Red Sox Pursued Jose Bautista Trade
The Red Sox "made multiple offers" for Jose Bautista during the Winter Meetings, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. Boston "never got the sense that the Blue Jays were serious about a deal" and Rosenthal reports that several other clubs inquired about Bautista's availability as well.
One would think that the Sox would've had to pay a premium to extract Bautista from their division rivals, but needless to say, that trade would have completely altered the shape of the offseason. Let's play alternate reality for a moment and explore how a Bautista deal would have affected Boston's two biggest winter moves…
- The Adrian Gonzalez trade. Rosenthal notes that the Red Sox were specifically looking for an outfielder (Carlos Beltran and Magglio Ordonez were also options), so a Bautista deal would've kept Kevin Youkilis at third base and left Boston looking for a big bat at first. It's hard to see Theo Epstein, however, cleaning out his farm system for the sake of two trades, when Boston has the finances to simply sign a big-name free agent. It's also possible the Jays would've wanted some of the prospects that the Sox sent to the Padres for Gonzalez. That said, the Red Sox had been interested in Gonzalez for so long that they surely put him at a higher level of importance than acquiring Bautista.
- The Carl Crawford signing. Bautista's presence would've made Carl Crawford's signing unnecessary, unless the Red Sox were prepared to move J.D. Drew or just keep a $14MM player in a bench role. If Crawford doesn't land in Boston, that has a domino effect on several other teams; for instance, if Crawford instead had signed with the Angels, then the club wouldn't have hade a need for Vernon Wells.
Blue Jays Open To Bolstering Bench
The Blue Jays just traded away Mike Napoli, but they could re-gain some depth before the season starts. Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos says he's considering ways of bolstering his team's depth.
"We're always looking to add to the bench," Anthopoulos told reporters on a conference call this afternoon. "There's still some players out there that we continue to have talks with."
Free agency is just one avenue for teams to consider. Anthopoulos pointed out that players become available later in the spring, when out of options players hit the waiver wire and others get released. The Blue Jays acquired Fred Lewis last April and are open to making a similar addition this spring.
Jose Molina and John McDonald were fixtures on the Blue Jays' bench last year and they'll be back in 2011. The Blue Jays will have either two or three more bench spots to work with, depending on how many relievers they carry. Could one of those bench jobs go to Vladimir Guerrero? The Blue Jays don't comment publicly on free agent negotiations, but Anthopoulos did say that he intends for Adam Lind and Edwin Encarnacion to be everyday players in 2011.
Twins, Slowey Avoid Arbitration
The Twins avoided arbitration with Kevin Slowey, agreeing to a one-year, $2.7MM deal, according to MLB.com's Kelly Thesier (on Twitter). Slowey had filed at $3.1MM and the Twins had filed at $2.3MM, which puts the agreed-upon deal right at the midpoint of the two submissions.
Slowey posted a 4.45 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 155 2/3 innings last year. The 26-year-old has never posted a walk rate above 1.7 per nine or a strikeout rate above 6.7 per nine in four big league seasons.
As MLBTR's Arb Tracker shows, the Twins have unresolved arbitration cases with Delmon Young and Francisco Liriano. Both made my list of ten unsigned arbitration eligible players to watch.
Orioles, Red Sox In The Mix For Joe Beimel
The Orioles and Red Sox are two of the five teams in the mix for Joe Beimel, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). The left-hander has received interest from clubs in both leagues and could make a decision this week. The Orioles have made Beimel a minor league offer, according to Connolly.
Beimel, who has a habit of signing late in the offseason, posted a 3.40 ERA with 4.2 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 45 innings for the Rockies last year. The 33-year-old struggled against right-handed hitters, but was especially effective against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .221/.275/.379 line.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post reported yesterday that Beimel had several irons in the fire.
Orioles Sign Clay Rapada
The Orioles signed Clay Rapada to a minor league deal and invited him to Spring Training, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
The 29-year-old appeared in 13 games for the Rangers last year, but hasn't spent considerable time on a big leaugue mound since 2008. The left-hander posted a 4.22 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 5.9 BB/9 in 21 1/3 innings for the Tigers that year.
The Rangers released Rapada earlier in the month after designating him and Max Ramirez for assignment.
Blue Jays, Rangers Swap Napoli, Francisco
Hopefully Mike Napoli's suitcase is still packed. Just four days after acquiring the catcher/first baseman from the Angels, the Blue Jays have sent him back to the AL West. Napoli is heading to the Rangers for Frank Francisco and cash, the teams announced.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the deal (on Twitter) and Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports (on Twitter) that the Rangers are sending less than $1MM to Toronto.
As Rosenthal points out, Napoli will likely spell Yorvit Torrealba and Matt Treanor behind the plate and see playing time at first base. This likely means the Rangers don't have room for free agent slugger Vladimir Guerrero.
Napoli hit 26 home runs last year, reaching the 20-homer plateau for the third consecutive season. He hit .238/.316/.468 overall, with a career-high 137 strikeouts. The right-handed hitter has a .931 OPS against southpaws in his career, so he is a potential complement to Chris Davis and Mitch Moreland, two left-handed hitting first basemen who hit righties but struggle against lefties.
The Blue Jays acquired Napoli from the Angels in the deal that sent Vernon Wells to Anaheim. J.P. Arencibia and Jose Molina figure to catch regularly for the Blue Jays now that Napoli is headed to the Lone Star State.
In an odd twist, Francisco joins the same bullpen as Jason Frasor, the only other Type A free agent to accept his team's offer of arbitration this offseason. New additions Jon Rauch and Octavio Dotel join Frasor and Francisco in Alex Anthopoulos' remade bullpen.
Francisco, 31, posted a 3.76 ERA with 10.3 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 52 2/3 innings for the Rangers last year. He saved 25 games in 2009 before relinquishing the closer's job to rookie Neftali Feliz in 2010.
As MLBTR's Arb Tracker shows, the midpoint for Francisco is $4.19MM and the midpoint for Napoli is $5.7MM, so the Rangers would have been taking on payroll even if they did not send cash to Toronto.
Tigers Open To Re-Signing Bonderman
The Tigers are open to re-signing Jeremy Bonderman, but not on a major league deal. GM Dave Dombrowski told Tom Gage of the Detroit News that he would consider bringing the longtime Tiger back to Detroit.
Bonderman's four-year, $38MM extension just expired, so the 28-year-old is a free agent for the first time. The eight-year veteran is coming off a season in which he posted a 5.53 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 171 innings. Bonderman had shoulder surgery in 2008 and missed most of the 2009 season as he recovered.
The Rangers, Cardinals, Yankees, Rockies, Cubs and Pirates have been linked to Bonderman this offseason. About 17% of over 15,000 MLBTR readers say Bonderman is the best remaining free agent starter. Click here to cast your vote.
A’s, Breslow Avoid Arbitration
The A's avoided arbitration with Craig Breslow and agreed to a one-year, $1.4MM deal, according to MLB.com's Jane Lee (Twitter link). The A's had filed at $1.55MM and Breslow has countered with $1.15MM, so the lefty's new deal is worth slightly more than the $1.35MM midpoint.
Breslow, 30, logged 74 2/3 innings for the A's last year, posting a 3.01 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9. The five-year veteran generally induces more fly balls than ground balls; last year his fly ball rate (55.8%) nearly doubled his ground ball rate (29.6%).
Breslow majored in molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale before the Brewers took him in the 26th round of the 2002 draft.
As MLBTR's Arb Tracker shows, all of Oakland's arbitration eligible players are now under contract for 2011.
Cubs To Sign Todd Wellemeyer
Todd Wellemeyer is returning to the team that drafted and developed him. The Cubs signed Wellemeyer to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. The right-hander can earn $800K, plus another $400K in incentives, Levine reports. Meister Sports Management represents Wellemeyer.
The Cubs drafted Wellemeyer in the fourth round of the 2000 draft and he showed some promise in the minor leagues, striking out more than a batter per inning and reaching the majors in his fourth pro season. He pitched for the Cubs from 2003-05 before they traded him to the Marlins.
Wellemeyer was a valuable starter for the 2008 Cardinals, but has struggled since. Last year, the 32-year-old pitched 58 2/3 innings for the Giants and posted a 5.68 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9. Another former Cardinal, Jeff Suppan, figures to replace Wellemeyer on the defending World Champions this year.
Stark On Potential Albert Pujols Extension
MLB executives, owners and agents told ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark that they see Albert Pujols agreeing to an extension with the Cardinals between now and Spring Training. And the deal will likely make Pujols one of the richest players in baseball history. The sides figure to agree to a deal worth $240MM over eight years, in the estimation of Stark’s sources.
Pujols, who is scheduled to hit free agency after the season, will stop negotiating with the Cardinals once Spring Training begins. And scuttlebutt from other clubs suggests Pujols and agent Dan Lozano will start by asking for a ten-year, $300MM deal.
But Cards GM John Mozeliak is unlikely to want to pay the first baseman $30MM per season while he’s in his early forties, so Pujols’ deal may not be worth more than Alex Rodriguez’s record ten-year, $275MM contract.
If Pujols hits free agency, interest will be widespread. Even clubs like the Yankees and Red Sox, who have elite first basemen, could have interest in Pujols, according to one executive. Teams like the Cubs, Dodgers and Mets could also have interest, though there’s a good chance the first baseman won’t hit the open market.
I previewed a potential extension for Pujols earlier in the month.