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Latest On Cole Hamels

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3:15pm: The sides aren't close to a deal, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets.

1:41pm: Negotiations between the Phillies and lefty Cole Hamels are heating up, in the opinion of Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.  Hamels' agent John Boggs is spending the week in the Clearwater area and has been talking to Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr.  Boggs finds a deal unlikely before he leaves, but he's not setting a deadline.

For Hamels' vague thoughts on his next contract from a few weeks ago, click here.  Hamels, Matt Cain, Zack Greinke, Anibal Sanchez, and Brandon McCarthy are the best starters eligible for free agency after the 2012 season.

Dennys Reyes Still Plans To Pitch For Orioles

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The Orioles released reliever Dennys Reyes over the weekend when he didn't report to camp, but the lefty still plans to pitch for the team this season, he told Fernando Ballesteros at Puro Beisbol yesterday (link in Spanish). Reyes says he has a torn tendon in the middle finger of his pitching hand, which he suffered in the final game of the Mexican winter league. The 34-year-old is seeing a specialist in Los Angeles today to determine if it will require surgery.

"They had to release me because they couldn't pay my contract with me being here (in Mexico)," Reyes said of the Orioles, adding that he talked with the team's front office to ask permission to continue his rehabilitation in Mexico. "If they hadn't released me, I could have complained to the Player's Union in order to get them to pay me. Unofficially, I still belong to them."

Reyes made just four appearances in 2011 after signing a minor league deal with the Red Sox, and he was placed on the restricted list in May when he needed time at home in Mexico. He told Ballesteros that he still has "important things to do at home with my family," but he's not done with baseball. "I still don't know if I'm going to play this season," he said. "But I'm not going to retire yet, because I feel good and my arm is healthy. I believe I have two or three more years in my career."

Angels Seek Lefty Reliever

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The Angels are looking around for a left-handed reliever, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.  Having committed $23MM to Scott Downs and Hisanori Takahashi during the 2010-11 offseason, left-handed relief is a surprising target.

During this offseason, the Angels signed righty relievers LaTroy Hawkins and Jason Isringhausen.  If they focus on a southpaw, Mike Gonzalez and Arthur Rhodes are still on the free agent market.  Matt Thornton, Will Ohman, and Sean Burnett are a few that might be available in trade, in my estimation.

Some people who talk with the Angels are convinced they'll trade designated hitter Bobby Abreu this spring, adds Knobler, and perhaps they can kill two birds with one stone.  Abreu, 38 this month, hit .253/.353/.365 last year and is owed $9MM in 2012.

Carlos Guillen Retires

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Infielder Carlos Guillen announced his retirement today, according to the Mariners on Twitter.  He'd returned to his old team this offseason on a minor league deal.

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Guillen, 36, has spent an increasing amount of time on the disabled list in the last four seasons.  In a 14-year career for the Mariners and Tigers, he hit .285/.355/.443 with 124 home runs in 1,305 games.  He was a three-time All-Star with the Tigers, garnering MVP votes in '04 and '06.  The Venezuelan spent the bulk of his career at shortstop, but also logged innings at the other infield positions and left field.  Baseball-Reference indicates he earned about $69MM in his career, which included a four-year, $48MM contract with Detroit.  Guillen came up through the Astros' farm system, but was traded with Freddy Garcia and (eventually) John Halama to the Mariners for Randy Johnson at the July 1998 deadline.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Pirates Extend Andrew McCutchen

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Andrew McCutchen is officially the face of the Pirates through at least 2017.  The team announced his new six-year contract today, which reportedly guarantees $51.5MM and has a seventh year club option.  Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has the salary breakdown.

McCutchen's contract buys out his final pre-arbitration year, all three arbitration years, and a pair of free agent seasons with a club option for another. The Pirates now control their young superstar through the 2017 or 2018, having previously controlled him through 2015.

McCutchen

The 25-year-old, represented by Steve Hammond of Aegis Sports Management, has just two fewer days of service time than Jay Bruce did when he signed nearly the same deal — six years and $51MM. Likewise, Justin Upton had less than three years of service time when the Diamondbacks locked him up for six years and $51.25MM. The Pirates, like the Reds, were able to secure a club option, which Arizona failed to do in Upton's case.  MLBTR's Tim Dierkes examined McCutchen's case last May, noting how he'd played significantly more games than Upton and deserved at least as much money.

Pittsburgh selected McCutchen with the 11th overall pick in the 2005 draft. He debuted as a 22-year-old in 2009, and has since tallied 420 big league games while hitting a strong .276/.365/.458 with 51 homers and 78 steals. Ultimate zone rating hasn't been kind to McCutchen's defense thus far in his career, but he did post a positive mark for the first time in 2011, checking in with a UZR/150 of +3.3.

The Pirates have long been interested in locking McCutchen up, and now should have two-thirds of their outfield set for many years. Last August, the team secured a multi-year deal with Jose Tabata as well, inking a six-year guarantee with club options that run through the 2019 season.

As MLBTR's Transaction Tracker shows, general manager Neal Huntington has architected multi-year deals in the past for Tabata, Nate McLouth, Freddy Sanchez, Paul Maholm, Matt Capps, and Ian Snell, though none of those deals were anywhere near this magnitude. McCutchen's guarantee falls just shy of Jason Kendall's record for the largest contract in franchise history; Kendall received $60MM over six years back in November of 2000.

Michael Sanserino of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first broke news of McCutchen's contract Sunday night.  Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

2013 Vesting Options

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Which players can lock in 2013 contract options based on their 2012 performance?  Let's take a look.

  • Jason Bartlett, Padres: $5.5MM option vests with 432 plate appearances.
  • Alex Gonzalez, Brewers: $4MM option vests with 525 plate appearances.
  • Chipper Jones, Braves: $9MM+ option vests with 123 games.
  • Kevin Gregg, Orioles: $6MM option vests with 50 games finished.
  • Brett Myers, Astros: $10MM option vests based on unknown starting or relieving milestones.

Trade Candidate: John Lannan

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John Lannan and Chien-Ming Wang are currently battling for the Nationals' fifth starter job, a competition created by the team's Edwin Jackson signing last month.  Since Wang was re-signed as a free agent in November, Lannan seems more likely to be traded this spring.

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Lannan, a 27-year-old southpaw, posted a 3.70 ERA, 5.2 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, 0.73 HR/9, and 54.1% groundball rate in 184 2/3 innings last year.  Though his career ERA sits at an even 4.00, Lannan's recent SIERA figures suggest he's more of a 4.50-type pitcher.  He's pitched 182 or more innings in each of the last four seasons, including a minor league stint in 2010.  Lannan takes the ball every fifth day, and his groundball rate ranked sixth in the National League in 2011.

With a $5MM salary, Lannan provides a modest amount of surplus value.  He's technically under team control through 2013, but if another typical season pushes him to the $7.5MM salary range for that season, he might be non-tendered this December.  So, Lannan's trade value lies mostly with the 2012 season.

It's difficult to find a team with a big need for $5MM innings guy right now.  The Brewers may have mild concerns over Shaun Marcum's shoulder, but Marco Estrada would be a suitable fill-in.  A.J. Burnett's Pirates debut may be delayed until June due to a broken orbital bone beneath his eye, but would the team be inclined to spend an additional $5MM because of that half-season injury?  The Giants' Ryan Vogelsong is dealing with back pain, but he'll miss less time than Burnett.  The Angels have standard fifth starter uncertainty given Jerome Williams' hamstring injury, but not enough to necessitate an acquisition.

The Orioles' rotation has its share of aches and pains, but plenty of candidates as well.  The Red Sox and Blue Jays could use some depth, but their current candidates are more interesting than Lannan, if less reliable.  The Indians have four pitchers vying for their fifth starter job.

The Tigers seem a bit more open than most to adding a starting pitcher, though presumably not at the cost of $5MM and/or a useful young player.  There's also a case for the Athletics to add someone like Lannan.  Overall, though, it's clearly a buyer's market if the Nationals look to trade the lefty.  Though GM Mike Rizzo has said he's always open-minded to any deal that positively impacts the club, I don't think it'll happen with Lannan this spring unless another club suffers a major loss in its rotation.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Latest On Matt Cain

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The Giants and Matt Cain appear to have positive momentum in contract extension talks, based on this passage from Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com:

From what I’ve been told, the two sides have reached greater common ground in recent weeks. Cain wants to stay and the Giants have the wherewithal to keep him. Those tend to be the most important factors. It’ll be a surprise to many, both in the organization and out, if Cain’s deal doesn’t get done before the season starts.

The Giants open the season in Arizona one month from today.  Cain, a CAA Sports client, has signed extensions with the Giants twice before.  The second contract bought out one free agent year, giving Cain a $15MM salary in 2012 before he's eligible for free agency.  As a 27-year-old in his prime, Cain should become the seventh pitcher in baseball history to sign for more than $100MM.  There's "no shot" he signs for less, a person familiar with the situation told Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

Quick Hits: Fielder, Mets, Harper

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It's only Spring Training, but Jerry Dipoto's new additions looked good in the Angels’ exhibition contest today, as Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times explains. Albert Pujols collected two hits, C.J. Wilson and Brad Mills each pitched two scoreless innings and Chris Iannetta homered. Here are today's links… 

  • Prince Fielder told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that joining the Tigers was 'a dream come true' that he didn't even dream about. GM Dave Dombrowski says owner Mike Ilitch's aggressiveness made the $214MM Fielder deal possible. "He is in a situation where he wants to win,'' Dombrowski said. 
  • Mets owner Fred Wilpon will have to pay as much as $83.3MM, a court ruled today, according to ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin. Irving Picard seeks to recover that sum for losers in Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme. All but $1.7MM of that amount is associated with Wilpon's other businesses and charities, so in theory the Mets won't be affected substantially. 
  • Agent Scott Boras suggested the Mets would be better off if their current owners are replaced, Vincent M. Mallozzi of the New York Times writes. "There has to be an equation where there are requirements for ownership to perform at certain levels, and if they don’t, they would lose their right to own a club and be replaced," Boras said.
  • Bryce Harper still has his doubters, but he's clear about his goals for the 2012 season, as Yahoo's Jeff Passan writes. The outfield prospect wants to push his way onto the Nationals’ roster by performing well this Spring Training. Once he gets there, he's "poised to take the mantel from [Alex Rodriguez] as the ballplayer simultaneously most respected and loathed," Passan writes.

NL Central Notes: Molina, Astros, Das

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There's been lots of Pirates buzz today, following Andrew McCutchen's six year, $51.5MM contract extension. Here are some notes on the rest of the division…

  • Yadier Molina's representatives were preparing to aim for a seven-year deal in the $140MM range if the catcher had reached free agency, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Some teams might have been willing to part with that kind of cash for Molina, an elite two-way player. "He's like the Deion Sanders of catchers,'' one executive told Heyman. Molina, who would have been eligible for free agency following the 2012 season, signed a five-year, $75MM extension with the Cardinals last week.
  • Astros GM Jeff Luhnow tells Tyler Kepner of the New York Times that he believes discipline is necessary for building an MLB team. “The analogy I use is blackjack,” Luhnow said. “You play perfect strategy over a long haul, that’s going to be your best outcome." Tim Dierkes spoke with Luhnow last week.
  • Arbitrator Shyam Das was recently in the news for ruling in favor of Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun, but as Cary Spivak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel explains, the 67-year-old former law professor has ruled on a number of important MLB issues in the past. Das has dealt with trades, player discipline and other disputes between the players' union and MLB. Spivak's piece offers a personal look at the low-profile arbitrator.

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