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Archives for January 2013

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Posey, Verlander, Sale

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On this date in 2006, the then-Devil Rays franchise acquired its first Japanese-born player by signing reliever Shinji Mori to a two-year contract worth $1.3MM. They won his negotiating rights through the posting process with a $1MM bid. Mori suffered a major shoulder injury in Spring Training though, so he never actually appeared in a game for Tampa Bay. Here's the latest from the baseball blogosphere…

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Poll: Will The Phillies Add An Outfielder?

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The Phillies already added one outfielder this winter, acquiring Ben Revere from the Twins. They’ve also considered the possibility of adding a corner outfielder, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported this week that they continue seeking a right-handed bat. The Phillies appear to have some interest in free agent Scott Hairston and trade candidates Alfonso Soriano and Vernon Wells. However, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. publicly suggested the Phillies are done making moves, saying "we're likely going with what we've got."

If the season opened today, the Phillies' outfield would consist of Revere and a number of corner outfielders. Right-handed hitters such as John Mayberry Jr. and Darin Ruf would join left-handed hitters such as Domonic Brown and Laynce Nix in the outfield mix. This group includes some intriguing names, but lacks the certainty. Will the Phillies stick with what they have, or acquire a newcomer?

Quick Hits: Wells, Kinsler, Phillies, Robertson

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MLBTR’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and Jason Martinez of MLB Depth Charts discussed the Rangers, the Indians and offseason qualifying offers on the latest edition of the Rosters & Rumblings Podcast. Click here to listen in.  Here are some news items from around the baseball world…

  • The Mets are one of three teams interested in right-hander Kip Wells, reports MLB.com's Evan Drellich.  Wells, 35, posted a 4.58 ERA, a 4.6 K/9 rate and a 4.8 BB/9 rate in seven starts for the Padres last season, the first time Wells had pitched in the Majors since 2009.  Wells has pitched for nine different clubs over his 12-year career.
  • Ian Kinsler has reversed course and told Rangers management that he would prefer to remain at second base, reports Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Kinsler said he was open to a position change back in November but has since decided that he isn't comfortable moving off second at this point in his career.  Had Kinsler been willing to move to first base, Texas could have explored using Jurickson Profar and Elvis Andrus as the team's double-play combo.
  • The incentive details of Mike Adams' and John Lannan's contracts with the Phillies are outlined by Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • Nate Robertson is looking for a spot in a Major League training camp as a left-handed relief specialist, Robertson's agent Steve Canter tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link).  The 35-year-old Robertson's last Major League appearance came in 2010 and he has spent the last two seasons pitching in the minors for the Mariners, Cubs and Blue Jays.  Robertson could find success as a specialist given that he has held left-handed hitters to a .695 OPS over his nine-year career.
  • Shaun Marcum is still without a team and Fangraphs' Mike Axisa examines why the market for the free agent right-hander has yet to develop.  Marcum was ranked as the 19th-best free agent of the offseason by MLBTR's Tim Dierkes earlier this winter, though three players higher on the list than Marcum (Michael Bourn, Kyle Lohse and Rafael Soriano) are also still available.
  • Baseball America's Matt Eddy has the list of minor league transactions from the first week of January.
  • Mike Trout unsurprisingly headlines the list of the 25 best players under the age of 25 as compiled by ESPN's Keith Law.  Trout and the other three players atop Law's list delivered a historically great performance that compares to the all-time best quartets of young hitters, as noted by ESPN's Dave Cameron.  (An ESPN Insider subscription is required for both pieces.)

RotoAuthority.com Returns

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Did you finish last in your fantasy baseball league last year?  Maybe it's because your leaguemates started preparing in January, and you didn't!  Redeem yourself by checking out our fantasy baseball site RotoAuthority, which is already up and running with tons of great stuff:

Justin Upton Rejects Trade To Mariners

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10:50pm: Taijuan Walker would have been the fourth player in the trade package to the D'Backs, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (via Twitter).  Walker, a 20-year-old right-hander, was ranked as the 20th-best prospect in the sport by Baseball America prior to the 2012 season, though he struggled pitching at the Double-A level last year.

7:40pm: The Mariners offered a four-player package to the D'Backs, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports.  Arizona would have received Nick Franklin, Charlie Furbush, Stephen Pryor and one of Taijuan Walker, Danny Hultzen or James Paxton.

6:06 pm: Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton invoked his limited no-trade clause to reject an agreed-upon deal between the D'Backs and Mariners that would have sent Upton to Seattle, reports Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  The M's were prepared to give up "a package of young talent" in the trade, a return that Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic has heard was "substantial" (Twitter link).

Though several teams have been linked to Upton over the last two seasons, the Mariners seem to be the first to propose a deal that has gotten the D'Backs to agree to move the 25-year-old outfielder.  As Rosenthal/Morosi note, the trade rejection could be gamesmanship by either Upton or the D'Backs — Upton could be trying to control where he ends up, or the Snakes are sending the message that if Upton wants to leave Arizona, his only option is Seattle.  The Mariners, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Cubs are the four teams on Upton's current no-trade list, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link).

The Braves and Rangers are still pursuing Upton, and we've heard in recent weeks that such teams as the Mets, Padres, and Orioles have also been in engaged with trade talks with the Diamondbacks.

Marcus Thames Retires

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Marcus Thames has been hired as the hitting coach for the Yankees' high A-ball affiliate in Tampa, the club announced via its Twitter feed, effectively ending the outfielder's ten-year Major League career.  Thames last appeared in the majors in 2011, posting a .576 OPS in 70 plate appearances for the Dodgers.  According to Baseball Reference, the 35-year-old Thames made a little over $6.2MM in his career.

Thames was originally drafted by the Yankees in the 30th round of the 1996 amateur draft and had two separate stints in New York, also playing for the Dodgers, Rangers and Tigers, where he spent six seasons.  Thames didn't offer much in the way of batting average or on-base skills but he possessed strong power from the right side of the plate, hitting .246/.309/.485 with 115 homers in 2016 career plate appearances.  His best single season came in 2006 when he posted an .882 OPS in 390 PA and helped the Tigers reach the World Series.

AL Central Notes: Escobar, Dolan, White Sox, Porcello

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Aside from similar modest batting averages, you could hardly find two more different players than Harmon Killebrew and Luis Aparicio but it was on this day in 1984 that both AL Central greats were inducted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame.  Killebrew slugged 573 homers in his career and was a classic three-true-outcomes power hitter, while Aparicio hit just .262/.311/.343 in his career but made it Cooperstown on the strength of his defense (nine Gold Gloves) and speed, leading the league in steals nine times and finishing with 506 stolen bases in his career. 

Here are some more notes from around the AL Central…

Rangers “Moving On” From Justin Upton

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The Rangers made their "final offer" for Justin Upton to the Diamondbacks and now don't expect to continue talks with the D'Backs, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).  Texas is "moving on" after making their offer before the D'Backs agreed to their deal today with the Mariners that fell apart when Upton rejected the trade.  Arizona made one final offer to Texas for Upton on Thursday before agreeing to the Seattle deal, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter link).  The Rangers rejected that offer since the "price [was] too steep."

The Rangers and D'Backs have been seen as natural trade partners for much of the offseason, with prospective deals built around Upton going to Texas in exchange for Elvis Andrus or Jurickson Profar.  The Rangers were steadfast in refusing to include either shortstop in a trade, however, preferring to offer Mike Olt and Derek Holland as part of a package for Upton.  The Snakes have acquired Cliff Pennington and Didi Gregorius to address their need at shortstop this winter, though neither of those players would preclude Arizona from still going after Profar or Andrus.

Though Texas is now apparently out of the mix, there are no shortage of teams still interested in Upton. The Orioles, Mets and Padres have all explored trades for Upton in recent days, while Nightengale sees the Braves as the team that makes the most sense as a trade partner with the D'Backs.

NL West Links: Upton, Hall, Helton, Lee, Padres

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The big news out of the NL West today is Justin Upton's rejection of a trade that would have sent him to the Mariners in exchange for four of Seattle's top young players.  The deal would've been a big risk for both sides, though since the Diamondbacks have other outfield options to potentially replace Upton, the bulk of the risk would've fallen on Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik.  As a source opines to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link), Upton may have "saved Jack Z's job" by rejecting the trade and keeping so much top-flight young talent in Seattle.

Here are some more items from around the NL West…

  • The "strained relationship" between Upton and the Diamondbacks makes it seem that Upton will be playing elsewhere by Spring Training, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.
  • In a chat with fans at MLB.com that took place before the latest Upton news broke, Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall discussed all of the speculation about the outfielder.  "All of the media speculation is unfortunate, but not unusual," Hall noted, saying that other teams had been telling the media about their interest in Upton.
  • Todd Helton told reporters (including Troy Renck of the Denver Post) that he is recovering well from hip surgery and confirmed he will return for his 17th Major League season.  Helton is entering the final year of his contract with the Rockies and said in September that he wanted to play in 2013 if his health permitted.
  • Dodgers prospect Zach Lee has no regrets about choosing baseball over college football stardom, he tells MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.  Lee was the 28th overall pick of the 2010 draft and received a $5.25MM bonus to sign with the Dodgers instead of playing football at LSU.
  • The millions earned by Major League stars obscures the fact that most minor leaguers earn very modest paychecks, as MLB.com's Corey Brock explores how several Padres prospects make ends meet during the offseason.

AL East Notes: Jeter, Morse, Red Sox, Duquette

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The Yankees could have another tricky negotiation with Derek Jeter on the horizon, writes Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York.  Jeter is entering the last guaranteed year of his current deal and he holds a 2014 player option worth $9.5MM ($8MM in base salary plus $1.5MM that Jeter has thus far earned in incentives).  If Jeter comes back from offseason ankle surgery and continues to hit well, the Yankee icon will surely be looking for a longer commitment beyond 2014.  Knowing the Yankees' stance on extensions, however, I'd expect the team to not discuss another deal with Jeter until after the 2014 season, when Jeter will be 40 years old and the Bombers will have a better idea if their captain is worth another multiyear contract.

Here are the latest items from around the AL East…

  • The Yankees have "nothing alive" with the Nationals in regards to a deal for Michael Morse, reports Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees blog (Twitter link).  New York was one of several teams interested in Morse, who has been on the trade block since the Nats re-signed Adam LaRoche.
  • In an interview on WEEI radio's Hot Stove Show (partial transcription from WEEI.com's Kirk Minihane), Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said that there is no news about the team and Mike Napoli.  The Sox are continuing to talk with Napoli while also exploring other options at first base.
  • Speaking of those first base options, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports that the Red Sox "have explored" signing Casey Kotchman and Nick Johnson and also checked in with the Mariners about a trade for Justin Smoak.
  • The Orioles are looking for pitching depth as they head into Spring Training, executive VP Dan Duquette tells MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli.  Though the O's haven't made any major transactions this winter, Duquette believes his team has improved itself, though he did vaguely mention a few deals that didn't happen.  "We looked around the industry for that middle-of-the-order bat," Duquette said. "There was one free agent that was a significant player. There have been some other players available in a trade that I'm not sure they were better than what we had, and the cost of the acquisition has been a little pricey for us."

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