Few Free Agent Groundballers Remain
When MLBTR's Tim Dierkes took stock of the free agent groundballers at the outset of the 2010-11 offseason, the pickings were slim. Fast forward three months and Jake Westbrook, Jorge de la Rosa, Jon Garland, Hiroki Kuroda, Brad Penny and Brandon Webb have all signed.
Carl Pavano, who is reportedly closing in on a deal with the Twins, and Jeff Francis are the only remaining free agent starters (minimum 50 IP) with above-average ground ball rates. Pavano posted a 51.2% ground ball rate last year, while Francis posted a 46.8% ground ball rate.
Though it doesn't seem likely that he'll pitch in 2011, Andy Pettitte posted a respectable 43.9% ground ball rate last year. Jeremy Bonderman, a candidate to replace Pettitte in New York's rotation, also hovered around the league average and posted a 44.7% rate.
Why all the fuss about ground balls? Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail has said before that you can't hit a ground ball out of the park. Fly balls are another story, however.
After MacPhail traded for Kevin Millwood last offseason, the veteran posted a career-low ground ball rate and a career-high fly ball rate in hitter-friendly Camden Yards. Otherwise, Millwood's numbers weren't all that different from Jake Westbrook's in 2010. The right-handers, both in their mid-thirties, pitched close to 200 innings apiece with about 6.0 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 last year.
But Millwood allowed considerably more fly balls than Westbrook, who kept the ball on the ground. The result: 30 home runs allowed by Millwood (Westbrook allowed 20), an ERA nine tenths of a run higher than Westbrook's and, almost certainly, far less guaranteed money in free agency.
Boras Talks Damon, Andruw, Manny
Scott Boras told ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick that Johnny Damon, Andruw Jones and Manny Ramirez can boost fan interest, TV ratings and revenue for MLB teams. Not only that, the agent insists his clients can be key players on winning clubs.
"These guys are star players," Boras said. "They're championship-caliber players. Owners and general managers know they have extraordinary abilities, and they can be a force in the locker room and around young players."
Crasnick surveyed MLB executives and scouts about the three stars and heard the Angels and Rays mentioned as possibilities for Damon. The Dodgers, who have also been linked to the 37-year-old, are “unlikely” to sign him, according to a source familiar with the team’s thinking. The Yankees haven’t ruled out a reunion with Damon, but they’re only interested in him as a fourth outfielder, according to Crasnick.
Jones, another Yankees target, “still has value as an extra outfielder who can fill in at all three spots and mash left-handed pitching," an AL assistant GM said. The Braves briefly discussed a reunion with Jones and the Rockies are another possible fit.
Despite speculation that Ramirez could be a fit in Toronto, where former Red Sox coach John Farrell will take over as manager, it isn’t a likely match. In fact, Crasnick suggests Farrell’s familiarity with the slugger could make the Jays less likely to sign Manny. Tampa Bay could be a fit for Ramirez, who definitely wants to play in 2011, according to Boras.
D’Backs To Sign Willie Bloomquist
The D'Backs have agreed to sign Willie Bloomquist to a one-year, $1.05MM deal, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Agent Scott Boras negotiated the deal, which includes a mutual option for 2012.
Bloomquist has played every position but pitcher and catcher in each of the past two seasons. The 33-year-old spent 2010 with the Royals and Reds, posting a .267/.299/.380 line in 199 plate appearances. Bloomquist stole 25 bases a year ago, so he has some speed.
The utility player will likely fill out the D'Backs' bench and complete their offseason shopping. The club could add a starter on a minor league deal, but most of GM Kevin Towers' work is now done.
Bloomquist's arrival will make it harder for Tony Abreu to crack the team's Opening Day roster, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic pointed out earlier today. Abreu will likely compete with Cole Gillespie, Ryan Roberts, Brandon Allen and Wily Mo Pena for a roster spot this spring.
Potential Teams For Remaining Designated Hitters
Johnny Damon, Jason Giambi, Vladimir Guerrero, Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome highlight the remaining free agent designated hitters. Throw in first basemen Russell Branyan Jorge Cantu, Troy Glaus and Nick Johnson and the list of DH candidates continues to grow. The number of opportunities, however, continues to shrink. Here's a look at the American League teams with possible DH openings:
- Rays – The Rays seem likely to add a DH. They've been linked to Damon, Andruw Jones, Guerrero and others.
- Blue Jays – The Blue Jays signed Edwin Encarnacion to be a first baseman/DH, but they could shuffle the lineup to accomodate a big bat if they find one at a price they like.
- Orioles – The O's have been linked to Vladimir Guerrero, though adding a DH would create congestion with Luke Scott and the team's collection of outfielders.
- Twins – The Twins have expressed interest in bringing Thome back, but could add someone else if he signs elsewhere.
- Rangers – The Rangers are pursuing Thome and have discussed potential deals with Guerrero.
- Yankees – Jorge Posada will be the team's full-time DH, so the Yankees would need any newcomer to be able to handle the outfield. Damon and Jones are among the team's targets.
- Angels – Like the Yankees, the Angels have DH candidates in-house. Bobby Abreu and Juan Rivera figure to pick up at bats at DH, so any addition would probably have to be able to handle the outfield or third base. That makes a reunion with Vlad seem unlikely.
The players above aren't limited to American League clubs, of course. Giambi took on a pinch hitting role with the Rockies last year, Damon has been linked to the Dodgers and Cantu and Glaus both played in the NL last year and have been linked to the Padres. But it's safe to say that AL teams in search of DHs have lots of selection.
D’Backs Could Add Rotation Depth
The Diamondbacks have a full rotation, but they could add depth, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Piecoro suggests that any newcomers would likely arrive on minor league deals.
Joe Saunders, Ian Kennedy, Daniel Hudson, Zach Duke and Barry Enright give the D’Backs a solid starting five, but Kennedy, Hudson and Enright had not seen much big league playing time before 2010. GM Kevin Towers could look to add depth to a rotation that has lost Dan Haren, Edwin Jackson and Rodrigo Lopez in the past 12 months.
As MLBTR's Free Agent Tracker shows, Towers has plenty of options. Lopez, a free agent, logged 200 innings for the D'Backs last year, so he figures to look for a guaranteed starting job elsewhere.
The D'Backs' offseason is nearly complete, but the team has interest in utility player Willie Bloomquist.
Quick Hits: Soriano, Manuel, Galarraga, Angels
Some items from around the majors…
- The Angels aren't one of the teams reportedly still interested in Rafael Soriano, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. The Yankees are "still trying," in spite of their earlier statements to the contrary.
- Charlie Manuel's agent tells Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com that Manuel and the Phillies have a mutual interest in working out a contract extension before Opening Day. Manuel has one year left on his current deal, and Salisbury speculates that he's looking for a two-year extension worth roughly $4MM per season.
- Armando Galarraga is out of options, eligible for arbitration and has probably been squeezed out of the Detroit rotation by Brad Penny, reports Jason Beck of MLB.com. If Galarraga gets too large of a salary bump in arbitration, the Tigers could choose to trade or just release him before Opening Day.
- The Angels' quiet offseason has been heavily criticized, but Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com reminds us that the Halos still have a very solid team.
- If the Twins don't re-sign Jim Thome, Kelly Thesier of MLB.com says the team could return to what it was looking for last winter: a right-handed hitting backup option in the outfield or at first base. Thesier cites Jorge Cantu and Troy Glaus as possibilities, and we've heard the Padres were considering the same two players. The Twins could also dip into the rest of the DH market, or look to upgrade their bullpen.
- There isn't much historial evidence to suggest that Josh Beckett will return to his ace form over the long run, writes John Tomase of the Boston Herald.
NL Central Notes: Gorzelanny, Wood, Reds
After looking at news from the eastern and western sides of the baseball world tonight, let's turn our attention to the NL Central…
- Tom Gorzelanny could be the odd man out of the Cubs' crowded rotation, reports Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. Chicago has already been shopping the left-hander this winter, and the Mets and Tigers were both reportedly interested.
- Before Kerry Wood signed with the Cubs, he was promised a post-retirement job with the team by chairman Tom Ricketts, Levine writes. No specific job was mentioned, though Levine cites a radio report that said Wood had been offered a broadcasting position.
- Walt Jocketty tells John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that the Reds "haven’t made a lot of progress" with their four remaining arbitration-eligible players. One of those four arb-eligible Reds is Joey Votto, so it's possible his longer-term negotiations are taking up Jocketty's time.
- The Brewers have signed Eulogio de la Cruz, reports Matthew Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter). De La Cruz, 26, spent last season pitching in Japan. The right-hander has an 11.84 ERA and a 9.9 BB/9 rate in 15 career Major League games with the Padres, Marlins and Tigers since 2007, though his career minor league numbers (3.73 ERA, 4.2 BB/9 rate) are more respectable.
NL West Notes: Padres, Belt, Sandoval, Rockies
Some news about the defending World Series champs and their division rivals…
- The Padres "remain open" to the idea of signing another Major League starter, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com. This is just pure speculation, but of the five hurlers on Luke Adams' list of pitchers that could benefit from the NL, three (Jeremy Bonderman, Bruce Chen and Kevin Millwood) are still available and would likely be open to the idea of pitcher-friendly Petco Park.
- Brandon Belt "has a legitimate chance" to win an everyday job playing first base or left field in San Francisco, writes MLB.com's Chris Haft. Belt, who turns 23 in April, has just one minor league season to his name, but he hit .352/.455/.620 in 595 plate appearances for the Giants' Class A, Double-A and Triple-A affiliates.
- Pablo Sandoval has lost 17 pounds training with former Olympic decathlete Dan O'Brien and plans to lose more weight before the start of Spring Training, Rich Aurilia tells Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Sandoval was threatened with a demotion to the minors by GM Brian Sabean unless the "Kung Fu Panda" improved his conditioning this offseason.
- The Rockies' big extensions with Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki put more pressure on the team's minor league system to produce low-cost, quality players, writes Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post.
Rays, Yanks Both In On Andruw Jones, Johnny Damon
The Yankees' interest in Andruw Jones is well-known, but now the Rays can be added to the list of suitors for the veteran outfielder, reports Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. (Twitter link) Tampa Bay has less of a pressing need for Jones since the club already has B.J. Upton and Desmond Jennings as right-handed hitting incumbents in the outfield, but with Upton coming off a weak 2010 season and Jennings entering his first full season in the bigs, Jones provides valuable depth should either player falter. He could also provide some pop as a right-handed DH option.
Heyman also mentions Johnny Damon as "a possibility" for both of the AL East rivals. Damon has expressed his own interest in playing for both clubs, and has been described as a fallback option for New York if they fail to acquire Jones. Damon would likely play more DH than outfield in Tampa Bay, since his declining defensive value wouldn't be aided by playing on Tropicana Field's artificial surface.
D’Backs Interested In Willie Bloomquist
The Diamondbacks are "trying for" free agent Willie Bloomquist, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. It seemed like the Snakes were done their winter shopping last month, but it looks like they're still in the market for a utilityman; beyond Bloomquist, the D'Backs were reportedly interested in Kevin Frandsen before Frandsen signed with San Diego.
Bloomquist, 33, posted a .679 OPS in 199 plate appearances with the Royals and Reds in 2010, a shade higher than his .653 career OPS. Bloomquist has never been renowned for his bat, but rather his ability to play virtually anywhere on the diamond. He played at least one game at every position except pitcher and catcher in each of the last two seasons. Bloomquist would give Arizona some veteran depth, and he could possibly work his way into the club's planned Geoff Blum/Melvin Mora platoon at third base.