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AL East Notes: Blue Jays, Red Sox, Darvish

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The Blue Jays completed a trade with the Diamondbacks today, sending Aaron Hill and John McDonald to Arizona for Kelly Johnson. Here's the latest news from the AL East, starting with a note on today's trade…

  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio that Hill and McDonald cleared waivers earlier in the month (Twitter link). The deal started when Arizona GM Kevin Towers called about McDonald.
  • Anthopoulos says he acquired Johnson from the D'Backs to get an up-close look at him before deciding how aggressively to pursue him this offseason when he hits free agency, according to Sportsnet.ca's Shi Davidi.
  • Alex Speier of WEEI.com takes us inside Boston's front office in a must-read look at how the Red Sox approached the signing deadline. “Between 11:50 and 12 it was straight chaos,” one person told Speier. “Five people were on the phone at the same time with five different agents negotiating five different deals.”
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post explains that MLB teams, even rich ones like the Yankees, have to develop their own starting pitching, since the few elite starters who do reach free agency are prohibitively expensive.
  • The Yankees have scouted Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish heavily, according to Sherman. Darvish, 25, "is coming" to the Major Leagues this offseason, according to one of Sherman's sources.

Mariners Release Matt Mangini

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The Mariners announced that they released Matt Mangini to create 40-man roster space for Anthony Vasquez, who starts the second game of Seattle's double header against Cleveland today. Seattle placed Dan Cortes for the 15-day disabled list with a bruised left ankle in a related move.

Mangini, 25, opened the season on the Major League disabled list, but did not appear in a game for Seattle this year. He spent the season at Triple-A Tacoma, where he posted a .336/.399/.409 line in 259 plate appearances. The 2007 supplemental first round draft choice played in 11 games for the Mariners last year, appearing at third base and DH.

Mangini had been on the disabled list with post-concussion symptoms. He was involved in a home plate collision before the Triple-A All-Star break.

Pirates Sign Nelson Figueroa

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The Pirates signed right-hander Nelson Figueroa and assigned him to Triple-A, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). The Astros had released Figueroa Friday, soon after he returned from the disabled list.

Figueroa started the season in Houston's rotation, but the Astros designated him for assignment in May after he posted an 8.69 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 in 29 innings. The 37-year-old spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a 6.50 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 81 2/3 innings.

Dodgers Designate Dioner Navarro For Assignment

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The Dodgers designated catcher Dioner Navarro for assignment, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times (on Twitter). Los Angeles recalled A.J. Ellis in a corresponding move, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick (on Twitter).

Navarro signed a one-year, $1MM deal with the Dodgers in December soon after the Rays non-tendered him. The 27-year-old posted a .193/.276/.324 line in 202 plate appearances in his second stint with L.A. He hit five homers, but caught just 25% of would-be base stealers.

Orioles Designate Felix Pie For Assignment

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The Orioles designated Felix Pie for assignment to create roster space for Matt Angle, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). The Orioles have confirmed the moves and announced that they also selected the contract of Jake Fox.

Pie, who is out of options, is under team control through 2013 and earns $985K this year. The 26-year-old posted a .220/.264/.280 line in 175 plate appearances for Baltimore this year, playing all three outfield positions. Pie, a former top prospect, has a .249/.298/.374 line in 1051 career plate appearances for the Cubs and Orioles. His most productive years came in 2009-10 in Baltimore (.739 OPS).

MLBTR's Tim Dierkes suggested earlier today that Pie was a candidate to lose his roster spot.

Rockies Claim Wandy Rodriguez

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2:42pm: The Rockies won the claim on Rodriguez, tweets Rosenthal, and talks are ongoing.  The Rockies are particularly low on starting pitching depth at the moment, and may have the idea of another miracle playoff run in the back of their minds.  They're currently 8.5 games out.  Otherwise, Rodriguez would provide veteran depth for the next few seasons with Ubaldo Jimenez gone.  As Rosenthal notes, the Rockies aren't going to want to give up anything of value if they're to take on Rodriguez's entire contract.

1:12pm: Lefty Wandy Rodriguez has been claimed on waivers by an unknown team, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Currently Rodriguez is owed just $1.38MM for the rest of this season, plus $36MM for 2012-14 assuming he exercises a player option for the final season.  The Astros have the option of dumping that commitment on the other club, working out a trade with the team, or pulling Rodriguez back.

Rodriguez, 32, has a 3.31 ERA, 7.7 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 1.0 HR/9, and 45.3% groundball rate in 147 innings this year.

Diamondbacks Acquire Hill, McDonald For Johnson

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The Diamondbacks acquired second baseman Aaron Hill and shortstop John McDonald from the Blue Jays for Kelly Johnson, tweets John Gambadoro Sports 620 KTAR.  Both teams confirmed the trade in a press release.

Johnson, a favorite of Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos, has slumped to .209/.287/.412 in 481 plate appearances this year.  He has $1.16MM remaining on his contract and projects as a high Type B in the National League.  He's probably still at least a B in the AL, which has to be Toronto's motivation in acquiring the impending free agent.

Hill, 29, has been worse than Johnson at .225/.270/.313 in 429 plate appearances.  His $8MM club option is expected to be declined after the season, at which point he'd be a Type B free agent.  I'm not sure what Anthopoulos gets out of the swap.  Maybe he thinks Johnson will be a Type A and will decline arbitration, or maybe he's just more inclined to offer arbitration to Johnson than Hill.  Or, maybe he hopes to extend Johnson cheaply.  Hill has about $990K remaining on his contract.  McDonald, a defensive whiz, has about $300K remaining, so the money is pretty close.

From Arizona's point of view, McDonald can pitch in at shortstop with Willie Bloomquist, since Stephen Drew is out for the season.  As for liking Hill over Johnson, perhaps GM Kevin Towers feels a change of scenery will help, or he prefers Hill's defense.

The Diamondbacks and Blue Jays last matched up on a trade three years ago, when the Toronto acquired David Eckstein for Chad Beck.

Arbitration Eligibles: Baltimore Orioles

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The Orioles kick off our series taking a look at players who will be arbitration eligible for 2012.

Projected potential Super Twos such as Bergesen and Simon may not end up with enough service time to be arbitration eligible.  If the projected 2.145 cutoff holds up, Bergesen will be arbitration eligible and Simon will not.

Scott had shoulder surgery in July and is a likely non-tender.  Pie is possible given his terrible offensive season, as are potential first-timers Eyre, Reyes, and Bergesen.  Accardo is another non-tender candidate.

The key cases for the Orioles are Jones, Guthrie, and Johnson.  Jones should exceed $6MM.  Guthrie is in lightly charted waters as a third-time starting pitcher, and the cases of 2012 peers like John Danks, Matt Garza, and Joe Saunders will be relevant here.  $9-10MM is possible.  Johnson will be coming off a solid season, but still figures to come in under $2MM.

Limited Free Agent Market For Bats

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Teams looking to add offense this offseason will face limited options.   A look at the ten available middle-of-the-order type bats:

  • Lance Berkman, 1B/OF: By most measures, Berkman has been one of the ten best offensive players in baseball this year at age 35.  He's played in 87% of the Cardinals' games and has been consistently productive.  He's got a list of three or four teams, headed by the Cards, and would consider retirement if he's "not thrilled with the opportunities."  Though a multiyear deal would likely be available, Berkman is fine with another one-year contract.  I have to imagine he'll get $12MM or more.
  • David Ortiz, DH: Ortiz, who turns 36 in November, has been nearly as good as Berkman, and he's handled lefties well.  Reportedly the Red Sox have yet to discuss a new deal with him.  It's not clear how adamant each side will be about their stance on a multiyear contract.  But the general expectation is that Ortiz returns to Boston.
  • Prince Fielder, 1B: Most expect Fielder to look for Mark Teixeira money or beyond, though yesterday I was able to come up with reasons each of the 30 teams might balk at signing him.  He'll land somewhere, but Scott Boras may need a team to bid against itself to reach Teixeira heights.
  • Albert Pujols, 1B: Pujols now leads the National League with 31 home runs, so his off year is relative.  His walk rate is down significantly though, which could give some teams pause before making one of the ten largest commitments in baseball history, if not one of the three biggest.  The Cardinals have first crack at signing him, and there's a good chance they get something done.
  • Carlos Beltran, RF: Beltran has been healthy and effective this year, outside of a DL stint for a strained hand shortly after his trade to the Giants.  A strong finish could result in a three-year deal, though Beltran does turn 35 in April.  He figures to get more than $10MM per year.
  • Michael Cuddyer, RF/1B: Cuddyer has alternated good and mediocre seasons, a trend his agent will have to downplay since this is one of the good years.  Cuddyer, 33 in March, should get a three-year deal with a salary similar to this year's $10.5MM.
  • Aramis Ramirez, 3B: Ramirez should benefit from being the only viable starting option at third base on the market.  He was headed toward a possible extension with the Cubs, but with Jim Hendry being fired he's going to take a step back and see what's out there.  His $16MM option is mutual in nature.  The 33-year-old should be able to secure a deal similar to my Cuddyer estimate, maybe better.
  • Josh Willingham, LF: Willingham, 32, started out slow for the Athletics but has a .277/.374/.606 line with 12 home runs in 163 plate appearances since July 1st.  Injuries have made him something of a 120 game guy, so a two-year deal for around $16MM seems feasible.  Willingham projects as a Type A free agent, and seems like someone who might accept arbitration if the A's offer.
  • Jason Kubel, RF/DH: At 29, Kubel has age on his side compared to most free agents.  He missed almost two months with a foot injury this year but previously had been durable.  He could be a popular free agent, with four years possible, but his stock will be hurt if he climbs to Type A status and turns down an arbitration offer from the Twins, thereby costing his new team a draft pick.
  • Carlos Pena, 1B: Pena, 33, has been aided slightly by his first crack at the National League.  He's a useful hitter, but a two-year deal at $10MM plus is a tough sell even for Scott Boras for a perennial .200 hitter.

There are other free agents – Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins are difference-makers and Casey Kotchman is having a nice year – but the middle-of-the-order bat market boils down to the ten I named above.  Berkman, Ortiz, Fielder, and Pujols all have limited markets due to preference, price tag, or in Ortiz's case, the fact that he can't play the field.  It's a good time to be Beltran, Cuddyer, Ramirez, Willingham, Kubel, Pena, or Kotchman.  Surprises are possible, but the trade market offers little beyond perhaps Carlos Quentin.

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