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Jo-Jo Reyes Released; Signs In Korea

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THURSDAY, 10:12am: The SK Wyverns announced they've signed Reyes (via Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net).

WEDNESDAY, 8:49pm: Reyes and his representatives are still negotiating with SK Wyverns and the Angels are still negotiating the compensation they will receive for releasing the southpaw, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reports (Twitter link).  The transaction is expected to be finalized by tomorrow.

11:33am: The Angels are giving left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes his unconditional release to allow him to sign with the SK Wyverns of the Korean League, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).  The Paragon Sports International client signed a minor league deal with a big league spring training invite in November.

This isn't the first time Reyes has drawn interest from Korea as he fielded interest from the KBO around this time last year before hooking on with the Pirates.  The 28-year-old posted a 2.67 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in nine starts and eight Triple-A relief appearances last season.  Despite strong numbers in the minors over the years, Reyes has a career 6.05 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in the majors.

Rangers, Matt Harrison Agree To Extension

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THURSDAY: The Rangers announced they've agreed to sign Harrison to a five-year extension that includes an option for 2018. The club will hold a press conference at Rangers Ballpark today to announce the deal.

WEDNESDAY: The Rangers have agreed to a five-year, $55MM extension with Matt Harrison after the left-hander passed a physical, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports (Twitter links).  The contract contains an team option for a sixth year in 2018 that can become a vesting option if Harrison reaches certain innings plateaus, Wilson adds.  Harrison, 27, is represented by the ACES agency.

Harrison will receive a $1MM signing bonus and the rest of his contract breaks down as follows, according to Wilson.  The southpaw will earn $5MM in 2013, $8MM in 2014 and then $13MM in each of the following three seasons.  The 2018 option is worth $13.25MM (with a $2MM buyout) but could be worth as much as $15.75MM.  That option will vest if Harrison pitches at least 200 innings in each of the 2015-17 seasons.

The two sides were known to be exploring a multiyear deal earlier this offseason.  The deal covers Harrison's final two years of arbitration eligibility and his first three free agent years.  I noted back in November that Chad Billingsley's three-year, $35MM extension with the Dodgers was a decent comparable for a possible Harrison extension and in fact this new contract will pay Harrison an average annual value of just under Billingsley's AAV. 

This extension could end up being very team-friendly if Harrison continues his development as a front-of-the-rotation starter.  Harrison has a 3.34 ERA with a 2.28 K/BB ratio and 5.8 K/9 rate over 399 innings in 2011-12 and showed a talent for keeping the ball on the ground at Rangers Ballpark, with a 49% groundball rate in 2012 and a 47.5% GBR in 2011.

Texas GM Jon Daniels has been quick to lock up key members of his roster, as Harrison joining Derek Holland, Elvis Andrus, Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz as Rangers who have signed extensions within the last 12 months.  As Wilson points out, the Rangers now have four young starting pitchers (Harrison, Holland, Yu Darvish and Alexi Ogando, the oldest of the group at age 29) who are controlled through at least the 2016 season.

NL East Notes: Soriano, Nationals, Mets

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Rafael Soriano recently agreed to a two-year, $28MM contract with the Nationals, obtaining the second-largest deal signed by an NL East team this winter. Within the division B.J. Upton’s $75MM guarantee with the Braves remains the only deal that surpasses Soriano’s $28MM agreement. Here are some links from the NL East, starting in Washington…

  • Agents and GMs are assessing the present day value of Soriano’s deal at $11MM per season, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports (on Twitter). Half of Soriano’s $14MM salary will be deferred each year.
  • Washington has drafted well under GM Mike Rizzo, but trades have also played a vital role in transforming the Nationals into one of baseball's best teams, as Zachary Levine of Baseball Prospectus explains.
  • One Mets insider told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork that he doesn’t believe the team has spoken to free agent starter Daisuke Matsuzaka “at all.” New York executives are looking to round out the team’s rotation, but not necessarily with the Japanese right-hander. Matsuzaka, 32, has interest in pitching for the Padres.

Quick Hits: D’Backs, Wilson, Braves, Beane, Cubs

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The Diamondbacks had insisted on receiving Major League-ready talent in any trade for Justin Upton, but were willing to accept prospects in last week's proposed deal with the Mariners that Upton blocked with his no-trade clause.  D'Backs GM Kevin Towers tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that the change in philosophy was due to the rising cost of free agents and the fact that the Snakes had added outfield depth in Cody Ross.

"It’s easier to do more of a prospect-driven deal than before. To me, it would have to be the right prospects," Towers said.  "We’re targeting people’s best prospects and upper-level guys that we think are close — if not (major league-ready) this year, then next year.”

Some more news from around baseball…

  • The Diamondbacks seem intent on trading Upton, leaving MLB.com's Matthew Leach puzzled at why the club would move a talented young player on a controllable contract.
  • The Mets haven't given up on the possibility of offering Brian Wilson a Major League contract, reports Newsday's Marc Carig (Twitter link).  We heard earlier today that the Mets were unimpressed when they watched Wilson throw over the weekend.
  • The Braves have one of the least-profitable TV deals in baseball but team CEO Terry McGuirk says that low broadcasting revenues aren't hampering how the club does business, McGuirk tells David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  The Braves have 14 years left on their current TV deal, which McGuirk describes as “iron-clad."
  • Athletics GM Billy Beane said it was difficult to move a highly-regarded pitching prospect like A.J. Cole, CSN Bay Area's Casey Pratt reports. However, the GM said it had to be done to help the A's contend in 2013.  "We're shifting all of our focus on the Major League club and trying to take as much advantage as we can of the opportunity we have," Beane said.
  • Beane said he prepared to go with a platoon of Derek Norris and George Kottaras behind the plate, MLB.com's Jane Lee reports (Twitter links).  "Only if it was John Jaso" would he have made a move to improve Oakland's catching.  Beane said he had been trying to acquire Jaso from the Mariners over the last couple of months.
  • Buster Posey tops the list of baseball's best 25-year-old players, according to ESPN's Keith Law (ESPN Insider subscription req'd).
  • Cubs president Theo Epstein told reporters (including Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune) that Edwin Jackson's age and track record made the team comfortable enough to sign him to a big free agent contract. 
  • In another item from Sullivan, Epstein said that he expects the Cubs to contend in 2013 despite the fact that they're still ostensibly rebuilding.  "Otherwise, there’s no reason to show up or build a team,” Epstein said. “It’s postseason or bust every year. That’s what our goal is."

AL East Notes: Oliver, Price, Red Sox, Hendrickson

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Jeff Frye, Darren Oliver's agent, was apparently not speaking for his client when Frye said earlier this month that Oliver wanted a raise to return to the Blue Jays or else the veteran southpaw would retire, Oliver said during a conference call with reporters (including Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca).  "I was out of town when that article was written, and I didn't say those things, that was coming from Jeff Frye," Oliver said. "Obviously if I had something to say, I would have said it a long time ago, not once did I ever demand anything from the Blue Jays or Alex [GM Alex Anthopoulos]."  The Jays announced today that Oliver would return to pitch in Toronto in 2013.

Here are some more items from around the AL East…

  • David Price's one-year deal with the Rays was structured in a way that both saved Price several hundred thousand dollars in taxes and also gave the Rays the ability to potentially save $4MM in salary deferred to Price in 2014 if the southpaw is dealt by then, reports Jon Paul Morosi for FOX Sports.
  • Price loves playing in Tampa Bay but knows the franchise has financial limits and feels a responsibility to get a fair multiyear contract, the Rays ace tells Yahoo Sports' Tim Brown.  "I don't want to mess up for the future of other guys that could be in my position as well," Price said.  "You don't want to do that, because that's not only affecting you, that affects everybody else. I want to be happy. I don't want to sell myself short. I guess 'appreciation' is the word I could use the most. I just want to feel appreciated."
  • The Red Sox talked to the Nationals about Mike Morse but Washington's asking price was too high, reports Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.  Now that Morse has been dealt to the Mariners, Abraham wonders if Mike Carp is now expendable in Seattle and could fit as left-handed bench depth in Boston.
  • Xander Bogaerts is "as close to untouchable as any player in the Boston organization," writes CSNNE.com's Sean McAdam in an interview with the highly-touted Red Sox prospect.  Sox GM Ben Cherington reportedly turned down several trade offers involving Bogaerts this winter.
  • Mark Hendrickson looked good during a tryout at the Orioles' minicamp today and will pitch again for the team on Friday, reports Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.  We heard earlier this week that Hendrickson is trying to return to the Major Leagues as a sidearm pitcher.
  • In AL East news from earlier today, the Orioles extended Buck Showalter and Dan Duquette, the Yankees avoided arbitration with Phil Hughes and the Red Sox made progress with Mike Napoli.

Zduriencik Happy To Add “Big-Time Power” To M’s

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It's no secret that the Mariners have been desperate for solutions to their league-worst hitting in recent years.  From moving in the fences at Safeco Field to aggressively pursuing top free agent batters, the M's have been determined to add pop and M's general manager Jack Zduriencik feels the team's latest addition of Michael Morse has helped solidify the lineup, amongst other offseason moves.  Zduriencik told reporters during a conference call today that Morse's big bat was worth giving up a solid catcher like John Jaso.

"[Jaso] added a lot to our club last year but I think when you are in the position to acquire an everyday guy who has a chance to hit the ball hard and hit the ball far, I think it does change your game," Zduriencik said.  "One of the things we have seen since I have been here is our lack of raw power; in Michael we have got a guy who has got big-time power.

"We've added to what we think could be a pretty good middle of the lineup there with Michael, Kendrys Morales, and Raul [Ibanez] and Jason Bay."

Between Morse and the other additions, the Mariners suddenly have several options at DH, first base and the corner outfield spots, as young incumbents like Justin Smoak, Michael Saunders and Jesus Montero still need to find at-bats.  In Montero's case, he will be expected to become the team's everyday catcher, though Zduriencik said he is looking for some veteran depth at the position.

"We're going to be shopping, there's no doubt," Zduriencik said.  "We've already talked to some people and had some discussions with people….We like our catching in the organization and we've got some pretty good kids right on the horizon."

The foundation of the trade was developed when Zduriencik touched base with Nationals GM Mike Rizzo after the season and told him that he was interested in some of Washington's hitters.  The two general managers reconvened recently since the Nats now had some hitting to spare with Adam LaRoche re-signed, and the A's were brought into the mix since Oakland GM Billy Beane had recently spoken to Zduriencik about Jaso's availability.

"It just became a three-team conversation," Zduriencik said.  "So at the end we were able to satisfy what we wanted and I think Oakland was able to satisfy what they wanted and [Rizzo] got back prospects that he was seeking."

Morse, for his part, said he was very excited about returning to Seattle, where he spent the first four years of his Major League career before being dealt to the Nats before the 2009 season.  With just a year left on his current contract, Morse just said "that's why I've got those agents" in regards to the possibility of talking about an extension, but he was clearly happy that the Mariners were the trade suitor that emerged to make the deal.

"I knew there were teams involved, I knew Seattle was one of them.  That was one of the teams I was hoping for," Morse said.  "I love it out there and I always felt…I had unfinished business in Seattle.  I never got to prove myself as the player I could be or who I am.  This is another opportunity for me to show Jack and help his ballclub be the World Series champion ballclub that it should be."

Morse said he was fully recovered from the back injury that forced him to spend the first two months of the 2012 season on the DL, even joking that he was feeling good enough to play shortstop for the first time since 2007.  It was reported earlier this month that Morse wasn't keen on being a designated hitter but said that he was willing to play whenever the M's wanted him to play.

"I feel very comfortable at first base or in the outfield and it doesn't hurt to get a breather sometimes at DH," Morse said.  "My main goal is to play every single game.  I'm so excited, words can't describe what me and my family are going through right now."

Padres Avoid Arbitration With Will Venable

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The Padres have agreed to a one-year, $2.675MM deal with Will Venable, avoiding arbitration with the outfielder, reports Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.  This was Venable's second year of arb-eligibility, and he was projected to earn $2.5MM by MLBTR's Matt Swartz.  Venable is represented by Turner Gary Sports.

The left-handed hitting Venable hit .270/.339/.440 against right-handers last season and hit very well (an .875 OPS) overall away from Petco Park.  He also stole 24 bases in 30 attempts.  Venable, 30, will get the lion's share of at-bats as San Diego's right fielder next season with Chris Denorfia getting some playing time against left-handed pitching. 

With Venable and Kyle Blanks signed to 2013 contracts, MLBTR's Arbtracker tells us that the Padres now have seven remaining arbitration-eligible players: John Baker, Everth Cabrera, Luke Gregerson, Chase Headley, Clayton Richard, Joe Thatcher and Edinson Volquez.

Wieters Interested In Long-Term Deal With Orioles

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The Orioles haven't yet engaged in any extension talks with Matt Wieters, but the catcher tells Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that he would be very interested in staying in the black-and-orange for years to come.

"I've always been interested [in staying long-term in Baltimore]," Wieters said on Tuesday.  "I'm a huge fan of Baltimore and what [Buck Showalter and Dan Duquette] have done. It's something to where it's a great baseball town, it's a fun place to play and it's a place where I enjoy playing."

Wieters is under team control through 2015 and is arbitration-eligible for the first time, with a shot at receiving a record salary for first-time arb-eligible catchers according to MLBTR's Matt Swartz.  Before the 2012 season began, MLBTR's Mike Axisa thought a five-year, $22-$25MM extension would fit Wieters but the catcher's price tag has likely gone up following a performance that included 23 homers and a .249/.329/.435 slash line.

Connolly notes that Baltimore's location fits Wieters for family reasons, and the catcher himself has been impressed with how the O's have seen fit to lock up other building blocks like Showalter, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and J.J. Hardy in recent years.

"To have a manager like that and players like that [locked up], that definitely doesn't hurt," Wieters said.

Progress For Red Sox, Mike Napoli

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9:46pm: Brian Grieper, Napoli's agent, says it is "reasonable to expect" that Napoli will have made his decision about signing with the Red Sox by next week, ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes reports.  "All signs point to" the two sides eventually agreeing to a one-year contract, Edes says, though Napoli may have to undergo another physical before things are finalized (all Twitter links).

3:49pm: The Red Sox and Napoli are making significant progress toward a one-year agreement, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio reports (on Twitter).

11:05am: Mike Napoli and the Red Sox have made progress toward a new agreement, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. The deal isn’t done, however, and both sides are keeping their options open. The situation should be resolved by next week at the latest, according to Heyman.

The sides had agreed to a three-year, $39MM contract, but the deal didn’t go through as expected. Napoli has a hip issue that prompted the Red Sox to seek protective language in the deal. The 31-year-old has remained Boston’s top first base target and seems like a more probable solution than trade candidate Michael Morse, Heyman writes. Despite the hip issue, Napoli expects to be ready for Opening Day. He is said to be talking to a couple of other American League clubs, according to Heyman.

The Red Sox are exploring trades for a left-handed hitting first baseman/outfielder, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (Twitter link). Boston would like to complement right-handed hitters such as Napoli and Jonny Gomes, who both have a history of effectiveness against left-handed pitching.

Managers And GMs Entering Their Contract Years

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After a surprise playoff berth in 2012, the Orioles definitely wanted to keep manager Buck Showalter and executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette in the fold, today announcing that both men had been signed to extensions through the 2018 season.  As Showalter's previous deal only ran through next year, his extension removes him from this list of managers and general managers who are entering the final year of their current contracts and will be looking to earn themselves some Showalter-esque job security.  This list could be partially incomplete, as some teams don't release terms of front office executives' contracts.  Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for many of these details.

* Dodgers.  No manager in baseball is under the pressure that Don Mattingly faces in 2013.  Though the skipper has led Los Angeles to a pair of winning seasons while the club was going through the turmoil of the McCourt ownership sale, Mattingly will be expected to deliver a playoff appearance (at minimum) given how much money the new Dodgers' owners have poured into the franchise.  As respected as Mattingly is, the Dodgers could easily make an early managerial change if the team doesn't get off to a strong start.

* Rockies.  A team known for its unusual management moves (ex-manager Jim Tracy's "handshake deal" and the current split of GM duties between Dan O'Dowd and Bill Geivett) made another one in hiring new manager Walt Weiss, who is serving under just a one-year contract.  While this theoretically puts Weiss on the hot seat from day one, you'd think the rookie skipper would be given some rope given that the Rockies are coming off a last-place season and don't look anywhere near contention in 2013.  The Denver Post's Troy Renck examined Weiss' unique contract, a situation that Weiss himself embraces.

* Cardinals.  GM John Mozeliak is entering the last year of his current deal, while manager Mike Matheny is entering his last guaranteed year, though the Cards have a team option on Matheny for 2014.  You have to figure that neither man is going anywhere given Cardinals' recent success.  Mozeliak is a good bet to receive an extension before Opening Day and Matheny could also receive a new deal given how well the team performed in his first year taking over from Tony La Russa on the St. Louis bench.

* Pirates.  It's essentially a winning season or else for Clint Hurdle, as the Bucs' collapse down the stretch in 2012 extended the team's streak to a record 20 straight seasons with a sub-.500 record.

* Mets.  Terry Collins is entering his last season under contract at Citi Field but while the Mets have yet to crack the .500 mark in his two years as manager, one can hardly hold Collins responsible given the team's tumultuous payroll situation.  Collins is probably in no danger of being fired and I'd guess he'll be extended through 2014 unless the Mets' performance really craters.

* Braves.  Fredi Gonzalez is going into his last guaranteed year, though the Braves hold a club option on the skipper for 2014.  One would think it would take a real collapse for that option to not get picked up, as Gonzalez has a 183-141 record in his first two years as Atlanta's manager.  Of course, the team did famously collapse in September 2011 but the Braves rebounded to grab a playoff berth last season.

* Phillies.  Before Charlie Manuel signed his last extension, he said that he wanted to manage until he turned 70 and then would discuss his future with Phillies management.  Manuel's advancing age may be the excuse the team needs to make a change at manager, especially if the Phils have another underwhelming season.  If the Phillies are successful, Manuel and the team could choose to pursue Jim Leyland-style one-year contracts for 2014 and beyond if Manuel has doubts about how much longer he wishes to manage.

* Nationals.  Unlike many managers on this list, Davey Johnson is entering his last year as manager by choice, as his extension with Washington will only keep him on the bench through 2013 and he will continue as a team consultant in 2014.  It seems likely that this will be Johnson's last year of managing as he obviously could have gotten a longer deal had he wished, given the Nats' run to the NL East crown last season.  One of the top storylines of the 2013-14 offseason will be who gets the coveted job of Nationals manager, as few jobs in baseball have as much long-term potential.

* Mariners.  Eric Wedge and Jack Zduriencik are both going into the last year of their deals and following consecutive losing seasons, Seattle may have to see significant improvement on the field if either man is to be retained.  The announcement that Safeco Field's fences are being moved in could buy Zduriencik a little time, as he could be given another season to attract hitters to Seattle if it becomes clear that Safeco is no longer an extreme pitchers' park.  Zduriencik has been bold in his pursuit of hitting talent this winter, acquiring Kendrys Morales and Michael Morse on top of trying to trade for Justin Upton and going after free agents like Nick Swisher and Josh Hamilton.

* Twins.  Ron Gardenhire has won six division titles as Minnesota's manager but only has one playoff series victory to his credit and now has suffered back-to-back last place seasons.  That said, now-permanent GM Terry Ryan said last August that he didn't plan to fire Gardenhire, so we could see the Twins skipper get something akin to a one-year extension during Spring Training just so Gardenhire can avoid lame-duck status.  It may seem odd to extend a manager coming off seasons of 99 and 96 losses, respectively, but I'd guess that Gardenhire's track record has earned him some leeway.

* Tigers.  Jim Leyland signed another one-year extension following the World Series, which is how he prefers it at this stage of his career.  He and the Tigers seem content to handle things on an annual basis, and obviously the team is pleased with Leyland's recent results.

* Royals.  The pressure will be on Ned Yost as Kansas City has legitimate hopes to contend for the time in years.  The Royals exercised Yost's 2013 option last February and if the team gets off to a slow start, Yost could very well be fired as soon as late April or early May.  Conversely, Yost could be an early extension candidate if K.C. starts out playing well and management decides they're on the right track.

* Yankees.  Because the Yankees generally don't pursue extensions before contracts expire, manager Joe Girardi has little room to negotiate, no matter how much his record with the team may make him seem like a no-brainer extension candidate.  Hypothetical scenario: if Mattingly is fired by the Dodgers after a winning (but non-playoff) season and the Yankees don't at least win the AL pennant, just imagine how heavily the New York media will push the idea of the Yankees bringing Mattingly back to the Bronx as the team's new manager.

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