Michael Young Rumors: Saturday
This afternoon, Michael Young reported to Surprise, Arizona for Spring Training and addressed the trade talk surrounding him. Even though he seemed to be in good spirits, the veteran infielder wouldn't say whether or not he'll rescind his trade request, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Furthermore, the slugger has no plans to talk things over with Jon Daniels. Here's more of what Young had to say:
- Young insisted that he will no longer talk about the trade rumors surrounding him so as to not be a distraction to the club, says Anthony Andro of the Star-Telegram (via Twitter).
- The decision to ask for a trade a few weeks ago had nothing to do with his role as a DH and a utility infielder, writes Richard Durrett of ESPN.com. Despite that, the 34-year-old is still unwilling to talk about what prompted his trade request.
Hunter Pence Wins Arbitration
Outfielder Hunter Pence has won his arbitration case with the Astros for $6.9MM, according to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (Twitter links). The 27-year-old is represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council.
Houston was offering the 2009 All-Star $5.15MM for this season but came away paying a bit more. With Pence now taken care of, the Astros have no more arbitration cases to tackle for 2011, according to the MLBTR Arb Tracker.
This marks a big win for BHSC, particularly since this W comes against arbitration guru Tal Smith. The agency holds a 4-4 record in the last decade of arb cases.
Rangers To Sign Brett Tomko
The Rangers have agreed to sign Brett Tomko to a minor league deal, a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com (via Twitter). Tomko pitched just 62.2 innings last season in Oakland's farm system while rehabbing from a nerve problem in his pitching arm.
In 2009, Tomko posted a 3.77 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 57.1 innings for the Yankees and Athletics. The right-hander worked out of the bullpen for the Bombers but made six starts for the A's. Tomko, 37, owns a 3.77 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 for his career.
NL Central Notes: Pujols, Cubs, Huntington, Jones
Here are some notes from baseball's only six-team division…
- Cubs owner Tom Ricketts was very vague when asked about the possibility of Albert Pujols becoming a Cub according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun Times (on Twitter). Chicago has been speculated as a potential landing spot for Pujols if he does in fact become a free agent after the season.
- Ricketts did however say that there will be "a little more financial flexibility" at the end of the season and he's open to "mega" contracts for certain players, according to Bruce Miles of The Daily Herald and Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter links).
- Ricketts also told Cowley (on Twitter) that the team has some room in the budget to add at the trade deadline, though revenue in the first few months of the season will be key.
- The Pirates have not yet extended GM Neal Huntington's contract according to Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Team president Frank Coonelly said "it's our expectation that Neal will be here for a long time." Huntington's contract expires after the 2011 season.
- MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports that right-hander Mike Jones, the Brewers first round pick in 2001 (12th overall), is retiring. The 27-year-old never reached the big leagues, and owns a 3.75 ERA in 623 1/3 minor league innings, all in Milwaukee's system.
Tigers Not Trying To Void Miguel Cabrera’s Contract
In the aftermath of Miguel Cabrera's DUI arrest late Wednesday night, his second alcohol-related arrest in the last 17 months, Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told ESPN's Jayson Stark (on Twitter) that "right now there's no language that can void [his contract], and we're not trying to do that." Two days ago we heard that some executives believed Detroit would try to make the contract non-guaranteed as a result of the incident.
Cabrera, 28 in April, signed an eight-year, $152.3MM contract extension before the 2008 season, not long after the trade that brought him to Detroit and before he ever played an official game for them. There are still five years and $106MM left on the deal, between $20MM and $22MM annually through 2015. It was the fifth richest contract in baseball history at the time it was signed.
Despite his off-the-field troubles, Cabrera is one of the game's premier sluggers, hitting .328/.420/.622 with career highs in doubles (45) and homers (38) last season. He's hit .317/.392/.558 in his seven full seasons, and his 247 homers before age 28 are the 12th most all-time.
Dombrowski told Tom Gage of The Detroit News and SI.com's Jon Heyman that he'd be surprised if MLB sanctioned Cabrera in any way, though his star first baseman will miss the start of camp to be evaluated by doctors (Twitter links). The absence is not expected to spill over into the regular season.
Rockies, Matt Belisle Agree To Two-Year Deal
The Rockies and Matt Belisle have agreed to a two-year contract worth $6.125MM according to the right-hander's representatives, CAA (on Twitter). The deal also includes performance bonuses.
The two sides agreed to a one-year deal worth $2.35MM last month to avoid arbitration. The new contract buys out Belisle's final season of arbitration-eligibility and one year of free agency.
Belisle, 30, found a home in Colorado's bullpen in 2009 after years of trying to cut it as a starter with the Reds. He broke out in a big way in 2010, leading all big league relievers with 92 innings pitched. Belisle struck out 91 batters (8.9 K/9) and walked just 16 (1.6 BB/9) in all those innings, though it's worth noting that five of those walks were intentional. He was also adept at getting ground balls, with a 46.3% grounder rate.
Colorado has now signed a total of six players to multiyear contract extensions this winter, as our Transaction Tracker shows. The others: Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez, Matt Lindstrom, Jason Hammel, and Rafael Betancourt. The total value of those extensions is north of $220MM, with most going to Tulo and CarGo.
Scott Boras Will Advise Anthony Rendon
Anthony Rendon tells Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Scott Boras is acting as an adviser to the college baseball star (Twitter links). In the second tweet, Kovacevic notes that since Boras is just an adviser to Rendon, the relationship doesn't affect Rendon's amateur status. Rendon, a junior at Rice, is eligible to declare for the amateur draft after this season, and is a favorite to be selected with the first overall pick, held by the Pirates.
As Kovacevic mentions in his initial tweet, the Bucs could once again find themselves negotiating with Boras over a highly-touted amateur third baseman should Boras eventually become Rendon's agent. Pittsburgh selected Boras client Pedro Alvarez second overall in the 2008 draft, and the two sides became embroiled in a dispute over whether or not Alvarez agreed to a contract before the August 15 deadline. The situation was eventually resolved, but one wonders if the Bucs might use this incident as motivation to instead take George Springer, Gerrit Cole or another top prospect with the first pick.
Boras has represented the last two #1 picks in the amateur draft (Bryce Harper in 2010, Stephen Strasburg in 2009) and three of the last five overall (Luke Hochevar in 2006).
Offseason In Review: Chicago Cubs
The Cubs are next in our Offseason In Review series.
Major League Signings
- Aramis Ramirez, 3B: one year, $14.6MM. Exercised player option.
- Carlos Pena, 1B: one year, $10MM. $5MM deferred until January 2012.
- Kerry Wood, RP: one year, $1.5MM.
- Ruby Silva, OF: $1.2MM bonus.
- Yaniel Cabezas, C: $500K bonus.
- Total spend: $27.8MM.
Notable Minor League Signings
- Reed Johnson, Todd Wellemeyer, Braden Looper, Augie Ojeda, Scott Moore, Brad Snyder, Bryan LaHair, Polin Trinidad, Lou Montanez
Trades and Claims
- Claimed RP Mason Tobin from Angels in Rule 5 draft; traded to Rangers for cash
- Acquired SP Matt Garza, OF Fernando Perez, and SP Zach Rosscup from Rays for SP Chris Archer, SS Hak-Ju Lee, C Robinson Chirinos, OF Sam Fuld, and OF Brandon Guyer
- Claimed C Max Ramirez off waivers from Red Sox
- Acquired P A.J. Morris, OF Michael Burgess, and SP Graham Hicks from Nationals for SP Tom Gorzelanny
- Acquired P Robert Coello from Red Sox for 2B Tony Thomas
Notable Losses
- Xavier Nady, Micah Hoffpauir, Chris Archer, Hak-Ju Lee, Robinson Chirinos, Sam Fuld, Brandon Guyer, Tom Gorzelanny, Tony Thomas, Brian Schlitter
Summary
The mandate for Cubs GM Jim Hendry this winter: turn a bloated fifth-place team into a contender for 2011 despite limited payroll flexibility. The Cubs were in sell mode last summer, but Hendry switched back to a win-now approach this offseason. Let's sift through the transactions.
Ramirez was awful for the first two months of 2010, driving his value so far down that he didn't dare test the free agent market. If he can return to career levels in 2011, the Cubs might just be compelled to choose his $16MM club option for 2012 over a $2MM buyout. Overall it's a positive to have him penciled in for another season, given the weak market for third basemen.
Pena replaces Derrek Lee at first base on a standard-issue Boras Corporation make-good contract. If Pena finds his first National League season to his liking at age 33, perhaps he can ride a 35 home run season to a big free agent deal.
Pena's one-year term opens up the possibility of the Cubs bidding on the big names next winter: Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, and Adrian Gonzalez if his rumored extension isn't finalized for some reason. A $140MM payroll would allow the Cubs to sign any of these sluggers, as they'd be under $110MM in 2012 commitments even with Ramirez and accounting for arbitration raises. Still, I doubt the Cubs are thinking about next year's free agents whatsoever at this point.
Back to 2011: the Cubs were able to augment their bullpen on the cheap, with Wood's $1.5MM deal drawing comparisons to Andre Dawson's blank check offer. Wood doesn't need to win an MVP award, though - he just needs to give the Cubs 50 solid innings and keep the walks down. Wood will be setting up Carlos Marmol, whose odd statistical profile didn't prevent the Cubs from buying out his last two arbitration seasons and one free agent year for $20MM. Marmol's 15.99 K/9 was the highest in baseball history among pitchers with 25 innings in a season, and it followed that he was stingy on hits and home runs. But like Wood, Andrew Cashner, and John Grabow, he struggled with walks. It's easy to dream on the back end of the Cubs' bullpen this year, but this seems to be an especially volatile bunch.
Hendry's big splash was the addition of Garza. It wasn't clear Garza would be made available at the outset of the offseason, but the Rays seemingly held a covert bidding war and cashed the righty in for a big chunk of the Cubs' farm system. Baseball America ranked the Cubs' system eighth in baseball prior to the deal, but the Rays now have the Chicago prospects formerly ranked #1, 4, 10, and 16. In Archer, Guyer, and Chirinos, the Cubs surrendered prospects almost certain to play in the Majors soon. The Cubs restored a touch of depth with the signings of Cuban players Silva and Cabezas as well as the Gorzelanny trade.
As you'd expect, the Cubs paid dearly for three years of Garza, who posted a sub-4.00 ERA over about 600 AL East innings over the last three seasons. Garza has the stuff and reputation of a #2 starter, even if his strikeout rates in '08 and '10 don't quite match up. It wasn't surprising to see the Cubs move Gorzelanny, though even with the lefty's inconsistency he might have been nice to have around with Carloses Zambrano and Silva not considered reliable.
The team's minor league signings focused on players who had already been in the organization. They also coaxed Looper out of semi-retirement, and the Cubs are probably hoping he or Casey Coleman is Gorzelanny's equal as a sixth starter. In the Cubs' perfect world, Andrew Cashner would beat out the less exciting rotation candidates, pushing Silva or Randy Wells to the pen.
Despite a rookie-filled second half last year, the Cubs are going for it in '11 with Mike Quade at the helm for his first full season. Hendry chose to pay the price in prospects as opposed to cash, after watching the Brewers do the same on a more exaggerated level. The Cubs enter 2011 as an expensive underdog in the NL Central, but with enough young talent and wild cards to make things interesting.
Photo courtesy Icon SMI.
Belisario Could Miss Season Due To Visa Issues
Dodgers right-hander Ronald Belisario's arrival at Spring Training has been delayed by visa problems for the third straight season. The reliever told Venezuelan newspaper Lider en Deportes (as passed on by Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times) that he had lost his passport and was working to get it replaced, but this news surprised Belisario's agent Paul Kinzer, who told Hernandez a day earlier that Belisario was unlikely to be approved to enter the United States and would probably have to miss the seaason.
Kinzer said on Wednesday that he was "not very optimistic" about Belisario pitching in the majors, and said the following day that Belisario's claim of a lost passport was "news to me." Kinzer also admitted that he hadn't heard from his client "in a few weeks." If Belisario isn't at Spring Training by February 26, Hernandez notes the Dodgers could remove him from the 40-man roster but still retain his rights by placing him on the restricted list.
Belisario posted a 2.04 ERA and an 8.2 K/9 rate in 69 relief appearances in his 2009 rookie year, but struggled both on the field (a 5.04 ERA in 59 games) and off (a month-long leave of absence from the team that was reportedly due to substance-abuse rehab) in 2010. ESPNLosAngeles.com's Tony Jackson hears from Kinzer that Belisario's problems in obtaining a visa are related to his off-the-field problems last summer.
Belisario was pitching extremely well in the Venezuelan Winter League this offseason, but given these repeated problems, you wonder how long the Dodgers will tolerate him. The team's recent acquisitions of Juan Rincon and Lance Cormier — plus their interest in Jeff Weaver — indicates the Dodgers are already getting some right-handed options in place should Belisario indeed not be able to pitch.
Indians Outright Joe Martinez
The Indians have outrighted right-hander Joe Martinez off of their 40-man Major League roster, according to a team press release. Martinez is now on the club's Triple-A roster, but will remain in the Major League Spring Training camp as a non-roster invitee.
Martinez, who turns 28 next week, came to the Tribe in a deal with the Pirates in January after being designated for assignment by Pittsburgh two weeks earlier. In 18 career Major League games (six of them starts) with Pittsburgh and San Francisco, Martinez has a 6.16 ERA and a 13.0 H/9 rate. Originally a 12th-round pick of the Giants in the 2005 draft, Martinez has a career 3.58 ERA and a 3.63 K/BB ratio in 128 minor league appearances, all but eight of them starts.