Phillies Acquire Ty Wigginton From Rockies
The Phillies have acquired utility man Ty Wigginton from the Rockies in exchange for a player to be named or cash, Colorado announced on its official Twitter feed (link).
The teams will split Wigginton's $4MM 2012 salary, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, and the Rox can recoup another player or $100K in cash if the Phils exercise Wigginton's $4MM 2013 option. If the Philly declines Wigginton's 2013 option, the Rockies will pay a portion of the $500K buyout, Renck adds. The player to be named or cash will switch hands within six months, tweets Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.
Wigginton, who turned 34 last month, owns a .265/.325/.443 career line in 10 seasons with the Mets, Pirates, Rays, Astros, Orioles and Rockies, though he's been better against lefties (.274/.353/.461) than righties (.261/.313/.437) by a healthy margin. Wigginton has primarily played third base but has seen action at first base and even logged time at second and in left field.
The Phils had reportedly been pursuing free agent utility man Michael Cuddyer, so it's fair to infer that the acquisition of Wigginton means they're out of the Cuddyer bidding. Cuddyer and Wigginton are roughly comparable players in terms of their positional profiles and age, although Cuddyer, 33 in March, has posted a better offensive line in his career: .272/.343./.451. Wigginton, though, should prove a significantly cheaper addition.
Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said he regards Wigginton primarily as a corner infielder and occasional outfielder, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter), who adds that Wiggy will be insurance for Placido Polanco and Ryan Howard. The latter suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the Phils' postseason-ending loss to the Cards in the NLCS, so there's some concern over whether he'll be ready on Opening Day.
Wigginton's departure from Colorado should open the door for catcher/first baseman/third baseman Jordan Pacheco, who played well during a late-season cup of coffee in 2011, to fill a similar role in 2012, tweets Renck.
Quick Hits: Infielders, Young Jr., Scott, Red Sox
On this day in 2006, the Cubs signed Alfonso Soriano to an eight-year, $136MM deal. In five seasons with Chicago, Soriano has a slash line of .266/.320/.498 and has averaged 129 games per year. Here are some links for Sunday afternoon..
- Mark Townsend of Yahoo! Sports is surprised at what teams are paying for sure-handed middle infielders. Specifically, he says the Twins and Dodgers paid role players like final pieces to the puzzle and are counting on them for too much (referring to Jamey Carroll and Mark Ellis, respectively).
- Eric Young Jr. decided to play in Venezuela this offseason in order to gain more experience playing second base, writes Rafael Rojas Cremonesi for the Denver Post. Young played second base just seven times for the Rockies last season, and is 6-for-20 with three steals in his first six games.
- Luke Scott would be open to negotiating a new deal with the Orioles if he's non-tendered, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Scott is projected to earn $6MM in arbitration.
- Bobby Valentine expects to meet with Red Sox GM Ben Cherington on Monday and could emerge as the favorite for the job if his meeting goes well, a source tells Jeff Passan of Yahoo (via Twitter).
- Astros owner Jim Crane is prepared to make a swift decision on the futures of president Tal Smith and GM Ed Wade, writes Steve Campbell of the Houston Chronicle.
- There are team executives who are furious with aspects of the new labor agreement, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Some believe that MLB's new draft structure hurts the league's small-market and mid-market clubs. One GM told Olney that the changes don't solve any problems and actually make some worse.
Week In Review: 11/13/11 – 11/19/11
Here's a look back at what's been a busy week at MLBTR:
- Lots of news regarding the CBA and the future structure of baseball. The owners and players agreed on a new five-year deal that they hope to announce on Tuesday. The minimum salary will increase to $480K, the number of Super Twos will increase, and HGH testing will be implemented.
- Teams that sign the remaining Type A relievers won't be required to forfeit a draft pick, but the Phillies will still have to because they signed Jonathan Papelbon prior to this decision. Type B compensation will remain for now, however.
- MLB will also add two wild card teams, and Bud Selig is hopeful it'll happen in the 2012 season.
- MLB owners also approved the sale of the Astros to Jim Crane, and Selig confirmed the team will move to the AL West in 2013.
- Matt Kemp signed the seventh-largest contract in MLB history, agreeing to an eight-year, $160MM extension with the Dodgers.
- Cuban center fielder Yoenis Cespedes may be looking for more than $60MM on an eight-year deal as a free agent.
- The Diamondbacks and Aaron Hill agreed to a new two-year deal worth $11MM, but the team's extension talks with Miguel Montero are at an impasse.
- The Dodgers picked up Mark Ellis on a two-year deal worth $8.75MM and also signed Matt Treanor to a one-year deal worth $1MM.
- Ryan Doumit turned down a one-year offer from the Dodgers that was believed to be worth around $3MM, then signed roughly the same deal (one year, $3MM) with the Twins later in the week.
- Gerald Laird agreed to a second stint with the Tigers, signing a one-year deal worth $1MM to back up Alex Avila.
- The Phillies retained their backup backstop of the past few seasons, re-upping with Brian Schneider on a one-year deal worth $800K that includes $200K in incentives.
- The Rays are close to signing a backup catcher of their own, as they near a one-year deal with AL East veteran Jose Molina.
- Mark Kotsay will return to the Padres on a one-year deal worth $1.25MM. Kotsay spent the 2001-2003 seasons calling San Diego his home.
- The Pirates are closing in on a two-year, $10.5MM deal with Clint Barmes.
- The Indians are in "serious discussions" to bring back Grady Sizemore on a one-year deal. Sizemore has spent his whole career in Cleveland.
- The Cardinals re-engaged contract discussions with Albert Pujols for the first time since last February.
- The Marlins made legitimate offers to Pujols and Jose Reyes, but we learned this week that their offer to Pujols was for less than $200MM over nine years. Their offer to Reyes was for $90MM over six years.
- The Cubs named Dale Sveum their new manager. Sveum was also thought to be high on the list of managerial candidates for the Red Sox.
- The Cardinals, meanwhile, made former catcher Mike Matheny their new manager last Sunday.
- Yu Darvish's father said this week that it's "about 50-50" as to whether or not his son will be posted for MLB teams to bid on.
- Korean right-hander Suk-min Yoon will not be posted this offseason, as many had speculated when he hired Scott Boras as his agent.
- Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima, however, will be posted. The 29-year-old hit .297/.354/.433 last season and cracked 16 homers.
- The Brewers will explore contract extensions with both of the starters they acquired last offseason: Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum.
- The Giants find themselves in a similar situation, as they're trying to lock up Matt Cain before he reaches free agency next winter. San Francisco reportedly prefers a four-year deal.
- Mark Buehrle has said he's open to playing anywhere in the right situation, and that's a good thing for him because he's up to a reported thirteen suitors as a free agent.
- The Cubs are willing to listen to trade offers on any of their players under new president Theo Epstein and new GM Jed Hoyer.
- The Angels have "serious" interest in C.J. Wilson, but it doesn't appear that the market's top American pitcher will sign anytime soon.
- With the Rule 5 Draft coming, there were enough players added to teams' 40-man rosters to make your head spin. Here's the list.
More Than Ten Teams Interested In Broxton
Jonathan Broxton may have only thrown 12 2/3 innings last season, but his strong track record is keeping interest in him high, even in a stacked market for closers. SI.com's Jon Heyman tweets that more than 10 teams have inquired on Broxton and requested his medical records.
Last week, there were reports that the Blue Jays and 4-6 other teams were in on the lifelong Dodger, but that number appears to have risen. From 2006-2009, Broxton racked up 303 1/3 innings of 2.79 ERA ball while whiffing 11.8 hitters per nine innings. Broxton has slipped to a 4.32 ERA over his last two seasons though, and his once blistering fastball has dropped from the 96-98 mph range (97.8 in 2009) to the 94.1 mph he averaged in his small 2011 sample size.
Broxton's strong track record landed him 47th on MLBTR's Top 50 free agent list, letting him just barely sneak into our Free Agent Prediction contest. Broxton underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery in September but expects to begin throwing within the next two weeks. Ben Nicholson-Smith examined his free agent stock in late September and predicted a one-year deal with plenty of incentives.
Rockies Interested In Jonny Gomes
With Michael Cuddyer and Josh Willingham looking for three-year contracts, the possibility exists that the Rockies will shift their focus to a more powerful platoon player to pair with Seth Smith. With that in mind, the Rockies have expressed interest in free agent outfielder Jonny Gomes, according to Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post.
The Rockies were in on Grady Sizemore but with the centerfielder on the cusp of a one-year deal with the Indians the club is now exploring other options. Using Gomes with Smith in a platoon would be an affordable solution. Last season, Gomes hit .209/.325/.389 with 14 homers.
Heyman On Rangers, Pujols, Fielder, Nunez
Earlier this week, it was reported that in addition to the Cardinals and Marlins, there's a third team in on Albert Pujols. Yahoo's Tim Brown hypothesized that the mystery suitor could be the Cubs or Rangers. Today on Twitter, Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated discussed the Rangers' possible pursuit of Pujols and more..
- The Rangers are still saying that the odds are remote for them to make a run at Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder this offseason, says Heyman (via Twitter). The club's focus now is to try to lock up Josh Hamilton as the outfielder will hit free agency after 2012.
- Heyman (via Twitter) still won't count Texas out of the chase for Pujols or Fielder. As he points out, last winter's signing of Adrian Beltre came late in the offseason.
- The Braves have long been interested in Yankees shortstop Eduardo Nunez but the Bombers will have to part with much more to land Jair Jurrjens in a trade, Heyman tweets.
Cafardo On Red Sox, Ortiz, Saunders, Oswalt
The Red Sox need a manager with some backbone, background, and one with plenty of experience, writes Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe. Because the team lacked discipline last season, he writes, Boston isn't the place for a young manager at this time. Here's more from Cafardo..
- Orioles GM Dan Duquette met with Fern Cuza, David Ortiz’s agent, at the GM meetings. Duquette and Cuza have been close over the years and worked together on deals for Cuza client Pedro Martinez. Cafardo writes that Ortiz would be an intriguing figure at Camden Yards but in a radio interview over the weekend, Duquette said that he was wary of signing a high-priced DH.
- Whether the Diamondbacks tender Joe Saunders a contract or not, he becomes an interesting possibility for the Red Sox as a back-of-the-rotation starter. MLBTR projects that Saunders is in line for $8.7MM in arbitration this year and readers' opinions were split on whether or not the hurler would be tendered.
- Cubs GM Theo Epstein will listen to offers on Matt Garza and just about anyone on his team in order to replentish his farm system.
- Roy Oswalt’s agent, Bob Garber, spoke to Red Sox GM Ben Cherington last Wednesday. The Sox could use his leadership in the rotation but the veteran's price could be prohibitive.
- One scout who watched Yoenis Cespedes work out last week said that the Cuban outfielder has great power but has concerns that he could be prone to striking out frequently.
- As the Red Sox look for a pitching coach, Dave Wallace is an interesting name to keep in mind. Wallace served as Boston’s pitching coach before John Farrell. Minor league pitching coordinator Bob McClure could also be an option, depending on who the team's next manager is.
- Cafardo opines that the Cubs should give up outfielder Tyler Colvin to the Red Sox to wrap up their Theo Epstein compensation talks.
Selig To Meet With Giants About A’s Relocation
The Athletics have been stuck in a bit of a holding pattern this offseason due to their stadium situation, but they may be drawing closer to a resolution. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that Bud Selig plans to meet with Giants executives within two weeks in an effort to accelerate a decision about whether the A's will be allowed to relocate to San Jose.
The Giants draw a significant portion of their fan base and corporate sponsorships from counties south of San Francisco, and they are adamantly opposed to relinquishing their territorial rights to the South Bay. A source tells Rosenthal that the Giants must draw at least 3.2MM fans to break even on their $130MM payroll next season after drawing 3.4MM fans this season. They can't afford much of a slip.
If the Giants refuse to yield their territorial rights, Rosenthal says one solution would be for MLB to purchase the Athletics, secure a stadium deal in Oakland, then resell the club. It would be similar to what they did with the Expos in 2002. The A's have agreed to expand the seating capacity (32K) of the proposed Cisco Field design as one condition of the move. Essentially, Selig has to balance the best interest of the Giants with the best interests of the game.
Braves Interested In Trading For Eduardo Nunez
The Braves are looking to add offense this winter, and John Harper of The New York Daily News reports that they let the Yankees know they'd be interested in trading for shortstop Eduardo Nunez last week.
“They need offense," said Harper's source. "They need a shortstop because they don’t want to bring [Alex] Gonzalez back, and they like Nunez a lot. They know the jury is out on him defensively, but they think his offense is strong enough that he could move to the outfield if he can’t be their long-term answer at short.”
Atlanta did not discuss Jair Jurrjens or any specific players on their side with the Yankees, and they also showed interest in Nunez last winter. The 24-year-old infielder hit .265/.313/.385 with five homers in 338 plate appearances this past year, stealing 22 bases in 28 tries as well.
Nunez played short and third base primarily last season, getting regular at-bats when Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez hit the disabled list at different times of the summer. He also saw time at second base and occasionally filled in at the corner outfield spots. Nunez committed 20 errors in his limited time, most coming on throws, so his ability to play the left side of the infield on an everyday basis is still in question.
Pads Feel It’ll Be Easier To Deal Bartlett Than Hudson
Earlier this week we heard that the Padres hope to trade either Jason Bartlett or Orlando Hudson this offseason, and today Dan Hayes of The North County Times heard from a source that the team believes it will be easier to trade Bartlett because of his contract (Twitter links). The Padres think they'd have to eat part of Hudson's deal to get actual prospects back.
The double play combo are the only players San Diego has under contract next season. Bartlett, 32, will earn $5.5MM in 2012 after hitting .245/.308/.307 in 2011. Like many of his teammates, he hit better away from Petco Park: .265/.323/.330 with 16 doubles. Bartlett's $5.5MM option for 2013 will vest with 423 plate appearances next season, otherwise he will be owed a $1.5MM buyout.
Hudson, 34 next month, hit the disabled list twice due to hamstring strains this past season. He hit .246/.329/.352 with seven homers and 19 steals when healthy, and is owed $7MM in 2012. As our Free Agent Tracker shows, middle infielders like Jamey Carroll, Mark Ellis, and Aaron Hill have signed multi-year contracts this winter, all worth between $3.25MM and $5.5MM per season. Clint Barmes is poised to join them as well.