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Archives for January 2013

Javier Vazquez Rumors: Thursday

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Though he didn't pitch during the 2012 season, veteran right-hander Javier Vazquez has drawn interest from several teams as he toys with the idea of returning to the Major Leagues under the right circumstances.  Here's the latest on some of Vazquez's suitors…

  • The Red Sox have watched each of Vazquez's last two starts in the Puerto Rican Winter League but Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald isn't sure how interested the team is in Vazquez, with one source saying the Sox are "just continuing to scout him" at this point.
  • Beyond the Red Sox and the Nationals, the White Sox also scouted Vazquez's last start, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link).  Vazquez pitched for the Pale Hose from 2006-2008.
  • Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. tells ESPN's Jayson Stark (Twitter links) that the team has scouted Vazquez but their interest is limited "until we know what his plan is…We're flying at about 5,000 feet, just to see what's going on."
  • Despite all this interest, Vazquez reiterated that he hasn't decided yet if he'll return next season, tweets Rosenthal.  Vazquez's fastball reportedly reached 94 mph during his most recent start.

Brewers, Chris Narveson Avoid Arbitration

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5:53pm: Narveson will earn $840K in 2013, reports Jim Goulart of Brewerfan.net (Twitter link).

2:46pm: The Brewers announced that they avoided arbitration with left-hander Chris Narveson. The SFX client obtains a one-year deal for the 2013 season.

John Axford, Burke Badenhop, Marco Estrada and Carlos Gomez are the Brewers' remaining arbitration eligible players, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows. Though Narveson's 2013 salary isn't known, MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected a salary of $800K.

Steinbrenner On Cano, Girardi, Payroll, Free Agents

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Yankees co-owner Hal Steinbrenner talked to reporters (including Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal) about a number of topics related to the club.  Here are some of the hot stove-related items….

  • The Yankees haven't had any "real significant dialogue" with Robinson Cano and agent Scott Boras about a contract extension.  Cano is a free agent next winter and said last month that he won't give the Yankees a "hometown discount" on a new deal.
  • There also doesn't appear to have been any talks between the Yankees and manager Joe Girardi about a new contract.  Girardi is heading into the last year of his three-year deal with New York.  The Yankees' reluctance to discuss contracts before they expire is well-known, as Steinbrenner explains that he is "not a big believer in extensions," though "there are exceptions to every rule."
  • The team's quest to get under the $189MM payroll limit by 2014 to avoid a major luxury tax payment isn't just a short-term goal, but rather about "being fiscally responsible" in general.  "I believe that you don’t have to have a $220 million payroll to win a world championship, and you shouldn’t have to," Steinbrenner said.
  • That said, Steinbrenner also left some room that the team's payroll could grow next year if the Yankees' young players don't perform as expected: "All I can continue to tell everyone is our commitment to the fans is never going to change. We will always field a championship-caliber team. Is our goal 189 [million] next year? Yes. But only if I’m convinced that the team I see we put together is a championship-caliber team."
  • Steinbrenner is pleased with the team's offseason, noting that Andy Pettitte, Ichiro Suzuki, Hiroki Kuroda were all re-signed and Kevin Youkilis was brought into the fold.  New York isn't done its winter shopping, as Steinbrenner said the Yankees "need another bat."  The Yankees have recently been linked to free agent outfielder Scott Hairston and Nationals first baseman Michael Morse.

Rangers Unlikely To Acquire Darren Oliver

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The Rangers have spoken to the Blue Jays about acquiring left-hander Darren Oliver but a trade between the two clubs isn't likely, industry sources tell MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.  We heard earlier this week that Oliver would retire unless the Blue Jays paid him more than his agreed-upon $3MM salary in 2013, and Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos has said the team isn't interested in re-negotiating the deal. 

Oliver has been on the fence about retirement all winter but seemed to be willing to continue into his 20th Major League season if he either received a pay bump from Toronto or if he could play for the Rangers, as the veteran lefty lives in the Dallas area.  Oliver was originally drafted by the Rangers in 1988 and has pitched 317 games for Texas over three separate stints with the team.

It isn't surprising that Texas and Toronto can't come to an agreement given the unique circumstances of Oliver's situation.  The Blue Jays probably aren't inclined to both help an AL Wild Card rival and do Oliver a favor unless the Rangers made a very generous offer, and while Oliver is coming off perhaps the best season of his long career, one figures Texas won't give much up for a 42-year-old relief pitcher.

As Sullivan outlines, Robbie Ross and Michael Kirkman are slated to be the Rangers' main left-handed relievers, with Neal Cotts and Jeff Beliveau also serving as lefty options heading into Spring Training.  If Ross becomes a starting pitcher, Martin Perez (another southpaw) could rejoin the bullpen.

Minor Moves: Escobar, Rays, Samson, Palmer

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We’ll track the day’s minor moves here…

  • The Brewers announced they have signed right-hander Kelvim Escobar to a minor league deal.  Escobar turns 37 in April and has appeared in just one Major League game since 2007 (a five-inning start with the Angels in 2009) due to various arm injuries but has pitched well in the Venezuelan Winter League this offseason.  Escobar posted a 4.15 ERA in 411 Major League games with the Blue Jays and Angels between 1997 and 2009.
  • The Rays have signed catcher Craig Albernaz, outfielder Jason Bourgeois and right-hander J.D. Martin to minor league contracts with invites to Major League Spring Training camp, the club announced.
  • Nate Samson signed a minor league deal with the Reds, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned. The 25-year-old infielder spent the 2012 season in the upper minors of the Cubs' system, posting a .273/.320/.346 batting line in 283 plate appearances.
  • The Dodgers signed right-hander Matt Palmer to a minor league deal, according to the transactions page at CBSSports.com. Palmer, 33, appeared in three games for the Padres this past season, but spent most of the year at Triple-A, posting a 5.66 ERA in 98 2/3 innings.
  • The NC Dinos are in the final stages of signing right-hander Eric Hacker, the KBO expansion team announced (via Dan Kurtz of myKBO.net). Hacker, who joins a staff including Adam Wilk and Charlie Shirek, appeared in four games for the 2012 Giants and has experience in two other MLB seasons.

More Multiyear Deals This Offseason

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From Zack Greinke's record setting $147MM contract to Gerald Laird’s relatively modest $3.3MM guarantee, MLB free agents have been cashing in with multiyear deals all offseason long. To this point in the winter 46 free agents have signed multiyear contracts with MLB teams, as MLBTR’s Free Agent Tracker shows.

With players such as Michael Bourn, Kyle Lohse, Rafael Soriano, Joe Saunders and Scott Hairston remaining on the free agent market, there’s reason to believe that total will continue rising in the weeks leading up to Spring Training. MLB teams have already surpassed last offseason’s total of 39 multiyear deals and the 2010-11 offseason total of 44, according to MLBTR’s Tracker.

In total, 24 of the 30 MLB teams have signed a free agent to a multiyear deal this winter. The Orioles, Astros, Mets, Marlins, Rockies and Padres are the only teams that have yet to make a multiyear commitment to a free agent.

MLBTR’s Free Agent Tracker allows you to filter free agents by many criteria: team, position, signing status, years, and dollars. This year we made it possible to filter free agents according to whether they obtained, accepted and declined qualifying offers. You can also link to your search results.

Cubs Sign Brent Lillibridge, Darnell McDonald

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The Cubs signed infielder Brent Lillibridge and outfielder Darnell McDonald to minor league contracts, the team announced.

Lillibridge, a CAA Sports client, appeared in 102 games for the White Sox, Red Sox and Indians in 2012. The 29-year-old posted a .195/.250/.274 batting line in 209 total plate appearances while appearing at every position except pitcher and catcher.

McDonald, a 34-year-old client of McNamara Baseball Group, played for the Yankees and Red Sox in 2012. He appeared in 42 total games, posting a .205/.297/.352 batting line in 103 plate appearances and playing all three outfield positions.

Cubs, Luis Valbuena Avoid Arbitration

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The Cubs avoided arbitration with infielder Luis Valbuena, Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald reports (on Twitter). The Elite Sports Group client will earn $930K in 2013, according to Miles.

Valbuena hit .219/.310/.340 in 303 plate appearances with Chicago this past season while playing second base and third base. The 27-year-old was first time arbitration eligible as a super two player this winter and had been projected to earn $900K by MLBTR's Matt Swartz. As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, the Cubs have three remaining arbitration eligible players: Matt Garza, James Russell and  Jeff Samardzija.

White Sox To Sign Gray, Troncoso, Anderson

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The White Sox announced that they agreed to sign seven players to minor league contracts that include invitations to MLB Spring Training. Right-handers Jeff Gray and Ramon Troncoso, left-hander David Purcey, catcher Bryan Anderson, infielders Josh Bell and Steve Tolleson and outfielder Stefan Gartrell will all report to Glendale next month.

Gray pitched for the Twins in 2012, posting a 5.71 ERA with 4.5 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 52 innings. Troncoso, who turns 30 next month, pitched for the Dodgers' Triple-A team in 2012. Purcey also spent the 2012 season at Triple-A, and he struck out more than one batter per inning at that level while struggling to limit walks. The 26-year-old Anderson appeared in ten games for last year's Cardinals team. Bell, formerly a top prospect, played in 21 games for the Diamondbacks in 2012. Tolleson appeared in 29 games with the 2012 Orioles, posting a .183/.227/.310 batting line as a utility player. Gartrell posted a .787 OPS with 20 home runs for the Braves' top affiliate last year.

Blue Jays Designate Chad Beck For Assignment

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The Blue Jays designated right-hander Chad Beck for assignment, the team announced. The move creates roster space for left-hander Tommy Hottovy, who was claimed off of waivers from the Rangers.

Beck spent the 2012 season in the Blue Jays' organization, and he made 14 MLB appearances. The Pirates claimed him off of waivers in October, then Toronto re-claimed him six days ago. Beck spent the majority of the year at Triple-A Las Vegas, where he posted a 1.31 ERA with 4.5 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 48 innings out of the bullpen.

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