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Archives for February 2013

Justin Morneau Won’t Talk Extension During Season

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Twins first baseman Justin Morneau is entering the final year of his contract with the Twins but the former MVP told reporters that he won't discuss a new deal with the club once the season starts, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com (on Twitter).  Morneau also says that he hasn't been approached by the front office about an extension yet and his reps won't raise the issue with the Twins this fall (Twitter link).

From Morneau's tone, it sounds as though he has every intention of testing the open market after the season.  The slugger will earn $14MM this season in the home stretch of his of his six-year, $84MM contract.  He also figures to be a trade candidate given his status and the Twins were reportedly gauging interest in him during the winter meetings.

While Morneau may be bound for free agency, he has made it known in the past that he is happy playing in Minnesota.  At the same time, winning is important to the 31-year-old.

"I want to win, obviously, so that's the important thing," said Morneau, according to Phil Miller of the Star-Tribune. "If it looks like there's a chance we're going to win, I'd love to stay here. I've been here my whole career, and this is where I hope to be in the future…But sometimes those decisions aren't yours."

AL East Notes: Yankees, Wang, Orioles, Abreu

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Here's a look at the latest out of the American League East..

  • Despite having six candidates for five rotation spots, the Yankees are keeping tabs on former ace Chien-Ming Wang, writes George A. King III of the New York Post.  Wang threw off a mound for Yanks spring training pitching instructor Billy Connors at his Tampa area home recently and put on an impressive performance.
  • The Orioles may consider signing outfielder Bobby Abreu, but first plan to “see what they have in camp,”tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.  Heyman previously reported that theMarlins and Rays could be in the mix for the 38-year-old Abreu.
  • Rays manager Joe Maddon plans to provide right-hander Roberto Hernandez, the pitcher previously known as Fausto Carmona, with an opportunity to earn a spot in the starting rotation, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  As Maddon explained, the Rays will“treat [Hernandez] as a starter and then revert back” to a relief role should he fail to beat out other starting options, including Jeff Niemann and Chris Archer.  Also of note, Maddon said that righty Alex Cobb is “pretty much ensconced” as the Rays’ fourth starter.

Jeff Todd contributed to this post.

Mets Notes: Santana, Backman, Collins, D’Arnaud

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Earlier this week, Mets chairman & CEO Fred Wilpon offered an optimistic vision of the club's finances and inferred that the team should have some financial flexibility going forward.  Sandy Alderson hasn't had the chance to work with a significant payroll, but Wilpon said he could see the Mets spending as much as they did under former general manager Omar Minaya.  That would presumably mean a budget of more than $140MM for the Metropolitans.  Here's more out of Queens..

  • If Johan Santana has the strong, healthy season that he is expecting, then he could trigger his option year and, in turn, hurt his mid-season trade value, writes Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.  The hurler's six-year, $137.5MM deal expires this season, but the contract has a 2014 player option that vests for $25MM if Santana pitches 215 innings in 2013 and is on the active roster for the final 30 days of the season.
  • Triple-A manager Wally Backman still wants to be a big league manager and he could be waiting in the wings as Terry Collins faces an uncertain future, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post writes.  For his part, Backman says that he's not gunning for Collins' job.
  • Blue Jays import Travis d'Arnaud draws high praise from his former coaches, writes Kevin Kernan of the New York Post.  Phillies catching coordinator Mike Compton even went so far as to reference Johnny Bench. 

Blue Jays Notes: Cabrera, Reyes, Anthopoulos

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Earlier today, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos and some of the team's players addressed the media.  Here's a look at some highlights..

  • No member of the Blue Jays has a no-trade clause in his contract, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
  • Anthopoulos acknowledged the risk in signing Melky Cabrera but says that more certainty in performance would have cost more, tweets Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.  The two-year, $16MM deal may provide Toronto with great value but the risk is still there.
  • The GM reiterated that he does not expect any further punishment for Cabrera by MLB stemming from this offseason's report in Miami, tweets Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com.
  • Jose Reyes didn't anticipate being a part of a blockbuster deal to send him north of the border.  In fact, days before the deal, Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria encouraged him to buy a home in Miami, tweets Davidi.
  • When asked what he might tell free agents about the Marlins, Reyes responded, "I don't have to tell them nothing. They can see what happened," tweets Jayson Stark of ESPN.com.  He added that he feels sorry for Giancarlo Stanton, who was not traded by the Marlins, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Quick Hits: Heyward, Marmol, Arroyo, Lohse

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For that special baseball fan in your life, Valentine's Day means dressing up in an Expos throwback jersey and a fake mustache and glasses before hitting the town.  Here's the latest from around the majors as Spring Training is almost in full swing…

  • The Braves haven't talked to Jason Heyward about a long-term extension, MLB.com's Mark Bowman reports.  Heyward was arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter and agreed to a one-year, $3.65MM deal for 2013.  Heyward is under team control through the 2015 season.  Bowman thinks the Braves could also talk to Craig Kimbrel and Freddie Freeman about multiyear deals before the season begins.
  • Also from Bowman's story, Braves CEO and chairman Terry McGuirk said the organization is willing to spend to keep the team in contention for years to come.  "Money is not going to stand between us and getting it done at this point because we are that close," McGuirk said.  "I'm talking about [the] long term and short term. I'm talking about talent that is here and talent that isn't here."
  • Carlos Marmol said he "was a little sad" when the Cubs tried to deal him to the Angels earlier this offseason, ESPN Chicago's Bruce Levine writes.  Marmol's contract expires after this season and the reliever said he wants to stay with the Cubs.  Levine speculates that the Angels could revisit a Marmol deal since Ryan Madson will likely start the year on the disabled list.
  • Bronson Arroyo is entering the final year of his Reds contract and the veteran realizes it could be his last year in Cincinnati, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports.  "When you have a team as we do, where everyone is coming into their own kind of at the same time, and add the fact we have a couple of monster deals already in place, it's going to be tough for me to stick around here if I have [a] successful season," Arroyo said.
  • Given the time Reds GM Walt Jocketty is spending on Homer Bailey's contract, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer figures Bailey could be in line for a multiyear deal.  The Reds have already signed two other arbitration-eligible pitchers (Mat Latos and Logan Ondrusek) to two-year extensions this offseason.  Bailey is in his second year of arb eligibility.
  • Kyle Lohse's landing spot is debated by Jeff Sullivan and Dave Cameron of Fangraphs.  Lohse is expected to find a contact soon, though a number of teams linked to the right-hander are seemingly distancing themselves.  Sullivan and Cameron suggest the Rangers, Mariners, Padres and Indians could all be fits for Lohse and the two weigh the costs of Lohse's projected value against the value of the draft pick that most teams would have to give up to sign him.
  • Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch lists John Mozeliak's 10 best moves as Cardinals general manager.  Mozeliak signed a new extension with the Cards today that will keep him with the team through the 2016 season.

AL Central Notes: Bourn, White Sox, Campana, Harden

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Here's the latest from the AL Central…

  • The Indians offered Michael Bourn a deal in November worth roughly as much as the four-year, $44MM offer the team eventually made to Shane Victorino, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.  Victorino rejected the Tribe to sign with Boston, but Bourn eventually ended up taking a similar offer (four years/$48MM with a $12MM vesting option on a fifth year) from the Indians once a larger contract failed to materialize on the open market.  Cleveland's ownership was willing to make the signing since Bourn's deal is backloaded and the Indians will be receiving extra money from a new TV contract.
  • White Sox GM Rick Hahn likes his young catching corps and doesn't believe the team needs to add a veteran catcher to the mix, MLB.com's Scott Merkin reports.  Tyler Flowers is slated to be Chicago's everyday catcher, with Hector Gimenez as the backup and non-roster invitee Bryan Anderson also present in camp.  The three catchers have a combined 337 Major League at-bats.
  • The White Sox haven't spoken to the Cubs about outfielder Tony Campana, ESPN Chicago's Bruce Levine reports.  Campana was designated for assignment by the Cubs earlier this week and was claimed on waivers by the White Sox last August before the Cubs pulled him back.  The Pale Hose are known to be looking for a left-handed hitting outfielder, though Campana is better known for his speed (54-for-59 in steals over the last two seasons) than his bat (.605 OPS in 347 career PA).
  • Rich Harden tells MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger that he was determined to keep playing and didn't consider retirement after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery in January 2012.  Harden is trying to revive his career in Minnesota after signing a minor league deal with the Twins two months ago.
  • In other AL Central news from earlier today, the Twins signed Rafael Perez to a minor league contract.

Yankees Notes: Cano, Hughes, Prospects

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It was 100 years ago today that legendary announcer Mel Allen was born in Birmingham, Alabama.  Allen is best remembered as the voice of the Yankees from 1939 to 1964, though his long career also included Indians play-by-play, NFL and college football games and hosting This Week In Baseball from 1977 until his death in 1996.

Here are a few Yankee-related items that may make you say "How a-BOUT that?!"…

  • Robinson Cano and the Yankees aren't making much progress in their initial contract talks, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports.  There is "a significant difference in either talent assessment or valuation" between the two sides.  The Yankees see Cano as a top-10 or top-15 player in the game, while agent Scott Boras sees his client as a top-five talent — a small gap on paper, but one worth tens of millions in negotiations.  If Cano does hit the open market, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes cites the second baseman as "the clear number one choice" as the best free agent of the 2013-14 offseason.
  • When Phil Hughes worked out his one-year deal with the Yankees for 2013, "the topic of an extension was hardly mentioned," Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger writes.  Hughes is eligible for free agency after the season but he doesn't expect New York to try and lock him up early.  “Coming up with this organization as a pitcher, you know you’re not going to be signed long-term before (free agency),” Hughes said. “Nobody tells you. You just know. No pitcher is getting a long-term deal before free agency.”
  • The Yankees' best prospects are in the lower levels of their farm system, which an executive tells MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince is due in part to the club lack of success at finding quality waiver claim pickups or minor league free agents, but also because New York is always successful and thus drafting near the end of the first round.  "Depth is an issue in the very short run, but the talent they have coming up in the system is actually surprisingly good," the executive said.  "It's impossible to draft a lot of talent with later and limited picks."

NL West Links: D’Backs, Torrealba, Crawford, Colletti

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Diamondbacks outfielder Adam Eaton holds the top spot on Keith Law's top 20 list of prospects (ESPN Insider subscription required) who will have the biggest impact in 2013.  Eaton is projected as Arizona's leadoff man and everyday center fielder, and Law believes Eaton can be a Rookie Of The Year candidate given how well his game fits Chase Field.  D'Backs left-hander Tyler Skaggs is #4 on Law's list and Trevor Bauer (who the Snakes dealt to the Indians this offseason) ranked fifth.  Padres righty Casey Kelly also appears in the top 20, while Padres infielder Jedd Gyorko and Giants reliever Heath Hembree are honorable mentions.

Here's the latest from the NL West…

Rangers Sign Todd McDonald

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We'll keep track of today's international and minor league signings here, with the newest moves at the top of the post…

  • The Rangers have signed 17-year-old Australian outfielder Todd McDonald to a contract with a $475K bonus, Baseball America's Ben Badler reports.  The 6'3", 185-pound McDonald is "athletic, has excellent plate discipline and a line-drive stroke from the left side," Badler writes.  While scouts are divided about McDonald's power potential, he is "one of the toolsier players in Australia."

Lucchino On Red Sox, Spending, Philosophy, Ross

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Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino talked with the media (including WEEI.com's Alex Speier) today about a number of topics, with the focus on how the franchise had adjusted in the wake of its disappointing 2012 season.  Lucchino declared that the Red Sox were underdogs going into 2013, with the Blue Jays lined up as the new favorites in the AL East.  Some of the highlights of Lucchino's talk….

  • Management is as willing as ever to spend to make the Sox competitive.  Lucchino pointed to the team's track record over the last 11 years of spending in all facets of the baseball operations as evidence that "we are in it to win."
  • In part due to its recent unsuccessful forays into the free agent market, the Red Sox will have a renewed focus on developing homegrown prospects.  Lucchino is excited about this development: "…most organizations tend to overvalue their own prospects, and you’ve got to be very diligent about making sure that your assessments are realistic. But I do think there are some talented young players who are going to have an impact. Some may even have an impact, I think, this year.”
  • As noted earlier today, Lucchino is open to signing Jacoby Ellsbury to a long-term contract and the outfielder is similarly interested in working out an extension.
  • The Red Sox only managed a .315 team OBP in 2012, which both owner John Henry and Lucchino noted ran counter to the club's franchise-wide philosophy.  "We used to have incentives in contracts relating to on-base percentage to show you how important we thought it was. I think there was kind of a deviation from that, somewhere along the way," Lucchino said.  "I think it kind of grew gradually, and if you’re not ever-vigilant, that can happen to the organization…Perception that everybody now gets it, everybody now understands it, and don’t we have to look for some new metric or approach? And we in some ways outsmarted ourselves.”
  • Lucchino admitted he had hoped the Red Sox would re-sign outfielder Cody Ross (who left Boston to sign a free agent contract with the Diamondbacks this offseason) but likes the other new outfielders in the fold, such as Jonny Gomes.

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