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Quick Hits: Cain, Garland, Guillen, Flores, Chen

By Mike Axisa | February 18, 2012 at 10:15pm CDT

Spring Training complexes in Florida and Arizona are starting to come alive with baseball activity, but there are meaningful games already being played all across the country. Stanford right-hander Mark Appel – the current favorite to go first overall in this year's draft – allowed just two hits and one run in seven innings against Vanderbilt yesterday, kicking off the NCAA baseball season. Here's the latest from around the big leagues…

  • “We’d all like something resolved by the end of spring training,” said Matt Cain to Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com when asked about a contract extension. “I don’t think either side wants that to linger into the season.” Cain has already indicated that he will not give the Giants a hometown discount after already signing one team friendly contract.
  • Jon Garland will take his physical on Monday, reports Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland-Plain Dealer (on Twitter). Garland agreed to a minor league deal with the Indians earlier this week, but the physical is far from routine after shoulder surgery.
  • Carlos Guillen told MLB.com's Greg Johns that he had other opportunities, but chose to return to the Mariners on a minor league contract. "I decided to come here because this is my first house," he said. "I know the city, and I'm happy to be back."
  • Jesus Flores told Amanda Comak of The Washington Times that he hadn't planned on being a backup catcher at this point of his career, but asking the Nationals for a trade is "not on [his] mind." The 27-year-old Flores will backup Wilson Ramos this season.
  • Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen hasn't even thrown a pitch since signing a three-year, sub-$12MM deal with Orioles earlier this offseason, but he's already told Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun that he hopes to stay in MLB for the next ten years (Twitter link).
  • Rod Barajas told MLB.com's Tom Singer that he's excited to be reunited with A.J. Burnett. Barajas and Burnett played together with the Blue Jays before both landing with the Pirates this offseason.
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Baltimore Orioles Cleveland Guardians San Francisco Giants Seattle Mariners Carlos Guillen Jon Garland Matt Cain Wei-Yin Chen

Cubs May Start Extension Talks With Garza Soon
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Cafardo On Soler, Gonzalez, Ibanez, Abreu, Kazmir
View Comments (52)
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52 Comments

  1. Matt R.

    14 years ago

    I think that all these international signings are a good thing, honestly, but players like Chen, Darvish, Soler, Cespedes, Aoki, etc. have a ton of risk, right (some more than others)? Matsuzaka, Fukudome, Igawa etc. haven’t worked out as well as their respective teams hoped for. Oswalt and Damon are still unsigned despite it being easier to anticipate what kind of production they might offer at least this year.

    Reply
    • Timothy J. Franklin Williams

      14 years ago

      Baseball got silly.

      Reply
    • bjsguess

      14 years ago

      These international signings are viewed more like the lottery. You will probably swing and miss but when you hit it big you could have something amazing. The value that a guy like Ichiro brought to the M’s is amazing. Even someone like Kendrys Morales who developed slow and has spent the past 1.5 years on the DL was a huge boon for the Angels since he only cost them $6m.

      Reply
  2. 55saveslives

    14 years ago

    Cain’s contract was a great deal for both sides.  He’s gets $15 mill this year at the tail end of a 3 yr contract and is 27.  Don’t really see that as team friendly.

    Reply
    • Timothy J. Franklin Williams

      14 years ago

      He cant Caintain him self, he wants to get paid.

      Reply
      • 55saveslives

        14 years ago

        It’s fine he wants to get paid, but if he’s acting like he did us a favor with his previous contract….

        Reply
        • Timothy J. Franklin Williams

          14 years ago

          I was making a ha ha but in all seriousness, I personally think (or wish) that Baseball players wouldn’t become these money seeking sharks, stick to their respective teams and just be happy and play the greatest sport. I mean come on, I’d be happy if I received $1000. Wouldn’t we all? 

          Reply
          • 55saveslives

            14 years ago

            I’d be happy with all you can eat sunflower seeds! lol

            Reply
            • Timothy J. Franklin Williams

              14 years ago

              Now that would be amazing!!

              Reply
          • Phillibuster

            14 years ago

            If it were our career, that we had devote full-time to for over 9 months a year?  No, I wouldn’t be happy with $1,000.

            That said, I’d do it for league minimum.

            Reply
            • Clayton Wilson

              14 years ago

              If travel, housing, and food expenses were all paid that would be enough for me.

              Reply
              • Phillibuster

                14 years ago

                Except housing and food expenses aren’t included, and travel only is when it’s a matter of going to or returning from away games.

                Add to that the fact that you have to spend 3+ hours/day working out, and you have to interact with the media or pay fines…

                Reply
            • Timothy J. Franklin Williams

              14 years ago

              I definitely ment if I got $1000 right now I would be happy, philliflusterd.

              Reply
              • Phillibuster

                14 years ago

                Oh snap!  Making fun my name!  You sure got me good!

                That aside, you’re acting like it’s not their careers, when it is. Sure, I’d love a grand more in the bank, but considering my career isn’t nearly as challenging (at any given moment, anyway) as an MLB player’s…

                Reply
                • Timothy J. Franklin Williams

                  14 years ago

                  All giggles Phillibuster! You’re a good dude. 

                  Reply
                  • Phillibuster

                    14 years ago

                    Or dudette?

                    Nah, dude.

                    Reply
                    • Timothy J. Franklin Williams

                      14 years ago

                      Now I’ll never know.

                      Reply
                      • Phillibuster

                        14 years ago

                        National (league) [neutral term] of mystery!

                        Reply
            • owlssc

              14 years ago

               I have to agree. I need to have money to survive that other three months.

              Reply
        • Amish_willy

          14 years ago

          He signed his 3-year deal at the same time Timmay signed his 2-year deal. One guy postponed his date with free agency by a year, the other didn’t. Of course all the three year deal did was lock-in his option rate for 2011 from his previous contract while adding the 15m guarantee for 2012. Personally I think most guys don’t sign the deal Cain did. They play out their current contract and get to free agency a year earlier.  

          Put me down for a 5/100m extension for Cain with Lincecum leaving in two years. If Cain hits free agency with another Cain-like year, 6/120m seems reasonable.

          Reply
        • mstrchef13

          14 years ago

          He did. Imagine if he and Lincecum both went to arbitration every year. How much did SF save by not having that happen?

          Reply
    • bjsguess

      14 years ago

      It was very team friendly.

      Y1 Arb – $2.6m
      Y2 Arb – $4.25m
      Y3 Arb – $7m
      FA Y1 – $15m

      Compare that someone like Jered Weaver …

      Y1 Arb – $4.25m
      Y2 Arb – $7.37m (lost arbitration case)
      Y3 Arb – $14m
      FA Y1 – $16m

      Covering those same years Cain will earn $29m to Weaver’s $42m and that is with Weaver signing a team friendly contract to cover his last year of arb and 1st year of FA.

      They are both very comparable pitchers and yet Cain will earn $13m less than Weaver over the same period of their career. Cain signed an extremely team friendly deal. Not Evan Longoria friendly but certainly well below market rate. 

      Reply
      • Amish_willy

        14 years ago

        It all goes back to his original 4/9m deal he signed. His new contract essentially covered year 4 of the original one, excercised the 5th year option with a slight raise, while tacking on the 15m salary for his first free agent year. It was a bargain for the Giants, but it was that way because they signed him after he only had one full season in the majors.

        Adrian Gonzalez signed a very similar deal with the Padres in terms of money and time/years, unfortunately for San Diego, prior to 2010 season he wasn’t willing to tack on a 15m free agent year simply by having the team excercise his 6-7m option for the upcoming season a year early.

        Reply
  3. Timothy J. Franklin Williams

    14 years ago

    Carlos Guillen got sad because no one wanted him.

    Reply
    • johnsmith4

      14 years ago

      Do you think his agent explained to him a minor league contract means he won’t play in Seattle during the season?

      Reply
      • Timothy J. Franklin Williams

        14 years ago

        Are you a Mariners fan?

        Reply
      • bjsguess

        14 years ago

        I don’t see much difference between Seattle’s minor league roster and their major league roster. Plenty of those guys could get moved around. For a guy like Guillen playing for the M’s represents one of his best chances to get AB’s at the major league level.

        Reply
        • Timothy J. Franklin Williams

          14 years ago

          agreed.

          Reply
  4. MNTwins12

    14 years ago

    Mark Appel looks like he’s a great pitcher, and I hope that he’s available in the draft when it’s time for the Twins to make their pick. He reminds me of a pitcher by the name of Justin Verlander, and he just might be the ace that the Twins have been lacking since Matt Garza and Johan Santana were traded.

    Reply
    • Snoochies8

      14 years ago

      that whole stanford squad is looooooooaded. three  possible 1st rounders and a couple more high round draft possibles, just insane. 

      Reply
    • cards2WS

      14 years ago

      Astros are probably gonna take him. They lack any kinds of quality pitching, and this guy is legit. Huge mistake if he slips by.

      Does anyone know what kind of draft this is? Pitching heavy, bat heavy, HS heavy, College heavy, balanced, weak, strong, etc.

      Reply
      • Snoochies8

        14 years ago

        appel is legit, but so is giolito, can’t really go wrong with either one

        Reply
      • MNTwins12

        14 years ago

        Do the Astros really have worse pitching prospects than the Twins? Wow, that’s really difficult to imagine.

        Reply
        • Timothy J. Franklin Williams

          14 years ago

          You dont like Scott Diamond? jk, I live in Rochester so I go to all the AAA games. They could use a little help. But I am excited about this season.

          Reply
          • Timothy J. Franklin Williams

            14 years ago

            Well, excited for the Red Wing season because they really couldn’t be any worse. Also like 46 Scranton Yankees home games are being played in Rochester this year. That helps.

            Reply
          • MNTwins12

            14 years ago

            I like watching Anthony Swarzak pitch, but I don’t think he’ll be any better than a 4th or 5th starter. I’m not very excited about any other pitcher in the Twins farm system besides Gibson, and he won’t be pitching for a while after his surgery.

            Reply
  5. Remember92

    14 years ago

    Beep, beep, beep, beep. That’s the sound of the truckload of money being backed up and dumped on Cain.

    Reply
    • Timothy J. Franklin Williams

      14 years ago

      Make it Cain.

      Reply
      • William Kafer

        14 years ago

         Yes we Cain!

        Reply
        • Phillibuster

          14 years ago

           It’ll take a contract over nine nine nine…

          Reply
      • NickinIthaca

        14 years ago

        Only if Pacman’s there!

        Reply
  6. cards2WS

    14 years ago

    Ahhhhhhh!!!! Too many Cain jokes!!!

    Reply
    • Infield Fly

      14 years ago

      I’ll bet you just Cain’t wait ’til they stop, huh?! 😉

      Reply
      • William Kafer

        14 years ago

         You’re just no Mattch for him.

        Reply
    • CAD_Monkey

      14 years ago

      Are all of these puns annoying Yu?

      …oops, wrong article!

      Reply
  7. slogar1

    14 years ago

    Wait a minute, this is what was posted “Cain has already indicated that he will not give the Giants a hometown discount”.  The link states “You definitely love being in San Francisco, and we do. We have a year till free agency. That’s something as a player you think about, having that opportunity. It’s hard to say what will happen in these next several months.”
    How is that indicating he will not give the Giants a hometown discount?

    Reply
    • FrnchDp

      14 years ago

      He already gave them discounts in the previous extension. He wants to stay a Giant, but wants to be paid what he’s worth.  Can’t blame him.  Giants need to pony up and pay the man.

      Reply
  8. Timothy J. Franklin Williams

    14 years ago

    I’ve never understood Jon Garland. I think I’m going to start a band called Jon Garland’s Career.

    Reply
    • Timothy J. Franklin Williams

      14 years ago

      Jon Garland is to baseball as John Cusack is to acting.

      Reply
      • NickinIthaca

        14 years ago

        If Jon Garland’s 2012 is anything like John Cusacks movie of the same name then God help us all!

        Reply
  9. johnrhee

    14 years ago

    Carlos Guillen is a good digning for the Mariners to get the offense going for the young ballclub after struggling last year when the team lost 17 games in a row at one point. GM Jack Z better not be finished w/ free agency as Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, and Vladimir Guerrero are still out there to sign one of them by helping out the young team this season. Trading Chone Figgins may open up a roster spot for one of those valuable veteran players.

    Reply

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