Baseball explains why Kevin Brown's contract with the Dodgers shouldn't be mystifying.
- Blogging From The Bleachers projects each team's 2011 starting rotation (part one, part two).
- MLB Depth Charts debuted their position battles tracker.
- THT Fantasy introduces the next generation of WHIP.
- SB Nation compiled the best animated sports .gifs of 2010.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Yankees Not Showing Interest In Rafael Soriano
Rafael Soriano would join the Yankees as a setup man, but as of last night the Bronx Bombers weren't interested in the Scott Boras client, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Soriano "would have to make himself absurdly cheap" on a one or two-year deal before the Yankees would even consider him, Olney writes.
Jon Heyman of SI.com reported yesterday that the sides were in contact and had engaged in preliminary talks (Twitter links).
The Yankees re-signed Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter and they hope to re-sign Andy Pettitte. But after missing out on Cliff Lee, they still have money to spend and Boras knows it. The team needs relief help, starting pitching, a fourth outfielder and a backup infielder, so GM Brian Cashman has lots to address before Spring Training begins next month.
Jack Of All Trades: Bert Blyleven
Wednesday's announcement that Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar earned election to the Hall of Fame was notable not merely for the successful Internet campaign on Blyleven's behalf or Alomar's overcoming last year's snub. In terms of transactional history, Blyleven and Alomar were part of a combined eight trades – not that common for a Hall of Fame class.
Alomar's deals, particularly the one that sent Alomar and Joe Carter to Toronto for Tony Fernandez and Fred McGriff, have been rehashed many times. But Blyleven's five trades have been as overlooked as his strikeout and shutout totals. That. Ends. Here.
Padres’, Pirates’ Notable Non-Roster Invitees
The Padres and Pirates have announced their Spring Training non-roster invitees, write MLB.com's Corey Brock and Jenifer Langosch, respectively.
Among San Diego's 20 NRIs is a small handful of players with big-league experience and a decent chance of making the 25-man roster at the end of Spring Training. Here's a quick look at some of those guys:
- Kevin Frandsen has spent parts of five seasons with the Giants and Angels, and he has a "good shot" of catching on with the Padres as a utility man, according to Brock. The 28-year-old plays multiple positions and would earn a salary of $575,000.
- Guillermo Quiroz could challenge Rob Johnson for the backup catching job, notes Brock. Quiroz, 29, has played for four teams (Rangers, Blue Jays, Mariners and Orioles) in parts of seven seasons.
- Gregorio Petit spent parts of two seasons with the A's as a utility infielder in 2008-09. The 26-year-old spent the entirety of 2010 with the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate.
- Bullpen hopefuls Luis Perdomo and Scott Munter each have Major League experience. Perdomo made 35 appearances with San Diego in 2009 but only one last season, and Munter was with the Giants for parts of three seasons.
The Pirates, meanwhile, have a slightly more interesting cast of notable names:
- Garrett Atkins, Jeff Clement, Josh Fields and Andy Marte form a quartet of one-time blue-chip prospects. Atkins, in particular, was an above-average player for the Rockies in 2006-07, but he declined quickly in the following years. Clement, a former catcher, was a No. 3 overall pick of the Mariners in 2005, and Fields and Marte were raw-power corner-infield prospects coming up with the White Sox and Braves/Indians, respectively.
- On the pitching side, Tyler Yates has a 8.1 K/9 for his career but did not pitch in the bigs in 2010. Donald Veal, selected by the Bucs from the Cubs in the Rule 5 Draft prior to the 2009 season, is a hard-throwing but wild lefty. Brian Burres has started 54 games in his five-year career with the Orioles, Blue Jays and Pirates. Sean Gallagher was dealt from the Cubs to the A's in the deal that sent Rich Harden to Chicago, and has appeared in 91 games. Fernando Nieve has appeared in 99 games (19 starts) with the Astros and Mets in parts of four seasons.
Quick Hits: Keppinger, Pettitte, Bell, Molina
Here are some items of note on this Thursday, a day on which the Reds and Rangers each settled with one of their arbitration-eligible players. Remember to refer to our handy Arbitration Tracker, as those cases will continue to pop up in the coming weeks …
- The Astros were thought to be mulling the idea of trading Jeff Keppinger this offseason, but the utility infielder is scheduled to undergo left foot surgery next week and will likely miss the start of the regular season, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. This offseason, Houston acquired Bill Hall to play second base and Clint Barmes to man shortstop, so Keppinger has become expendable, but the injury should put a significant dent in the likelihood of him being dealt before the season. Keppinger enjoyed a career year in 2010, hitting .288/.351/.391 in 575 plate appearances. The Astros and Yankees briefly discussed a swap for Keppinger, but those talks went nowhere.
- The Yankees are willing to offer $12MM or $13MM to Andy Pettitte and are awaiting a decision from the lefty, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.com. As Heyman notes, either of those figures would represent a modest raise for Pettitte, who earned $11.75MM in 2010, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. Pettitte, who has been playing on one-year deals in each of the past four seasons, will probably either re-sign with the Yankees or retire.
- Padres closer Heath Bell hopes to remain in San Diego with a multiyear contract, writes Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Bell is in his final year of arbitration eligibility, and, having turned 33 in September, wants to garner long-term security, notes Center. Padres GM Jed Hoyer didn't offer much, saying that he and Bell's agent have "touched on it."
- After splitting 2010 between the Giants and Rangers, free-agent catcher Bengie Molina is seeking the "right fit," and one scenario that interests him is backing up his brother Yadier with the Cardinals, tweets Heyman. However, St. Louis already has a solid backup backstop in Gerald Laird, who signed a one-year deal with the Cards in December, so that seems unlikely.
Brian Bannister Heading To Japan
Free-agent starter Brian Bannister has agreed to a one-year deal (plus a club option) with the Tokyo Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Bannister, a five-year veteran of the big leagues, pitched for one season with the Mets and the past four with the Royals, to largely underwhelming results, and made 108 starts in his four-year stint with Kansas City. He'll turn 30 in February.
A second-generation Major Leaguer, Bannister was selected by the Mets in the seventh round of the 2003 draft.