Angels Likely To Make Offer To Aramis Ramirez
Aramis Ramirez visited the Angels in the past week and a contract offer is likely coming soon from the team, reports Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Angels were one of 4-5 teams with a "serious interest" in Ramirez, according to agent Paul Kinzer; one of these other teams could be the Tigers, who checked in on Ramirez in early November.
Signing Ramirez would give the Angels a nice trade chip in current third baseman Alberto Callaspo, who posted a .288/.366/.375 line last year and can also play second. Los Angeles could have a wealth of infield depth with Callaspo, Maicer Izturis and whomever doesn't get the bulk of playing time at first base between Mark Trumbo and Kendrys Morales.
Also from Rosenthal/Morosi, the Brewers have inquired about Ramirez's services, with the plan of installing Ramirez at third and having a platoon of Mat Gamel and Casey McGehee at first. Milwaukee has shown interest in a number of free agent infielders this winter, including Jimmy Rollins, Jerry Hairston Jr., ex-Braves shortstop Alex Gonzalez and possibly Japanese import Hiroyuki Nakajima. Sources tell Rosenthal and Morosi that the Brewers aren't interested in Jose Reyes at his current asking price.
NL Central Notes: Garza, Marshall, Pujols, Phillips
Happy 63rd birthday to former Reds outfielder George Foster. A member of Cincinnati's Big Red Machine teams, Foster his 52 homers in 1977, a performance that won him the NL MVP Award. Foster's 52 home runs were the most hit in a season by any Major Leaguer between 1965 and 1997.
Here's the latest from the NL Central….
- Matt Garza "is exactly the type of guy we’d like to build around," Theo Epstein told reporters on Thursday, including Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. Epstein said that rotation depth was a priority for the Cubs, which would seem to indicate the recent Garza trade rumors may be for naught. Epstein did say he would be "open-minded" about possibly moving assets like Garza or Sean Marshall, though in Marshall's case, Epstein said "if you have the best left-handed reliever in baseball, it’s hard to think about taking him out of that role."
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan argues it would be good for baseball if Albert Pujols "pulls a LeBron" and signs with the Cubs, since it would catalyze interest in him and his sport. The Cubs and Cardinals are both pursuing the free agent first baseman, though the Cubs’ level of interest remains unclear.
- Brandon Phillips had no new updates about the ongoing contract negotiations between he and the Reds, but he told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that "I just want to be here forever like my idol, Barry Larkin." Phillips tweeted on Tuesday that talks were "moving in the right direction."
- The Astros let president of baseball operations Tal Smith go with just two weeks of severance pay after 35 years of service with the Astros, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- What does the Cubs' signing of David DeJesus mean for Tyler Colvin? Tony Andracki of CSN Chicago examines the question.
MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith also contributed to this post
Rangers Hopeful Of Multiyear Extension With Napoli
The Rangers are "optimistic" about signing Mike Napoli to a long-term contract this winter, a source tells FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi (Twitter link). Napoli is under control through just 2012, and he projects to earn $9.2MM in his third trip through the arbitration process, according to Matt Swartz's arbitration-calculating model.
Napoli was one of baseball's breakout stars last year, posting a .320/.414/.631 line and 30 homers in 432 plate appearances for Texas, plus a big postseason performance that likely would've included a World Series MVP trophy had the Rangers won the Fall Classic. He played mostly catcher last season, though also saw significant time at first base and DH as the Rangers tried to find enough playing time for Napoli, Michael Young, Yorvit Torrealba and Mitch Moreland.
The book on Napoli going into 2011 was that he was a defensive liability behind the plate and that he couldn't hit right-handed pitching. Napoli ended up being a decent defensive catcher (much to Mike Scioscia's chagrin) and posted virtually equal numbers against both righties and lefties last year, so while his bat obviously plays best at catcher, he is also a solid fit at both first and DH in case he needs to be moved in the later years of a multiyear contract.
An extension would easily net Napoli an average annual value of more than $10MM per season, so something like a four-year, $48MM contract (with maybe a club option or two) would be a great fit for the Rangers while still providing some flexibility should Napoli not be able to repeat his breakout campaign.
From Napoli's perspective, a long-term deal would give him security and since Texas was where he was embraced and delivered his best season, it seems natural he would want to stay put. If Napoli didn't sign an extension and had another big year in 2012, however, he would be in line for a huge contract as (by far) the best-hitting catcher on the market and one of the best free agent hitters overall.
D’Backs Have Made Offer To Lyle Overbay
The Diamondbacks have an offer on the table to veteran first baseman Lyle Overbay, reports Jack Magruder of Fox Sports Arizona (Twitter link). It is thought to be a one-year contract and the Snakes expect a response from Overbay's representatives early in the Winter Meetings.
Overbay was thought to be on Arizona's radar when GM Kevin Towers suggested the team wanted a complement to first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. (Overbay is a left-handed hitter while Goldschmidt bats from the right side.) Overbay, 34, joined the D'Backs in August after being designated for assignment by the Pirates in July. He hit a combined .234/.310/.360 in 440 plate appearances with Arizona and Pittsburgh last season.
Rays Notes: Pitching, Kotchman, Damon, Friedman
Andrew Friedman spoke with the media today about the Rays' plans heading into the Winter Meetings. Here are some highlights, courtesy of Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times…
- Friedman stuck to only discussing the Rays and declined to comment on his connection to the Astros' open general manager's job. The Astros have permission to speak to Friedman and he is thought to be their top candidate.
- The Rays' are looking for help at DH and first base, so free agents Casey Kotchman and Johnny Damon are "very much in the discussion" to be brought back, Friedman said.
- The club isn't looking to deal one of its eight starting pitchers but if one was dealt, Friedman says it would be for Major League players that could contribute right away. Topkin writes that there has "been heavy interest" in Tampa Bay's pitching from other teams.
- Reid Brignac, Elliot Johnson and Sean Rodriguez are expected to handle shortstop, so Tampa Bay isn't looking to bring in another player for the position.
- Friedman is open to adding catching depth but isn't sure it will be available. The catching job will be split between the newly-signed Jose Molina and either Robinson Chirinos or Jose Lobaton.
- Since the Rays want to add to their offense, it doesn't seem likely that B.J. Upton will be traded this winter.
Brewers, Cardinals, Giants In Talks With Alex Gonzalez
5:18pm: The Brewers and Cardinals are also interested in Gonzalez, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.
4:48pm: The Giants are negotiating with free agent shortstop Alex Gonzalez, reports Fernando Gonzalez of ESPN Deportes (passed along via Jim Bowden's Twitter account). The Giants had been rumored as candidates to sign such bigger-name free agent shortstops as Jose Reyes or Jimmy Rollins, but with relatively little payroll space to go around, the other school of thought was that prospect Brandon Crawford could get the starting shortstop job.
Like Crawford, Gonzalez brings strong defense (a career UZR/150 of 6.3, though it dipped to -0.4 last season) and not much of a bat (a .241/.270/.372 line for Atlanta last season). San Francisco could use Gonzalez and Crawford in a righty-lefty platoon next season, plus Gonzalez could be a valuble mentor to the 24-year-old.
The Braves didn't offer arbitration to Gonzalez (a Type B free agent), so Atlanta wouldn't receive a compensation pick if Gonzalez signed elsewhere. The Braves hadn't ruled out re-signing Gonzalez themselves to act as a veteran bridge to their own shortstop prospect, Tyler Pastornicky.
Brewers Could Offer Fielder Six Years, $120MM
The Brewers have indicated during negotiations with Prince Fielder that they would be willing to offer the free agent slugger a six-year deal worth $120MM, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (via Twitter). This would be a notable increase over Milwaukee's "last formal offer" of five years and $100MM to Fielder.
It's almost been a foregone conclusion that Fielder would leave the Brewers this winter but Olney notes (Twitter link) "it's a fluid situation, and Milwaukee is probably in play" unless another team makes an offer in the neighborhood of $170-$200MM. With the Mariners, Nationals, Cubs and possibly the Rangers all interested in Fielder, it's likely one of those clubs (or, Scott Boras' erstwhile "mystery team") will come forward with a contract that tops the Brewers' best offer.
Here are a few more notes about the Brew Crew…
- The Brewers will bid on Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima, according to a Sanspo report (translated by NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman). The Seibu Lions announced two weeks ago that Nakajima would be posted, and he is predicted to attract attention from several teams looking for shortstop help.
- MLB.com's Adam McCalvy, however, reports the Brewers aren't likely to go after Nakajima due to the team's lack of in-depth scouting in Japan. Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin tells McCalvy that he expects a relatively quiet Winter Meetings for the team, and that the Brewers' priorities are finding a shortstop and bullpen help.
- Melvin was named the Major League executive of the year by Baseball America. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has the details.
White Sox Notes: Danks, Sale, Ramirez
The White Sox have many appealing trade chips, including Carlos Quentin and Gavin Floyd, so GM Kenny Williams will likely be fielding all kinds of inquiries in Dallas at next week's Winter Meetings. Here's the latest on the White Sox…
- The White Sox haven’t offered John Danks a long-term deal recently, according to Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com. The White Sox were rebuffed not too long ago and are now more likely to trade the left-hander, according to Padilla. However, the team hasn’t given up on working out a new contract with Danks.
- Teams have asked the White Sox about Chris Sale and Alexei Ramirez, but the price for either player would be "sky-high," according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
- White Sox manager Robin Ventura told reporters, including Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, that he's like to get 30 starts out of both Danks and Floyd while playing Quentin in right field on a regular basis (Twitter link). However, the new manager realizes it may not work out that way in 2012.
Minor Moves: Nunez, Palmer, Moss, Mock
The latest minor moves from around MLB…
- The Rays signed righty Jhonny Nunez to a minor league deal, tweets Baseball America's Matt Eddy.
- The Padres signed right-hander Matt Palmer to a minor league deal, reports MLB.com's Corey Brock (Twitter link).
- The Brewers signed outfielder Miguel Velazquez to a minor league deal, according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (all links go to Twitter).
- The A’s signed outfielder Brandon Moss to a minor league deal, according to Goldstein.
- The Padres signed left-hander Alex Hinshaw to a minor league deal, according to Goldstein.
- The Blue Jays signed former Nationals prospect Garrett Mock to a minor league deal, according to Goldstein.
- The Royals announced that they signed right-hander Zach Miner, infielders Jamie Romak, Eric Duncan, Sharlon Schoop and Tony Abreu and left-handers Marlon Arias and Tommy Hottovy to minor league contracts. Miner, Abreu and Hottovy have big league experience, though only Hottovy appeared in the Major Leagues this past season. Duncan, once a highly-regarded prospect, posted a .849 OPS at Double-A as a utility player in 2011. Romak posted an .803 OPS for the Royals in 2011 and even pitched on two occasions.
Angels Notes: Maicer Izturis, Jeff Mathis
The Angels made their first major move of the offseason last night, acquiring Chris Iannetta from the Rockies for Tyler Chatwood. Here’s a look ahead at what GM Jerry Dipoto may do next…
- There are indications that the Angels will either trade or non-tender Jeff Mathis by the December 12th deadline for teams to offer contracts to arbitration eligible players, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times. MLBTR projects a $1.8MM salary for Mathis if the Angels tender him a contract. However, the Angels may be able to trade him.
- The Rockies are expected to pursue Mathis if the Angels non-tender him, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. The Mets are looking for a relatively young catch and throw guy, so Mathis could be an option for them, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
- The Rockies and Angels discussed Maicer Izturis before completing last night’s trade, according to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). The Tigers are another club with interest in Izturis.