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Archives for January 2012

Nationals Notes: Ankiel, Rodriguez, Hernandez, Coffey

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Most of the current chatter surrounding the Nationals focuses on a certain free agent first baseman, but as Amanda Comak of the Washington Times explains, the team also seeks bench and bullpen help. Here are the details:

  • The Nationals haven’t ruled out bringing Rick Ankiel back, partly because they like his defense and influence in the clubhouse.
  • We shouldn’t expect the Nationals to re-sign Ivan Rodriguez or Livan Hernandez, Comak writes. The door has been ‘closed’ on Hernandez, as the team no longer has room on its roster or openings in its rotation.
  • There's a 50-50 chance free agent reliever Todd Coffey returns to the Nationals, tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Ladson says the Brewers still have interest in Coffey, who has also drawn interest from the Angels and Mets.

Heyman On Rizzo, Rangers, Webb, Jackson

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The Cubs acquired Anthony Rizzo from the Padres today, but they weren’t the only team with interest in the first base prospect. The Indians, Blue Jays and Rays also had some interest in Rizzo, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Here are more notes from Heyman (they all go to Twitter):

Red Sox, Mariners Interested In Maholm

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The Red Sox and Mariners are among the teams interested in Paul Maholm, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Cubs and Orioles are still in on the free agent left-hander and the Pirates remain in touch with him. The Padres have also been linked to Maholm, a Bo McKinnis client.

Maholm, 29, posted a 3.66 ERA with 5.4 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and 49.9% ground ball rate in 162 1/3 innings for the Pirates in 2011. He spent the end of the season on the disabled list recovering from a shoulder injury and the Pirates chose a $750K buyout over a $9.75MM club option in October.

The Red Sox could use rotation depth behind Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and Daniel Bard. The Mariners, who locked up Hisashi Iwakuma yesterday, are open to the idea of adding another veteran arm if the price is right, according to Rosenthal.

Rosenthal On Garza, Turner, Madson, Lee

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The Cubs have traded Sean Marshall, Carlos Zambrano and Andrew Cashner in recent weeks. Could Matt Garza be next? Ken Rosenthal of FOX breaks down the market for Garza and offers more rumors from around the league:

  • Cubs execs Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer are alarmed by the lack of minor league talent in their own system, so trading Garza might appeal to them. The Yankees, one possible suitor for the right-hander, have had concerns about Garza’s ability to handle New York in the past, Rosenthal reports.
  • Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski has said he’s not looking to trade Jacob Turner, but Rosenthal hears the young right-hander is available in the right deal.
  • A contender like the Cardinals could make a surprise play for Ryan Madson, but the market for the free agent closer currently looks thin. Agent Scott Boras may wait until Spring Training to find a deal, as he has done in the past.
  • Free agent first baseman Derrek Lee expects to land a full-time job, Rosenthal reports. I examined the first base market yesterday.
  • The Mariners, who added Hisashi Iwakuma yesterday, are open to signing a veteran at the right price, Rosenthal tweets.

Cubs Acquire Anthony Rizzo

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The Cubs have acquired first baseman Anthony Rizzo and right-hander Zach Cates from the Padres for right-hander Andrew Cashner and outfielder Kyung-Min Na, the teams announced. The move provides the Cubs with a potential long-term first baseman and makes room for another first baseman in San Diego.

Anthony Rizzo - Padres

“The acquisition of Yonder Alonso provided us the flexibility to make this trade and acquire a quality, young power arm in Andrew Cashner,” Padres GM Josh Byrnes said. “We are happy to add a pitcher with the pedigree of Cashner and an outfielder with the athleticism of Na.”

The Cubs are presumably out of the running for free agent Prince Fielder with the acquisition of Rizzo. Bryan LaHair will open the season as the Cubs' everyday first baseman and Rizzo will play at Triple-A, GM Jed Hoyer said, tweets Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.

Rizzo, 22, debuted with the Padres last year, posting a .141/.281/.242 line in a 153 plate appearance cameo. He spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a .331/.404/.652 line and hit 26 homers in 413 plate appearances. Baseball America ranked him 75 among MLB prospects entering the 2011 season and first among Padres prospects after the campaign ended. Even if Rizzo (pictured) sticks in the Major Leagues from this point on, he'll be under team control through 2017.

Cates, a 2010 third rounder, made his professional debut in 2011. The 22-year-old posted a 4.73 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 118 innings as a starter at Class A.

Cashner, 25, has a 4.29 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 in 65 innings over the course of two seasons with the Cubs. The 2008 first rounder spent much of the 2011 season on the 60-day disabled list with a strained right rotator cuff, but returned to make six appearances in September. He'll be under team control through 2016. The Padres will use Cashner out of the bullpen, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets.

Na, 20, has a .244/.335/.284 line in 519 plate appearances over the course of two seasons in the lower levels of the minor leagues. He has played all three outfield positions professionally and spent most of his time in center.

When the Red Sox drafted Rizzo in the sixth round of the 2007 draft, current Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein was Boston's GM, Hoyer was his assistant GM and Jason McLeod was his scouting director. Hoyer, McLeod, Byrnes and the Padres acquired Rizzo from Epstein and the Red Sox in last offseason's Adrian Gonzalez deal. It's worth noting that Byrnes worked with Hoyer and Epstein in Boston before becoming Arizona's GM in 2005. 

Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

Potential Teams For Remaining Designated Hitters

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Johnny Damon, Vladimir Guerrero, Hideki Matsui, Magglio Ordonez and Luke Scott highlight the list of unsigned designated hitters. Jorge Posada and Manny Ramirez are also out there and Bobby Abreu and Alfonso Soriano could become available in trades. Some would say free agent first baseman Prince Fielder is well on his way to becoming a DH, but he’ll presumably sign as a first baseman. 

The market for designated hitters tends to favor buyers and this year is no exception. Here's a look at the American League teams with possible DH openings:

  • Rays – When the offseason began, Andrew Friedman spoke about his intention to add offense without sacrificing defense. The Rays have an opening at DH, the one spot in the lineup where defense doesn't matter at all. The Rays will likely add a bat or two before Opening Day, perhaps a DH.
  • Blue Jays – Edwin Encarnacion finished the 2011 season strong and projects as the Blue Jays' DH heading into 2012.
  • Orioles – The Orioles appear to have expressed some interest Soriano and Scott, which shows they're open to a DH-type acquisition.
  • Twins – The Twins no longer have Jim Thome, Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel and Delmon Young around, but Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer and Ryan Doumit could be in the DH mix in 2012. It'd be a surprise if they add a high-profile DH.
  • Athletics – Brandon Allen, Daric Barton, Chris Carter and Kila Ka'aihue figure to compete for playing time at first base and could enter the DH mix. Oakland hasn’t been a top destination for free agent bats in recent years, but agents for unsigned DHs may give Billy Beane a call to determine his interest in adding a hitter.
  • Mariners – The Mariners don't have a fixture at DH. Left fielders Mike Carp and Casper Wells project as DH options for manager Eric Wedge.

Prince Fielder Rumors: Friday

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Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said yesterday that first base is “settled” in Washington, but acknowledged that Prince Fielder will make a major impact on his next team. The Nationals continue to be linked to Fielder, though they say they're content with Adam LaRoche at first base. Here's the latest on Fielder, with the most recent rumors up top:

  • The Rangers have “one eye” on Fielder, but locking up Yu Darvish remains their number one goal, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. If they sign Darvish, as expected, the chances of a deal with Fielder will drop.
  • In some corners of the Nationals organization, there’s “great skepticism” about a very long-term deal for Fielder, tweets ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. Owner Ted Lerner figures to have the final say in the matter.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Zambrano, Quentin, Garza

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On this date in 2006, the Diamondbacks came to terms with Justin Upton after making him the first overall pick in the 2005 draft. The signing deadline back then was the next year's draft, not mid-August. Upton received a $6.1MM bonus, the largest ever given out as part of a minor league contract for a drafted player at the time. He mashed his way to the big leagues less than two years later and already has two All-Star Game nods to his credit. Upton also finished fourth in the NL MVP voting this year after hitting .289/.369/.529 with 31 homers. Here are the first links of 2012…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.

Alex Cora Likely To Play In 2012

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Free agent utility player Alex Cora is drawing interest as a player and as a coach, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports. The 14-year veteran will probably choose to play another year, according to Heyman.

Cora posted a .224/.287/.276 line in 172 plate appearances for the Nationals in 2011, playing all four infield positions. The 36-year-old Boras Corporation client has a .243/.310/.338 career line since breaking in to the Major Leagues as a member of the 1998 Dodgers. As the 2011 ended, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reported that teams have inquired about Cora's interest in managing. Washington GM Mike Rizzo has interest in Cora as a future coach.

Orioles, Cubs Discussed Alfonso Soriano

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The Orioles and Cubs have discussed a trade involving Alfonso Soriano, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported yesterday that a couple of teams have inquired about Soriano and at this point there's no indication that Baltimore GM Dan Duquette is close to adding Soriano to the left field/designated hitter mix.

Soriano posted a .244/.289/.469 line with 26 home runs last season and is under contract through 2014. There’s $54MM remaining on the 35-year-old left fielder's contract and his no-trade clause allows him to block trades. The Cubs would presumably have to absorb upwards of $40MM to facilitate a deal. Earlier in the week, they sent Carlos Zambrano to the Marlins, absorbing $15.5MM of his $18MM salary in the process.

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