Archives for February 2013

Quick Hits: Lohse, Volquez, Bourn, Phillies, Blue Jays

By charliewilmoth | February 20, 2013 at 10:35pm CDT

Padres starter Edinson Volquez is eligible for free agency after the 2013 season, but his preference is to sign an extension with San Diego, says Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Before considering a new contract, the Padres want to see Volquez improve his control, Center notes. Volquez allowed 105 walks in 2012. Here are more notes from around baseball…

The Dodgers' surplus of starters is yet another factor working against Kyle Lohse as he tries to find a suitable deal this winter, rival officials tell Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd). Teams looking for pitching can pick up the phone and call the Dodgers to ask about Chris Capuano or one of their other available starters. Lohse is obviously a stronger option, but he's also more expensive and teams have less flexibility than they did earlier this winter.
Pitcher Kyle Davies agreed to a minor league deal with the Twins that does not include an invite to big league camp, tweets Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. The 29-year-old owns a career 5.59 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 across seven big league seasons.
New Indians outfielder Michael Bourn says that the offseason market for his services took a turn for the worse after the Twins traded not one, but two center fielders in Denard Span and Ben Revere, CBSSports.com's Scott Miller reports. The trades of Span and Revere took the Nationals and Phillies out of the market for a center fielder. "I was looking at that like, ‘Man, are you serious?' Those were two teams I pretty much thought would be fighting for me," Bourn says.
The Phillies discussed trading Domonic Brown to the Astros this offseason, Jon Heyman reports (on Twitter), but the Phils, still low on talent in the outfield, are reluctant to deal him. The former top prospect is current competing for time in left field with the Phillies.
Blue Jays manager John Gibbons hints that the club might turn to Josh Thole or Henry Blanco, rather than J.P. Arencibia, to catch R.A. Dickey, Richard Griffin of TheStar.com reports. The Jays will go with a personal catcher for Dickey, MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm notes. Arencibia wants to catch for Dickey, but Thole and Blanco both caught Dickey and his knuckleball when Dickey played for the Mets.

East Notes: Phillies, Steinbrenner, Yankees, Red Sox

By Zachary Links | February 20, 2013 at 9:36pm CDT

Despite what some observers may think, the Phillies refuse to believe that their window has closed, writes Bob Nightengale of USA Today. "If I really thought the window was closing," said Cole Hamels, "I would have been gone. I play to win. They didn't have to give me any assurances. You can see it. You can feel it." There are a number of questions surrounding the Phillies, including offseason acquisition Michael Young's ability to play third base, but Ryan Howard cautions fans not to be surprised by their success in 2013. Here's more out of baseball's eastern divisions..

Hal Steinbrenner has been adamant about the Yankees cutting their payroll to $189MM, but ESPN New York's Wallace Matthews reports that he may return to something resembling his father's free-spending ways. "This is the first time since George died that it appears a Steinbrenner is actually running the Yankees," a source tells Matthews. A change in the Yankees' approach would have dramatic implications throughout the free-agent market, and it could have a near-immediate impact on Robinson Cano as he enters his walk year.
The Red Sox generally haven't incorporated former major league players into their decision-making, but GM Ben Cherington appreciates special assistant Jason Varitek's input, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. In the coming months, Varitek will assist the front office in player development and draft scouting. Two other former Red Sox stars, Pedro Martinez and Tim Wakefield, are also working with Cherington.
In addition to being a key bullpen piece for the Orioles, the recently extended Darren O'Day is also a mentor to his fellow Baltimore sidearmers, writes Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com. O'Day recently agreed to a two-year, $5.8MM deal with a club option for 2015.

Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.

AL West Notes: Walker, Rangers, Lohse, Angels

By charliewilmoth | February 20, 2013 at 7:48pm CDT

Top prospect Taijuan Walker's stuff has Mike Morse "excited" about being with the Mariners, MLB.com's Greg Johns reports. Morse took a few swings against the 20-year-old Walker in Spring Training on Tuesday and was surprised by what he saw, particularly given Walker's age. "He was throwing an easy 94 or 95 [mph]," Morse said. "I'm like, 'C'mon Mike, bear down, show this kid who's boss.' But stuff like that gets you excited about an organization." Here are more notes from around the A.L. West…

The Rangers still aren't interested in free agent starter Kyle Lohse, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com writes. Texas has a vacancy in its rotation behind Yu Darvish, Matt Harrison, Derek Holland and Alexi Ogando.
Angels reliever Kevin Jepsen is focusing on "keeping it simple" this spring, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports. Jepsen blames his struggles early in the 2012 season on a change to the grip on his two-seam fastball, which diminished his ability to throw his other pitches effectively. He allowed nine runs in seven innings through the end of April, before recovering to post a 3.02 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 44 innings for the season.
Astros Jarred Cosart and Josh Zeid are excited to pitch against their former team, the Phillies, in their spring opener Saturday, says Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. At the 2011 trade deadline, the Phillies traded both players to the Astros, along with Jonathan Singleton and Domingo Santana, for Hunter Pence.

Quick Hits: Rangers, Nava, Helton, Cano

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 20, 2013 at 4:39pm CDT

The Rangers have financial flexibility following a relatively quiet offseason, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). However, they aren’t desperate for a starting pitcher at this stage. Here are the latest links from around MLB…

Daniel Nava represented himself for the early part of his MLB career, but he has now hired an agent, Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports. Joe Sambito of SFX now represents Nava, who posted a .243/.352/.390 batting line in 317 plate appearances for the Red Sox in 2012. Check out MLBTR’s Agency Database for more information on player representatives.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post would be “really surprised” if Todd Helton plays again in 2014 (Twitter link). It’d be complicated for the Rockies to bring Helton back in anything but a part-time Jason Giambi-like role. Helton will earn $5MM in 2013 before hitting free agency.
ESPN.com’s Buster Olney wonders if the Nationals could pursue Robinson Cano as a free agent next offseason (Twitter link). Cano will appeal to many teams if he reaches free agency, though there’s no guarantee that’ll happen. The Yankees appear to be prepared to discuss a significant long-term contract with their longtime second baseman.
Olney suggested in his most recent blog entry that the Cubs and Dodgers could also bid for Cano. The Yankees' baseball operations department could be prepared to commit $189MM or so over seven years for Cano in Olney's view.

Nutting: Pirates Must Take Step Forward

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 20, 2013 at 4:15pm CDT

The Pirates extended general manager Neal Huntington following the 2011 season and extended manager Clint Hurdle this week. Despite those moves, Huntington and Hurdle face pressure from above, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports. Owner Bob Nutting said the organization’s decision makers expect to win and that the franchise “must take a step forward."

"The idea that an extension is somehow a free pass is exactly the message I would not want to send, and not the message Clint heard,” Nutting said. “We've shown we're willing to make a change if we need to, irrespective of the contract terms."

Nutting said the Pirates aim to win the World Series, but declined to clarify what a step forward would look like in further detail. Ending the franchise’s 20-year streak of losing seasons isn’t a goal in itself and would be "an inappropriate target" in Nutting’s view.

The Pirates came close to ending their streak of losing seasons in 2012, but finished with a 79-83 record. Huntington added Russell Martin, Jeff Karstens, Jason Grilli, Francisco Liriano and Jonathan Sanchez this offseason.

Mets Notes: Collins, Bullpen, Byrd

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 20, 2013 at 3:37pm CDT

The latest on the Mets as Spring Training continues in Port St. Lucie…

It’s “almost impossible” that the Mets will fire or extend manager Terry Collins during the 2013 season, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports (on Twitter). Collins’ contract expires after the season, and he has said he doesn’t expect the situation to become a distraction.
Collins says he's pleased with the array of left-handed relievers in camp this year, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports. "We come into this spring with five legitimate candidates, which we haven’t had in the past,” Collins said.
Marlon Byrd told Kevin Burkhardt of SNY.tv that he decided to sign with the Mets because of Collins’ presence and the chance to contribute as a veteran on a young team with upside (video link via MetsBlog.com).

Latest At RotoAuthority.com

By Tim Dierkes | February 20, 2013 at 1:52pm CDT

The outdated $8 magazines are in stores now, which can only mean one thing: fantasy baseball is around the corner. Our crack team at RotoAuthority will guide you to certain victory, with such recent articles as:

Top 61 Outfielders, by Alex Steers McCrum
Alex Rios vs. Hunter Pence, by Mark Polishuk
Finding This Year's Starting Pitching Sleepers, by Tim Dierkes
Ninth Inning Sleepers and Busts, by Steve Adams
NL West Closer Analysis, by Bryan Grosnick

Rockies Could Trade For Starter

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 20, 2013 at 1:17pm CDT

The Rockies' offense out-scored all but two National League clubs in 2012, even though Troy Tulowitzki missed two thirds of the season. The Colorado offense should again be prolific, but the pitching staff remains a concern. In an attempt to balance out their roster, the Rockies might trade a position player for a starting pitcher, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.

The Rockies aim to add another capable starting pitcher to a rotation that now includes Jhoulys Chacin, Jeff Francis, Jorge De La Rosa, Drew Pomeranz and Juan Nicasio. According to Rosenthal, the Rockies hope to add someone in the Josh Fogg mold — a pitcher capable of posting a 4.50-4.75 ERA for 150-175 innings.

The Rockies might look to bolster their pitching staff by trading a catcher. Wilin Rosario, Ramon Hernandez, Jordan Pacheco and Yorvit Torrealba provide manager Walt Weiss with an abundance of choices behind the plate. Hernandez is the player the Rockies would most like to deal, Rosenthal writes.

The Dodgers have starting pitching depth and might be positioned to trade someone like Chris Capuano. I expect they could match up with the Rockies depending on their confidence in the tandem of A.J. Ellis and Tim Federowicz and their willingness to trade within the division.

AL East Notes: Cano, Soriano, Orioles

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 20, 2013 at 12:28pm CDT

The Yankees and Orioles made the playoffs last year and a third AL East club, the Rays, won 90 games. The Blue Jays and Red Sox disappointed in 2012, but after a winter of offseason moves both teams hope to contend in 2013. Here are the latest AL East links at a time that the division truly seems wide open…

The Yankees say they’re prepared to discuss a significant long-term contract with Robinson Cano, but as Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes, there’s lots of rhetoric involved at this stage. The sides will declare their mutual interest in working out a new deal while remaining inflexible on financial details. Sherman expects agent Scott Boras to seek a ten-year deal in the $225-240MM range. The Yankees could start by suggesting a high average annual value for a shorter term, perhaps $170-175MM for seven years.
The Yankees would not give up a good prospect to acquire Alfonso Soriano, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Heyman suggests the Yankees would pay $10MM of the $36MM remaining on the left fielder's contract. Soriano has indicated he'd consider trades to a group of six or seven teams, including the Yankees.
The Orioles announced that they promoted Brady Anderson to the role of VP of baseball operations. Ned Rice, who had been the club’s assistant director of Major League operations, was promoted to director of Major League administration.
The Mariners have a list of Red Sox players that they're looking at as a player to be named later in the Mike Carp trade, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times (on Twitter). All four players are lower level non-premium minor leaguers in the Red Sox system.
Here are some more notes on the Red Sox.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Team Facebook/Twitter/RSS

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 20, 2013 at 11:15am CDT

If you prefer your MLBTR fix limited to only your favorite team, we've got you covered. Below are links to our team Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages and feeds.

AL East