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Archives for February 2013

Diamondbacks Sign Rod Barajas

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FEBRUARY 10th: The Diamondbacks officially announced the signing of Barajas to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training (Twitter link).

FEBRUARY 8th: The Diamondbacks have signed catcher Rod Barajas, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports (Twitter links). The MVP Sports Group client obtains a minor league deal, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). He'll earn $800K if he makes the MLB team, according to Piecoro. Barajas began his career with the Diamondbacks, playing in Arizona from 1999-2003.

Barajas spent the 2012 season with the Pirates and posted a .206/.283/.343 batting line with 11 home runs in 361 plate appearances. The right-handed hitting 37-year-old has a history of providing some power from behind the plate, having reached double figures in home runs in eight of the past nine seasons. Barajas didn't surface in offseason rumors after the Pirates declined his 2013 option in late October.

Piecoro suggests Barajas will likely compete with Wil Nieves for playing time behind Miguel Montero. Matt Treanor is now the lone free agent catcher who spent significant time at the MLB level in 2012.

Cubs Designate Tony Campana For Assignment

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The Cubs have announced outfielder Tony Campana has been designated for assignment. The move was made to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Scott Hairston, whose two-year contract was made official in a team press release.

Campana's main asset is his speed as he led the Cubs in stolen bases last year with 30, the ninth best total in the National League. The 26-year-old finished 2012 with a slash line of .264/.308/.299 in 192 plate appearances. Campana became expendable after the Cubs bolstered their outfield this winter, according to MLBTR's Transaction Tracker, with the free agent signings of Hairston and Nate Schierholtz.

"It was a difficult call for us," Cubs President Theo Epstein was quoted as saying by Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. "I think it speaks to the fact that our 40-man roster is starting to have better depth on it. We preferred not to take a pitcher off at this juncture. So, looking at the position player group, it seemed to make sense to us to make this procedural move with Tony."

Epstein said he would like to keep Campana in the organization, but added he could be a weapon for a contending team in a certain role. The Cubs have 10 days to trade Campana or place him on waivers.

Latest On Michael Bourn, Mets

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The Mets are still hopeful that they can sign Michael Bourn, but there are currently "no discussions" between the union and league about the draft pick issue, a source tells Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).  The union, not the club, would have to file a grievance in order for the Mets to retain their first round pick.

If the union does go ahead and file a grievance, then they and the league would go before an arbitrator.  The two sides could also settle in advance of said hearing, but nothing has been done to begin that process yet.  

Cafardo On Nationals, Vazquez, Sizemore, Norris

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Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Michael Weiner has been an inspiration to everyone that works in his office, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  Weiner, who is living with an inoperable brain tumor, handed his role of general counsel to David Prouty last week.  “Mike has handled this whole situation with incredible grace and incredible humor, too,” Prouty said. “That’s the way he’s handled everything. So in a way, we’ve all been inspired by him. More generally, Mike is always an inspiration to be around in terms of being a colleague and an executive director who cares about players and about the game.”  Here's more from today's column..

  • The Nationals and others continue to keep an eye Javier Vazquez, who is recovering from minor knee surgery. Washington’s interest may be piqued by Gio Gonzalez’s alleged link to the Miami PED clinic. The Nationals have faith in Ross Detwiler, but Vazquez would give them depth.
  • There was thought that a team would sign Grady Sizemore and wait until he recovers from his latest knee surgery, but so far, they are staying away.  “It’s hard to take the risk, even if it’s minimal,” said one exec whose team needs outfield help. “At this point, I think you wait until he feels he’s ready and then you look. If someone beats you to it, so be it.”
  • Bud Norris is one of the last remaining assets on the Astros and should become one of the most sought-after pitchers before the season or at the trading deadline. The Astros haven’t said they’d deal him, but they didn't indicate they would move Jed Lowrie either before he was sent to the A's.  The Cardinals and Orioles are two teams to watch on Norris.
  • The Red Sox were willing to part ways with Kelly Shoppach in part because of his attitude.
  • One scout thinks one of the best under-the-radar moves this winter was the Rays obtaining Yunel Escobar, who was traded twice this winter. 

Quick Hits: Indians, Mark Prior, Phillies, Mark Lerner

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On this day in 1971, Satchel Paige became the first Negro League player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The oldest player to make his Major League debut, Paige took the field for the Indians for the first time at the age of 42. Here's the latest news and stories making headlines across MLB.

  • After making a series of deals this offseason in hopes of making a strong push toward the playoffs, the Indians may not be done adding pieces to their roster just yet, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer. Kyle Lohse and Michael Bourn remain on the radar for Cleveland as the organization would only have to give up a third round draft pick in order to sign either player.
  • Mark Prior hasn't given up on his goal of returning to the Major Leagues as he's working on strengthening his shoulder in hopes of receiving an invitation to Spring Training, says David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com. Currently in the best shape of his life according to reports, Prior spent the 2012 season at Triple-A Pawtucket as a member of the Red Sox organization before being released in August. For more on Prior, Doug Miller of MLB.com takes an in-depth approach to telling the past and present story of the former sensation's life on both a professional and personal level.
  • The contracts for recently-signed members of the Phillies organization are broken down by Todd Zolecki of MLB.com as he provides the financial incentives players would receive based upon meeting specific goals. For example, Delmon Young would be awarded $100K if named NL MVP next season and $250K for reaching 600 plate appearances, among others. 
  • Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner told college students at a conference directed toward finding a career in sports that he often learns of deals made by his GM Mike Rizzo by visiting MLB Trade Rumors, writes James Wagner of The Washington Post. A special thanks to Mark for publicly recognizing the work done at MLBTR by Tim Dierkes and his staff.

Indians Sign Jason Giambi

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9:55pm: Giambi will receive a $750K salary plus incentives if he makes the Indians roster, says Hoynes (on Twitter).

9:37pm: The Indians have signed Giambi to a minor league contract, according to a team announcement. He will report to MLB Spring Training on Wednesday in Goodyear, Arizona, reports Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer (via Twitter).

8:44pm: The Indians are close to finalizing a minor league deal with former Rockies slugger Jason Giambi, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). The contract will include an invitation to MLB Spring Training.

Giambi, 42, will look to compete for a spot on the bench as a left-handed designated hitter and offer depth at first base. The 2000 AL MVP posted a .225/.372/.303 batting line in 89 at-bats with the Rockies in 2012 as he served as a pinch hitter. 

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Rays, Jacoby Ellsbury

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The Yankees enter the 2013 season with a sense of uncertainty surrounding its aging roster in a division that could see all five teams make a run at the playoffs. New York does have a handful of minor league pitchers that may be of service to the squad in the near future including Mark Montgomery, a hard-throwing right-hander viewed as a potential successor to Mariano Rivera, according to Bill Madden of the New York Daily News. 

  • A lack of continuity at the shortstop position has been an issue for the Red Sox ever since the team traded away Nomar Garciaparra during the summer of 2004, but that trend may be about to change, writes Tim Britton of the Providence Journal. Boston will count on Stephen Drew to start at shortstop for the 2013 season, but will look to eventually turn the job over to Jose Iglesias, Xander Bogaerts or Deven Marrero, its top prospects at the position.
  • The Rays will enter the 2013 season with a different look after the team made a series of trades and signings that impacted all aspects of the squad, says Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The moves allowed the Rays to keep their payroll in check as well as reload on young talent that will be able to help the team over the long haul. 
  • Jacoby Ellsbury's tenure with the Red Sox may come to an end next offseason as he is set to become a free agent along with the fact that Scott Boras is his agent, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. “Ellsbury is a very talented player and we know what he can do on the field when he’s feeling good physically,” Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said. “We’re obviously a better team when he’s on the field and we’d love for him to be a Red Sox for a long time."

Poll: Which Team Had Most Disappointing Offseason?

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With the start of Spring Training mere days away, teams are close to having their rosters in place that they plan to take to either Florida or Arizona for the next month and a half. Clubs have spent the past few months bringing in new players through free agency and trade in hopes of putting together a squad worthy of playing meaningful baseball come October.

While many teams added a key pitcher or slugger to man the hot corner, others failed to replace departing players or make necessary upgrades around the diamond. Merely re-signing a player or two may not have been enough when teams like the Blue Jays and Dodgers made multiple additions to their respective rosters over the course of the winter. The question becomes which team has had the most disappointing offseason thus far.

Quick Hits: Freese, Podsednik, Jurrjens, Goldschmidt

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Yesterday, the Cardinals avoided arbitration with David Freese on a one-year, $3.15MM deal, which took care of all of their unsigned arbitration eligible players.  However, the third baseman says that he wants to be in St. Louis for life, writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  "If a long-term deal is going to happen I know for a fact that I have to do some things. I have to be a leader. I have to do what I do on the field. I have do the things expected of me," Freese said.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • Teams are interested in Scott Podsednik but he likely will need to wait for one that wants more help, suffers an injury, or misses out on a free agent like Michael Bourn, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Earlier today, we learned that the Twins haven't ruled out making a play for the outfielder.
  • Orioles General Manager Dan Duquette says he hopes to have the Jair Jurrjens situation resolved by the start of spring training, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.  The Orioles have yet to finalize their one-year, $1.5MM agreement with the pitcher and are believed to be concerned about his knee.
  • Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers says he approached Paul Goldschmidt about a long-term deal but the 25-year-old wanted to wait before talking about it, tweets Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.  Goldschmidt won't be arbitration eligible until after the 2014 season and isn't scheduled to hit free agency until the winter following the 2017 season.

Red Sox Notes: Cherington, Pedroia, Lavarnway

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There has been a lot of talk this offseason about what John Farrell can do for the Red Sox pitching staff as manager, but GM Ben Cherington reminded reporters today that he is charged with doing a lot more than working with a few hurlers, writes Tim Britton of The Providence Journal.  Here's a look at the highlights from Cherington's chat with the press out of Fort Myers, Florida and other news on the BoSox..

  • Cherington said the team hasn’t started extension talks with any players but it is expected that the Red Sox will open conversations with Dustin Pedroia at some point this spring, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.  “I can’t rule it out, but I can’t rule it in, either,” said the GM regarding extensions.
  • As of right now, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and David Ross are being viewed as the major league catchers, leaving Ryan Lavarnway as the odd man out, Speier writes.  With a glut of backstops, Lavarnway will remain a trade candidate as we enter spring training.
  • Cherington accepted the blame for a lack of depth in the starting rotation in 2012, according to Speier.  However, he feels more confident about the team’s pitching heading into this season.  The Red Sox will be stretching out Alfredo Aceves and Franklin Morales as starters in spring training in support of the projected rotation of Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, John Lackey, Ryan Dempster, and Felix Doubront.

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