Yankees Notes: Colon, Garcia, Molina, Pitching
A few items from the Bronx Bombers' camp…
- Bartolo Colon has looked very good this spring, but lingering doubts about his conditioning and his durability are the only reason the Yankees haven't officially given him a rotation job, writes Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com.
- The other veteran contender for that open rotation spot, Freddy Garcia, has offered to be a long reliever if it will get him on the Yankees' roster, reports Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger.
- Also from Carig, he thinks Gustavo Molina could be a legitimate contender to start the season as New York's backup catcher while Francisco Cervelli is on the DL. Molina, signed to a minor league deal in December may get the nod given that the Yankees' more vaunted catching prospects (Jesus Montero and Austin Romine) haven't stood out this spring.
- Brian Cashman tells Chad Jennings of the LoHud blog that he's received a few calls from other general managers in regards to the extra pitchers in New York's camp. "It’s been very quiet for the most part….Everybody’s just picking the phone up and checking in with each other, myself included," Cashman said.
Jose Lopez Drawing Trade Interest
5:42pm: The Rockies "have [an] open mind about dealing" Lopez, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post, though the club feels "no urgency" to make such a move.
5:19pm: The Rockies have received some trade interest from other teams about infielder Jose Lopez, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. Lopez is slated to be in the Rockies' second base mix, but if dealt, the job would fall to Ty Wigginton and Jonathan Herrera, Rosenthal notes.
Lopez was dealt to Colorado last December from Seattle, and his name surfaced in trade talks again in February when he was rumored to be part of the package the Rockies had offered the Rangers for Michael Young. Lopez will earn $3.6MM this season, and since Colorado signed Wigginton to a two-year, $8MM deal in December, Wigginton could take priority as the club's top right-handed utility option.
Given Chase Utley's injury woes, the Phillies leap to mind as a team that could be interested in second base help, their recent signing of Luis Castillo notwithstanding. While Lopez is best known as a second baseman, he started 142 games at third for the Mariners last season and fielded his position very well — his UZR/150 was an impressive 7.5. The Marlins may have a hole at third base, though they were "not initiating trade talk about third base options with other clubs" and Lopez's salary is rather high for Florida.
Quick Hits: Marlins, Indians, Boras, Quade, Pirates
Links for Thursday as the Braves name Brandon Beachy their No. 5 starter…
- The Marlins released outfielder Chris Lubanski according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). Lubanski, the fifth overall pick in 2003, hit .293/.361/.538 for the Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate last year.
- Indians president Mark Shapiro (@MarkShapiro) and GM Chris Antonetti (@IndiansGM) are now on Twitter. If you aren't following @mlbtraderumors, you're missing out and you could become follower number 70,000.
- After an anonymous player ripped Scott Boras in ESPN the Magazine, the agent defended himself, telling Joel Sherman of the New York Post that he does tend to players even when their careers slow down. "Call Rick Ankiel. Call Andruw Jones. Call Alex Cora. Call Barry Zito," Boras said. "Our commitment to the player is extreme."
- Cubs manager Mike Quade tells Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald how he learned to become a teacher.
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America examines a number of out of options position players who are hoping to establish themselves in 2011. Check out MLBTR's list of out of options players here.
- As ESPN.com's Jayson Stark explains, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle is bringing a 'why not us' attitude to the Pirates in sometimes unconventional ways.
Brewers, Orioles Return Rule 5 Picks
The Brewers returned Pat Egan to the Orioles and re-obtained Adrian Rosario from the Orioles, the teams announced. Both Rule 5 selections cleared waivers before the Orioles assigned Egan to Triple-A and the Brewers assigned Rosario to Class-A Brevard County.
Egan, 26, posted a 3.44 ERA with 4.5 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 83 2/3 innings of relief for the Orioles' top affiliates last year. In four seasons in Baltimore's system, the right-hander has a 3.24 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9.
Rosario, 21, has yet to pitch above Class-A. He posted a 3.50 ERA with 11.5 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 46 1/3 innings of relief in the Brewers' system last year. Baseball America ranked him 30th among top Orioles prospects this offseason, praising his low-90s fastball and "plus change-up that falls off the table." The Dominican right-hander could become a big league setup man, according to BA.
Diamondbacks Sign Kip Wells
The Diamondbacks have signed Kip Wells to a minor league contract according to Baseball America's Matt Eddy. Wells had been with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League.
The soon-to-be 34-year-old last appeared in the bigs leagues with the Reds in 2009. Cincinnati re-signed him last February, but ended up releasing him before the season started. Wells then hooked on with the Ducks, and posted a 4.00 ERA with 23 strikeouts and 15 walks in 27 innings (five starts) with them. He owns a 4.71 ERA during a Major League career that has spanned parts of 11 seasons.
Astros Sign Fernando Nieve
The Astros have signed Fernando Nieve to a minor league contract, reports MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (Twitter links). Nieve has already passed his physical and will report to minor league camp.
Nieve, 28, was released by the Pirates just two days ago after allowing 17 hits in just 7 1/3 Spring Training innings. Last year for the Mets, he posted a 6.00 ERA, 8.1 K/9, 4.7 BB/9, 2.1 HR/9, and 37% groundball rate in 42 innings. 18.5% of his flyballs left the yard, a rate that led all of MLB among those with at least 40 innings. Nieve also made eight starts in Triple-A, posting a 5.63 ERA. Pittsburgh signed him to a minor league pact back in December.
The Astros originally signed Nieve out of Venezuela back in 1999, and five years ago he was their third-best prospect according to Baseball America.
Yankees Close To Signing Kevin Millwood
The Yankees are close to signing Kevin Millwood to an "incentive-laden" minor league contract, reports Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link). Millwood is represented by Scott Boras.
The free agent right-hander has been linked to the Yankees at several points this winter, and turned down a minor league offer from the club last month. We heard last week that the Yankees offered another minor league deal in the low seven-figure range after watching Millwood in a throwing session, but the veteran was still hoping for a Major League contract in the neighborhood of $4MM.
Though New York has been looking for pitching all winter, the timing of this signing is a bit ironic since it seemed as if the questions about the back of the Yankees' rotation had largely been answered during Spring Training. Ivan Nova has reportedly locked up the No. 4 spot behind C.C. Sabathia, Phil Hughes and A.J. Burnett, while either Freddy Garcia or a resurgent Bartolo Colon would be the fifth starter. Of course, neither Nova, Garcia or Colon are sure things, so it helps the Yankees to have a proven innings-eater like Millwood on the roster. As Heyman notes in a follow-up tweet, Garcia or Colon will begin the season as the No. 5 starter while Millwood gets into pitching form.
The Yankess will be Millwood's sixth franchise in his 15-year Major League career. The 36-year-old has thrown at least 168 2/3 innings and made at least 29 starts in all but three of those seasons. Millwood is coming off a rough year with Baltimore in 2010, when he posted a career-high fly ball rate, a career-low ground ball rate and a 5.10 ERA in 31 starts with the O's.
Rangers Keep Neftali Feliz In The Bullpen
The Rangers will open the season with a rotation of C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis, Tommy Hunter, Derek Holland and Matt Harrison and Neftali Feliz will return to the bullpen after an extended spring stint as a starter, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan (on Twitter). The decision provides manager Ron Washington with the proven closer he sought and lessens the chances that the Rangers have to look outside of the organization for relief help.
The Rangers considered moving Feliz to the rotation because of his potential to be a shutdown starter. He won last year's AL Rookie of the Year as the Rangers' closer, saving 40 games and posting a 2.73 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 69 1/3 innings. Last week, 55% of 6,681 MLBTR readers said they would return the 22-year-old to the bullpen.
The Marlins’ Third Base Options
The Marlins demoted third baseman Matt Dominguez today, so the slick-fielding prospect will start the season in the minor leagues, where he can work to improve his offense. The move opens up competition at third base and suggests the Marlins could look outside the organization for temporary help at the hot corner. Here's the latest:
- A team source tells MLB.com's Joe Frisaro that the Marlins are not initiating trade talk about third base options with other clubs. Frisaro hears that the Marlins don't have any interest in Michael Young, though they did explore a possible deal earlier in the winter.
- Manager Edwin Rodriguez repeated that Omar Infante will remain at second base, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Donnie Murphy and Emilio Bonifacio will get the most playing time at third, though Wes Helms and Greg Dobbs also have experience there.
- The Marlins aren't sure that Royals third baseman Pedro Feliz is an upgrade over their internal options, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Marlins can absorb Feliz's $800K salary, according to Rosenthal.
- The Marlins have not contacted the Royals about Feliz, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
- Felipe Lopez, Eric Chavez and free agent Garrett Atkins are also potential options, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
- ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reported last night that the Marlins are one of the teams monitoring Young, though they can't afford his annual salary of $16MM.
MLBTR’s Agency Database
If you're wondering who represents your favorite player or which agency has the most players on your favorite team, check out MLBTR's new Agency Database. Accessible through the Tools tab on the navigation bar, the database allows you to sort by player, team and agency.
For example, if you wanted to determine which Orioles are with Beverly Hills Sports Council, you'd be able to find out the answer after a few clicks. The database is free, constantly updated and unlike anything else on the web. Check it out.
You can send questions or corrections to mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.