Pujols Would Veto All Trade Proposals
The Cardinals are not seriously exploring the possibility of trading first baseman Albert Pujols because the superstar slugger, who has full no-trade protection, would veto any swap, writes Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
Pujols, slated to become a free agent after the 2011 season, is willing to work out a contract extension with St. Louis but has said that those talks will be tabled on Feb. 19, his first day at Spring Training, so as not to create a distraction.
That means, as Olney notes, the only remaining possibilities are that Pujols signs an extension with the Cardinals or becomes a free agent at season's end. The next 10 days are critical to the Cardinals' efforts to re-sign Pujols, tweets Olney.
Olney speculates that Pujols, who turned 31 this month, will probably command a contract similar to the one Alex Rodriguez signed with the Yankees following the 2007 season — somewhere along the lines of 10 years and $275MM.
For his career, Pujols has posted a ridiculous .331/.426/.624 over 10 seasons, never playing fewer than 143 games in any campaign.
Make Or Break Year: Grady Sizemore
It wasn't too long ago that Grady Sizemore was one of the best players on the planet. He hit .279/.380/.499 with 85 homers and 93 steals from 2006 through 2008, ranking third among all center fielders with a +22.5 UZR. Three All-Star Game appearances, three top-12 finishes in the MVP voting, and two Gold Gloves are fantastic accomplishments over a career. Sizemore did all that before he turned 27.
It's clear that Grady and his ladies were well on their way to superstardom, but injuries started to get in the way. He battled a sore elbow early in the 2009 season, eventually hitting the disabled list for over three weeks with inflammation. With the Indians out of the race and his batting line sitting at a respectable but un-Grady-like .248/.343/.445 in early-September, Sizemore shut it down for the season and had surgery on both his elbow and abdomen.
Healthy at the outset of the 2010, Sizemore's season lasted all of 33 games. He hurt his knee sliding into a base in April then re-aggravated the injury the next month, playing his final game of the season on May 16th. Sizemore hit just .211/.271/.289, and had mirofracture surgery on his left knee in early-June. The six-to-nine month recovery time has him on track for Opening Day, and ESPN's Buster Olney reported last week that Grady has started hitting off a tee, the first wave of baseball activity he's performed since the surgery.
The Indians made waves by signing Sizemore to a six-year, $23.45MM contract back in 2006, then the largest contract (in terms of guaranteed money) ever given to a player with less than two years of service time. That contract expires at the end of the 2011 season, though the team will have to decide between a $9MM club option for 2012 or a $500K buyout.
That option looked like a no-brainer not too long ago, but it's been two full seasons since Sizemore was healthy enough to play more than 106 games, and it's been close to two calendar years since he was completely healthy and productive. We've heard that the Indians would love to trade their second highest paid player, but he's got to prove his health before the team can even think about getting fair value in return.
Sizemore won't turn 29 until August, and a return to his MVP-caliber form will ensure that his option is picked up. If he doesn't rebound, he'll hit the open market with his stock at an all-time low.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Red Sox Notes: Starting Pitcher, Cuban Prospects
Three years ago today, the Red Sox acquired David Aardsma from the White Sox for a pair of minor leaguers. Aardsma pitched to a 5.55 ERA in 48 2/3 innings for Boston in 2008, then was shipped to the Mariners after the season. Here's the latest from Beantown…
- GM Theo Epstein told WEEI.com's Rob Bradford that the team's Spring Training roster is fully constructed. "Who knows when there might be a waiver claim, or one more minor league sign," said the GM, "but, we’re more or less set."
- Epstein said one thing they would target on a minor league deal is a starting pitcher. "We do feel OK about our starting depth. That's one area we’re still looking, there might be a late minor-league sign, somebody who can go to Triple-A."
- Alex Speier, Bradford's colleague at WWEI.com, wrote about the Red Sox and their cache of Cuban talent at the minor league level, highlighted by shortstop Jose Iglesias.
Quick Hits: Duchscherer, Ohlendorf, Tolleson
Links for Friday…
- Justin Duchscherer threw 50-55 pitches in front of two teams today, including the Orioles according to Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun. Duchscherer has invited every team except the Athletics to a public workout next Tuesday. Connolly says it's possible he'll sign before then. (Twitter links)
- "Both sides of the table are hopeful of finding a solution without going to a hearing," said Pirates GM Neal Huntington to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch when asked about Ross Ohlendorf's arbitration case. "But both sides are fully prepared to go to a hearing if that's the only way to find a resolution. That's not an ideal ending, and I think both sides are fully aware of the ramifications if we had to go there." Pittsburgh hasn't gone to a hearing with a player since Jack Wilson in 2004. Our Arbitration Tracker shows that Ohlendorf filed for $2.02MM, the team $1.4MM.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock says we shouldn't expect the Padres to move any starting pitchers in Spring Training this year.
- The Athletics announced that infielder Steven Tolleson has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A. He was designated for assignment last week when Oakland announced the Brian Fuentes signing.
Blue Jays Avoid Arbitration With Jason Frasor
The Blue Jays and Jason Frasor have agreed to a one-year contract worth $3.5MM according to a press release. The deal also includes a club option for 2012 worth $3.75MM. Frasor accepted arbitration back in November rather than hit the open market as a Type-A free agent reliever.
The 33-year-old right-hander posted a 3.68 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 63 2/3 innings last season, and over the last two years he owns a 3.12 ERA, 9.0 K/9, and 3.2 BB/9. Frasor is the incumbent in a rebuilt Toronto bullpen that lost Scott Downs and Kevin Gregg but added Carlos Villanueva, Octavio Dotel, Jon Rauch, and Frank Francisco.
Our Arbitration Tracker shows that Frasor filed for $3.73MM while the team countered with $3.25MM. The new deal essentially splits the two figures.
Choo Will Not Discuss Extension During The Season
The Indians and Shin-Soo Choo avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract worth $3.975MM earlier this month, but the two sides continue to discuss a multiyear contract even with that deal in place. Choo told MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince that he’s open to talking about a long-term deal during Spring Training, but not once the season begins (Twitter links).
Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain-Dealer reports that Choo will be exempt from mandatory military service in South Korea after helping his home country win gold at the Asia Games earlier this winter, though he will still have to take part in four weeks of training in November (Twitter link). Choo praised his agent, telling Castrovince “I really trust my agent, Scott Boras. My arbitration year, I didn’t call him at all. I just trust him and he takes care of me.”
Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at the 28-year-old Choo as a potential extension candidate back in September, saying that Nick Markakis‘ six-year, $66MM contract could be used as a basis for comparison. Since coming back from Tommy John surgery in 2008, the one they call Big League Choo has hit .302/.397/.500 with 56 homers and 47 steals in 1,701 plate appearances. Albert Pujols set a similar deadline for his extension, though Choo will not be eligible for free agency until after the 2013 season.
Chone Figgins Rumors: Friday
6:29pm: Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told MLB.com's Jane Lee and Greg Johns that the team's plan is to have Figgins at third base on Opening Day. "I'm looking forward to Figgins being our starting third baseman … He'll be here tomorrow [for the Mariners' FanFest]. He's been agreeable to moving back to third base and that's our plan, to have Chone be our Opening Day third baseman."
1:17pm: The A's are on Figgins' limited no-trade list and he hasn't yet been asked to waive it, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).
12:50pm: There could be a third team involved in trade talks, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link). Olney suggests the Blue Jays could be the third team. Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos acknowledged last night that the team has toyed with the idea of adding a third baseman, so the Blue Jays could have interest in Kouzmanoff.
8:47am: The A’s are trying to acquire Chone Figgins for Kevin Kouzmanoff and perhaps a pitcher, according to Joe Stiglich of the Contra Costa Times. Figgins, 33, could play third base for the A's, who missed out on free agent Adrian Beltre.
The Mariners owe Figgins $26MM through 2013 and the infielder's contract includes a vesting option for 2014. Figgins hit .259/.340/.306 last year with 42 stolen bases and 74 walks. He led the league with 101 walks in 2009, stealing 42 bases and posting a .298/.395/.393 line for another AL West team, the Angels.
The Braves inquired on Figgins last July, but there hasn't been reported interest in him since.
Orioles Not Making Progress With Vladimir Guerrero
6:05pm: Olney says the O's are being told that Guerrero has an $8MM offer in hand, which is about $3.5MM more than they are willing to spend, including incentives (Twitter link). Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reported that Baltimore's offer falls in the $3MM to $5MM range.
MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli hears that the two sides are not close to a contract, while SI.com's Jon Heyman hasn't heard of any recent progress. (Twitter links)
5:21pm: The Orioles and Vladimir Guerrero are making progress in their talks, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter). If a deal does get worked out, Guerrero would assume DH duties and push Luke Scott to left field according to Buster.
Yesterday we heard that the O's offered Vlad a one-year deal worth about $2MM, but the former AL MVP wasn't terribly enthusiastic about it. As Ben Nicholson-Smith explained, Guerrero's market is limited, so it's tough to see him signing for much more than what was offered. He hit .300/.345/.496 with 29 homers for the Rangers last season, earning $6.5MM in the process.
Orioles To Sign Nick Green
5:47pm: SI.com's Jon Heyman reports that Green will earn $600K if he makes the big league team (Twitter link).
3:24pm: The Orioles have agreed to sign Nick Green to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). The sides appeared to be close to a deal in December, when the Orioles re-signed Cesar Izturis.
Green appeared in 14 big league games for the Blue Jays and Dodgers last year. The 32-year-old has a .237/.305/.348 line in 1131 big league plate appearances over the course of six big league seasons. Green figures to compete with Robert Andino and Brendan Harris for a utility job.
Dodgers Sign Mike MacDougal
The Dodgers have signed Mike MacDougal to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training according to the team (on Twitter).
MacDougal, 34 in March, appeared in 17 games for the Cardinals last season, striking out 14 and walking 12 in 18 2/3 innings of work. He saved 20 games for the Nationals in 2009, though he walked (38) more batters than he struck out (34) in 54 1/3 innings that year. MacDougal still throws extremely hard, but he's always been held back by command issues.
The former All-Star has signed minor league contracts in each of the last three offseasons.