Nationals Designate Justin Maxwell For Assignment
The Nationals announced that they designated Justin Maxwell for assignment (Twitter link). The 27-year-old outfielder has showed promise throughout his pro career, but has yet to enjoy sustained success in the major leagues. Back in September, Nats manager Jim Riggleman told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that he still had high hopes for Maxwell.
"Hopefully, it all comes together and he has a good spring for us and he's part of the ballclub next year," Riggleman said. "There's no reason to give up on him. I think it's all going to click. There's no last-chance situation."
Maxwell has a .201/.319/.379 line in 260 big league plate appearances and a .261/.357/.442 line in 1778 minor league plate appearances. He has shown speed on the basepaths and the ability to play all three outfield positions.
Guerrero’s Four Potential Landing Spots
If you're a DH, you're not going to have more than 14 suitors, no matter how well you hit. Vladimir Guerrero hit well last year, posting a .300/.345/.496 line with 29 homers, but even at the beginning of the offseason, his list of possible destinations wasn't a long one. As Spring Training approaches, that list has shrunk to four. Here are the possible destinations for Vlad:
- Orioles – The sides continue to talk, but there's "nothing on the horizon," according to Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail. The Orioles don't necessarily have the money to afford Guerrero, but they would likely move Luke Scott to left field if they do sign Vlad, writes Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Felix Pie and Nolan Reimold would probably be out of luck in that situation. ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that the Orioles could have interest in Guerrero on a one-year deal worth $2MM or so. At this point, Vlad wants a two-year deal (Twitter link).
- Blue Jays – The Blue Jays are open to bolstering their bench, but they intend to provide Adam Lind and Edwin Encarnacion with regular playing time. Adding Guerrero would likely reduce Lind's exposure to left-handed pitchers, which would be a plus given Lind's struggles against southpaws.
- Rangers – They don't have roster space for him now, since Mike Napoli and Michael Young will likely be the team's primary DHs. But Young could theoretically be traded before the season begins and the Rangers expressed at least some interest in re-signing Guerrero earlier in the week.
- Angels - The Angels could combine Guerrero with Bobby Abreu, partly to ensure that Abreu's 2012 option doesn't vest, as Dave Cameron of FanGraphs explains. Angels GM Tony Reagins told Jim Bowden of FOX Sports Radio that the door is still open for Guerrero to return to the Halos.
Yankees Notes: Jeter, Colon, Pettitte, Girardi
The latest on the Yankees, who signed Bartolo Colon to a minor league deal yesterday…
- GM Brian Cashman told John Harper of the New York Daily News that he talked to Derek Jeter's agent, Casey Close, to clarify comments he made earlier in the week about a potential move to the outfield for the captain.
- As Joel Sherman of the New York Post points out, both the Yankees and the Rangers pursued Cliff Lee aggressively, then "gambled on a former Cy Young winner who has been devastated by shoulder injuries in recent years." But Colon is a back-of-the-rotation arm, not a true alternative to Lee. Brandon Webb, the Rangers' new addition, is no sure thing either.
- The Yankees are upbeat about the chances that Andy Pettitte returns for another season, according to Sherman. They're still considering free agents like Justin Duchscherer and Jeremy Bonderman, though.
- The Yankees believe history is a 'pull' for Pettitte, Sherman writes. He can progress through Yankees records and add to his Hall of Fame case if he plays more.
- Manager Joe Girardi showed the kind of sway he has with the Yankees when he voted in favor of adding Rafael Soriano, according to Sherman.
Multiple Teams Interested In Aaron Miles
11:04pm: Renck confirmed that the Rockies are out on Miles after signing Amezaga (Twitter link). Yesterday's workout sold them on his ability to help the club.
8:16pm: Utility infielder Aaron Miles is drawing interest from multiple AL and NL teams according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post (on Twitter). The Rockies were rumored to be one such team, but they signed Alfredo Amezaga to a minor-league contract earlier today. The Nationals had interest in Miles earlier this offseason as well.
The 34-year-old hit .281/.311/.317 in 151 plate appearances for the Cardinals last season, not all that far off from his .282/.321/.354 career batting line. He has plenty of experience at both middle infield spots and has dabbled at third base and in left field in his career. Miles also has five career pitching appearances (3.60 ERA) to his credit, so he can always do that in an emergency as well.
Quick Hits: Maine, Minaya, Meche, Maroth, Kim
The Yankees signed Andy Pettitte on this date in 2009. The Bronx Bombers added an accomplished pitcher today, but it wasn't Pettitte; they're still waiting to hear from the left-hander. Here are some links for Wednesday…
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that free agent starter John Maine is throwing bullpen sessions and is auditioning for teams (Twitter link). The 29-year-old right-hander had his shoulder cleaned up last summer.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson has not had any contact with former GM Omar Minaya since early January according to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York. Alderson indicated that there was a position available for his predecessor, assuming he wants it.
- Tyler Kepner of The New York Times wrote about the legacy of Gil Meche.
- Former Tiger Mike Maroth told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he's retiring. Maroth started 100 games for the Tigers from 2003-05, but the left-hander's elbow has caused problems since. He last pitched in 2007 for the Cardinals and Tigers.
- The Rakuten Golden Eagles have announced the signing of Byung-Hyun Kim, according to Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. The 32-year-old spent nine seasons with the D'Backs, Rockies, Red Sox and Marlins, posting a 4.42 ERA with 8.6 K/9 as a starter, closer and reliever. He allowed memorable home runs to Paul O'Neill and Tino Martinez in the 2001 World Series.
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com hears that the Red Sox aren't likely to sign any more pitchers to major league deals this offseason.
- The Royals edged out the Rays, Braves, Blue Jays and Phillies in Keith Law's organizational rankings at ESPN.com.
- Royals GM Dayton Moore explains to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that he intends to turn the Royals into a "consistent, solid, thriving organization" by continuing to develop young players.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson told ESPN.com's Adam Rubin that he would like to avoid arbitration with R.A. Dickey and remains open to a multiyear deal with the knuckleballer.
Reds Notes: Cueto, Volquez
A few notes from the Queen City…
- John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer has the breakdown of Johnny Cueto's new contract. The right-hander will earn $3.4MM in 2011, $5.4MM in 2012, $7.4MM in 2013, and $10MM in 2014. A $10MM club option for 2015 can be bought out for $800K.
- GM Walt Jocketty told Fay that the team and Edinson Volquez are still talking about a multi-year contract extension, and that he's confident they'll get at least a one-year deal done before an arbitration hearing (Twitter link). We first heard that the two sides were talking about a deal late last week.
Nationals Interested In Carmona, Sizemore
WEDNESDAY, 8:59pm: Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain-Dealer says "there's not much meat" to the rumor about Carmona and Sizemore potentially going to the Nationals. MLB.com's Bill Ladson says he's heard the same (Twitter links).
TUESDAY, 7:52pm: The Nationals have had "conversations" with the Indians about Fausto Carmona and Grady Sizemore, reports Phil Wood of MASNsports.com. Another source tells Wood the Nats "are working on 'a number' of other trades," as well.
Nats GM Mike Rizzo has been open about his frustration at not being able to acquire a top-flight starting pitcher this winter, but acquiring Tom Gorzelanny and adding Carmona would certainly ease that disappointment. Washington could well have been one of the several teams that were interested in Carmona in December, but the Indians are in no hurry to trade the right-hander given that he's on an affordable, option-heavy contract through 2014.
Sizemore is set to earn $7.5MM this season and the Tribe have an $8.5MM option on him for 2012 (with a $500K buyout). Cleveland would like to unload that contract, but after two injury-plagued years, Sizemore's trade value is at its lowest point. If the Indians accepted a buy-low offer and then saw Sizemore regain his All-Star form elsewhere, that lack of maximum return for Sizemore would be a damaging move to the rebuilding Tribe.
From the Nationals' perspective, they clearly have money to spend and can afford a $7.5MM risk to see if Sizemore returns to form. Carmona is obviously the safer and probably preferable option due to his team-friendly contract and the fact that he could post even better numbers in the NL. The question is whether the Nats have the prospects that Cleveland would want for either player, since Washington's farm system isn't known to be very deep.
In other Nats news, Wood predicts Alberto Gonzalez may be designated for assignment to make room for the newly-signed Alex Cora. Gonzalez, a utility infielder, posted a .578 OPS in 198 plate appearances with Washington last season.
Rockies Sign Alfredo Amezaga
7:29pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that Amezaga will earn $750K if he makes the team with another $350K available in incentives.
4:13pm: The Rockies announced that they signed Alfredo Amezaga to a minor league contract and invited him to Spring Training (Twitter link).
Amezaga, 33, barely played in 2009 and missed the 2010 season after undergoing microfracture knee surgery. He appeared in 125 games at four positions for the 2008 Marlins, hitting .264/.312/.367. He has big league experience at every position but pitcher and catcher.
The Rockies were reportedly considering Amezaga, Aaron Miles or Cristian Guzman for a bench role. The team can now look to add starting pitching depth and veteran left-handed relief.
Padres Sign Greg Burke To Minor League Deal
The Padres have signed righty reliever Greg Burke to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training according to a press release.
The 28-year-old Burke has been with the Padres' organization since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2006, spending the entire 2010 season with their Triple-A affiliate. He posted a 5.68 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 58 2/3 innings last season. Burke got a taste of the big leagues in 2009, when he put up a 4.14 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 45 2/3 innings for San Diego.
Padres Sign Jorge Cantu
The Padres have officially signed Jorge Cantu to a one-year deal worth $850K, the team announced. We had previously heard that San Diego preferred to sign him to a minor league pact. Cantu is represented by the Wasserman Media Group.
Cantu, 29 later this week, hit just .256/.304/.392 in 515 plate appearances for the Marlins and Rangers last season, though he performed at a much more respectable .283/.336/.462 clip from 2008-2009. Capable of playing the corner infield spots and filling in at second in an emergency, he offers some versatility and could platoon with the left-swinging Brad Hawpe at first.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports originally reported the agreement (Twitter links), while Marty Caswell of XX 1090 in San Diego added the terms (Twitter link).