MLBTR Originals: 11/6/11 – 11/12/11
Time to take a look back at some of the original content produced by the MLBTR Team over the past week:
- Tim Dierkes analzyed the offseason needs of the Diamondbacks, Brewers, and Phillies to complete this year's version of MLBTR's Offseason Outlook series.
- Tim also ran down the trade and free agent markets for both starting pitchers and right-handed relievers.
- Ben Nicholson-Smith analyzed Johnny Damon's free agent stock and did the same for Chris Capuano, while Tim had the honors for Taiwanese lefty Wei-Yin Chen.
- Ben gave definitions of all the stats that readers will see most frequently when reading MLBTR on a day-to-day basis.
- Ben also used Baseball America's executive database to provide MLBTR readers with a list of when and where the current group of MLB general managers got their first position as a GM.
- TIm was at the helm for this week's MLBTR Chat.
- Mike Axisa provided a rundown of the best baseball content in the blogosphere in this week's edition of Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
- MLBTR's Free Agent Prediction contest is now in full swing, so be sure to track your progress on the leaderboard. Currently, 16 of the 5,020 contestants are batting 1.000.
Minor Deals: Thurston, Beerer
We'll keep track of all of today's minor league deals right here..
- The Astros signed Joe Thurston to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, according to a team press release. The 32-year-old infielder has just 384 plate appearances over parts of seven seasons with the Dodgers, Phillies, Red Sox, Cardinals, and Marlins. He's a career .226/.305/.323 hitter and only saw significant playing time during his 2009 stint with St. Louis.
- The Orioles signed six-year minor league free agent outfielder Scott Beerer, according to Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun. The 29-year-old was a second-round pick of the Rockies in 2003 out of Texas A&M.
Kemp, Dodgers On Verge Of Eight-Year Extension
The Dodgers and center fielder Matt Kemp are in serious discussions on an eight-year, $160MM contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Dodgers and Kemp are on the verge of a deal, adds ESPN's Buster Olney. Such a contract would be the largest in Dodgers history by a long shot, and tied with Manny Ramirez for seventh all-time.
Kemp, 27, is coming off an MVP-caliber season and would be eligible for free agency after the 2012 season. He projects to earn over $15MM through arbitration, so if Rosenthal's figure proves final Kemp will receive more than $20MM per each of seven free agent seasons. The Dodgers would essentially be getting Kemp's free agent years for Carl Crawford money.
It was reported on Thursday that the Dodgers' extension talks with Kemp's agent Dave Stewart had more substance lately. Earlier this month, owner Frank McCourt agreed to sell the Dodgers.
Cardinals Name Mike Matheny Manager
8:09pm: Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that Matheny received a two-year deal with a club option for 2014.
5:11pm: The Cardinals have named former big league catcher Mike Matheny as their new manager, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). The Cardinals will hold a press conference tomorrow morning to officially announce the move.
Matheny, 41, doesn't have managerial experience but is no stranger to the game. His Major League career spanned 13 seasons, including five with the Cardinals from 2000-2004. Several candidates interviewed for the job, with former Red Sox manager Terry Francona presenting Matheny's most notable competition. Others included Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg and Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo.
The move figures to be a popular one for many in the organization, as SI.com's Jon Heyman tweets that the Cardinals players and pitching coach Dave Duncan "love Matheny" and that they view him as the "ultimate leader." That likely includes pending free agent Albert Pujols, who has "a ton of respect" for Matheny, according to this tweet from Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. It will be interesting to see what kind of impact, if any, this decision has on Pujols' decision. Earlier in the month, former teammate David Eckstein told Morosi he thought Pujols would stay in St. Louis if Oquendo got the managerial nod.
NL Central Links: Matheny, Little, Fielder
Earlier tonight, the Cardinals hired Mike Matheny as their new manager, despite the fact that he's never managed at any professional level. Here's some more on that and other news from around the NL Central:
- Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com calls it a "fascinating hire"and a tough job for Matheny to follow a legend that went out with a title. Knobler also wonders if the Cardinals will hire an experienced bench coach for their rookie manager, something the White Sox didn't do with Robin Ventura (Twitter links).
- Former Red Sox and Dodgers manager Grady Little is an possible candidate for such a role, tweets Knobler.
- Matthew Leach of MLB.com tweets that he hasn't covered a player in the last 10 seasons who was "better-regarded by EVERYONE" than Matheny.
- The Brewers' financial situation has changed drastically since the club offered Prince Fielder a five-year, $100MM extension in the spring of 2010, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Several players have been extended or traded for since then, and a big salary for Fielder no longer makes sense. Haudricourt says some in the organization feel it's time to let Mat Gamel have a shot at first base. The 26-year-old hit .310/.372/.540 with 28 homers in Triple-A last year.
Doumit Turned Down Dodgers Offer
The Dodgers offered free agent catcher Ryan Doumit a one-year deal for just under $3MM and the catcher turned it down, a source close to the team told Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). The Angels, meanwhile, still haven't called on the veteran.
Doumit has reportedly received several offers and plans to sign with a team before the month is through. Yesterday, Doumit's agent Paul Cobbe said that his client could sign within the next few days.
The 30-year-old hit .303/.353/.477 in 236 plate appearances last season.
Quick Hits: Twins, Cuddyer, Cardinals, Phillies
Some links on this Sunday afternoon..
- In an interview with "Sunday Morning SportsTalk," Twins GM Terry Ryan indicated that Trevor Plouffe will likely play in the outfield and DH in 2012, writes Phil Mackey of 1500ESPN.com. Mackey (via Twitter) sees this as a sign that Michael Cuddyer won't be back in Minnesota.
- Regardless of what Albert Pujols decides to do this winter, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak doesn't envision making major changes to the team's core, writes Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch.
- The Phillies can’t keep adding and retaining the biggest, most expensive stars, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The club's signing of Jonathan Papelbon to a four-year, $50MM deal could hamper them both in the short-term and long-term.
- The Dodgers can fetch a record price tag of $1 billion can be expected for the organization, Dodger Stadium and the surrounding real estate, writes Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. One of the biggest reasons for the team's value is all of the undeveloped real estate surrounding Dodger Stadium, which sits on 275 acres of land that is largely used for parking.
Week In Review: 11/6/11 – 11/12/11
With the hot stove heating up, it's time to take a look back at the week that was..
- After a rumored four-year, $44MM deal with Ryan Madson fell through, the Phillies turned around and signed Jonathan Papelbon to a precedent-setting four-year, $50MM deal. The contract establishes the record for guaranteed money for a reliever. The contract, which is pending a physical, will include a reachable fifth year vesting option for 2016. In addition to signing a record-setting deal, Papelbon also earned the distinction of being the first of MLBTR's top 50 free agents to sign.
- Meanwhile, the market for Madson is starting to take shape. The Blue Jays have been "making inquiries" about the closer while the Marlins are "also in on" him. The Rangers, Red Sox and Nationals are also reportedly interested in the free agent.
- The Royals acquired lefty Jonathan Sanchez and minor league starter Ryan Verdugo from the Giants for outfielder Melky Cabrera. Sanchez, 28, may have been a non-tender candidate for the Giants after a disappointing 2011 season that saw him miss significant time with biceps tendinitis and a sprained ankle. Cabrera had the opposite experience in 2011, as he had a resurgence after being non-tendered and signing a $1.25MM free agent deal.
- The Marlins made "substantial offers" to both Albert Pujols and Jose Reyes and have also offered a contract to Mark Buehrle. The team met with Pujols on Friday, Reyes on Wednesday and Buehrle on Tuesday. They're also showing interest in Carlos Beltran.
- After nearly ten years away from the game, Dan Duquette is back in baseball as the Orioles' General Manager on a three-year deal. Duquette, 53, served as the general manager of the Expos from 1991-1994 and then GM of the Red Sox from 1994-2002. Prior to being hired by the Orioles, Duquette had interviewed for the GM opening with the Angels that was later filled by Jerry Dipoto.
- The Twins announced that Terry Ryan is returning to the role of GM. Ryan, who has an interim tag on his title this time, replaces Bill Smith. Ryan has been in the Twins organization for 28 years, serving as GM from 1994-2007 before assuming the role of senior advisor.
- The Diamondbacks reached a two-year agreement worth $3.8MM with utility man Willie Bloomquist but are still reportedly interested in free agent second baseman Aaron Hill.
- Free agent Albert Pujols is being wooed by the Marlins, but the Cardinals do not plan to greatly increase the nine-year, $210MM contract offer that they made to Pujols before the season. The Cards don't have much reason to sweeten the pot yet as the Marlins offer "probably isn’t close to being enough" and are the only team to extend an offer to Pujols so far. The Angels, Dodgers, Yankees, and Rangers are unlikely to pursue the slugger.
- Nats catcher Wilson Ramos was kidnapped near his home in Venezuela by four armed gunmen on Wednesday but thankfully was rescued on Friday.
- The Twins signed Jamey Carroll to a two-year, $7MM deal to be their everyday shortstop. The 37-year-old drew interest from multiple teams this offseason before signing with the Twins. The contract also contains a $2MM option for 2014. The option vests if Carroll makes 401 plate appearances in 2013, but Carroll can choose to turn down the option.
- Mark Buehrle told the White Sox he's not going to give them a hometown discount. Approximately ten teams, including the Marlins, Yankees, Red Sox and Rangers are interested in the left-hander.
- Even though they're in desperate need of offense, there's no evidence that the Giants would trade either Tim Lincecum or Matt Cain this offseason. One GM went so far as to say there's "no point even asking."
- If the Red Sox are able to retain David Ortiz, they're unlikely to chase a big bat for the outfield.
- The Rangers have expressed preliminary interest in free agent starters such as Mark Buehrle, Edwin Jackson and Roy Oswalt.
- Catcher Ryan Doumit, who was already weighing multiple contract offers, received offers from two more teams on Saturday. Doumit's agent Paul Cobbe says that his client could sign within the next few days.
- It could take two months for MLB to declare Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes a free agent. The Red Sox, Phillies, Indians, Blue Jays, Pirates, Rangers, Tigers, Nationals, Athletics, Marlins, and Yankees are among the teams with interest in Cespedes.
- There's been plenty of hype surrounding Cespedes, but 19-year-old outfielder Jorge Soler and 23-year-old right-hander Armando Rivero also figure to attract attention this offseason.
- Matt Kemp and the Dodgers are discussing a long-term deal and talks have had “more substance lately.” Kemp, who is on track to hit free agency after the 2012 season, will not negotiate after Opening Day, according to his agent.
- The Rangers are looking at available left-handed starting pitchers to replace the possibly-departing C.J. Wilson.
- Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano is in no hurry to part ways with the club, and by the pitcher's account the feeling is mutual.
- The Pirates signed catcher Rod Barajas to a one-year deal that includes a team option for 2013. Barajas will earn a $4MM salary in 2012 and the option would pay him another $3.5MM in 2013.
- The Pirates are interested in free agent Ramon Santiago as a possible everyday shortstop.
- Korean right-hander Suk-min Yoon has hired agent Scott Boras and may be posted in time to spend the 2012 season with a Major League team. Yoon is the reigning MVP of the Korean Baseball Organization and played in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
- The Blue Jays and 4-6 other teams have shown interest in Jonathan Broxton and asked for his medical records. The Mets are not one of the teams to have inquired on the 27-year-old free agent.
- Angels GM Jerry Dipoto says that the Angels may be interested in Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols. They also might show interest C.J. Wilson but aren't interested in Aramis Ramirez.
- The Royals have interest in Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano, GM Dayton Moore disclosed. The GM later said that he shouldn't have publicly discussed a player under contract with another team.
- The Blue Jays are aggressively seeking an experienced closer through free agency or trade and have discussed free agents Heath Bell and Joe Nathan, as well as trade target Andrew Bailey of the Athletics.
- The Indians are interested in Japanese right-hander Shinobu Fukuhara.
- The Padres will be reluctant to move Chase Headley this offseason.
- The Rockies have expressed interest in free agent outfielder Grady Sizemore but the club will not aggressively pursue him until they exhaust all trade options with the Braves for Martin Prado.
- The Nationals have expressed interest in Japanese left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada.
- Rangers president & CEO Nolan Ryan expressed confidence in first baseman Mitch Moreland and cast doubt on the notion that the Rangers will pursue Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols.
- There is "a bit of concern" among executives that Yu Darvish won't decide to be posted this winter.
- The owners and the players' union continue to work towards an agreement in advance of the current CBA expiring on December 11th and they're working on fixing the Type A/Type B system.
- The Tokyo Yakult Swallows are posting three-time Central League batting champion Norichika Aoki.
- The Diamondbacks signed right-hander Chris Jakubauskas to a minor league deal, MLBTR learned.
AL East Notes: Yankees, Ortiz, Red Sox, Reynolds
Here's a look at some items out of the American League East..
- The Yankees remain unlikely to pursue David Ortiz, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com. General Manager Brian Cashman reiterated that the team's focus is on shoring up the starting rotation and also noted that the team has a number of internal candidates for the DH spot.
- More from Speier as Cashman says that he's intrigued by the possibility of finally being able to have trade talks with Theo Epstein now that he is in charge of the Cubs.
- The Red Sox will have to address the back of their rotation this winter and Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe outlines the different avenues that GM Ben Cherington can explore. Abraham writes that even though the Sox will look into lefthanders C.J. Wilson and Mark Buehrle, a major deal is unlikely.
- Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com wonders if Mark Reynolds' name will come up at this week's GM meetings in Milwaukee. The Orioles hold an $11MM option on Reynolds' contract for 2013 and he isn't eligible for free agency until the following year.
Cafardo On Red Sox, Cuddyer, Sizemore, Marlins
One of Red Sox GM Ben Cherington's toughest tasks this season will be finding fourth and fifth starters, writes Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe. Cherington could do it by pursuing the top free agent hurlers on the open market or try to bolster the rotation via trade. It's widely expected that the White Sox will make either Gavin Floyd or John Danks available and Cafardo wonders if the Red Sox could get Anibal Sanchez back from the Marlins. Free agent Hiroki Kuroda is a likely target but appears to be out of reach. The veteran declined a chance to be traded to the Sox last season as he didn’t want to play anywhere but Los Angeles. Here's more from Cafardo..
- Free agent Michael Cuddyer isn't as high of a priority for the Phillies as portrayed by the media. A major league source characterized him as "a middle priority" and while Philadelphia would love to have him, the club isn't going to "go crazy" to make it happen.
- It's widely believed that Grady Sizemore could be had for a bargain price but the center fielder has a few teams pursuing him, including the Red Sox. However, his talks with Boston are in very preliminary stages, and his injury history and left-handed bat mean that he's an unlikely fit.
- An agent told Cafardo that the Marlins' offers to Albert Pujols, Mark Buehrle, and Jose Reyes should be taken seriously and are not for show.
- If the Marlins land Pujols or Prince Fielder, first baseman Gaby Sanchez will be major trade bait for the club.
- If the Red Sox don't make a lot of pitching moves, we could see Alfredo Aceves moved into the rotation. The right-hander pushed to start in the past but Terry Francona thought Aceves was too valuable to remove from his bullpen role.
- A National League scout says that center fielder Yoenis Cespedes is likely to be moved to one of the corner outfield spots in the majors. Yesterday, we learned that the Cuban defector may not become a free agent for two months.