Justin Verlander Wins AL MVP
Justin Verlander won the American League MVP award, according to the Baseball Writers Association of America. Verlander took home the AL's Cy Young award last week. He's the first pitcher to win the MVP since Dennis Eckersley in 1992, and the first starter since Roger Clemens in '86.
Jacoby Ellsbury, Jose Bautista, Curtis Granderson, Miguel Cabrera, Robinson Cano, Adrian Gonzalez, Michael Young, Dustin Pedroia, and Evan Longoria rounded out the top ten. Ian Kinsler, Alex Avila, Paul Konerko, C.C. Sabathia, Adrian Beltre, Ben Zobrist, Victor Martinez, James Shields, Mark Teixeira, Asdrubal Cabrera, Alex Gordon, Josh Hamilton, and David Robertson also received votes.
Rangers Expressed Interest In Frank Francisco
Ten months ago, Frank Francisco and cash brought the Rangers two years of Mike Napoli. After a season with the Blue Jays, Francisco is now a free agent, and MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers have expressed interest in bringing him back. So far, the Mets have also been linked to Francisco.
Francisco, 32, posted a 3.55 ERA, 9.4 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 1.2 HR/9, and 38.6% groundball rate in 50 2/3 innings this year. He was diagnosed in March with tightness in his right pectoral and biceps inflammation, which delayed his season debut until April 20th. He bounced in and out of Toronto's closer role, saving 17 games in 21 opportunities. The Rangers are very open to the idea of moving Neftali Feliz to the rotation next year, which may create a need at the back end of the bullpen even with summer acquisitions Mike Adams and Koji Uehara under team control.
Nationals Visiting Buehrle At His Home Today
Nationals officials including GM Mike Rizzo are visiting free agent lefty Mark Buehrle and his agents at his home in St. Louis today, reports Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Kilgore says Buehrle is the team's top free agent choice. Roy Oswalt seems to be Plan B. The Nationals met with the agents for both pitchers at last week's GM Meetings.
Rizzo is looking for a horse, and the 32-year-old Buehrle fits the bill with 11 consecutive seasons of 201+ innings. As I noted in October, the Nationals have front-end rotation talent in Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann, but neither is likely to be an innings-eater in 2012.
Aside from the Nationals, the Marlins, Cubs, Twins, Rangers, Yankees, Royals, Red Sox, Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, and Angels reportedly have interest in Buehrle.
Yoenis Cespedes’ Asking Price
MONDAY, 10:28am: The $35-50MM estimate for Cespedes may be light, a GM tells Gammons. Cespedes' people told one club they already have an offer with $10MM up front and eight years.
FRIDAY, 3:46pm: Cespedes may be looking to obtain more than $60MM on an eight-year deal, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. The outfielder shoud be declared a free agent soon after he establishes temporary residency in the Dominican Republic in late November, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
12:59pm: The question emerges whenever a star hits the free agent market: ‘how much will he cost?’ Yoenis Cespedes, the 26-year-old Cuban center fielder who is expected to hit free agency this offseason, has already drawn interest from many MLB teams and it sounds as though he expects to be paid like an established star, not a prospect.
Cespedes' agents are positioning him as an impact MLB player, instead of comparing him to other Cubans who have made the leap to the Major Leagues, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Scouts in the Dominican tell Peter Gammons of MLB Network that Cespedes will cost between $35-50MM (Twitter link).
The Cubs will watch Cespedes and others in the Dominican Republic next week, according to MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat (on Twitter). The Red Sox, Phillies, Indians, Blue Jays, Pirates, Rangers, Tigers, Nationals, Athletics, Marlins, and Yankees also appear to have some interest in Cespedes.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Aramis Ramirez
Aramis Ramirez's free agency seemingly came at a great time. 2011 was his healthiest season since '08, and he bounced back offensively to win the National League's Silver Slugger award at third base. Also to his benefit: he's the only free agent third baseman likely to be viewed as a starter at the position.
The occasional trip to the disabled list had never affected Ramirez on the field until perhaps 2010. That year he dealt with a sore triceps, bruised thumb, and a quad injury. A .303 hitter over the previous six seasons, Ramirez slipped to .241 last year. That might have been injury-related, a fluke, or a little of both, but Ramirez preferred a $14.6MM salary for 2011 over free agency. He probably could have gotten a multiyear deal at a reduced salary.
New Cubs management would have been content with Ramirez on a one-year, $16MM deal, as they exercised their side of a mutual option in late October. Or, perhaps Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer were certain Ramirez would decline his end, and exercised theirs to avoid paying the $2MM buyout. At any rate, the longtime Cub will be with a new team in 2012.
Ramirez is a middle-of-the-order bat in a market bereft of third basemen, yet at least three teams with openings have little interest. The Marlins and Rockies are unlikely to participate in the bidding, with the Rockies reportedly balking at the number of years Ramirez seeks. The Marlins would seemingly prefer to commit six years to Jose Reyes and move Hanley Ramirez to third base for three years than pursue Ramirez. Angels GM Jerry Dipoto said outright he's not interested in Ramirez.
Ramirez is 33 years old, and his agent Paul Kinzer seeks four guaranteed years or three with an option. Perhaps that early demand has scared off the Marlins, Rockies, and Angels, but Kinzer says he has at least two teams with strong interest.
Ramirez doesn't seem a great fit for the Orioles, who have options at the infield corners and aren't close to contending. Several other teams with clearer third base openings are not close to contending either. The Red Sox or Yankees probably aren't ready to use Kevin Youkilis and Alex Rodriguez full-time at DH, so they're unlikely. The Phillies still have Placido Polanco under contract for one more year and just added Ty Wigginton. The Diamondbacks only make sense if they consider Ramirez an upgrade over the much cheaper Ryan Roberts. The Tigers, Twins, and Brewers could work for Ramirez, if they have the money. I can picture three years and as much as $42MM for Ramirez, but at this point it's unclear which team would be eager to make that commitment.
Greg Halman Killed
Mariners outfielder Greg Halman was killed early this morning, Dutch police told the Associated Press. Halman was stabbed to death, and his brother has been arrested as a suspect. Halman, 24, was a native of the Netherlands.
Our thoughts are with Greg's loved ones.
West Notes: Beane, Minaya, Rockies
Some linkage from the West Coast as this Sunday night winds down …
- On Sunday we heard that Bud Selig will meet with the Giants regarding the Athletics' potential relocation to San Jose. If that relocation falls through, however, don't be surprised if Oakland GM Billy Beane winds up with the Dodgers once the franchise is sold, tweets Peter Gammons of MLB Network.
- The Padres have talked to former Mets GM Omar Minaya about a front office job, a source tells Dan Hayes of the North County Times (Twitter link). It's likely for an advisor role, tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com, who adds that other teams are interested in Minaya, as well.
- The trade of Ty Wigginton to the Phillies isn't the precursor to another move, Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd tells Troy Renck of the Denver Post (via Twitter). Seems like the Rox were seeking some salary relief.
Red Sox Notes: Cherington, Valentine, Lamont
A few items of note out of Beantown …
- Some have presumed that Red Sox GM Ben Cherington wanted to hire Dale Sveum as manager — and that ownership quashed it — but a source tells Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald that Cherington has relative autonomy: “I don’t think he would’ve taken the job if that would be an issue,” the source said.
- As rumored earlier on Sunday, the Red Sox will interview Bobby Valentine for the managerial vacancy on Monday, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com. Valentine hasn't managed since 2002 but is the most experienced among the remaining candidates: Torey Lovullo, Sandy Alomar Jr., and Gene Lamont.
- Lamont, however, may be the best fit for the job, writes John Tomase of the Boston Herald, as he represents a compromise between ownership, which seems to prefer a candidate with experience, and Cherington, who apparently seeks someone who will be willing to work closely with the player development department.
Phillies Links: Rollins, Ibanez, CBA
Earlier tonight, the Phillies acquired Ty Wigginton from the Rockies. Here are a batch of links regarding the 2011 NL East champs, as well as an interesting tidbit on the Phils' previous history with Wiggy …
- Having signed Jonathan Papelbon and traded for Wigginton, the Phillies' primary focus is now filling shortstop, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. The Phils are "in negotiations" with Rollins, Salisbury reports, as well as other free-agent shortstops. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. characterized talks with Rollins as "slow" and said that he doesn't expect to have a shortstop signed by the outset of the Winter Meetings on Dec. 5.
- The Phils remain in search of an outfielder, according to Salisbury, so it's possible that they could still sign Michael Cuddyer, although it'd probably have to be on team-friendly terms.
- Finally, Salisbury notes the Phillies have long coveted Wigginton and tried to acquire him in 2010, when he was with the Orioles.
- Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer suggests that the Phils should re-sign Raul Ibanez, a favorite of both fans and Amaro, for something like one year and $4MM, as he could be useful as a platoonmate with the right-handed-hitting John Mayberry Jr. in left field.
- Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer examines the various ways the new CBA may affect the Phillies. One interesting possibility put forth by Gelb is that the Phils could become the first NL team in history to go over the luxury tax, which will be frozen at $178MM in 2012 under the new CBA rather than being increased by the usual $8MM anually.
MLBTR Originals: 11/13/11 – 11/19/11
Here's a look back at the original analysis and reporting churned out by the MLBTR writing team over the past week. We'll begin with the GM Meetings in Milwaukee, where our own Ben Nicholson-Smith was reporting …
- MLB executive VP for baseball operations Joe Torre discussed roster sizes, the use of instant replay in baseball, and realignment.
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak ruled out the possibility of the Redbirds pursuing Prince Fielder.
- The Angels were asking around about catchers, according to Ben, who also spoke with new Angels GM Jerry Dipoto about the Halos' plan for the position.
- New Orioles GM Dan Duquette told MLBTR that the O's will likely be bargain hunting for free-agent starters this offseason.
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski discussed Justin Verlander's Cy Young-worthy 2011, his preference to keep Ryan Raburn's bat in the lineup, and the odds of Wilson Betemit re-signing with Detroit.
- Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine told MLBTR about Texas' bullpen, the plan for Neftali Feliz, and Mitch Moreland.
- A handful of GMs told MLBTR that they were conducting their offseasons normally despite the uncertainty surrounding the then-unfinished CBA.
- Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos told MLBTR that the Blue Jays are seeking a "front-to-mid-rotation" starter but that they won't make such a move in haste.
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington talked about signing Rod Barajas and addressed the possibility of re-signing Ronny Cedeno.
And the rest of our standard original work:
- Tim Dierkes wrote up a list of more than 50 players who are candidates to be non-tendered, thus making them free agents.
- Tim polled MLBTR readers about the size of Jose Reyes' next contract.
- Tim hosted the weekly MLBTR chat. Click here for the transcript.
- Mike Axisa dutifully rounded up some of the best pieces from around baseball's blogosphere. Among the hot topics: a proposal for the Mets to retain Jose Reyes, Matt Kemp's new contract, and MLB's realignment.