MLBTR Originals: 3/6/11 – 3/13/11
Here's a rundown of MLBTR's original content from the past week….
- Tim Dierkes analyzed the extensions the Rockies awarded to Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez, reviewed Legacy Sports Group's offseason, explored possible Plan Bs for Chase Utley, named some candidates to be released this month, and wondered which reliever might be next in line for an extension like Matt Thornton's.
- Tim also looked back at this winter's mutual options, previewed March's trade possibilities, and identified Jo-Jo Reyes as a trade candidate.
- Ben Nicholson-Smith's original articles this week examined two different ways to build an elite rotation, Kyle McClellan's role in St. Louis, starting pitchers linked through arbitration, the Rangers' first basemen, Kevin Slowey and the Blue Jays, the oldest $100MM players, the challenges facing AL East clubs in June's draft, and Adam Wainwright's 2012/2013 options. He also discussed the Twins' bullpen over at FanGraphs.
- The White Sox were the lone installment in our Offseason in Review series.
- Top college prospect Gerrit Cole answered MLBTR's questions about his pitching repertoire, his decision not to sign with the Yankees, and the upcoming draft.
- Our Make or Break Year series continued with a look at Matt Capps.
- Mike Axisa compiled another edition of Baseball Blogs Weigh In and shared an interesting piece on baseball's highest-paid players in 1990, 2000, and 2010.
- With Oliver Perez potentially facing his release, we hopped in the time machine to see what pundits said about the southpaw's contract when he first signed long-term with the Mets.
- Zach Links wondered whether the Astros and Angels make sense as trade partners, opening the topic up for discussion.
- Most free agents have signed by March 11th, but that doesn't mean it hasn't historically been an eventful day for transactions, as Mark Polishuk writes.
- This week's chat transcript can be found here.
Week In Review: 3/6/11 – 3/13/11
As we continue to follow the spring's positional battles and injury reports, let's recap the major hot stove headlines from the past seven days….
- The Phillies negotiated deals to keep both Charlie Manuel and Ruben Amaro Jr. around for a few more years. Manuel signed a two-year extension and Amaro Jr. finalized a four-year contract with the club. In other front office news, Dodgers VP and assistant GM Kim Ng left the team for a job with Major League Baseball, while Chuck Greenberg will no longer be a part of the Rangers' organization.
- Two playoff contenders agreed to multiyear extensions with players this week – Matt Thornton signed a two-year guarantee with the White Sox, and Ryan Hanigan and the Reds agreed to a three-year deal.
- Jason Castro's season-ending injury has the Astros searching for catching help. Signing Robinson Cancel was a start, but Houston still seems willing to stretch its payroll to add another backstop. Jesus Flores and Drew Butera were two potential options the Astros looked into.
- The Astros' NL Central rivals in Milwaukee will also have to replace an injured player (Zack Greinke), though the Brewers appear to have enough internal depth to wait out Greinke's return. Speaking of the former Cy Young winner, we heard this week that it would've taken the Rangers five young players to acquire Greinke from the Royals.
- Teams have called the Royals about Alex Gordon and the Red Sox about Mike Cameron.
- Adds and drops this week included the Royals claiming Robert Fish, the Blue Jays claiming Cesar Cabral, the Phillies releasing Robb Quinlan, the Nationals releasing Cla Meredith, and the Rockies parting ways with Chad Moeller.
- The Blue Jays, Brewers, Athletics, and Yankees signed international players to six- or, in the Yankees' case, seven-figure contracts.
- It appears safe to invest in Felix Hernandez and David Wright jerseys. Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik said, unsurprisingly, that King Felix is unavailable, while Wright said he can't imagine ever asking the Mets to trade him.
- Trade rumors continued to swirl around Michael Young, with the Diamondbacks among the teams linked to the Rangers infielder this week.
- Oliver Perez's time in New York could be nearing an end. The Mets are evaluating the lefty's spring outings before deciding whether or not to waive him.
- The Twins seem open to trade offers for Kevin Slowey, and the Blue Jays may be interested.
- Finally, a fond farewell to Brendan Donnelly and Gregg Zaun; both players announced their plans to retire. Bengie Molina wasn't quite as decisive, but said he's also retired, "for now."
Bell Would Accept Discount To Stay With Padres
Heath Bell has gone as far as saying it would be his "dream" to stay in San Diego on a long-term deal. We've also heard that the two sides will discuss a multiyear deal this Spring, and if that's not enough for Padres fans, the 33-year-old closer said in an MLB Network Radio interview today that he'd accept less money to remain a Padre.
"I definitely would take less just to sign [in San Diego] just because it's the Padres and I want to stay here," said Bell. "I'm very open to take a discount but it has to be knowing that I'll be able to stay here and not what happened to Jake Peavy. Even though Jake had a no-trade clause, [the Padres were] just pushing to get him out. I really don’t want that to happen" (all Twitter links).
Two years ago, Peavy's name headlined trade rumors for what seemed to be an eternity, as his contract had become too burdensome for the Padres to handle. He was nearly traded to the White Sox once and vetoed the deal. At the trade deadline though, Peavy changed his tune and was sent to the south siders (after several more months of trade rumors).
Bell's 89 saves over the last two seasons lead all of baseball, and he owns a 10.6 K/9 and 2.32 ERA through 139 2/3 innings to go along with them. If a deal can't be worked out, Bell will likely be the most desireable name on an impressive list of free agent relievers.
Royals Acquire Robert Fish
The Royals have claimed lefty Robert Fish from the Yankees on outright waivers, according to a team press release. In order to make room for Fish on their 40-man roster, Kansas City has moved right-hander Henry Barrera to the 60-day disabled list.
The Yankees selected Fish, 23, in the Rule 5 Draft this past December out of the Angels organization. Fish was lights out in High-A last season through 16 innings, allowing just two runs and striking out 25. He was torched upon a promotion to Double-A though, primarily due to allowing nine homers through 42 1/3 innings pitched. The result was an unsightly 8.93 ERA, but he maintained his big-time strikeout numbers, posting a K/9 of 10.4.
For his career, Fish has posted a strong 9.1 K/9 through 365 2/3 minor league innings, but he's also allowed far too many baserunners; he's walked 4.2/9 and allowed 9.5 H/9.
Red Sox Notes: Gonzalez, Buck, Matsuzaka
When the Red Sox acquired Adrian Gonzalez three months ago, he was recovering from shoulder surgery and wasn't a lock to be ready for Opening Day. Yesterday, having not experienced any setbacks, Gonzalez played in his first game of the spring, a strong sign that his rehab has been a success. Speaking to reporters today, the slugger suggested he doesn't expect his health to be an issue this season. In fact, he wants to play in all 162 games, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
"I'm a first baseman," said Gonzalez. "How much energy do you really put out there? I don't steal bases. I don’t run fast. I play first base. As long as my legs can take it, I'm good."
More Sox-related links:
- In a separate column for WEEI, Speier looks back at the other trade involving Gonzalez, one that helped the Marlins win the 2003 World Series.
- John Buck was keeping an eye on Victor Martinez and the Red Sox this winter, according to Speier. Alhough contract talks with the Sox never got serious, Buck was intrigued by the possibility of replacing V-Mart behind the plate in Boston: "Who doesn’t want to play for the Red Sox? Being a kind of historian of baseball, regardless of all the money and all that other stuff, it would just be a cool place to play."
- The Red Sox are making changes to Daisuke Matsuzaka's throwing routine in hopes of turning his spring around, says Tim Britton of the Providence Journal. Yesterday, Theo Epstein shot down a report that Boston was open to trade offers for Dice-K and others.
- The starting rotation in Boston is becoming clearer, writes Britton in another ProJo blog entry.
Cafardo’s Latest: Young, Pedro, Red Sox, Hatteberg
The Phillies' health issues and the Red Sox' depth makes the two teams logical trade partners, says Nick Cafardo in his newest column for the Boston Globe. The Red Sox have spare infielders and outfielders they could offer Philadelphia to offset the injuries to Chase Utley and Domonic Brown. While the Sox and Phils are already the Vegas favorites to meet in the 2011 World Series, Cafardo wonders if a trade between the two sides could help that matchup happen. Here are the other items of interest from the Globe's Sunday Baseball Notes:
- If the Rangers were willing to eat some salary, a Michael Young deal "could be made" with the Cubs. As we heard this week, the Cubs probably can't afford to take on Young's contract, but, despite his defensive shortcomings, he would make some sense for Chicago at second base.
- Pedro Martinez says he's in good shape and has yet to rule out pitching somewhere in 2011. He thinks it would take him about six weeks to get ready if he were to make a comeback.
- Cafardo cautions that the Red Sox' starting pitching depth isn't as strong as it seems. Given Daisuke Matsuzaka's performance this spring, Cafardo thinks it would be prudent to keep Tim Wakefield around, just in case.
- The Red Sox are seeking a big-league-ready catcher they can keep in Triple-A in case of injury. Cafardo speculates that Rangers backstop Kevin Cash, a player the Sox have "always loved," could be a fit.
- Matt Albers is out of options, making him potential trade bait for the Red Sox. As Cafardo points out, the Sox would rather avoid exposing the right-hander on waivers to a team like the Rays.
- Scott Hatteberg is currently working as a special assistant to Billy Beane in Oakland. Agent Joe Urbon feels that Hatteberg's future could include a job as a manager, a possibility the former Athletic sounds willing to explore. "It’s something I could envision down the road," Hatteberg said. "As a catcher, you’re always involved in so many facets of the game that you get an idea of what it’s like."
Mets Notes: Santana, Duda, Hernandez
Here's a round-up of the morning's Mets news, as the team prepares for an afternoon matchup with Jaime Garcia and the Cardinals.
- Johan Santana and the Mets denied a report by Steve Popper and Bob Klapisch of the Bergen Record that suggested Santana's rehab wasn't progressing and the Mets were close to shutting him down. The left-hander, who turns 32 today, told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork, "We're right on the right track and where we're supposed to be. Whoever is saying that I'm not ready I think is lying."
- While pitching coach Dan Warthen was also positive about Santana's progress, a July return is definitely no sure thing. ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider-only) says the Mets consider the southpaw's rehab a long process, and aren't expecting a significant contribution from him this year. If Santana needs more time to recover, he won't be rushed back.
- Olney's piece indicates there's some optimism about the Mets being competitive this season, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post isn't so sure. He runs through all the pieces that would have to fall into place for the Mets to become a contender.
- Within Sherman's column, one scout says he has been pleasantly surprised by Lucas Duda this spring. As Rubin writes in an ESPN.com piece, Duda could be an important contributor for the Mets this season if Carlos Beltran's knees act up.
- You can throw Luis Hernandez's name into the Mets' second base mix, writes Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.
Rosenthal On Athletics, Montero, Utley, Ackley
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports shared some Sunday morning notes from Spring Training. Let's check out the highlights….
- With Adam Rosales recovering from December foot surgery, the Athletics would like to add an affordable utility infielder. Even someone like the Tigers' Ramon Santiago would be too expensive for the A's though, so they'll probably opt for an in-house option instead.
- The Yankees figure to start the year with Jesus Montero as Russell Martin's backup in New York. One scout cautions that the team needs to ease the top prospect into an expanded role, as he adjusts to catching at the big league level.
- The Phillies' utility infielder candidates have been playing well this spring, so they may not have to explore a contingency plan even if they expect Chase Utley to miss significant time. According to Rosenthal's sources, the Phils can't take on much salary. If the club were to pursue a player like Michael Young, the Rangers would have to take Joe Blanton and include cash in any deal, which Texas isn't inclined to do.
- With Kyle Drabek and Jesse Litsch the favorites to earn the Blue Jays' two open rotations spots, skipper John Farrell told reporters that Jo-Jo Reyes could crack the 25-man roster as a reliever. Earlier this week, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes examined the possibility of Reyes being a trade candidate.
- Teammate Chone Figgins likens Mariners prospect Dustin Ackley to "a more athletic Todd Walker," a comparison Rosenthal says is more flattering than you'd initially think.
Blue Jays Claim Cesar Cabral
SUNDAY, 9:08am: Manager John Farrell says the Jays claimed Cabral in hopes of working out a trade with the Red Sox, tweets Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star. If the two sides don't agree on a deal, Cabral will likely go back on waivers.
SATURDAY, 4:14pm: The Blue Jays have claimed left-hander Cesar Cabral on waivers from the Rays, according to a team press release. To make room on the 40-man roster the club placed right-hander Dustin McGowan on the 60-day disabled list.
Cabral, 22, was selected by the Rays in the 2010 Rule 5 draft from the Red Sox, meaning that Toronto must offer the hurler back if they choose not to keep him. In 45 appearances for Boston's Single A and Single A advanced affiliates, Cabral posted a 3.63 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9.
Bengie Molina: “For Now, I’m Retired”
Although Bengie Molina isn't filing any papers yet, he told Newsday's Ken Davidoff in a phone interview "for now, I'm retired." Molina is leaving the door open for a comeback, saying that he doesn't want to officially file his retirement papers until he's certain his career is over.
"A lot of my teammates and friends want me to come back," said the veteran backstop. "I love the game. It gave me life… I wish I could be playing right now. But I've got other priorities right now…. It could be how Pedro [Martinez] did it halfway through [2009], something like that. It's not like I'm planning on doing that. If it comes up, and I'm ready to go, I'll do it."
A month ago, Molina was still talking to teams and debating whether or not to play in 2011. When the Padres expressed some interest in the 36-year-old last week, it sounded as if it would take at least a modest guaranteed salary to convince Molina to sign anywhere.