Rockies Notes: Fuentes, Gonzalez, Kazmir, Beimel
Let's take a look at some Rockies-related tidbits..
- The Rockies like Brian Fuentes but the left-hander is looking to close and also looking for roughly $5MM per year. Colorado isn't looking to shell out that kind of money for the 35-year-old, tweets Troy Renck of The Denver Post.
- After resolving his visa issues, Carlos Gonzalez arrived in Denver today and will take a physical tomorrow to finalize his seven-year, $80MM contract, Renck writes. The Rockies will likely hold a presser on Tuesday to announce the deal.
- The Rockies lost interest in pitcher Scott Kazmir once they re-signed Jorge de la Rosa, Renck tweets.
- One reader asks Renck via Twitter if the Rockies are still interested in reliever Joe Beimel. It appears that other clubs have more interest in the veteran as Colorado hasn't talked to his representation lately.
Quick Hits: Garza, Rays, Aardsma, Iwakuma
On this day last year the Rangers agreed to sign Vladimir Guerrero to a one-year, $5MM deal. In 2011, the veteran continues to look for a home with the Orioles, Angels, and Rays said to be interested. Let's take a look at the batch of links for tonight..
- Jamey Newberg of The Newberg Report is glad that the Rangers didn't overpay to land Matt Garza. The right-hander was shipped to the Cubs in an eight-player deal.
- Speaking of the Garza deal, Dave Cameron writes in a piece for Fangraphs that there's a good chance that the Rays got better in the short term by making the trade.
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times that David Aardsma's hip surgery was more extensive than first thought and the hurler might not be ready by Opening Day. The M's were shopping the 29-year-old for quite some time but now they'll wait even longer to move him.
- In an interview on 1500-ESPN, Twins GM Bill Smith revealed that the club finished a distant second in the bidding for Japanese starter Hisashi Iwakuma (information passed along by Aaron Gleeman). Minnesota offered $7.7MM for the hurler while the Athletics won the bidding with $19.1MM. Ultimately, Iwakuma and the A's couldn't agree to terms.
Discussion: Will Padres Give Bell A Multiyear Deal?
Earlier this week, Padres closer Heath Bell told Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune that he hopes to remain with the club well beyond 2011. Bell, who earned $4MM in 2010 after avoiding arbitration, even went so far as to say that a new multiyear deal in San Diego would be his "dream". However, GM Jed Hoyer was non-committal when asked about Bell's future with the team.
"I'm sure a discussion of a multiyear contract for Heath will come up," Hoyer said. "[Bell's agent] and I have a good working relationship. We've touched on the subject although it's early."
Despite a great deal of speculation to the contrary, the Friars chose not to deal the 33-year-old after sending Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox. The Padres are willing to fork over between $6-7MM in arbitration to Bell this winter but Center writes that a three-year deal would easily top $20MM. It's hard to argue that the right-hander isn't worth the money after turning in a 1.93 ERA with 11.1 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 67 games.
Right now the club is more or less done making moves for 2011 and their payroll sits at just over $40MM. A multiyear deal for Bell would swallow up a significant portion of their budget. Does it make sense for the Padres to give Bell that sort of contract when considering their limited funds?
MLBTR Originals
Here's a look back at some of the analysis and reporting MLBTR's writing team produced this week..
- Want to know what kind of transactions we can expect in early January? Take a peek at the history of transactions made on January 2nd and January 8th in years past.
- This year's incarnation of the Diamondbacks will likely have fewer strikeouts at the plate, but Mike Axisa wonders what effect that could have on their production.
- This week we discussed the Twins' bullpen and the Angels' offseason while readers weighed in on the Rockies extensions, which blockbuster deal they preferred, and the next landing spot for Orlando Cabrera.
- Speaking of polls, click here to let us know what MLBTR posts you read regularly.
- Want to help contribute to MLBTR? We're currently looking for team coordinators.
- What an honor for Bert Blyleven! I'm of course talking about his selection as Howard Megdal's Jack Of All Trades for this week.
- Ben Nicholson-Smith examined the teams that came close to making the playoffs last season.
- The Adrian Beltre deal had a ripple effect on several parties.
- Want the best of the baseball blogosphere in one handy post? We got you covered with the latest edition of Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
- "Odds & Ends" is so 2010. Get with the times grandpa – these days the cool kids are calling it "Quick Hits".
- On Wednesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith hosted our weekly chat.
- We recently introduced an Arbitration Tracker, which you can find under the "tools" tab at the top of the site. Under that tab you'll also find our Transaction Tracker and Free Agent Tracker.
Week In Review: 1/2/11 – 1/8/11
Lots of headlines made over the past week, so let's dive right into our recap of what the first full week of 2011 had to offer:
- In what seemed an unlikely fit, the Rangers lessened the blow of missing out on Cliff Lee by signing Adrian Beltre to a five-year, $80MM contract with a vesting $16MM option. Beltre turned down offers from the A's and Angels. Michael Young will be shifted once again, this time to a DH/utility role. Texas has made it clear to Young though that he's not getting traded. This also means Vladimir Guerrero will be looking for a new home for 2011.
- The Rangers also made an addition to their rotation, signing Brandon Webb to a one-year deal for $3MM plus incentives.
- After months of saying they wouldn't trade a pitcher, Tampa changed its tune when the Cubs offered up an enormous haul for Matt Garza. The Cubs acquired Garza, Fernando Perez, and Zach Rosscup in exchange for Chris Archer, Hak-Ju Lee, Brandon Guyer, Robinson Chirinos, and Sam Fuld. Andrew Friedman says he will reallocate Garza's salary (approximately $5-6MM) to other team needs. Many feel the Cubs gave up more for Garza than the Brewers did for Zack Greinke, as you can read in the trade reactions piece.
- It may not have been the three years he was looking for, but Adam LaRoche received a two-year deal from Washington that will guarantee him $16MM.
- The Rockies dished out another mammoth extension, as they've agreed to lock up Carlos Gonzalez for the next seven years and around $80MM. CarGo will take a physical this week and a press conference will follow.
- A second extension was signed this week when Dan Uggla agreed to a five-year $62MM extension in Atlanta before ever even playing a game in a Braves uniform.
- We learned of two extensions that were turned down last offseason: both John Danks and Carlos Quentin rejected offers from the White Sox.
- The Twins are closing in on a two-year deal with Carl Pavano, but nothing's been agreed upon yet. We learned this week that Kansas City and Pittsburgh are also options for the mustache-clad righty.
- Several bullpen signings this week: The Orioles added Kevin Gregg for two years and $10MM (plus a vesting option), the White Sox gave Will Ohman a two-year deal worth $4MM, and the Phillies re-signed J.C. Romero for one year and $1.35MM.
- The Reds signed Edgar Renteria to a one-year deal that guarantees him $2.1MM.
- The Mariners worked out a two-year deal with Brendan Ryan that will pay the slick fielder $2.75MM.
- The Mets signed Chris Capuano and Taylor Buchholz for $1.5MM and $600K, respectively. They also DFA'ed Ryota Igarashi.
- Even with his starting spot likely gone, Mike Cameron is happy in Boston and unlikely to be dealt anywhere. Other Red Sox news this week included their claim of Max Ramirez off waivers from Texas, and subsequent DFA of Matt Fox.
- The Cardinals officially opened extension talks with Albert Pujols last week, although don't expect anything in the near future, as that will undoubtedly be a lengthy negotiation process.
- Some conflicting reports about the Yankees and their interest in Rafael Soriano emerged this week. Soriano said he's open to setting up for Mariano Rivera, but GM Brian Cashman said the club would not surrender its first-round pick with Cliff Lee off the board. Later in the week though, we heard the Yankees are still in on Soriano.
- One more note on another potential closer: the Blue Jays emerged as a "serious suitor" for Brian Fuentes this week, despite having already signed Octavio Dotel. Fuentes is looking for multiple years and a closing gig.
White Sox Sign Kinney, Lindsay
The White Sox have signed Josh Kinney and Shane Lindsay to minor league deals, according to Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com. Both are expected to receive non-roster invitations to Spring Training.
Kinney will be 32 on Opening Day and has seen Major League time with the Cardinals over parts of three seasons, most recently in 2009. He owns a career 4.56 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 7.2 K/9, and 3.8 BB/9 over 47 2/3 innings. His minor league numbers are more impressive: a 2.78 ERA over 514 1/3 innings with a strong 8.6 K/9. His 2010 was particularly impressive, as he posted a 1.80 ERA and 0.93 WHIP through 60 innings of work, striking out 7.6 per nine along the way.
Lindsay, 25, has never reached the Majors, likely due to his big-time control issues (career 6.6 BB/9). The Australia native makes up for that to some extent with his career 12.4 K/9. Lindsay began 2010 with the Rockies but was claimed off waivers by the Yankees and then the Indians early in the season. He struggled to the tune of a 5.80 ERA last year, but Baseball America has praised his mid-90s fastball and knuckle curve. He'll turn 26 in a couple of weeks, so he still has time to put it together.
Poll: Where Will Jim Thome Sign?
After uncertainty early in the offseason, Jim Thome's mind is made up — he'll play in 2011. Any team would love to have Thome's 2010 production on board. The likely Hall of Famer hit .283/.412/.627 and blasted 25 home runs for the Twins, moving into sole possession of eighth place on the all-time home run leaderboard.
However, Thome is unlikely to repeat that line, and few teams can afford his reported asking price. We learned last week that Thome is looking to make up for the meager $1.5MM contract he signed last year, possibly seeking as much as $8MM on a one-year deal.
There's also the fact that several teams already have their designated hitter spot filled and don't have much wiggle room with their roster to accommodate someone who's strictly a DH.
We know there's mutual interest with the Twins, but they picked up Jason Kubel's $5.25MM option and seem to be focusing on Carl Pavano for the time being. The Rays freed up some money in the Matt Garza trade, and have an opening at DH, though $8MM would likely still be too much for them. Batimore was recently linked to Vladimir Guerrero, even after signing Derrek Lee, so one would think Thome should appeal there as well. Same goes for the Angels, though they have Bobby Abreu and Juan Rivera.
Toronto committed $2.5MM to Edwin Encarnacion, but Thome could platoon with him at DH if the Jays plan on using Adam Lind at first base. If Detroit decides to use Victor Martinez as their primary catcher in 2011, Thome could join his fourth AL Central team as their DH as well.
There's no clear fit for Thome in terms of roster flexibility, team need, and available payroll, but eventually, someone will bring him on board and watch him close in on the elite 600 home run mark. Thome sits just 11 homers shy of that honor, and while his health is no guarantee, I'm not betting against him reaching that plateau when he can still hit homers like this one. Let's open it up to everyone:
Where Will Jim Thome Sign?
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Twins 42% (4,410)
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Rays 13% (1,398)
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Another team 11% (1,092)
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Angels 10% (1,069)
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Orioles 8% (841)
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Tigers 8% (814)
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Blue Jays 7% (764)
Total votes: 10,388
Quick Hits: Darvish, Balfour, Torre, Sale
Links for Sunday….
- Yu Darvish officially renewed his contract with the Nippon Ham Fighters this week, as NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman writes. Darvish, who may play in MLB in 2012, will earn the equivalent of about $6MM this season in Japan.
- One AL scout tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that Grant Balfour remains unsigned in part due to a dip in velocity over the last year, but adds: "He’s developed good command of his secondary pitches. He can pitch in the AL East, he’s a competitor, and if you use him as a complementary piece, he’s worth pursuing for your bullpen." I looked at some possible fits for Balfour last weekend.
- We heard yesterday that Joe Torre was talking to Bud Selig about potentially becoming MLB's next executive vice president of operations. However, Ken Davidoff of Newsday doesn't expect Torre to take such a position, and says "other people in the loop" don't either.
- Jim Margalus of South Side Sox examines how Chris Sale's role with the White Sox will be affected by Will Ohman's arrival.
Pirates No Longer Pursuing Brian Fuentes
Before the new year, the Pirates were identified by SI.com's Jon Heyman as one of a handful of teams with some interest in Brian Fuentes. However, Pittsburgh is no longer pursuing the left-hander, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
When he listed teams' remaining needs, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes opined that the Pirates could use another veteran reliever, making Fuentes a logical fit. Biertempfel agrees that the 35-year-old would have been a good addition to Pittsburgh's bullpen, but suggests the cost is too high for the club. Fuentes is looking for a multiyear deal worth $5MM annually and "doesn't seem inclined to budge."
Fuentes also still appears to be seeking a closing opportunity, with the Rays and Blue Jays among the suitors who could offer a shot at some save opps.
Scott Schoeneweis Hopes To Play In 2011
Despite posting a 7.41 ERA in 60 big league appearances over the last two seasons, Scott Schoeneweis still feels he can excel as a situational lefty, says Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The 37-year-old tells Cafardo that he's hoping another team gives him a chance in 2011, after the Red Sox released him in May last year.
As Cafardo explains, Schoeneweis found his wife dead of a drug overdose in May 2009, after years of dealing with her addiction. The left-hander acknowledges that his on-field performance may have been affected by the tragedy, but believes he can return to his previous form.
"I have a hard time understanding how I’ve fallen so far off the map," Schoeneweis said. "It’s not sour grapes. My place is more important to be here raising the kids, but for me personally, I wasn’t quite done. My skills haven’t diminished…. The last three or four years of my career were wrought with a tough situation off the field. In retrospect, I’m actually amazed I was able to perform at all."
Schoeneweis spent the first month and a half of 2010 with Boston, recording a 7.90 ERA in 13 2/3 innings prior to his release. While the numbers aren't impressive, the veteran is one of the few southpaw relievers remaining on the market, as MLBTR's free agent tracker shows. There are always at least a few teams seeking left-handed bullpen arms, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him land a minor league deal in the coming weeks.