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Archives for November 2012

Olney’s Latest: Kershaw, Wright, Porcello, Soriano

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In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney wrote about the character clause on the Hall of Fame ballot as well as Marvin Miller's legacy. Here are his rumors…

  • Olney notes that if the Dodgers do sign Zack Greinke to a record contract, it would have a direct impact on the team's inevitable contract extension negotiations with Clayton Kershaw. The left-hander can become a free agent after 2014.
  • Some evaluators believe David Wright may not be able to find a nine-figure contract as a free agent after next season if he repeats his 2012 effort because he's not an elite power hitter.
  • The Tigers have let other teams know they're willing to discuss Rick Porcello in trades.
  • Olney believes the Tigers should target Rafael Soriano and that Brian Wilson could be a good fit for the Red Sox, whom he grew up rooting for.

Contract Details: Madson, Hunter, Longoria

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Here are some details on three recently-signed contracts…

  • Ryan Madson's one-year contract with Angels will pay him $500k each for 45, 90, 135, and 180 days on the roster as long as he is not on the DL with a right arm injury, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. He will also receive $250K each for 35, 40, 45, and 50 games finished.
  • Torii Hunter's two-year, $26MM contract with the Tigers is slightly backloaded, reports MLB.com's Jason Beck. He'll earn $12MM in 2013 and $14MM in 2014, plus $100K bonuses for each All-Star selection, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, LCS MVP, and World Series MVP he wins.
  • Evan Longoria's salary for 2013 has been reduced from $6MM to $2MM as part of his new contract with the Rays, reports Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times. The remaining $4MM was converted into a signing bonus. Topkin also has information on the deferments and escalator clauses in the deal.
  • The players' union values Longoria's new contract with the Rays at ten years and $131MM according to Rosenthal (on Twitter). The present day value ($136.6MM) has been reduced due to deferred money.

Rays Sign Mike Fontenot

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The Rays have signed infielder Mike Fontenot to a minor league contract, reports Baseball America's Matt Eddy (on Twitter). The team also re-signed outfielder Rich Thompson to a minor league deal.

Fontenot, 32, hit .289/.343/.340 in 105 plate appearances for the Phillies this year. He also hit .308/.368/.481 in 58 plate appearances with their Triple-A squad. Thompson, 33, had two hits in 22 plate appearances for Tampa last year, doing most of his work as a pinch-runner. It was his first appearance in the big leagues since 2004.

NL East Links: Pavano, Span, Hamilton, Wright

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Here's the latest from the NL East…

  • Carl Pavano told Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post that he'd love to return to the Marlins in 2013. His agent, Dave Pepe, has spoken to the team recently, but it's unclear if that will lead to a contract.
  • The Braves agreed to sign B.J. Upton earlier today, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears the team discussed the idea of both signing Upton and trading for Denard Span (Twitter link). Talks with the Twins failed to progress, however.
  • "Watch out for the Phillies to surprise everyone and sign [Josh] Hamilton,'' said an agent to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter links). Crasnick notes that GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is fond of big splashes.
  • The Mets should trade David Wright, argues MLB.com's Matthew Leach. He says the third baseman's value will never be higher, and the team needs an infusion of young talent.

Pirates, Yankees Pursuing Russell Martin

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9:14pm: The Pirates originally offered Martin a two-year contract according to George A. King III of The New York Post, but they've since increased the offer to three years and upwards of $22MM. Meanwhile, Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports the Pirates never made an offer as high as $25MM.

3:08pm: Martin sees potential in the Pirates and has a favorable opinion of manager Clint Hurdle, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (all Twitter links). One executive believes the dynamic between the Pirates and Yankees would get interesting if the Pirates offered Martin a three-year, $24MM contract. Other teams remain in the mix on Martin.

8:15am: The Pirates appear to be making a serious attempt to sign free agent catcher Russell Martin, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. Though the Rangers and Mariners are also suitors for Martin, he will likely choose between the Yankees and Pirates. The decision could occur before next week’s Winter Meetings, as Martin is expected to choose within several days.

The Pirates might out-bid the Yankees for Martin, Heyman reports. Pittsburgh could offer $25MM over three years, but the Yankees don’t appear to be in that range. It appears that the Yankees are offering a two-year deal, though if they sweeten their offer in terms of years or salary, that could be enough to bring Martin back to New York.

Andrew Marchand reported yesterday that Martin seeks a four-year deal worth $9-10MM per season.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Blue Jays Notes: Johnson, Rasmus, Untouchables

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Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos spoke to reporters today, and MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm recapped the scrum. Here's the important hot stove stuff…

  • "We still can add depth in our rotation, still get better in the bullpen," said the GM when asked if he was actively looking for help. The blockbuster with the Marlins did change the dynamic of their free agent pursuits.
  • Anthopoulos said he "never (feels) a rush to extend a player" when asked about a potential extension for Josh Johnson, who is open to a new deal.
  • Rotation depth is likely to come on minor league contracts, though a guaranteed deal is not out of the question under the right circumstances.
  • The Blue Jays are not in the market for free agent position players at the moment.
  • "You know what, I never talk about who we’re going to extend who we’re not going to extend," replied Anthopoulos when asked about a potential contract extension for Colby Rasmus.
  • Anthopoulos admitted to softening his stance on "untouchable" players. "I’ve always had players I’m highly reluctant to trade, but at the same time, over time, I’ve realized if we have a chance to make the team better I’m going to be open to it," he said.

MLBTR’s Arbitration Tracker

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Our 2013 arbitration tracker is now available!  The tracker displays all arbitration eligible players, with fields for team, service time, player and team submissions, the midpoint, and the settlement amount.  You can filter by team, signing status, service time, Super Two status, and whether a hearing occurred.  So far only five arbitration eligible players have signed, as figures do not need to be exchanged until January 18th.

In the more immediate future, a host of players will be removed from the arbitration eligible list upon being non-tendered.  The non-tender deadline is Friday, and we have a separate non-tender tracker that will allow you to follow along. 

Twins Notes: Morneau, Liriano, Span, Pavano

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Here's the latest on the Twins, courtesy of ESPN 1500's Darren Wolfson…

  • "No. Obviously I love playing here. I love the city. I love the people. Hopefully it doesn't become a distraction," said Justin Morneau when asked if the team has approached his agent about an extension. The slugger can become a free agent next offseason, and he said he hopes to remain with the Twins through 2013.
  • The Twins have touched base with approximately 20 free agent pitchers so far, though a source downplayed their interest in a reunion with Francisco Liriano.
  • "Look for an active (Winter Meetings)," said one of Wolfson's sources. There's a belief Denard Span could be traded.
  • Carl Pavano's representatives will meet with the Twins during the Winter Meetings in Nashville next week. The right-hander's shoulder was cleared by doctors recently.
  • The Twins are looking for a third baseman. They could shift Trevor Plouffe to the outfield or find a left-handed hitting platoon partner.

SoCal Links: Walden, Angels, Fujikawa, Field, Kuroda

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The Angels finalized their contract with Ryan Madson today, but here's some more out of Southern California…

Royals “Calling Everyone” To Trade Hochevar & Chen

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The Royals are "calling everyone" in an attempt to trade both Luke Hochevar and Bruce Chen, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). The team is accelerating its timetable to acquire rotation help and wants to free up money.

Hochevar, 29, pitched to a 5.73 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 185 1/3 innings this season. The first overall pick in the 2006 draft owns a 5.39 ERA in 771 career innings. Hochevar is arbitration-eligible for the third time this winter and is projected to earn $4.4MM by Matt Swartz. He's a candidate to be non-tendered by Friday's deadline.

Chen, 35, posted a 5.07 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 191 2/3 innings this year. He's revived his career in Kansas City, pitching to a 4.55 ERA in 549 1/3 innings since 2009. Chen will earn $4.5MM next season as part of the two-year, $9MM contract he signed last winter. The soft-tossing southpaw will become a free agent next offseason.

Earlier today team owner David Glass told Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star that the team needs to maintain a $70MM payroll to break even, but they will "react based on what (their) opportunities are." The Royals have already acquired Ervin Santana and re-signed Jeremy Guthrie this offseason, but they continue to look for ways to upgrade a starting staff that posted to a 5.01 ERA this year.

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