Olney On Chipper, Sherrill, Torre, Gonzalez
Chipper Jones told ESPN.com's Buster Olney that he and Jim Thome met and complained "like two old grannies" last summer when Jones was struggling and Thome wasn't playing much. Thome finished strong and re-signed with the Twins and Jones is eager to play again, too. Here are the details on Jones and from around the majors:
- Jones says getting rest every week or ten days helps him stay strong throughout the season. The veteran third baseman has only played in 135 games once in the past six seasons because of a variety of injuries, so it makes sense to give him the occasional day off.
- The Phillies tried to sign George Sherrill this winter, before he signed with the rival Braves. Philadelphia sent executive Pat Gillick to see Sherrill and manager Charlie Manuel talked to him, but the left-hander wanted to play within driving distance of his father.
- Joe Torre makes about $2MM in his new job with MLB, according to Olney.
- Gio Gonzalez looks very, very good, according to a scout.
Cla Meredith To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Nationals right-hander Cla Meredith will undergo Tommy John ligament replacement surgery on his right elbow in D.C. today, according to Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com (on Twitter). Washington signed the 27-year-old to a minor league deal a month ago.
Meredith posted a 5.40 ERA with 4.2 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 21 relief apppearances for Baltimore last year. He was a key member of the Padres' bullpen from 2006-09, when he posted a 3.26 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 237 1/3 total innings. The Orioles acquired Meredith for Oscar Salazar during the 2009 season.
Mark Teixeira Drops Scott Boras
Mark Teixeira dropped agent Scott Boras, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. The first baseman, who is under contract through 2016, says he wants to focus on helping the Yankees win, not signing his next mega-deal.
Teixeira says his relationship with Boras has run its course, according to Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). Their relationship began over a decade ago when Boras advised Teixeira as a highly-touted high schooler. The Rangers drafted Teixeira fifth overall in 2001 and signed him to a $9.5MM deal out of college. After Teixeira hit free agency following the 2008 season, Boras negotiated his current eight-year, $180MM contract.
Boras' stable of Yankees clients has changed considerably since the end of last season. Like Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez said his relationship with Boras had run its course. Rafael Soriano and Robinson Cano, however, left other agents for Boras.
Though the Jonas Group will help Teixeira manage his off-field activities, he says he hopes to remain on good terms with Boras, his advisor for 12 years. Boras told Jon Heyman of SI.com that it was a "great honor" to work with Teixeira (Twitter link).
Our complete list of Scott Boras clients can be found here.
Offseason In Review: Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles are next in our Offseason In Review series.
Major League/International Signings
- Kevin Gregg, RP: two years, $10MM. Includes $6MM vesting option for 2013.
- Vladimir Guerrero, DH: one year, $8MM. $3MM of salary deferred without interest, paid 2016-17.
- Derrek Lee, 1B: one year, $7.25MM.
- Koji Uehara, RP: one year, $3MM. Includes vesting option for 2012.
- Cesar Izturis, SS: one year, $1.5MM.
- Jeremy Accardo, RP: one year, $1.08MM. Can be controlled for 2012 as an arbitration eligible player.
- Justin Duchscherer, SP: one year, $700K.
- Total spend: $31.53MM.
Notable Minor League Signings
- Mark Hendrickson, David Riske, Randy Winn, Josh Rupe, Nick Green, Nick Bierbrodt, Jeff Fiorentino, Ryan Drese
Trades and Claims
- Acquired 3B Mark Reynolds and a player to be named later or cash considerations from Diamondbacks for RP David Hernandez and RP Kam Mickolio
- Acquired SS J.J. Hardy, IF Brendan Harris, and $500K from Twins for RP Jim Hoey and RP Brett Jacobson
- Claimed RP Adrian Rosario from Brewers in Rule 5 draft
Notable Losses
- Ty Wigginton, Kevin Millwood, Matt Albers, David Hernandez, Kam Mickolio, Jim Hoey, Brett Jacobson, Corey Patterson, Cla Meredith, Julio Lugo, Scott Moore, Luis Montanez,
Summary
A year ago, the Orioles committed over $30MM to short-term veteran acquisitions while also surrendering the 53rd overall draft pick to the Braves. President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail took a similar approach this offseason, adding more to the payroll but keeping his draft picks. Is the Orioles' strategy good for the long-term health of the franchise?
MacPhail's dealings mostly improved the team for 2011, though Reynolds, Gregg, and Accardo will be under control for the 2012 season. The big question is, why is MacPhail trying so hard to improve the 2011 Orioles? Is it an attempt to energize the fan base? I'm not sure these players will increase attendance significantly. Is it for the veteran leadership? That can be acquired more affordably. Is it because MacPhail truly views the Orioles as contenders? The O's don't have nearly enough starting pitching to make contention seem realistic.
One school of thought is that the money spent this offseason would be better put toward the draft and Latin America, as ESPN's Keith Law suggested in a discussion with MASN's Steve Melewski. In the team's defense, they already rank fourth in MLB in draft spending over the last three years. They haven't been aggressive in Latin America, but a lower big league payroll might not change that.
The signings of Gregg, Uehara, and Accardo may at least help the Orioles' young pitching staff. Only the Gregg signing could be considered excessive. The Blue Jays valued one draft pick more than having Gregg (or his trade value) at one year and $4.5MM or two years and $8.75MM. The Orioles again took the plunge on a pricey reliever, even with Mike Gonzalez still on the roster as a reminder. All multiyear free agent reliever deals are risky, but the gamble makes more sense for contending teams. MacPhail may have felt the need to bolster the bullpen after the subtraction of David Hernandez, who was excellent in relief last year and under team control through 2015.
The Orioles' offense is looking strong with the additions of Reynolds, Hardy, Lee, and Guerrero, assuming they stay healthy. Of course, the bar is extremely low given last year's output of 3.78 runs per game. The price for these four players was far from franchise-crippling, but there is concern the veterans will take at-bats from younger guys. Nolan Reimold and Josh Bell have something to prove in Triple-A, however, and I think the Orioles will make room if they start raking.
You'd like to see a few of the newly-added veterans flipped for interesting prospects at the trade deadline, though MacPhail wasn't able to cash in Garrett Atkins, Kevin Millwood, and Ty Wigginton last year. He's added superior players for 2011, so I think there's a better chance this time around.
This is an improved Orioles team, but to what end? Some need to see a tangible benefit before endorsing significant short-term veteran commitments for a rebuilding club. The Orioles might argue, what's the downside? If the short-term additions don't adversely affect the farm system or the development of young players, the Orioles' strategy can at least be considered neutral for the long-term health of the franchise regardless of the team's record in 2011. I expect to hear a lot of intangibles as support for MacPhail's offseason, while the more analytically-minded will focus on whether the Orioles are able to trade veterans for prospects in July.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Quick Hits: Phillips, Olsen, Rangers, Greinke
The great Mickey Mantle announced his retirement on this day in 1969. The Mick was coming off his worst of his 18 Major League seasons, a .237/.385/.398 performance in 1968. While a .782 OPS would be a pretty decent performance for most mortals, it was well behind Mantle's .977 career OPS. Mantle retired with 536 home runs, seven World Series rings and legendary status with both the Yankees and the sport as a whole.
Some news items…
- Brandon Phillips wants to play for the Reds beyond his current contract, and John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer speculates how much it might cost to keep Phillips in Cincinnati. The club holds a $12MM team option on Phillips for 2012, and Fay thinks Phillips would have to accept less tham $12MM per season in a new deal. Fay guesses Phillips will ask for a Dan Uggla-esque contract, while the Reds will try to sign him to a deal similar to Juan Uribe's pact with the Dodgers. If I had to guess, I'd say the Reds' financial situation might make them hard-pressed to pick up Phillips' 2012 option, let alone give him another expensive, multiyear deal. Another year of pennant contention and more fans in the Great American Ballpark would certainly change things, of course.
- It came as news to Scott Olsen that Pirates GM Neal Huntington listed him as as a bullpen candidate if he doesn't make the rotation, reports Colin Dunlap of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “They didn’t bring me in here to be a bullpen guy,” Olsen said. “They want to do that, we are going to have to have a conversation about it, and we haven’t had one about it.” Olsen's contract with Pittsburgh includes $3MM in incentives based on the number of starts that Olsen makes, so obviously Olsen has a stated interest in staying out of the bullpen.
- The Rangers' payroll for 2011 will be almost 70% higher than it was in 2010, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
- Zack Greinke says he "kind of had to play the bad guy" by requesting a trade from the Royals, reports Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. "The way things were in Kansas City, if I hadn't done that, the fans would have been outraged if I was traded," Greinke said. "The fans — I don't know why, but they really liked me."
- Keith Law of ESPN.com lists six prospects who might be "this year's Mike Trout" and have a breakout minor league campaign.
- One of Law's breakout candidates is Tigers third baseman Nick Castellanos, a supplemental first-round pick (44th overall) for Detroit in 2010. John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press talked to the 18-year-old about playing alongside his childhood hero, Miguel Cabrera.
- The Cubs have already paid back the $3MM they owed Ryan Dempster in contract deferral payments, reports ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine.
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America recaps the week's minor league transactions.
East Notes: Joba, Wieters, O’s, Damon, Durbin
Some items from the AL and NL East as the eastern clubs dive into Grapefruit League action…
- Joba Chamberlain won't be a Yankee by this time in 2012, predicts Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Matt Wieters is listed as one of "the most disappointing prospects of all time" by Steven Goldman of Baseball Prospectus. "His glove and the dream of what might have been will keep him around for years, but stardom now seems spectacularly unlikely," Goldman writes. Given that Wieters is entering just his third Major League season and hasn't turned 25 yet, this ranking seems awfully premature.
- The Orioles' farm system lacks depth, especially in comparison to its AL East rivals, writes FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal. "The team’s offseason moves…represent nothing more than a Band-Aid," Rosenthal says, noting that the O's "are practically a zero" when it comes to international scouting. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes examined these issues in his offseason-in-review piece about Baltimore earlier today.
- Johnny Damon tells Ken Davidoff of Newsday that his free agent discussions with the Yankees this past winter involved a scenario that would have seen Damon make three starts per week for New York. Damon turned the deal down since the lack of playing time would have hurt his quest for 3000 hits.
- Damon also tells Peter Gammons (Twitter link) that had he known the Tigers weren't going to bring him back, he would have gone to the Red Sox when Boston claimed him on waivers last August.
- The Phillies made Chad Durbin a $2MM offer in December, considerably more than the $800K deal Durbin eventually signed with Cleveland, reports MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Once Philadelphia signed Cliff Lee, however, the team pulled back the contract and instead offered just a minor league deal. "When Cliff signed, it took any ability to go back there on a Major League deal off the table," Durbin told MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. Durbin doesn't have any hard feelings towards the Phillies over the move: "You know, I'd take Cliff Lee over Chad Durbin."
- Anthony DiComo of MLB.com looks at the twists and turns of Tim Byrdak's baseball career. The veteran left-hander is trying to make the Mets' Opening Day roster after signing a minor league deal with the team in January.
Twins Notes: Liriano, Yankees, Cuddyer
Some notes from the Twin Cities…
- The Twins turned down a Yankee offer of Ivan Nova and Ramiro Pena for Francisco Liriano earlier this winter, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. The Twins, however, are interested in left-handed pitching prospect Manuel Banuelos and want him included in any package from New York. Rosenthal thinks the two teams will revisit negotiations before Opening Day, but notes the two sides haven't talked "in at least a month." Minnesota assistant GM Rob Antony said last week that the Liriano trade speculation was nothing but rumors.
- The Twins didn't have "serious" negotiations about an extension with Liriano this winter. Rosenthal speculates that Minnesota may have concerns about Liriano's durability, since "otherwise, an extension makes perfect sense." Liriano can be a free agent after 2012 and MLBTR's Tim Dierkes saw the southpaw as an extension candidate last fall.
- Michael Cuddyer is slightly upset, but understanding, about the Twins not discussing a contract extension with him over the winter, writes Kelsie Smith of the Pioneer Press. Cuddyer can be a free agent after the season and Smith argues that the Twins would miss Cuddyer's clubhouse leadership if he were to depart.
Los Angeles Notes: Kemp, McCourt, Carroll, Locker
Now that Oscar Night is fading into people's memories, here are some items about Tinseltown's two baseball clubs…
- Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com profiles Matt Kemp, recapping the outfielder's tumultuous 2010 season and looking at how Kemp is preparing to bounce back this year.
- Jamie McCourt and her attorneys have submitted a court filing asking that she receive fuller disclosure of the Dodgers' financial dealings, reports Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times. This latest step in the McCourts' ownership struggle stems from a recent report that Frank McCourt was looking for a $200MM loan from Fox, a proposal that was rejected by Bud Selig.
- Jamey Carroll tells MLB.com's Ken Gurnick that he doesn't feel "bitter" about not having a starting job with the Dodgers, despite a fine .291/.379/.339 slash line in 414 plate appearances last season.
- Jake Locker tells Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com that he doesn't have any plans to pursue a baseball career. There were rumors that Locker, who received a $250K signing bonus as a tenth-round pick of the Angels in the 2009 draft, might turn to baseball if the NFL were to enter a protracted work stoppage. Lockout or not, Locker will make much more as a quarterback than he would as an Angels farmhand — Locker is projected to be one of the top QBs taken in April's NFL draft.
Cody Ross Hopes For Long-Term Deal With Giants
Cody Ross and his agent approached the Giants on the very first day of Spring Training to discuss a contract extension, reports Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. Ross is eager to sign a multiyear deal with the club, even if it means possibly passing up a free agent contract elsewhere next winter.
"I've let them know that's what I want," Ross said. "Free agency would be cool to experience, but I know what this team is about and where it's going. We have a great thing here, and I want to stay."
It's not surprising that Ross would want to remain in San Francisco, both for the long-term stability and due to his performance since joining the team. The Marlins let Ross go to the Giants on a waiver claim in August, and Ross posted an .819 OPS in 82 plate appearances down the stretch. The outfielder then exploded in the postseason, hitting .294/.390/.686 with five home runs and capturing the NLCS MVP award as the Giants went on to win the World Series.
Ross obviously has no regrets with how things turned out last summer, though he admitted to being upset over being let go by Florida.
"It's almost like a slap in the face," Ross said. "I was willing to sign an extension there even though it's not the greatest place to play. They were building a nucleus for when their new stadium opened. I was comfortable there and liked it. You pour your heart and soul out for an organization for 4 1/2 years, and all of a sudden they're like, 'See ya.' "
Ross, arbitration-eligible for the last time this winter, signed a one-year, $6.3MM deal for 2011 and will be a free agent next winter. As Baggarly points out, San Francisco's outfield depth and Ross' average career numbers (a .788 OPS in seven Major League seasons) will likely mean that the club will wait for the offseason to discuss a possible extension, though Giants VP Bobby Evans told Ross' agent that they will continue negotiations later in the spring.
It wouldn't be the first time the Giants have given a multiyear deal to a veteran, but given the club's spotty-at-best track record with these contracts, it's best for the champs to wait to see how Ross performs in 2011 before locking him up. Baggarly notes that San Francisco's claim for Ross was made primarily to prevent him from going to the Padres, so it's not like the Giants acquired Ross with the intent on making him a long-term answer in right field. (In a separate item, Baggarly notes that San Diego actually didn't put in a claim of their own for Ross.)
Cuban Prospect Leon’ys Martin Nears Free Agency
Leon'ys Martin is likely to be declared a free agent possibly as soon as this week, ESPN's Jorge Arangure (Twitter link) hears from Martin's agent, Bart Hernandez. Arangure reports that Martin has been scouted by several teams over the last few months while he has been working out in Mexico, his home since defecting from Cuba last year.
Martin, 22, is a left-handed hitting outfielder "whose best tools are his speed and defense," according to Baseball America's John Manuel, who also notes that Martin had a .492 OBP during the 08-09 season in Cuba's top professional league and "showed at least average range" in center field. Martin was a bench player for Cuba during the 2009 World Baseball Classic, picking up two hits in seven at-bats.
According to Arangure, Martin is "considered an elite prospect" who looks to earn more than Adeiny Hechavarria and Jose Iglesias, two other recent high-profile Cuban signings. Hechavarria inked a four-year, $10MM contract with Toronto in April, while Iglesias signed a four-year, $8.25MM deal with Boston in July 2009.