Joe Torre Talks Rosters, Replay, Realignment
Joe Torre, MLB’s executive VP for baseball operations, briefed reporters on some details of the general managers’ meetings this afternoon. Here are some notes from his discussion with reporters…
- There were no discussions about roster limits in September, but MLB hasn’t ruled out adapting roster sizes late in the year. “It’s something that we’re seriously considering,” Torre said. Rosters expand from 25 to 40 each September and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see MLB reduce roster size for the regular season’s final month.
- The GMs discussed potential changes to the replay process. MLB may add replay for fair or foul calls, but there’s ongoing discussion about the drawbacks and benefits of expanding replay in this way.
- Realignment was not up for discussion today. It's the domain of commissioner Bud Selig and appears to be linked to the ongoing talks for a new collective bargaining agreement.
- Player safety in Venezuela did come up in today's meetings. Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos was kidnapped in Venezuela last week before being recovered by authorities, so there’s concern about the safety of MLB players in Venezuela.
Blue Jays Offer Scouting Position To Minaya
The latest out of the AL East…
- Former Mets GM Omar Minaya was offered a scouting position with the Blue Jays, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. Minaya is weighing other options. Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun first reported Toronto's interest in Minaya, citing the Padres as another suitor. Elliott notes that the Jays already employ three former GMs in Jim Beattie, Ed Lynch, and Chuck LaMar. In October, Minaya interviewed for the Angels' GM job.
- The Jays are "pushing hard for a closer," one GM tells Elliott. Elliott reported a few days ago that the Blue Jays were shocked by the asking prices, however.
- No matter what they say publicly, Yankees people are telling friends to expect an eventual big splash with a pitcher, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. I don't think that'd shock anyone, but there's not much out there currently.
- The Red Sox weren't surprised Jonathan Papelbon priced himself out of their range, writes WEEI's Alex Speier. The Sox are not looking to make a quick strike in the closer market to replace him.
Central Notes: Neil Walker, Royals, Oswalt
The latest on several Central division clubs…
- The Pirates are not currently engaged in contract extension discussions for Neil Walker, reports Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The second baseman is under team control through 2016, and will be eligible for arbitration after the 2012 season if he qualifies as a Super Two player.
- Roy Oswalt's agent Bob Garber is expected to meet with the Royals today or tomorrow in Milwaukee, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Garber's agency also represents C.J. Wilson. Kansas City's interest in Oswalt is minimal, however, cautions a Royals source (Twitter link).
- SI's Jon Heyman hears scuttlebutt that if Jim Crane is approved as Astros owner this week, he may spend on a free agent or two. Click here to read my offseason outlook for the team.
- The Tigers have scouted Cuban center fielder Yoenis Cespedes several times, assistant GM Al Avila told John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press.
- The Cubs and White Sox could lose possible supplemental draft picks if Type B compensation is eliminated this winter, explains Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune. Of course, under the current system the player has to receive and turn down an arbitration offer for compensation to be possible. For a look at all the Type B free agents, click here.
Big Bat Looking Less Realistic For Dodgers
Asked about adding a big bat this winter, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti told reporters including Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times, "As of today, it looks less realistic." Colletti has no meetings scheduled with Prince Fielder's agent, Scott Boras. I wouldn't consider the Matt Kemp extension to be adding a big bat for 2012, since he was under team control regardless.
The Dodgers' 2012 payroll will come down from this year's $110MM mark, reports Hernandez. So far the Dodgers have committed $6.5MM in 2012 salaries to Juan Rivera and Mark Ellis, perhaps with another $1MM or so on the way for Matt Treanor. The Dodgers' new eight-year deal with Kemp could actually reduce their expected commitment to the center fielder for 2012. Colletti still hopes to add a backup infielder capable of playing shortstop. He's also looking for a starting pitcher, with Hiroki Kuroda currently undecided. Chris Capuano, Jeff Francis, and Aaron Harang are on Colletti's radar if Kuroda does not return, reports MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.
Including Rivera, Ellis, Treanor, and the $11.5MM owed to Manny Ramirez and Andruw Jones next year, the Dodgers have $52.45MM in contractual commitments over seven roster spots. If we estimate $13MM for Kemp and $19MM combined for Andre Ethier and Clayton Kershaw, that's about $84MM over ten roster spots. Retaining James Loney would require another $6MM or so, pushing the Dodgers to $90MM. Kuroda or an equivalent veteran starter would likely eat up most of the remaining surplus.
NL West Rumors: Lincecum, Rockies, Dodgers
The latest out of the NL West…
- Signing Tim Lincecum to a multiyear deal is at the top of the Giants' agenda, reports SI's Jon Heyman. The Giants are aiming for at least a four-year deal, which would buy out two years of free agency. Though Matt Cain is a year closer to free agency, Heyman says the focus is more on Lincecum. Heyman believes Lincecum's agents at Beverly Hills Sports Council could file as high as $25MM in arbitration this winter, in my opinion a risky move if the Giants come in around $20MM. For more on Lincecum's historic arbitration case, click here.
- The Rockies will not dabble financially in marginal players, explained GM Dan O'Dowd to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. They do have interest in Paul Maholm, Jeff Francis, and J.C. Romero, though, according to Renck, after bigger free agent targets such as Grady Sizemore and Roy Oswalt.
- The Dodgers will lower their payroll in 2012, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. The team's opening day payroll was about $120MM in 2011. So far this offseason they've added $6.5MM in 2012 salaries for Mark Ellis and Juan Rivera. Here's my offseason outlook for the club.
- Unlike Ellis' deal, Aaron Hill's new contract with the Diamondbacks is not backloaded. He'll earn $5.5MM in each of the '12 and '13 seasons, tweets Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Piecoro has an updated look at Arizona's payroll, and concludes that they'd need to non-tender Joe Saunders to be able to afford one of the better free agent pitchers on the market. MLBTR readers are split remarkably evenly as to whether Saunders will be tendered a contract on December 12th.
Justin Verlander Wins AL Cy Young
Tigers righty Justin Verlander unanimously won the American League Cy Young award, announced the Baseball Writers Association of America. Verlander posted a 2.40 ERA with 250 strikeouts and 24 wins in 251 regular season innings this year, leading the league in all four categories. The Tigers have him under contract through 2014.
Also receiving votes: Jered Weaver, James Shields, C.C. Sabathia, Jose Valverde, C.J. Wilson, Dan Haren, Mariano Rivera, Josh Beckett, Ricky Romero, and David Robertson. Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News provided the lone vote for Robertson, rating him the league's best reliever.
Shields gets a $500K increase in his 2012 salary with the top five finish, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
Dodgers Making Progress With Matt Treanor
12:51pm: The Dodgers are making progress with Treanor on a one-year deal likely to be worth just under $1MM, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
1:09am: The Dodgers are after a veteran catcher and are now looking at Matt Treanor, a baseball source told Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. Treanor, 36, would serve as a veteran backstop alongside second-year catcher A.J. Ellis and rookie Tim Federowicz.
Treanor split time between the Royals and Rangers in 2011 and hit .214/.338/.291 in 242 plate appearances.
Dodgers Sign Mark Ellis
Check another item off the Dodgers' winter to-do list, as the team officially signed second baseman Mark Ellis to a two-year, $8.75MM deal that includes a team option for 2014. Dylan Hernandez has the contract breakdown; only $2.5MM is owed to Ellis in 2012. He can earn an additional $125K per year in plate appearance-based incentives.
With Dee Gordon penciled in at shortstop and Juan Uribe at third, second base was considered one of the Dodgers' offseason needs. Ellis, 34, hit .248/.288/.346 in 519 plate appearances for the Athletics and Rockies this year. He's best known for his strong second base defense. Assuming the current free agent compensation system remains in place for this offseason, the Rockies will receive a supplemental draft pick for losing the Type B free agent.
Ellis' deal may have been based on Omar Infante's September pact with the Marlins. Ellis is represented by TWC Sports.
It's been an active offseason for Dodgers GM Ned Colletti amid recent news of the team going up for sale. Colletti reached an agreement with Matt Kemp on an eight-year, $160MM deal yesterday, signed Juan Rivera for $4.5MM, and made an offer to Ryan Doumit.
ESPN's Buster Olney broke the story of Ellis' agreement, with Ken Rosenthal adding the total and the option info. Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Eight Teams Interested In Grady Sizemore
TUESDAY, 11:27am: The Rockies have examined Sizemore's medical records and believe he's worth the risk on a one-year deal, reports Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. The Rockies expect to watch Sizemore work out in the coming days.
The A's have no interest in pursuing Sizemore, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
MONDAY, 7:38pm: There's no shortage of interest in Grady Sizemore this offseason. The free agent outfielder has drawn interest from eight teams, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. The Cubs, Rangers, Giants and Yankees are potential suitors for Sizemore, along with the Phillies, Rockies, Red Sox and Indians.
The Giants are interested, even after acquiring Melky Cabrera, and the Cubs view Sizemore as a possible fit in right field. The A's, who saw their entire outfield hit free agency after the season, have also been linked to Sizemore.
Sizemore's knees have limited him to 104 total games in the past two seasons, so the Indians declined their $9MM club option after the season, making the 29-year-old a free agent. He hit 10 homers and posted a .224/.285/.422 line in 2011, but Sizemore combined power, speed and on-base skills as one of baseball's premier center fielders from 2005-08.
Tigers Interested In Martin Prado
TUESDAY, 10:55am: "There is a trade brewing between the Braves and Tigers centering around Prado for Young," reports ESPN's Jim Bowden. However, MLB.com's Mark Bowman says there won't be a Young-Prado deal, as the majority of the Braves' front office isn't interested in Young (Twitter link).
MONDAY, 2:37pm: The Tigers are interested in Braves infielder/left fielder Martin Prado, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The free agent market for potential second basemen has moved quickly, with Aaron Hill and Jamey Carroll off the board and Mark Ellis close to a deal with the Dodgers. Morosi adds that the Tigers are willing to trade left fielder Delmon Young for the right second baseman, but it's not known whether the Braves are interested.
Prado has also drawn interest from the Rockies and other teams. The 28-year-old had a disappointing offensive year in 2011, spending most of his time in left field for the Braves after they acquired second baseman Dan Uggla. MLBTR projects Prado to earn about $4.4MM in arbitration in 2012, and freeing up that salary would add to the Braves' flexibility. Prado will continue to be under team control for the 2013 season.
Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski said Friday on MLB Network Radio to host Jim Bowden, "We're not going to non-tender Delmon Young. I mean, that's just not going to happen." Young, 26, hit .274/.298/.458 in 178 plate appearances for the Tigers after coming over in an August trade, adding five postseason home runs. With a projected $6.3MM salary, Young was thought to be a non-tender candidate for the Twins but is currently penciled in as the Tigers' left fielder for 2012. I think Prado would be generally regarded as more valuable than Young.