Thad Levine On Bullpen, Feliz, Moreland
The Rangers are looking to bolster their pitching this offseason, assistant GM Thad Levine said today in Milwaukee. Here are more details from MLBTR’s conversation with Levine, who represented the Rangers in place of GM Jon Daniels:
- Though the Rangers aren’t married to the idea of acquiring left-handed relievers, they’d like to add bullpen depth in some form. Southpaws Darren Oliver and Mike Gonzalez are on the free agent market and the Rangers would welcome either one back under the right circumstances.
- Ideally, they’ll add relievers who can retire hitters on both sides of the plate, rather than highly specialized players.
- The Rangers developed Neftali Feliz as a starting pitcher and they’re “very open" to moving him to the rotation, Levine said. The Rangers are confident in their ability to shift certain relievers to the rotation after converting C.J. Wilson in 2010 and Alexi Ogando in 2011.
- “In the event that the starting pitching market doesn’t play out like we hope, [converting Feliz to the rotation] is certainly an alternative and if we go that route, we’d probably want to try to address the bullpen,” Levine said. The Rangers intend to convert Feliz to the rotation, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols lurk as alternatives for large-market teams without fully established first basemen, but the Rangers aren’t at all concerned with Mitch Moreland, according to Levine. “We consider the setback much more injury-related than performance-related,” Levine said, noting that Moreland played through wrist tendinitis in 2011.
Red Sox Rumors: Garcia, Ortiz, Manager, Darvish
Let's check in on the latest from Red Sox and new GM Ben Cherington….
- Boston has inquired on Freddy Garcia, a source tells Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.
- The Red Sox will meet with David Ortiz's agent tonight, tweets Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Rob Bradford of WEEI (Twitter link) hears from a source that the Sox have already made Ortiz a contract offer.
- Ortiz continues to say that he'd like to return to Boston, and will give the Red Sox a chance to match any other offer he's considering, according to the Boston Herald.
- At least one more managerial candidate, in addition to Dale Sveum, is expected to get a second interview, tweets Silverman. Principal owner John Henry says the team is making sure not to rush the process, writes Scott Lauber of the Herald.
- In a separate tweet, Silverman says Cherington will travel to the Dominican Republic, at least in part to get a first-hand look at Yoenis Cespedes.
- Their current investment in other starting pitchers means the Red Sox will have less interest in Yu Darvish than they did in Daisuke Matsuzaka when he was posted, says Abraham (Twitter link).
- The Red Sox and Cubs touched base again on compensation talks today and will revisit the topic tonight, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston (via Twitter).
- Josh Reddick will have wrist surgery, but expects to be healthy in time for Spring Training, reports ESPNBoston's Joe McDonald.
Cubs, Buehrle’s Agent Have Had Multiple Discussions
The Cubs have had multiple discussions with Mark Buehrle's agent Jeff Berry, a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Berry also met with Marlins earlier today. Morosi sums up the other interested clubs: the White Sox, Blue Jays, Royals, Angels, Nationals, and Diamondbacks.
Earlier in November, we heard that the Cubs would have interest in the longtime White Sox pitcher "if the price tag and years aren't astronomical." Considering the number of Buehrle rumors we've heard so far this offseason, there appears to be plenty of competition, but we don't have a clear idea yet of the years and dollars the lefty might be offered.
C.J. Wilson Asks To Meet With Yankees In New York
9:45pm: Wilson and Garber have asked to meet with the Yankees in New York prior to December's Winter Meetings, and the Yankees are considering it, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Newsday's Ken Davidoff agrees, saying that Garber actually suggested the New York visit rather than the team.
8:20pm: Brian Cashman met with Bob Garber, the agent for C.J. Wilson and Roy Oswalt, in Milwaukee today, the Yankees GM confirmed. Garber didn't divulge whether the two sides exchanged figures for either pitcher, but told Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger that the Yanks invited Wilson to New York to meet with the team's decision-makers, including Hal Steinbrenner and director of pro personnel Billy Eppler.
"I told him where we were at, they understood, and want us to come out," Garber said. "I think it's a good fit. We have a lot of teams we have to narrow down. I think the Yankees are a team that we've narrowed down as a team we want to spend a little time with."
For his part, Cashman said that it's still early and he's in no rush to make any formal offers yet, according to Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York. However, Garber praised Cashman's aggressiveness, and indicated that, while he's in talks with six or seven teams regarding Wilson, he feels good about his conversation with the Yankees GM:
"I think it was very productive and who wouldn't really want a pitcher who has been to the last two World Series? I think Brian is in a situation where he doesn't want what happened to Cliff Lee to happen again."
Dombrowski On Verlander, Raburn, Worth, Betemit
Justin Verlander won the the 2011 American League Cy Young Award unanimously and he gets an extra — though unofficial — vote from Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski.
"He's a real special player who means a lot to our community," Dombrowski explained at the MLB General Manager Meetings in Milwaukee. "He's been a Tiger since the day he was drafted and he'll be with us for a long time."
Verlander would have been a free agent this offseason had he not signed his current five-year, $80MM contract before the 2010 season. There's no telling what Verlander would have been worth coming off a season like this, so it's no surprise Dombrowski's glad to have locked the right-hander up for three of his free agent seasons.
Looking ahead to 2012, the Tigers want to get Ryan Raburn's bat in the lineup and may play him at second base at times next year. Danny Worth is another second base candidate for the Tigers, who are also weighing external options.
Wilson Betemit met Dombrowski's expectations after joining the Tigers in a midseason trade, but the GM anticipates adding an extra catcher this offseason, which will limit the Tigers' roster flexibility in 2012. The Tigers haven't pursued Betemit aggressively to this point and Dombrowski didn't suggest that will change. The Tigers want to keep Victor Martinez in the everyday lineup, so adding a backup for Alex Avila is on the agenda this winter.
Extension Talks Between Montero, D’Backs At Impasse
Despite mutual interest between Miguel Montero and the Diamondbacks for a long-term extension, talks between the two sides have come to a standstill, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. While neither Montero nor GM Kevin Towers suggested what sort of terms were being discussed, Piecoro says talks are at an impasse because Montero is seeking more guaranteed years than the D'Backs are comfortable offering.
Montero told Piecoro in September that he enjoys playing for the D'Backs and he'd be willing to discuss an extension with Arizona if the team was interested. Shortly before Montero expressed a desire to stay in Arizona long-term, MLBTR's Mark Polishuk examined what sort of contract the catcher might be looking at if he agreed to a three-year extension.
The 28-year-old is coming off his first All-Star season, having hit .282/.351/.469 with 18 homers in a career-high 553 plate appearances. Montero is entering his final year of arbitration eligibility, with MLBTR projecting a raise to about $5.3MM for 2012. Piecoro writes that there's no rush to work out a deal quite yet, with the arbitration process a couple months off, but that the two sides will likely want finality before the start of the season.
Dan Duquette On Pitching, Reynolds, Extensions
The success of the Orioles' offseason hinges, in large part, on their ability to add to the pitching staff. But at the General Manager Meetings in Milwaukee today, newly-appointed GM Dan Duquette suggested he'll let the market develop before obtaining pitching reinforcements.
"Everybody else is chasing it, too," Duquette told MLBTR. "We have to wait for the sharks to feed and then we'll wait to see what's left over."
In other words, it doesn’t appear that the Orioles will sign highly-coveted free agents such as C.J. Wilson and Mark Buehrle. Baltimore begins the offseason with internal rotation candidates such as Jeremy Guthrie, Tommy Hunter, Zach Britton, Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta, Brad Bergesen, Jo-Jo Reyes.
Duquette also noted that the defensive alignment for Mark Reynolds and Chris Davis remains undetermined, though manager Buck Showalter is leaning toward playing Reynolds at first with Davis at third. Duquette hasn't yet considered extensions for Adam Jones and Matt Wieters, but he wants to keep both players in place, so the topic may come up after December.
Heath Bell Discusses Possible Suitors
With the Padres growing less optimistic about retaining their All-Star closer, Heath Bell spoke to Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune about where he may pitch in 2012.
My agents have told me numerous other teams are interested with most of those on the East Coast,” said Bell. "I told my guys that if there is any shot for San Diego, hold onto it. But I haven’t really heard anything from the Padres since they changed general managers. Right now, I have no idea what to expect…. But I think there’s going to be a three-year deal out there from someone. And that's what I’d like to have. I’d rather stay on the West Coast. But I still have a home in Florida."
Bell's representatives at ACES negotiated Jonathan Papelbon's deal with the Phillies and have a reputation for working quickly to get their clients signed. Bell indicated that he'd like to have a clearer idea about his future before he leaves for a vacation to Fiji on Thursday, and even suggested that he could end up on Papelbon's old club: "I’ve heard Boston might have interest in me. I could go play with Adrian [Gonzalez] again. I could do that."
During the season, Bell said that he'd accept an arbitration offer from the Padres, but he's less certain about that decision now.
"I have to weigh all my options," said Bell. "I don’t know what I’m going to do. But it seems like there are going to be some very good options soon. And after everything that has happened with the Padres, I don’t know what is going on."
Dipoto Talks Catcher, Callaspo, Trout
Angels GM Jerry Dipoto has been on the job for approximately two weeks and he's starting to get an intimate sense of his organization's strengths and weaknesses. He likes what he sees so far, but there's still a gap between the Angels' roster and where Dipoto wants it to be.
"Right now, we're a highly competitive Major League Baseball team," he told MLBTR in Milwaukee. "Where we want to be is we want to win the World Series and that’ll be the goal every year."
The Angels will look to improve their offense — particularly their ability to get on base — this winter. Jeff Mathis, a non-tender candidate with a projected salary of $1.8MM and a career OBP of .257 faces an uncertain future in Anaheim. But Dipoto, a former big league pitcher, knows the value of an above-average receiver.
"I do think there’s a lot to be said for what a catcher does behind the plate, how he calls the game," Dipoto said, speaking in general terms. "I'd be hypocritical if I told you otherwise. I always liked the guys who could catch. But there’s the balance that you have to bring to the game and that’s a fact."
Dipoto doesn't expect a major reversal in offensive production behind the plate to occur instantaneously. It's possible Mathis will return as an arbitration eligible player in 2012. However, I've heard the Angels are asking around about catchers.
Dipoto likes Alberto Callaspo’s ability to get on base, make contact and control the strike zone. At this point, it's not clear whether the versatile 28-year-old will return to third in 2012 or play another position. The Angels intend for Mike Trout to play every day whether or not he's in the Major Leagues and questions about service time will be secondary to the young outfielder's ability to excel in the Majors.
"You need to put players in a position where they can be effective, where they can change your future," Dipoto said.
Mets Interested In Jason Marquis
The Mets have interest in signing Jason Marquis to replace Chris Capuano in their starting rotation, writes Ken Davidoff of Newsday. The Mets crossed Capuano off their list of targets due to his desire for a multiyear deal, we heard yesterday.
Marquis, 33, grew up in New York and has long expressed a desire to play for one of his hometown teams. Still, even with an apparent mutual interest between the Mets and the right-hander, there's no guarantee the two sides will work out an agreement. A person "in the know" told Adam Rubin of ESPN New York (Twitter link) that it was way too soon to consider the likelihood of Marquis signing with the Mets.
Over the course of his last deal, a two-year, $15MM pact, Marquis started 36 games, compiling a 5.10 ERA, 5.1 K/9, and 3.2 BB/9 for the Nationals and Diamondbacks.