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2013 Contract Issues: Texas Rangers

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The Rangers are next in MLBTR’s 2013 Contract Issues series:

Eligible For Free Agency (7)

  • Josh Hamilton - Hamilton will be the best and most discussed position player available in free agency this offseason. He's a superstar when healthy, but his injury issues will deter some suitors and his past off-field troubles may scare others. Even so, Hamilton figures to sign for at least $20MM per season on a long-term deal. The Rangers will make him a qualifying offer if they don't lock him up first.
  • Mike Adams - It's early, but Adams' strikeout rate, swinging strike rate and average fastball velocity are down so far in 2012. He still limits walks and generates ground balls, so he adds value out of the bullpen even when he's not striking out a batter per inning.
  • Mike Napoli -  Napoli appears to seek a contract in the $50-75MM range and the Rangers haven't met his asking price so far. However, they'll presumably be comfortable making him a qualifying offer after the season.
  • Colby Lewis - Lewis has been an effective starter despite his league-leading 13 home runs allowed. The Rangers need someone to eat innings at the back of their rotation, and the right-hander has been up to the task these past two-plus seasons.
  • Yorvit Torrealba - The Rangers are an exceptional team in many ways, but like everyone else they need a backup catcher.
  • Koji Uehara - Uehara has struck out 7.56 times as many hitters as he has walked in his career, and no pitcher in MLB history can match that ratio (minimum 150 career innings per Baseball-Reference).
  • Mark Lowe - Lowe is off to an excellent start in 2012. As with Adams and Uehara, it's too early to say whether he'll re-sign this offseason.

Contract Options (2)

  • Scott Feldman: $9.25MM club option with a $600K buyout. Feldman has become a spot starter for the Rangers, so it's safe to assume they'll decline this option.
  • Yoshinori Tateyama: club option for an unknown amount (his 2012 option was valued at $1MM). Tateyama is pitching effectively at Triple-A, and appears to be on his way up to join the big league team. He could earn a spot on the '13 team with a strong finish.

Arbitration Eligible (4)

The Rangers face a relatively small arbitration class, partly because they already extended Elvis Andrus and Nelson Cruz. Feliz, the converted reliever, will have an unusual arbitration case given his change in roles. Harrison and Murphy are on track for raises as second and third-time eligible players.

2013 Payroll Obligation

The Rangers have increased payroll steadily in recent years and the 2012 club will cost more than $120MM. They've already committed $84MM to next year's team, so another payroll increase could be forthcoming.

Rays Acquire Drew Sutton

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The Rays announced that they acquired Drew Sutton from the Pirates for a player to be named. The infielder's stay in Pittsburgh was a short one; the Pirates acquired him from the Braves for cash considerations less than 24 hours ago. The Rays expect Sutton to join them tonight, at which point they'll make a corresponding move.

Sutton has a .258/.322/.403 batting line line in 178 MLB plate appearances with the Reds, Red Sox and Indians. The 28-year-old has MLB experience at all four infield positions and both corner outfield positions. He signed a minor league deal with Atlanta this past offseason and played 38 games for Triple-A Gwinnett before yesterday's trade.

The switch-hitting Sutton will provide Rays manager Joe Maddon with infield depth while Evan Longoria and Brandon Allen recover from their respective leg injuries. Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune first tweeted the news.

NL Central Notes: Pirates, Rizzo, Lucroy

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The Cubs traded Kyle Lohse to the Twins in a four-player trade on this date in 1999. Lohse, now a member of the Cardinals' rotation, is putting together a strong season as he approaches free agency. Here's the latest from the NL Central…

  • The Pirates are "laughably overdue" for some offense, Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. Though few trades are completed in May and more teams than ever are in the playoff race thanks to the additional Wild Card berths, Kovacevic says the Pirates must find a way to add offense. No team in baseball has scored fewer runs than the Pirates, who are averaging just 2.9 runs per game.
  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com hears that the Cubs will be patient with Anthony Rizzo and that a promotion isn’t likely this month (Twitter link). The Cubs acquired the first base prospect from the Padres for Andrew Cashner last offseason, but first baseman Bryan LaHair is hitting well at the MLB level.
  • The Brewers' decision to lock Jonathan Lucroy to an extension looks wise, Heyman writes. The 25-year-old catcher has a .342/.389/.550 batting line in 132 plate appearances this year.

Team Facebook/Twitter/RSS

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If you prefer your MLBTR fix limited to only your favorite team, we've got you covered.  Below are links to our team Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages and feeds.

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2013 Contract Issues: Atlanta Braves

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The Braves are next in MLBTR’s 2013 Contract Issues series:

Eligible For Free Agency (7)

  • Michael Bourn – The 29-year-old headlines a strong class of free agent center fielders that also includes Shane Victorino and B.J. Upton. Bourn is hitting .320/.376/.403 with 13 stolen bases and The Fielding Bible considered him an elite defender as recently as 2010. He'd be a fit on the 2013 Braves, but others will also come calling for the Boras Corporation client. Atlanta figures to make one qualifying offer after the season, and it'll go to Bourn.
  • Matt Diaz - Diaz can still hit lefties, so there's a role for him on a team that includes its share of left-handed hitting starters.
  • David Ross - Ross could be a fit again in 2013, though powerful catching prospect Evan Gattis continues to hit in the minors.
  • Jack Wilson - Wilson hasn't done much of anything at the plate since the Braves traded for him last summer, so if the front office wants a little more offense from their backup shortstop, Wilson will be out of a job.
  • Chad Durbin - Unless Durbin can limit the longball, he'll be removed from the roster before the offseason arrives.
  • Eric Hinske - Hinske continues to add value as a backup corner player. It won't be surprising if there's room for him on next year's Braves team.
  • Livan Hernandez - The innings eater figures to sign a one-year or minor league deal this offseason. It's too soon to know whether Atlanta will want him back.

Contract Options (3)

  • Chipper Jones: $7MM club/vesting option. Jones has already decided to retire following the 2012 season.
  • Tim Hudson: $9MM club option with a $1MM buyout. It will be hard to do better than Hudson for a net cost of $8MM. Plus, the Braves' pitching staff doesn't seem quite as deep as it did a few months ago.
  • Brian McCann: $12MM club option with a $500K buyout. The Braves will exercise this option following the season and they could look to lock McCann up to a Yadier Molina-like extension.

Arbitration Eligible (8)

The Braves' arbitration eligible players will earn a significant percentage of the team's 2013 payroll. Heyward and Venters will see their salaries spike and Hanson could join some exclusive company with a salary of $4MM-plus for his first year of eligibility. Prado's salary could approach $7MM in his last season before free agency. Jurrjens is a trade and non-tender candidate following his struggles with the Braves and at Triple-A.

2013 Payroll Obligation

The Braves have committed just $14.7MM to next year's team — there's Dan Uggla's contract, a couple of option buyouts and not much else. Given that the Braves have typically spent $90MM or so on payroll in recent years, GM Frank Wren should have considerable financial flexibility. However, he will have lots to address between the team's arbitration class, its outfield and its bench.

2013 Contract Issues: Miami Marlins

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The Marlins are next in MLBTR’s 2013 Contract Issues series:

Eligible For Free Agency (5)

  • Anibal Sanchez - Sanchez will be in high demand this offseason. He's just 28 and he continues to pitch like a top-of-the-rotation starter. The Marlins figure to make the right-hander a qualifying offer to be eligible for draft pick compensation if he signs elsewhere.
  • Juan Carlos Oviedo - Oviedo, the pitcher formerly known as Leo Nunez, is not part of the Marlins' long-term plans. He hasn't pitched in 2012 because of issues surrounding his age and identity.
  • Randy Choate - Most modern bullpens employ lefty specialists and Choate remains effective in that role at age 36.
  • Chad Gaudin - There's no reason to believe the journeyman right-hander figures into the team's 2013 plans just yet.
  • Austin Kearns - Kearns has been useful as a lefty masher this year, even batting cleanup seven times. Perhaps the Marlins will want him back as a platoon bat/extra outfielder.

Contract Options (1)

  • Carlos Zambrano: $19.25MM vesting option. The option vests if Zambrano places in the top four in this year's Cy Young voting and finishes the season healthy. As well as he has pitched, it seems unlikely the option will vest.

Arbitration Eligible (7)

The Marlins face a mid-sized arbitration class that could diminish in the coming months. Coghlan could be non-tendered if the Marlins feel a gap has developed between the former Rookie of the Year's resume and his current skills. Murphy could also be non-tendered. Sanchez is now in the minors and unless he returns to Miami, his arbitration eligibility will be delayed. The Marlins saved themselves millions by delaying Giancarlo Stanton's MLB debut in 2010; he will miss the cutoff for super two eligibility by a couple of weeks. Even if the team retains all seven players, the cost should stay in the $10-15MM range.

2013 Payroll Obligation

The Marlins have already committed $85MM to next year's team, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. Revenue from their new stadium should provide ownership with the opportunity to boost payroll in 2013 and exceed their current $101.6MM tab.

Quick Hits: Blue Jays, Lind, Ellis, Indians, Damon

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Sunday night linkage..

  • Blue Jays manager John Farrell would not comment on last night's news that Adam Lind was placed on outright waivers and spoke as though the slugger will remain with the organization, writes Chris Toman of MLB.com.  The skipper believes that Lind can find his way back to Toronto with a "controlled aggressiveness" at the plate.
  • The Indians plan to stick by Johnny Damon despite his struggles so far with the team, writes MLB.com's Justin Albers.  Damon has a clause in his contract which would allow him to be released if he isn't getting enough playing time or isn't a good fit for the team.
  • Offseason acquisition Mark Ellis has been a tremendous clubhouse influence and will be sorely missed by the Dodgers after undergoing emergency surgery on Saturday, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times.  Had the surgery been put off for six or seven hours, the veteran could have potentially lost his left leg, Dilbeck writes.

MLBTR Originals

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A look back at the original reporting and analysis from the MLBTR team this week.

Pirates Acquire Drew Sutton From Braves

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The Pirates have acquired infielder Drew Sutton from the Braves in exchange for cash considerations, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.  Sutton, 28, owns a .258/.322/.403 slash line in 178 big league plate appearances.

The utility man signed a minor league contract with Atlanta in November.  Sutton was hitting .267/.373/.363 in 37 games for Triple-A Gwinnett this season.  He'll be assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis, and Biertempfel tweets that he expects the club to make a corresponding move.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

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