Michael Bourn Rumors: Tuesday
Yesterday Mets general manager Sandy Alderson acknowledged to reporters that the Mets are in on free agent center fielder Michael Bourn. “We’re getting to the point where we can be in the mix,’’ Alderson said. “If you look at the fundamental composition of our team, it wouldn’t take more than a couple of moves to change the whole perception of things.’’ The Mets would have to surrender the 11th overall pick in the upcoming amateur draft to complete a deal with Bourn, but would ask MLB for a rule modification in the event they're close to a deal. Here’s the latest on Bourn, a Scott Boras client who recently dined with the Mets…
- The Indians are among the teams that might have interest in Bourn if his asking price drops "A LOT," ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports (on Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- David Wright told Kevin Kernan of the New York Post that he spoke with Bourn and exchanged texts with him to persuade him to sign in New York. “I just wanted to let him know that he would be a great addition here and he’d obviously be welcomed here,’’ Wright said. He explained to Bourn that the Mets aren’t far off from contention with the young talent they have in place. Wright noted that he’s happy to help the organization recruit free agents if it makes a difference on the field.
- The Mariners and Rangers have also been linked to Bourn, the top free agent remaining.
Giants To Sign Ramon Ramirez
2:06pm: It's a minor league deal, Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com reports (on Twitter).
12:43pm: One year after trading him, the Giants are bringing Ramon Ramirez back. The Giants agreed to sign Ramirez, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).
The right-hander pitched for San Francisco from 2010-11, but was traded to the Mets with Andres Torres in the trade that brought Angel Pagan to San Francisco last offseason. One winter later, all three players signed with the Giants as free agents.
Ramirez appeared in 58 games for the Mets in 2012, posting a 4.24 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 in 63 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. The 31-year-old had a 46.7% ground ball rate and his fastball averaged 91.1 mph, according to FanGraphs.
Chris Carpenter Likely To Miss 2013 Season
Cardinals GM John Mozeliak announced that Chris Carpenter can't continue to throw and will likely miss the 2013 season (Twitter links via Danny Knobler of CBS Sports and B.J. Rains of FOX Sports Midwest). The 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner continues battling injuries that are preventing him from throwing.
Mozeliak said Carpenter will likely be placed on the disabled list, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). By announcing his retirement, Carpenter would have to forfeit his $12.5MM salary, something he's not likely to do. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported earlier today that Carpenter was said to be considering retirement.
Carpenter missed most of the 2012 season with a shoulder injury. He had surgery related to nerves in his pitching shoulder after being diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. The 37-year-old started three regular season games last year and started three more times in the postseason.
Carpenter told the Cardinals that he continued feeling numbness and discomfort in recent bullpen sessions, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports (on Twitter). Last month, Carpenter suggested he would not necessarily rehab through another serious injury.
"If I have more health issues I’m not going to continue to try to battle through," Carpenter said, according to the Post-Dispatch.
Mozeliak said the Cardinals are "comfortable" with their current starting pitching depth, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times (on Twitter). Adam Wainwright, Jaime Garcia, Jake Westbrook and Lance Lynn lead the Cardinals' rotation. Trevor Rosenthal and Shelby Miller figure to compete for the fifth rotation spot, assuming the Cardinals don't bring in an outsider.
Free agent right-hander Kyle Lohse could be an option for the rotation, though a deal with Lohse would prevent the Cardinals from collecting an additional draft pick in the upcoming amateur draft. When asked about Lohse, Mozeliak said in general that the Cardinals could consider making additions (via Rains on Twitter).
Nationals To Sign Chris Snyder
The Nationals have agreed to sign catcher Chris Snyder to a minor league deal, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports (on Twitter). LSW Baseball represents Snyder.
Snyder, who turns 32 in a week, appeared in 76 games for the Astros this past season. He posted a .176/.295/.308 batting line in 258 plate appearances, adding seven home runs. The Astros declined a $4MM option on Snyder after the regular season, choosing a $500K buyout instead.
The Nationals' roster already includes catchers Kurt Suzuki and Wilson Ramos. Snyder, Jhonatan Solano and Sandy Leon provide the Nationals with additional catching depth. As MLBTR’s Free Agent Tracker shows, the market for catchers looks thin now that teams are bolstering their depth in anticipation of Spring Training. Rod Barajas and Matt Treanor remain unsigned.
Indians Sign Omir Santos
We'll track the latest minor moves here…
- The Indians announced that they signed catcher Omir Santos to a minor league contract with a non-roster invitation to Spring Training (Twitter link). Santos, 31, appeared in three games for the Tigers in 2012. He spent most of the season with the Triple-A affiliates of the Tigers and Rockies, posting a .310/.318/.429 batting line in 212 plate appearances. Santos has experience in parts of four MLB seasons with the Orioles, Mets and Tigers.
Diamondbacks, Parra Avoid Arbitration
We'll track the day's arbitration agreements under $3MM right here. Be sure to check out MLBTR's Arbitration Basics for a primer on the process. Now for today's signings…
- The Diamondbacks announced that they have avoided arbitration with outfielder Gerardo Parra, agreeing to a one-year contract for 2013. The deal is worth $2.35MM, a source tells Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona (on Twitter). Parra, a 25-year-old SFX client, was arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason with a projected $2.1MM salary. He remains under team control through 2015. As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, the Diamondbacks have now avoided arbitration with all of their eligible players.
Manny Ramirez In Talks With Taiwanese Team
Manny Ramirez, who ranks 14th on MLB's all-time home run list, could resume his playing career in Taiwan. The 40-year-old slugger is in talks to play for the EDA Rhinos of the Taiwanese professional league, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).
Ramirez recently played in the Dominican Winter League and wants to continue his MLB career, agent Barry Praver told Morosi last month. However, MLB teams such as the Indians didn't appear to have interest in Ramirez this offseason.
Ramirez last played at the MLB level with the 2011 Rays. He signed with the Athletics last winter, but they released him in June, before he played in a big league game. Ramirez has 555 home runs and a .312/.411/.585 batting line over the course of a 19-year playing career that includes 12 All-Star Game selections and multiple suspensions related to performance enhancing drugs.
Trade Reaction: Athletics-Astros Deal
The Athletics and Astros completed a five-player trade that fortifies the 2013 A’s and adds depth to Houston’s organization. Infielder Jed Lowrie and right-handed reliever Fernando Rodriguez join the Athletics in exchange for first baseman Chris Carter, starting pitcher Brad Peacock and catching prospect Max Stassi. Here’s the latest reaction to the trade, which was officially announced last night:
- While the deal fits into Houston’s long-term vision, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wonders how low the Astros can go before becoming an embarrassment to MLB. The Astros have lost a total of 213 games since 2011, and it seems likely that they’ll struggle again in 2013. “There aren’t many years where you can say one team will definitely have the No. 1 pick,” a rival GM told Rosenthal. “But they will definitely have the No. 1.” Astros GM Jeff Luhnow maintains that his primary objective is putting together a consistent winner. “Whether that’s ’14, ’15, ’16, we don’t know. But that’s what we’re working toward. So, any move we make has to be seen in that light.”
- The Astros added three young players with value, "but no star potential" ESPN.com's Keith Law writes. It's a good return in terms of value, though none of the newcomers are likely to become All-Stars. Law wonders if the Astros could have obtained a possible star in the deal instead of adding depth.
- The 2013 Athletics have a deeper, better infield following the trade, FanGraphs' Jeff Sullivan explains. Meanwhile, the Astros have more talent now than they did at this time yesterday.
- ESPN.com’s Buster Olney points out that Bud Norris’ $3MM salary now leads the Astros. That’s less than the average MLB salary and what Zack Greinke will earn in three weeks, as Olney points out. It's possible the Astros will have a historically poor record. "What you question is, how bad can they be," an NL official told Olney.
- Entering the offseason it was clear the A’s needed to bolster the left side of their infield, and I like that they’ve managed to accomplish that goal at a reasonable cost. That said, I can see why the Astros decided to move Lowrie at a time that his trade value remains reasonably high.
Quick Hits: Rivera, Blue Jays, Lugo, Cubs
On this date ten years ago the Red Sox claimed Bronson Arroyo off of waivers from the Pirates. At that point Arroyo had a 5.44 ERA in parts of three seasons with Pittsburgh and the Pirates exposed him to waivers. He would add considerably more value in Boston, where he posted a 4.19 ERA in parts of three seasons before being traded to Cincinnati for Wily Mo Pena in Spring Training of 2006. Here are today's links…
- Mariano Rivera declined to answer when Newsday's David Lennon asked the Yankee legend if this would be his final season (Twitter link).
- The contract of Blue Jays manager John Gibbons includes a rolling option that means he won’t face a season as a lame-duck manager, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports. Gibbons, who signed for two years plus an option earlier this offseason, has a unique clause in his contract. As long as the Blue Jays don’t fire Gibbons by January 1st of a given year, his option will vest for the following season and the sides will add another option to the contract. The unique deal means Gibbons will have a two-year contract as long as he’s managing the team. It’s reminiscent of the perpetual option on the deal between the Red Sox and Tim Wakefield, though it appears to be the first of its kind for an MLB manager.
- Julio Lugo said he’s leaning toward retiring following this year’s Caribbean Series, MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez reports. "It might be [the end], unless something comes that changes my mind," Lugo said. "But I think this is going to be it for me." The 37-year-old infielder last appeared at the MLB level with the 2011 Braves. He has a .269/.333/.384 batting line over the course of 12 seasons plus $48MM in career earnings (via Baseball-Reference).
- The Cubs (Scott Feldman), Brewers (Mike Gonzalez) and Pirates (Russell Martin) completed some under-the-radar signings that have the potential to pay off in 2013, Matthew Leach writes at MLB.com.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports confirms that the Rangers and Indians have interest in free agent infielder Ryan Theriot (Twitter link). The Phillies and Giants are also interested in Theriot, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported last month.
Poll: Oakland’s Best Offseason Acquisition
It’s been a busy offseason for the Athletics and general manager Billy Beane following their surprise AL West championship in 2012. The A’s have exercised Grant Balfour‘s option and re-signed Bartolo Colon to a one-year deal while electing to let right-hander Brandon McCarthy depart via free agency.
Beyond that, the A’s GM has orchestrated three trades this offseason, acquiring Chris Young, John Jaso and Jed Lowrie in three separate transactions — two of which were three-team deals. The A’s also dipped into the international market to add shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima. For those who have forgotten, here’s a quick recap of each of those moves:
- The A’s signed Nakajima to a two-year deal worth $6.5MM. The 30-year-old is expected to play shortstop for Oakland and owns a .310/.381/.474 batting line and 104 homers dating back to 2007.
- Oakland traded Cliff Pennington to the D’backs and Yordy Cabrera to the Marlins in order to acquire Young and $500K from Arizona. The Diamondbacks also received Heath Bell, and the Marlins received cash considerations. Young is set to hit free agency following the 2013 season.
- Beane and Co. traded A.J. Cole back to the Nationals in order to acquire Jaso from the Mariners. Mike Morse was traded from Washington to the Mariners in the deal as well. Jaso is under team control through 2015.
- The A’s traded Brad Peacock, Chris Carter and Max Stassi to the Astros in exchange for Lowrie and right-hander Fernando Rodriguez. Lowrie is under control through 2014.
Following today, Beane uncharacteristically divulged to reporters — including CSN Bay Area’s Casey Pratt — that the team was done making additions to its Major League roster (Twitter link). With that in mind, let’s put it to a vote:
Which was the best offseason acquisition by the A's?
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Trading Cliff Pennington and Yordy Cabrera to acquire Chris Young. 42% (5,812)
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Trading Brad Peacock, Chris Carter and Max Stassi to acquire Jed Lowrie. 25% (3,480)
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Trading A.J. Cole to acquire John Jaso. 19% (2,705)
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Signing Hiroyuki Nakajima to a two-year deal. 11% (1,560)
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A different acquisition. 3% (433)
Total votes: 13,990