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Archives for January 2012

Yankees Notes: Burnett, DH Options, Trades

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A few items out of the Bronx…

  • In a conference call with reporters (including Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees blog) today, GM Brian Cashman said he will look to fill the Yankees' DH spot through a trade, with free agent designated hitters being a "secondary" focus.  Cashman said it's "a possibility" he will try to acquire a hitter using the Yankees' excess pitchers.
  • The Yankees hope to address their DH need by trying to deal A.J. Burnett for salary relief or a "DH type," tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  If that isn't possible, Sherman says the next target would be to deal for a young, controllable hitter in exchange for a young starter like Phil Hughes.
  • Joe Pawlikowski of the River Aves Blues blog looks at the pros and cons of trading Burnett, eventually concluding that New York should probably keep him given the difficulties in finding value in a deal.
  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com hears the Burnett trade market is non-existent, even to the point of using a "pie in the sky" hashtag to describe the Yankees' chances of moving the veteran right-hander.
  • The Yankees are "in no rush" to address their DH need quickly, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  "Teams in need can almost name their price," Rosenthal writes, given how many free agent DH types (Raul Ibanez, Hideki Matsui, Vladimir Guerrero, Johnny Damon, etc.) remain on the market.

Tigers, Prince Fielder Nearing Nine-Year Deal

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The Tigers are "very close" to a nine-year deal with Prince Fielder, Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets. Fielder will join Miguel Cabrera in the middle of the Tigers' order to create more than enough offense to make up for the loss of Victor Martinez.

Though the market for Fielder seemed far from robust at times this offseason agent Scott Boras has found an unexpected suitor once again. 

This post was originally published on January, 24th, 2012.

Giants, Lincecum Nearing Two-Year Deal

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The Giants are nearing a two-year contract with Tim Lincecum, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The Beverly Hills Sports Council client is "very, very close" to an extension worth a little more than $40MM. A two-year deal would buy out the right-hander's final two seasons of arbitration eligibility and avoid a potentially historic hearing.

Lincecum filed for a $21.5MM salary through arbitration and the Giants countered at $17MM, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows. Both figures set new records for players with less than six years of service time. Derek Jeter ($18.5MM) and the Yankees ($14.25MM) had established the previous marks more than a decade ago, in 2001.

Lincecum, 27, has a 2.98 ERA with 9.9 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and a 47.1% ground ball rate in 1028 career innings. He already has two Cy Young Awards and four All-Star Game selections to his name. Only four pitchers – Roy Halladay, C.C. Sabathia, Justin Verlander and Dan Haren – have produced more wins above replacement since 2007, Lincecum's rookie season.

This post was first published on Tuesday, January 24th, 2012.

Quick Hits: Pineda, Posada, White Sox, Dodgers

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Today the Yankees and Mariners announced the trade that will send right-handers Michael Pineda and Jose Campos to New York for catcher/DH Jesus Montero and right-hander Hector Noesi. Here are some links for Monday, starting with a couple of notes related to the blockbuster swap…

  • In this week’s edition of Ask BA, Jim Callis of Baseball America explains that he prefers Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish over Pineda in the long term. However, Pineda isn't far behind Darvish in Callis’ estimation.
  • One scout says Noesi could be the "surprise piece" for the Mariners, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
  • Jorge Posada will discuss his retirement at a press conference at Yankee Stadium tomorrow morning, the Yankees announced. News broke a couple of weeks ago that the long time backstop has decided to call it a career.
  • Pita Rona, a 17-year-old New Zealand native, signed with the Orioles, TVNZ reports. Director of international operations David Stockstill and GM Dan Duquette confirmed the move. New Zealand has yet to produce a Major League player.
  •  The White Sox announced that they promoted former player and manager Buddy Bell to the role of VP, player development and special assignments.
  • The first financial proposals to buy the Dodgers arrived over the weekend and the soft deadline for submissions is today, Yahoo’s Tim Brown tweets.

Minor Moves: Rangers, Stults, Olmedo, Young

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Here are today's minor moves…

  • The Rangers signed right-hander Sean Green and left-hander Mitch Stetter to minor league contracts that include invitations to Spring Training, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan writes.
  • The White Sox agreed to sign left-handers Leyson Septimo and Eric Stults, catcher Hector Gimenez, infielder Ray Olmedo and outfielder Delwyn Young to minor-league contracts that include invitations to Spring Training, the team announced. Stults, 32, appeared in six games with the 2011 Rockies and also has experience with the Dodgers. Young played for the Dodgers and Pirates from 2006-10, but spent the 2011 season at Triple-A, where he posted a .685 OPS in 480 plate appearances. Gimenez appeared in four games with the 2011 Dodgers and Olmedo played for the Reds and Blue Jays from 2003-07.
  • The club confirmed its deals with Brian Bruney, Dallas McPherson and Damaso Espino.

Reds Sign Willie Harris

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3:22pm: The sides agreed to a minor league deal, according to Fay on Twitter. Harris can earn an $800K salary if he makes the Reds out of Spring Training and the deal includes another $200K in incentives, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.

1:48pm: Reds manager Dusty Baker says the team signed Willie Harris, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. Paragon Sports International represents the versatile 33-year-old.

Harris spent the 2011 campaign with the Mets after a three-year stint in Washington. He posted a .246/.351/.317 line in 283 plate appearances last year, when he earned a base salary of $800K. He can play all three outfield positions plus second and third and owns a .330 on-base percentage in 11 seasons. The Nationals and Mets were also linked to Harris this offseason.

Many Teams Eyeing Gerardo Concepcion

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Cuban left-hander Gerardo Concepcion has been declared a free agent and is drawing interest from many MLB teams, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports. The 18-year-old recently established residency in Mexico and was said to be close to declaring free agency last week.

The Rangers, Yankees, Cubs and White Sox have expressed the most interest in Concepcion, agent Jaime Torres said. The lefty worked out in front of Rangers personnel, including Nolan Ryan, in the Dominican Republic today. The Phillies, Giants, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Royals have also expressed interest.

Concepcion has an offer on the table and will likely sign within two weeks, according to his agent. He defected from Cuba last June while playing in the Netherlands.

Mariners, Yankees Swap Pineda For Montero

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The Mariners needed hitting, the Yankees needed pitching.  The two teams addressed each other's needs in a blockbuster trade of young stars, as right-handers Michael Pineda and Jose Campos will go to the Bronx in exchange for catcher/DH Jesus Montero and righty Hector Noesi.  Both teams confirmed the trade this afternoon.

Pineda

The Yankees re-signed C.C. Sabathia and Freddy Garcia this winter, but those moves amounted to just standing pat with a rotation that (after Sabathia) contained several question marks.  In Pineda, however, the Yankees now have one of the top young arms in the game and one who has already showed he can perform at the Major League level.  Pineda (pictured) posted a 3.74 ERA, a 3.15 K/BB ratio and a 9.1 K/9 rate in 28 starts last season, earning an All-Star appearance and a fifth-place finish in the AL Rookie Of The Year vote.  Pineda recently turned 23 and is under club control through 2016.

Campos, 19, is another intriguing young arm.  John Sickels of Minor League Ball ranked Campos as the fifth-best prospect in Seattle's system going into 2012, noting that while Campos' secondary pitches need some polish, "his upside is very high, he throws hard, and already throws strikes."  Campos is coming off a dominant campaign in low Class-A ball in 2011, posting a 2.32 ERA and a whopping 6.54 K/BB in 14 starts.  Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears from an NL executive that if Campos was in this year's amateur draft, "he is [a] no-doubt top-10 pick" (Twitter link).

Montero was a top-four prospect in both 2010 and 2011 according to Baseball America and the 22-year-old showed why when he posted a .996 OPS in 69 September plate appearances.  Montero was drafted as a catcher but questions about his defensive capabilities had several pundits projecting his long-term future to be at designated hitter or first base.  In New York, these spots will be blocked by Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez for the next several seasons, but the bat-starved Mariners have plenty of room in the lineup.  Montero immediately projects as Seattle's probable #3 hitter, splitting time between DH and catcher, and it's easy to see Montero hitting behind Dustin Ackley for years to come.

Montero was very nearly a Mariner in July 2010, as he headlined a prospect package the Yankees were ready to send to Seattle for Cliff Lee.  The M's, however, pulled out of that trade and ended up dealing Lee to the Rangers.  Yankees management was reportedly upset that the Mariners pulled out of the deal at the last minute, but whatever hard feelings existed between the two clubs clearly weren't enough to keep them from doing business 18 months later.

Noesi appeared in 30 games for New York last season (two of them starts), posting a 4.47 ERA and a 2.05 K/BB ratio.  Noesi turns 25 later this month and amassed impressive numbers over six seasons in the Yankee farm system.  Noesi should get a shot at filling Pineda's rotation spot in Seattle and could blossom at pitcher-friendly Safeco Field. 

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com was the first to announce the trade as official, with MLB.com's Greg Johns adding Campos and Noesi's involvement.  ESPN's Jerry Crasnick first heard of a "significant trade" involving a "young impact hitter" coming to the Mariners earlier today, and Larry Stone of the Seattle Times was the first to cite Pineda and Montero in the deal, as he had heard "rumblings in that direction."

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Diamondbacks Claim Craig Tatum

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The Diamondbacks claimed catcher Craig Tatum off of waivers from the Astros, ESPN.com's Keith Law tweets. The Astros designated Tatum for assignment last week to create roster space for Jack Cust. The 28-year-old backstop will provide the Diamondbacks with another option behind Miguel Montero and Henry Blanco.

The Astros had claimed Tatum from the Orioles in October. He has three partial seasons of catching experience at the Major League level and isn't yet eligible for arbitration. He has a .223/.291/.264 line in 299 MLB plate appearances and has stopped 21% of stolen base attempts against him. In eight seasons as a minor leaguer, the 2004 third round pick has a .249/.316/.377 batting line and has stopped 35% of stolen base attempts. 

The Diamondbacks, who have confirmed the move, note that their 40-man roster is full.

Rays Interested In Jeff Keppinger

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The Rays have expressed interest in free agent infielder Jeff Keppinger, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick tweets. The CSE client is still in contact with multiple clubs.

Keppinger posted a .277/.300/.377 line in 399 plate appearances for the Astros and Giants in 2011. The 31-year-old only played second base last year, but he has started 80-plus games at shortstop and third base in his seven-year career. Keppinger earned $2.3MM last year and would have obtained a raise through arbitration, so the Giants non-tendered him in December, holding onto Mike Fontenot instead. It wouldn't be a surprise to see clubs such as the Yankees and Mariners express interest in Keppinger.

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