Reinsdorf On Williams, Guillen, Marlins, Crede
White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf told Brett Ballantini of CSNChicago.com that he went ‘all in’ for 2011 because “the idea of being bad for two or three years is a horrible thought when you’re 75 years old.” The White Sox considered rebuilding this offseason, but decided to spend and attempt to become the best team in the AL Central. Here’s more from Reinsdorf:
- Reinsdorf says there’s a natural tension between managers and general managers that will flare up at times. But he says he expects GM Kenny Williams and manager Ozzie Guillen to be in Chicago “for a long time.”
- The Marlins expressed interest in talking to Guillen about their managerial opening last fall and Reinsdorf told the Marlins he would let his manager out of his contract if Guillen wanted to manage the Marlins and they gave up something in exchange. “If you want to talk to him,” Reinsdorf told the Marlins, “we have to agree on what we get if he decides to leave.” Though the sides never came to an agreement, Mike Stanton's name came up.
- The White Sox were ready to commit to Joe Crede on a long-term deal and “Scott Boras didn’t [want to] talk about it,” Reinsdorf said. “Look what that’s cost Crede.”
Feliz Likely To Close; Texas To Pursue Relievers Later
It would be a "huge" upset if the Rangers put Neftali Feliz into their rotation, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter links). However, the Rangers are aware that next year's free agent class is loaded with top relievers, so they'll likely move Feliz to the rotation for the 2012 season. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out that trading for a closer at this point in the spring is difficult and argues that Feliz belongs in the bullpen.
Rangers manager Ron Washington said earlier in the week that he wants an experienced closer. Feliz, though still 22, closed for Texas last year when the Rangers made it to the World Series, so he qualifies. Other established closers like Heath Bell and Joakim Soria don't appear to be available.
Bell, Jonathan Broxton, Matt Capps, Francisco Cordero, Brad Lidge, Joe Nathan, Jonathan Papelbon, Francisco Rodriguez, Rafael Soriano, Jose Valverde and other top relievers could hit free agency after the 2011 season, at which point the Rangers would have many more options than they do now.
Examining The Phillies’ Interest In Jon Jay
The Phillies are targeting Cardinals outfielder Jon Jay, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. The Phils are apparently intrigued by what Jay did in his rookie season last year, when he hit .300/.359/.422 in 323 plate appearances and played all three outfield positions. Here’s a closer look at what the Phillies’ interest in Jay could mean:
- The Phillies are considering ways of adding outfielders to the organization, which just lost Jayson Werth. Raul Ibanez becomes a free agent after the season and Shane Victorino is eligible for free agency after 2012, so the Phillies’ outfield could look considerably different in a couple of seasons.
- The Cardinals aren't the only ones who like Jay, a career .301 hitter in the minors who ranked 13th among St. Louis' prospects before last year, according to Baseball America.
But…
- Just because the Phillies have targeted Jay doesn’t mean they’re willing to meet the Cardinals’ asking price.
- And it doesn't mean that the Cardinals are willing to give Jay up. Before the 2010 season, Baseball America described him as a rangy outfielder with a fringy arm and a knack for hitting for average. He's under team control through 2016 and won't hit arbitration before the 2012-13 offseason, so he'll be cheap for a while.
- It doesn’t mean that Jay, who turned 26 yesterday, is the Phillies' lone target – or even their primary target.
- Philadelphia’s interest doesn’t mean they’re expecting anything less from Domonic Brown, their top prospect. The 23-year-old is recovering from hand surgery and should be ready to return soon after the season begins.
Quick Hits: Rays, Wainwright, Lubanski, Eckstein
We wish Luis Salazar the best as he recovers from eye surgery. Doctors were unable to prevent the Braves minor league manager from losing his eye after a line drive hit him in the face. Here are today's links…
- Braves outfielder Nate McLouth leads off Steve Henson's list of rebound candidates in 2011 at Yahoo Sports. As MLBTR's Mike Axisa has pointed out, it's a make or break year for McLouth.
- Tyler Kepner of the New York Times examines the Rays' remade bullpen.
- Adam Wainwright tells B.J. Rains of FOX Sports Midwest that he hasn’t talked to the Cardinals about his two-year, $21MM option for 2012-13. But as the rehabbing right-hander suggests, somebody will pick him up if the Cards don’t.
- The Marlins released outfielder Chris Lubanski, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (on Twitter). The Marlins signed the 2003 first rounder to a minor league deal in December after he posted an .899 OPS for Toronto's Triple-A affiliate in 2010.
- The Mets have made it clear to free agent infielder David Eckstein that they have no interest in him, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. One person familiar with the Mets tells Heyman that it's about "fifty-fifty" whether Luis Castillo opens the season as the team's second baseman.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic explains how after a name change and a suspension, Juan Paniagua got a $1.1MM bonus from the Yankees instead of a $17K bonus from the D'Backs (link at USA Today).
- Tim Dierkes breaks down the closing situation for all 30 MLB teams in a must-read piece at RotoAuthority.
Yankees Watched Millwood Pitch
7:53pm: The Yankees were the only team to watch Millwood today, according to Sherman (Twitter links). The Yankees clocked his fastball at 85 mph and say they'll only offer a minor league deal. However, Millwood still wants a Major League contract.
Millwood seeks $4MM and the Yankees are willing to offer a low seven-figure (presumably minor league) deal, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
3:38pm: The Yankees were among the teams that watched Kevin Millwood throw this morning, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter links). Millwood rejected a minor league offer from the Yankees less than a month ago, but the team appears to maintain interest in the right-hander.
Millwood posted a career-low ground ball rate and a career-high fly ball rate last year and allowed 30 homers. He posted a 5.10 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 last year in his first season as an Oriole.
The numbers aren't particularly impressive, but Millwood's durability is. The 36-year-old has averaged 31 starts per season since joining the Braves' rotation in 1998. Last year was typical for Millwood, as he started 31 games and logged 190 2/3 innings.
Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon and Ivan Nova have pitched well enough that the Yankees don't seem as desperate for starting options as they did earlier in the winter, when Andy Pettitte first announced his retirement. The Cardinals, another potential destination for Millwood, appear to have found their fifth starter in former setup man Kyle McClellan, so they are not longer an obvious fit for Millwood, either.
AL West Links: Davis, Trumbo, Robertson
Notes from the AL West, as the Angels learn that Scott Downs is out indefinitely with a broken toe…
- Chris Davis, who suggested earlier in the week that he wouldn't oppose a trade, clarified his thoughts on 103.3 ESPN's Ben and Skin show, without changing his stance much. "If they're not going to give me an opportunity to play in Arlington I think the fairest thing and the right thing to do would be to give me a chance to play somewhere else," Davis said.
- I looked at potential destinations for Davis yesterday and today Jon Heyman of SI.com suggests one of the teams I mentioned makes sense (Twitter link). Heyman likes the Rays as a potential suitor for Davis.
- Many of the Angels' established hitters tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that they're enjoying watching powerful first base prospect Mark Trumbo this spring.
- As Matt Eddy of Baseball America explains, the Mariners released and re-signed Nate Robertson after learning that he needs elbow surgery.
Make Or Break Year: Omar Infante
When Omar Infante made last year's All-Star team, it surprised most fans, puzzled many and angered some. Utility players don't generally represent their league at the midsummer classic. But they don't generally lead their team with a .321 average and that's exactly what Infante did in 2010.
Doubters will point out that Infante has no track record to support his '10 performance and suggest that luck helped boost his slash line to .321/.359/.416. Infante, who had qualified for the batting title just once before last year, has a career batting average of .313 on balls in play. That figure jumped to .355 in 2010 and his line drive rate dipped, which could mean that Infante's offensive production is due to fall off.
There's more to Infante than his offense, though. He started games at second, short, third, left and right last year and though he has never logged 1,000 innings at any position on the diamond, his infield defense appears to be average. Infante's career UZR sits no higher than 2.4 and no lower than -1.2 at second, third and short, an indication that he can provide MLB-caliber defense at all three positions (the Marlins will likely play him at second in place of the man he was traded for, Dan Uggla).
If Infante continues to play solid defense and comes close to matching his 2010 production, he could position himself for a substantial contract. His former teammate, Placido Polanco hit .285/.331/.396 as a 33-year-old before signing a three-year $18MM deal with the Phillies in 2009. That same year, former utility player Marco Scutaro hit .282/.379/.409 as a 33-year-old and signed a $12.5MM deal.
Infante has yet to turn 30, so he could obtain a multiyear deal as a free agent after the season if he completes the transition from utility player to established regular like Polanco and Scutaro did. If Infante falters, however, his critics will be quick to re-apply the 'utility player' label and his free agency will likely end with a modest one-year deal.
Stark On Nationals, Red Sox, Jay, Phillies
Jayson Werth told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark that he doesn’t hate the Phillies at all and hopes for a warm reception when he returns to Philadelphia for the first time since signing with the division rival Nationals as a free agent. Here’s the latest on Werth's new team plus other rumors from around the league…
- The Nationals would like to add a veteran to the back of their bullpen.
- When teams ask about Nationals backstop Wilson Ramos, they’re hearing that the Nats don’t want to deal him because they believe he’s nearly ready to be a regular catcher.
- The Red Sox have been “quietly poking around” to determine which catchers could become available.
- The Phillies are looking for an affordable backup outfielder who can play center field and they have targeted Cardinals outfielder Jon Jay.
- There are no indications that the Phillies plan to deal for a second baseman to replace the injured Chase Utley, however.
- Though the Mets don’t appear to want Luis Castillo to win the second base job, scouts say he’s their best option by far.
- The Twins are open to adding relief depth.
Royals Appear Likely To Keep Soria
The Royals don’t seem inclined to trade Joakim Soria for anything less than an overwhelming offer, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. The 26-year-old closer, who is under team control through 2014, remains a big part of the Royals “today and for the future,” in the words of GM Dayton Moore.
“We do expect to be good at some point in time,” Moore said. “And to be good, it’s important that you’re able to match up over the last three innings of the game. Joakim Soria gives us that opportunity to do that.”
Soria, who has more continuous service with the Royals than anyone else on the team, says he’d likes the youth-oriented path the front office is taking. Unlike former teammate Zack Greinke, Soria wants to stay put. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes mentioned the closer on his list of midseason trade candidates in the American League, cautioning that the Royals were likely to keep him.
Soria said in December that he wouldn’t block a trade to the Yankees, but he later clarified that he meant to indicate that he didn’t plan to prevent the Royals from making a deal if that was their intention.
Teams Calling About Reds Catchers
Teams have been calling the Reds about their catchers, but their chances of making a deal don’t seem good. GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he’s not looking to move any of his backstops.
“It’s a strength for us,” Jocketty said. “I really don’t want to take away from a strength. It can be very fragile.”
The Reds recently locked up Ryan Hanigan to a three-year, $4MM extension. He’ll join Ramon Hernandez in the majors this year while Corky Miller and prospects Devin Mesoraco and Yasmani Grandal play in the upper minors. But with Hernandez entering a walk year, a trade appears unlikely.
Though Ivan Rodriguez is dealing with an apparently minor calf injury, the Nationals have comparable catching depth and could deal a backstop. The Astros and Padres lost Jason Castro and Gregg Zaun, respectively, so both teams could be interested in dealing for a catcher. As MLBTR's Zach Links recently pointed out, the Angels are a potential match for the Astros.