Michael Young Rumors: Wednesday
The Diamondbacks have discussed Michael Young with the Rangers, though a trade to Arizona remains a longshot. The Marlins have interest in Young, too, but like the D'Backs, they aren't eager to assume responsibility for the $48MM remaining on Young's contract. Here's the latest on Young, with the most recent updates up top:
- Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com spoke to an executive that said the Rangers would have to eat half of the money left on Young's contract to trade him, then predicted they wouldn't (Twitter link).
- Jeff Wilson of The Star Telegram spoke to GM Jon Daniels, who said the club will try to reach out to Young in the coming days to update him on trade talks and help clear the air. "We're not going to set a deadline or anything like that," said Daniels. "Once he's here (in Spring Training), we're going to move forward with the business of baseball. If something happens after that point, we'll address it. That's where we are."
- A source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that there is "nothing really going on" between the Angels and Rangers regarding Young (Twitter link).
- Morosi adds that talks between the Rangers and Rockies are dormant, though they could restart if Texas offers to take on more money (Twitter link).
- Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News explored three teams the Rangers could still work out a trade with.
- The Rangers are still evaluating possible Young deals, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link).
- A Rockies source tells Troy Renck of the Denver Post that Colorado doesn't have much hope of restarting talks with Texas (Twitter link).
Reactions To Albert Pujols & The Cardinals
The Cardinals and franchise player Albert Pujols failed to come to an agreement on a long-term extension before today's deadline, meaning the first baseman will hit the free agent market after the season. As you'd expect, plenty of reactions have poured in, some from team executives. Let's recap…
- Team owner Bill DeWitt says the club "will honor [Pujols'] wishes and not discuss this matter until the completion of the season," reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). "[We] remain hopeful that Albert will finish his career in St. Louis," added DeWitt, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (on Twitter).
- "Albert is an iconic player," said DeWitt at an afternoon press conference. "We made every effort to extend his contract." Jon Heyman of SI.com passed along that quote (on Twitter).
- Pujols' agent Dan Lozano released a statement, saying the "expiration of today's deadline does not eliminate the possibility of Albert returning to the Cardinals in 2012, but simply delays negotiations until the conclusion of the Cardinals' season." Bob Nightengale of USA Today passed that along.
- GM John Mozeliak told Heyman that he believes Pujols wants to test the free agent market (Twitter link).
- Joel Sherman of The New York Post compares a Pujols extension to Derek Jeter's new contract with the Yankees, saying that "teams have to stop paying for what players did and concentrate on what players are likely to do over the course of a contract."
- Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports says that rejecting the team's offer(s) was the right move for Pujols.
- Jeff Gordon of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Cardinals should now go "all in" to win in 2011.
- A source told ESPN's Andrew Marchand that the Yankees have no plans to look into Pujols' availability. Earlier today we heard that the Cardinals have no intention of trading their superstar despite not reaching a deal.
- Cubs manager Mike Quade wouldn't comment on the Pujols situation when asked by Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune. Chicago's north siders are believed to be a potential match for Pujols if he does hit the market.
- Rosenthal says the Cardinals are taking a big risk by letting Pujols hit the open market.
Phillies, Royals Showing Interest In Maine
4:45pm: The Royals are showing interest in signing Maine to a minor league deal, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter).
2:30pm: Maine will sign in the next day or two according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com (on Twitter). The Phillies are on the short list, though the right-hander has several possibilities.
9:34am: The Phillies remain the most likely destination for John Maine, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The right-hander was auditioning for teams late last month, but remains a free agent.
The Phillies are the only team that has been publicly linked to Maine since the Mets non-tendered him last December. The 29-year-old struggled with injuries and poor performance last year, though he pitched to a 4.01 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 87 starts from 2006-09.
Maine struggled through nine early-season starts last year and didn't pitch after injuring his shoulder in May. He underwent season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder in July.
MLBTR At Yahoo Sports: Pujols’ Suitors
You've almost certainly heard that Albert Pujols did not reach a long-term deal with the Cardinals by this morning's deadline. That means Pujols will hit free agency after the season and, as I explain in an article at Yahoo Sports, he won't have a shortage of suitors.
Brewers Sign Rickie Weeks To Four-Year Extension
The Brewers avoided arbitration with Rickie Weeks, signing the second baseman to a four-year deal that includes an option for 2015. The AP (via The Boston Herald) reports that the first four years of the contract are worth $38.5MM. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Brewers can void the fifth year of the contract if Weeks is not an everyday player in 2013 and 2014 and Bob Nightengale of USA Today has the details (Twitter links). The deal could be worth up to $50MM, according to Rosenthal (links).
Weeks' deal eliminates the need for tomorrow's scheduled arbitration hearing. Weeks asked for $7.2MM in arbitration, while the Brewers countered with a $4.85MM submission, as our Arb Tracker shows.
Weeks, a former top prospect, broke out with his best season yet in 2010. The 28-year-old hit .269/.366/.464 with 29 homers and 32 doubles. He was able to avoid injuries, playing in as many as 130 games for the first time in his career.
Weeks' deal, which has been in the works throughout the offseason, prevents the second baseman from hitting free agency and buys out three free agent seasons. Next winter's crop of free agent second basemen got a little less interesting, now that Weeks has agreed to a deal with Milwaukee.
Jose Bautista, who is working on a multiyear deal with the Blue Jays, and Hunter Pence are the two remaining unsigned arbitration eligilbe players.
Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel first reported that the Brewers had a tentative agreement with Weeks.
Indians To Sign Orlando Cabrera
The Indians officially announced that they signed Orlando Cabrera to a one-year Major League contract. Cabrera gets $1MM according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com (on Twitter). Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says the deal includes incentives (Twitter link).
The 36-year-old Colombian will compete for the second base job, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Indians are keeping Asdrubal Cabrera at short and challenging their new acquisition to learn a new position.
Cabrera has 33 games of big league experience at second base, but has spent most of his 14-year career at shortstop. Last year, Cabrera hit .263/.303/.354 in 537 plate appearances for Ohio's other team, the Reds. Cincinnati did not offer the Type B free agent arbitration after the season, so they don't get a compensation pick for their loss.
Cabrera's deal is just the second one the Indians have completed under new GM Chris Antonetti, as MLBTR's Transaction Tracker shows. The team brought Austin Kearns back to Cleveland earlier in the offseason.
Cabrera's brother, Jolbert, spent five seasons with the Indians (1998-2002). Jon Heyman of SI.com first reported the agreement between Cleveland and Cabrera.
Rockies, John Maine Close To Deal
The Rockies are close to signing John Maine to a minor league deal, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter links). Maine, who drew interest from six or seven teams, will be able to opt out of the contract if he doesn't make the Rockies' Opening Day roster. The Phillies and Royals showed interest in the 29-year-old right-hander as recently as yesterday, but they'll have to turn elsewhere for pitching depth.
Maine auditioned for teams last month after the Mets non-tendered him in December. He pitched to a 4.01 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 87 starts from 2006-09, but struggled to stay healthy and pitch effectively in 2010. Maine limped through nine early-season starts last year and didn't pitch after injuring his shoulder in May. He underwent season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder in July.
This post was first published on February 17th.
Minor Moves: Geary, Perkins, Cotts, Petit
Some minor league moves from early Spring Training…
- The Padres signed righty reliever Geoff Geary, tweets Baseball America's Matt Eddy. He did not pitch in the majors last season, instead appearing in 31 games for the Triple-A affiliates of the Rangers and Dodgers (4.32 ERA).
- The Padres also released infielder Gregorio Petit, tweet Eddy. He signed on with San Diego back in December.
- The Yankees signed righty reliever Fernando Hernandez, tweets Eddy. The 26-year-old pitched in three games with the 2008 A's as a Rule 5 Pick, though he spent last year with their Triple-A affiliate (4.77 ERA in 77 1/3 innings).
- The Yankees also released Neal Cotts, reports Marc Carig of The Star Ledger (Twitter link). Cotts signed a minor league deal in November, but was still coming back from Tommy John and hip surgeries.
- The Blue Jays signed Vince Perkins, who they originally drafted back in 2000, tweets Eddy. The Canadian-born right-hander last pitched in 2009, when he made 53 appearances in the Cubs' minor league system (3.02 ERA).
- The Braves signed left-hander Jose Lugo, tweets Eddy. The 25-year-old posted a 6.72 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in 85 2/3 innings with the Twins' Triple-A affiliate last season.
Dodgers Sign Lance Cormier
The Dodgers signed Lance Cormier to a minor league deal, the team announced (on Twitter).
The 30-year-old right-hander logged 62 innings for the Rays last year in his second campaign in Tampa Bay. He posted a 3.92 ERA despite walking more batters (34) than he struck out (30). Cormier's FIP (5.22) and xFIP (5.21) suggest he was lucky last year. However, he posted a strong 49.8 % ground ball rate in 2010, just below his career mark or 51.1%.
Twins, Delmon Young Avoid Arbitration
The Twins avoided arbitration with Delmon Young, agreeing to a one-year, $5.375MM year, according to the team. Young had filed for $6.25MM, while the Twins had countered with $4.65MM, as our Arb Tracker shows. The sides agreed to a deal just south of the $5.45MM midpoint.
Young, a former first overall pick, broke out in 2010. The 25-year-old hit .298/.333/.493 with 21 homers. He earned $2.6MM in 2010 and is eligible for free agency after 2012.
Jose Bautista, Rickie Weeks and Hunter Pence are now the only arbitration eligible players who aren't yet under contract for 2011. Bautista and Weeks are negotiating multiyear deals with their respective teams and could avoid their scheduled hearings.
La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune first reported the agreement (Twitter link).