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Archives for September 2012

Quick Hits: Yankees, Guthrie, D’Backs, Brewers

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The Yankees are faced with a number of issues in the short-term and long-term, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  Among their long-term issues is the fact that their position player average age is 32.7 years.  One scout is also concerned that Robinson Cano hasn't looked like himself lately which is an unfortunate development for the Yanks as they appear to be intent on locking him up for the long-term.  Here's more from around baseball.

  • Royals General Manager Dayton Moore says that the club will "probably" wait until after the season to explore contract talks with pending free agent Jeremy Guthrie, tweets Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star.  Moore recently said that he will be focusing on the rotation this offseason, which includes trying to re-sign Guthrie.  The 33-year-old is earning $8.5MM this season.
  • One has to imagine that Diamondbacks pitchers Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson regret not signing lucrative extensions when they had the chance prior to this season, writes Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic.  It's not known how much Arizona was offering to each pitcher, but Piecoro estimates that for Kennedy it was something close to $30MM and around $15MM for Hudson.
  • A source tells Ben Badler of Baseball America that the Brewers are not planning to renew the contract of Fernando Arango, who has been one of the team's top scouts in Latin America since 2003.  The club is looking for more production out of their Latin American department as they continue to work with a low-to-mid-range budget.

NL East Notes: Strasburg, Nationals, Marlins, Beinfest

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Here's a look at items on the Nationals and Marlins..

  • Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post looks at the insurance policies that teams take out on players in light of Stephen Strasburg's impending shutdown.  Agent Scott Boras says that the insurance policy for Strasburg’s contract could be voided if he pitches against medical advice and injured himself and representatives from specialty insurance companies supported that claim. 
  • Marlins president Larry Beinfest told 790 The Ticket that he understands that he could lose his job this winter given the club's struggles, writes Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald.  Some have speculated that Beinfest could lose his job or be reassigned to a new position by owner Jeffrey Loria.  Beinfest is under contact through 2015.
  • There has been a great deal of talk surrounding the Nationals' decision to shut Strasburg down for the year, but Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (video link) doesn't expect the move to impede the club this season.  However, Morosi adds that he still doesn't agree with the plan.
  • Nationals skipper Davey Johnson says that this year's bench is among the best he had ever managed, writes James Wagner of the Washington Post.  Included in that group is the recently-extended Chad Tracy and outfielder Roger Bernadina, who was the subject of trade rumors prior to the start of the season.

Padres, Denorfia Agree To Extension

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The Padres have agreed to a contract extension with outfielder Chris Denorfia that will keep him in San Diego through 2014, according to Corey Brock of MLB.com (via Twitter).  The Pro Star Management client will earn $2MM in 2013 and $2.25 in '14, Brock tweets. 

“We are excited to extend Chris to a two-year contract through 2014,” said General Manager Josh Byrnes. “He has proven to be a valuable and versatile player for us over the last three seasons, and his style of play is infectious.”

Denorfia's deal will cover his final year of arbitration eligibility as well as his first free agent season.  The 32-year-old has a .279/.340/.419 slash line across three seasons with the Padres.  Denorfia has experience at all three outfield positions but has primarily played the corners since 2011.

This season, Denorfia is earning $1.165MM after avoiding arbitration with the Padres in December.  Byrnes reportedly received a good amount of trade interest in the outfielder prior to this year's deadline but opted to hold on to him.

Red Sox Notes: Valentine, De Jesus, Ellsbury

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The Red Sox are on track to finish below .500 for the first time since 1997. Here’s the latest as a disappointing season winds down:

  • Manager Bobby Valentine is now fighting a battle that he cannot win, opines Scott Miller of CBSSports.com.  Miller writes that Valentine couldn't possibly be back as skipper in 2013 because either the Red Sox will lose patience or he will.
  • In a heated interview on WEEI, Valentine characterized the 2012 season as "miserable" but said he'd definitely like to manage the Red Sox again in 2013. "If that's what I'm asked to do, that's what I'm going to get paid to do," Valentine said. He also suggested he would like to punch radio host Glenn Ordway in the face and defended himself when asked about a late arrival to a game earlier this year (highlights via Alex Speier).
  • Blue Jays manager John Farrell would be an excellent hire for the Red Sox, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com writes. The Red Sox tried to acquire Farrell from Toronto twice last offseason, including once after the Blue Jays made it clear that Farrell was off-limits to teams seeking managers, Bradford reports. The Blue Jays asked for Clay Buchholz as compensation for Farrell, according to WEEI.com. Red Sox pitchers who worked with Farrell in Boston have a deep respect for their former coach based on both friendship and fear, Bradford adds.
  • Farrell said yesterday he’s  "unequivocally" focused on the Blue Jays.
  • Ivan De Jesus Jr. wanted to get traded from the Dodgers leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports. “I wanted a fresh start,’’ said De Jesus, who was sent to Boston in the recent blockbuster trade between the Red Sox and Dodgers.
  • The price tag on a potential extension for Jacoby Ellsbury would be “astronomical" should the Red Sox attempt to lock the outfielder up long term, ESPN.com's Buster Olney said on WEEI today (partial transcript via Kirk Minihane of WEEI.com). Olney said he's doubtful rival teams will overwhelm Boston with trade offers for Ellsbury, partly because he's a Scott Boras client.

Chris Perez Talks Indians, Tigers

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Indians closer Chris Perez offered some potentially controversial analysis of the Cleveland market in an interview that could put the outspoken right-hander back in the national spotlight. In particular, Perez highlighted that the Tigers regularly out-spend their division rivals in Cleveland.

“Different owners,” Perez told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. “It comes down to that. They [the Tigers] are spending money. He [owner Mike Ilitch] wants to win. Even when the economy was down, he spent money. He’s got a team to show for it. You get what you pay for in baseball. Sometimes you don’t. But most of the time you do.”

Perez went on to say that top baseball executives have a share of the responsibility as well. Owners don’t make the baseball decisions, so general managers must be accountable for player moves, he said.

“The GMs can only spend the money the owners give them, but they pick who they spend it on or who they don’t,” Perez said. “They pick. The owners don’t pick.”

Perez, 27, suggested the Indians would be better off if they had been more aggressive on last year’s free agent market.

“Josh Willingham would look great in this lineup. They didn’t want to [pony] up for that last year. … That’s the decision they make, and this is the bed we’re laying in,” he said.

The two-time All-Star earns $4.5MM this year and will go to arbitration this coming offseason. The Indians control his rights through 2014, but they could look to trade him before then in the opinion of MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian (Twitter link). Perez has a 3.51 ERA with 10.4 K/9, 2.0 BB/9 and 34 saves in 48 2/3 innings so far in 2012. 

The Tigers rank fifth in MLB with a payroll of $132.3MM, according to USA Today. Meanwhile, the Indians rank 21st with a payroll of $78.4MM. President Mark Shapiro and GM Chris Antonetti run the team, which is owned by Larry Dolan.

AL West Notes: Nathan, Profar, Greinke, A’s

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No team in the American League has a better record than the Rangers (80-55) or the Athletics (76-59, tied with Baltimore and New York). Here's the latest from MLB's only four-team division…

  • Rangers closer Joe Nathan obtained a $300K bonus when he finished his 50th game of the season Monday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. Nathan will earn $300K if he reaches 55 games finished and the same amount for completing 60 games. 
  • The Rangers signed Curacao native Juremi Profar, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. The 16-year-old third baseman is the younger brother of Jurickson Profar, who debuted with the Rangers over the weekend. The younger Profar has the tools to play third base and has shown some power from the right side, Badler writes.
  • Angels right-hander Zack Greinke told Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times that he intends to wait until the offseason before talking too much about his next contract (Twitter link). “But I like it here,” Greinke said. “It's a great city, a great team." He is set to hit free agency after the season.
  • The city of San Jose is toughening its stance toward those who oppose the possibility of the Athletics moving from Oakland, John Woolfolk of the San Jose Mercury News reports. The Giants have reason to oppose the possibility of the A’s moving to nearby San Jose and MLB has been slow to deliver a decision on the matter.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Ramiro Pena

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We’ll see many outright assignments in the next eight weeks as teams look to create 40-man roster space for call-ups and, eventually, offseason additions. Here are today’s outright assignments…

  • The Yankees outrighted infielder Ramiro Pena to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, according to the team’s website. The Yankees designated the 27-year-old for assignment four days ago after he hit .258/.325/.328 at Triple-A. Pena also appeared in three MLB games with the Yankees in 2012.

Yankees Notes: Steinbrenner, Cashman, Girardi

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The Yankees share the AL East lead with the Orioles after losing again to the Rays last night. It's been a rough week for the Yankees, who have lost five of six, but the team still has an 87.7% chance of making the postseason, according to Baseball Prospectus. Here’s the latest…

  • The Yankees have made it clear that they intend to reduce payroll below the $189MM luxury tax threshold by 2014. But Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wonders if Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner will change his mind if the team misses the postseason this year. Promising young pitchers such as Ivan Nova, Michael Pineda and Manny Banuelos dealt with injuries in 2012, which will make it harder for GM Brain Cashman to build an affordable rotation.
  • Steinbrenner told Ken Davidoff of the New York Post that he's "frustrated" and still expects great things from his team. However, the jobs of Cashman and manager Joe Girardi aren't at stake, Davidoff reports. "No, not at all," Steinbrenner said.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post looks beyond the reasons often offered for the Yankees’ recent struggles — injuries and a lack of timely hitting — and suggests the team has an offensive attack that’s too one-dimensional and a rotation that surrenders too many home runs. New York’s starting pitchers have allowed 125 homers, more than any other MLB rotation.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Jeff Keppinger

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Jeff Keppinger can play multiple positions and he’s a difference maker on offense — at least against left-handed pitching. The combination will attract the interest of many teams when he hits free agency this coming offseason.

Jeff Keppinger - Rays (PW)

When the Rays signed Keppinger to a one-year, $1.525MM deal in January, they expected him to be a tough out, especially against left-handed pitching. The 32-year-old has thrived with Tampa Bay posting a .329/.376/.445 batting line in 320 plate appearances. He also has nearly as many walks (20) as strikeouts (21) thanks in part to a 93.2% contact rate that ranks third among MLB players with at least 300 trips to the plate. 

Keppinger has been particularly effective against lefties, as his .411/.437/.558 batting line against them shows (103 plate appearances). This performance isn’t unexpected, either. Keppinger, a right-handed hitter, has a career line of .336/.380/.491 against left-handers. 

Teams will also take note of Keppinger’s versatility when he hits free agency this offseason. He has appeared in 15 or more games at first base, second base and third base in 2012, playing mostly at the hot corner. He has previous experience at shortstop, though none since 2010. The mixture of versatility and offense has been worth two wins above replacement in 2012, according to both FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference.

The ability to hit left-handed pitching doesn’t always translate into substantial free agent contracts, as noted lefty mashers Jonny Gomes (one-year, $1MM), Andruw Jones (one-year, $2MM) and Scott Hairston (one-year, $1.1MM) discovered last offseason. Similarly, veteran utility players usually sign for less than $5MM. Ramon Santiago, Nick Punto, Greg Dobbs, Willie Bloomquist and John McDonald obtained two-year deals worth $1.5-2MM per season last winter.

But few players offer the versatility to play multiple infield positions and the ability to produce against lefties. The combination could drive Keppinger’s asking price to the two-year, $10MM range. Aaron Hill, Clint Barmes and Mark Ellis signed contracts in that range a year ago, and those deals could represent a target for Keppinger’s representatives at CSE. Teams may hesitate to pay starter money for a so-called utility player and if that’s the case, the deals signed by Jerry Hairston Jr. (two years, $6MM) and Jamey Carroll (two years, $6.75MM) could provide an alternate template for Keppinger. 

He definitely appears to be in line for a considerable raise and he has a good shot at a multiyear deal. It’s a notable shift in value for a player who was non-tendered by the Giants just nine months ago.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

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