Quick Hits: Rangers, Harrison, Corpas, Schuerholz
The Rangers remain in the market for pitching, but FOXSportsSouthwest.com's Anthony Andro reports the team will bring Robbie Ross to camp as a starter if they don't make any more additions this winter. Texas currently has Yu Darvish, Matt Harrison, Derek Holland, and Alexi Ogando slated for the rotation with Colby Lewis due to return at midseason.
Here's the latest from around the league as Friday turns into Saturday…
- "There are still some players that in the right scenario that could be fits for us … There is a reasonable chance that we could add somebody from outside," said Rangers GM Jon Daniels to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, though he also said it could just be a player on a minor league contract. Ownership is willing to add payroll "within reason."
- "We're definitely still talking … We'll see where that goes," said Harrison to Andro. The southpaw and the Rangers were reportedly discussing an extension earlier this offseason.
- Manny Corpas will earn $800K in the big leagues as part of his minor league deal with the Rockies, reports Troy Renck of The Denver Post. The right-hander will earn $14K per month in the minors.
- Ken Davidoff of The New York Post spoke to Braves president (and former GM) John Schuerholz about his team, including the performance of the front office staff.
- Zack Meisel of MLB.com wrote about under-the-radar bargains, something every team tries to find throughout the offseason. Low-risk deals are commonplace in the weeks leading up to Spring Training.
- In an Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Jim Bowden listed the best fit for unsigned big-name free agents like Michael Bourn, Rafael Soriano, and Kyle Lohse.
Latest On Red Sox, Mike Napoli
9:29pm: ESPN's Jim Bowden says (on Twitter) the Red Sox would like to shorten the deal to just one year. GM Ben Cherington told Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe that negotiations continue with Napoli (Twitter link).
4:41pm: The three-year, $39MM agreement between Mike Napoli and the Red Sox has yet to be announced, and before the Red Sox sign off on a contract, they want to restructure the deal to include protective language, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. The Red Sox still seem hopeful that they’ll be able to reach an agreement with the catcher/first baseman, according to reports earlier in the week.
The Red Sox want to add protective language to the deal because they found an issue with one of Napoli’s hips, Rosenthal reports. The Red Sox have included protective language in past deals for players such as J.D. Drew. Before Drew signed his deal, Detroit signed Ivan Rodriguez to a free agent contract that allowed the Tigers to buy the catcher out if he spent a certain amount of time on the disabled list for designated reasons.
Another team has expressed interest in Napoli. However, Rosenthal says no team has made a serious effort to sign him.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Justin Upton Rumors: Friday
Justin Upton invoked his no-trade clause to reject a proposed deal to the Mariners, one of four teams on his no-trade list. The trade would have sent four players to Arizona: Nick Franklin, Charlie Furbush, Stephen Pryor and Taijuan Walker. Instead, Upton remains on the Diamondbacks’ roster and the rumors continue. Here’s the latest on the 25-year-old, who can also block trades to the Blue Jays, Red Sox and Cubs…
- The Mets are again interested in trading for Upton, reports Marc Carig of Newsday (on Twitter). He says it's a longshot they'll surrender the prospects required to made a deal.
Earlier Updates:
- Unless Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers lowers the asking price for Upton, the Braves seem willing to proceed with players already in the organization, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution writes. The Diamondbacks wanted a package centered around shortstop Andrelton Simmons earlier in the offseason, but the Braves won’t trade the defensive whiz and Arizona has since acquired shortstop Didi Gregorius from Cincinnati.
- Former MLB player Harold Reynolds said on MLB Network’s Hot Stove show that Upton repeatedly told the Diamondbacks he would not approve a deal to the Mariners (via Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports on Twitter). Rosenthal notes that Reynolds is the younger brother of Larry Reynolds, Upton’s agent.
- Upton was never going to the Mariners, so talks were a “waste of time” in the view of USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (Twitter link).
- The Rangers appear to be moving on from Upton.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Orioles Avoid Arbitration With Nolan Reimold
6:28pm: Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun reports (on Twitter) that Reimold received $1MM, exactly as Swartz's model projected.
5:58pm: The Orioles have avoided arbitration with Nolan Reimold, the team announced. The ACES client received a one-year contract. Financial terms are unknown, but Matt Swartz projected the outfielder to earn $1MM in 2013.
Reimold, 29, hit .313/.333/.627 with five homers in 69 plate appearances last year, though his season ended in late-April due to a neck injury that required surgery. He's a .261/.338/.455 career hitter in 916 plate appearances, with most of his playing time coming in 2009 and 2011.
The Orioles have eight unsigned arbitration-eligible players, as our Arbitration Tracker shows: Chris Davis Jason Hammel, Tommy Hunter, Jim Johnson, Brian Matusz, Darren O'Day, Troy Patton, and Matt Wieters.
Blue Jays Designate Tommy Hottovy For Assignment
The Blue Jays have designated Tommy Hottovy for assignment, the team announced. The move clears room on the 40-man roster for the recently-signed Henry Blanco.
Toronto claimed Hottovy off waivers from Rangers just yesterday. The 31-year-old left-hander appeared in nine MLB games with the Royals this past season, but spent most of the year at Triple-A, where he posted a 2.52 ERA with 11.0 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 50 innings.
Blue Jays Sign Henry Blanco
The Blue Jays announced that they signed catcher Henry Blanco to a non-guaranteed deal for the 2013 season. The 41-year-old Elite Sports Group client would earn $750K at the MLB level.
Blanco appeared in 21 games this past season, posting a .188/.224/.281 batting line in 67 plate appearances for the Diamondbacks. He also spent time on the disabled list with a sprained thumb. Arizona declined its 2013 option on Blanco after the season.
Boras Talks Bourn, Soriano, Lohse
Though many have expressed doubts that Michael Bourn, Rafael Soriano and Kyle Lohse will find lucrative free agent contracts, their agent suggests all three players will be just fine. Scott Boras, who represents each of the top three remaining free agents, told ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick that Bourn, Soriano and Lohse will do well, even if they remain unsigned as Spring Training approaches.
“People call me all the time and say, 'Man, your players aren't signed yet,'” Boras said. “Well, it doesn't really matter what time dinner is when you're the steak.”
All three players are linked to draft pick compensation after turning down qualifying offers at the beginning of the offseason (they're actually the only three free agents still linked to draft pick compensation). The Rangers have done legwork on Bourn, according to Crasnick, who notes that the Braves haven’t ruled out a reunion with the center fielder. Bourn could appeal to the Mariners, and Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik told Crasnick that he continues seeking bats.
"We have had a lot of dialogue regarding offense, but we would be open to anything," Zduriencik said.
Boras denied reports that he circled back to ask the Yankees about their interest in a one-year deal with Soriano. The Tigers continue expressing confidence in internal relief options such as Bruce Rondon, though they’re viewed as a possible suitor for Soriano along with the Blue Jays. However, Toronto would likely be reluctant to surrender a draft pick to sign the closer.
As for Lohse, the Rockies and Mets want starters, but prefer affordable options. Some view the Angels and Rangers as potential suitors for the right-hander, though their interest level remains unclear. While the Brewers could use pitching, GM Doug Melvin said he’s decided “this is the year we're probably going to go with some of our younger guys."
Cardinals Notes: Kyle Lohse, Nick Punto
The Cardinals might not be making many headlines in relation to some of their more active National League rivals, but they could make another move or two and they do have five unresolved arbitration cases. Mitchell Boggs, David Freese, Jason Motte, Edward Mujica and Marc Rzepczynski are all arb eligible this offseason, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows. Here's the latest on the Cardinals…
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak repeated that the chances of Kyle Lohse re-signing in St. Louis are slim, Tim McKernan of InsideSTL.com reports (on Twitter). The GM said it doesn't make much sense for the Cardinals to sign the free agent right-hander, but noted that he didn't want to close doors.
- There’s a 50-50 chance the Cardinals add to their big league roster before Spring Training, a team source told Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter links). The Cardinals are re-focusing on the free agent market, and there’s support within the organization for a Nick Punto type, according to Strauss. Punto, a switch-hitter capable of playing multiple positions, is under contract with the Dodgers. The former Cardinal will earn $1.5MM in 2013.
Mets Targeting Prominent Outfielders
The Mets like Scott Hairston, but view the free agent as a fallback option in case they can’t obtain a bigger name outfielder, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter links). The Mets would be happy to re-engage the Diamondbacks about Justin Upton, according to Heyman. However, they found Arizona’s asking price on Upton to be high earlier in the offseason.
We now have a precise sense of the Diamondbacks’ asking price for Upton. It appears that GM Kevin Towers agreed to a deal that would have sent Upton to Seattle for Nick Franklin, Charlie Furbush, Stephen Pryor and Taijuan Walker. However, Upton invoked his no-trade protection and blocked the deal (latest details here).
The Mets' outfield currently includes Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Lucas Duda, Mike Baxter, Jordany Valdespin, Andrew Brown and Collin Cowgill. GM Sandy Alderson has been eyeing outfielders all winter, but has yet to acquire an established player.
Michael Morse Rumors: Friday
Minutes after news broke that Adam LaRoche had agreed to return to the Nationals on a two-year deal, the speculation about trades involving Michael Morse began. Morse, a free agent next offseason, offers right-handed power at a time that it’s very much in demand. The Nationals don’t have an everyday role for him after signing LaRoche, but many other teams are interested. Here’s the latest on Morse, starting in the American League East…
- The Yankees called the Nationals about Morse after Washington signed LaRoche, Jack Curry of the YES Network reports (on Twitter). The sides will eventually discuss a deal, but the Nationals weren’t ready to talk trades when the Yankees first called.
- The Red Sox are one of the teams in contact with the Nationals about Morse, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. Rosenthal suggests Morse could be an alternative to Mike Napoli at first base in Boston. However, the Red Sox would need to part with young talent and possibly a left-handed reliever to obtain Morse.
- The Rays have also been linked to Morse, who's drawing interest from several teams.