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Archives for February 2013

Quick Hits: Marlins, Reds, Bourn, Lohse, Hendrickson

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As February gets underway, Michael Bourn still stands as the best available free agent on the open market.  Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (on Twitter) opines that the Mets, Mariners, and Rays are the teams that make the most sense for the center fielder.  As for the best starter left on the free agent pile, Bowden sees the Red Sox, Rangers, Angels, Brewers, and Orioles as the best fits for Kyle Lohse.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • Don't look for the Marlins to make any major moves the remainder of the offseason, says Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel (via Twitter). The team will enter spring training with the roster it currently has in place.
  • Regardless of whether or not Scott Rolen joins the Reds, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that the club is facing a serious roster crunch.  It seems that the veteran wants to play in 2013 but money will be a determining factor in his decision.  Recently, the Dodgers reached out to Rolen to express interest.
  • The Orioles expect to announce the signing of veteran left-handerMark Hendrickson to a minor league contract with a spring training invite early next week, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.  The O's also hope to announce their deal with Jair Jurrjens and remain interested in bringing Joe Saunders back despite the depth that they've added.
  • Torii Hunter says that enjoyed his time with the Angels, but he also felt misled when the club told him they didn't have enough money to keep him before signing Josh Hamilton to a five-year, $125MM deal, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.  The veteran hooked on with the Tigers this winter in pursuit of a World Series ring.
  • The Tigers had a tough time trying to find organizational depth this winter as many players figured that their path to the majors would be blocked, writes George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press.  Regardless, assistant General Manager Al Avila says that the club is done signing minor league players and is ready for spring training.

Daniel Seco contributed to this post.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Red Sox, Teixeira

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Here's a look at some items on the Yankees and Red Sox..

  • The Yankees' bullpen in 2012 featured only two left-handers, but that figure may change in 2013, says Chad Jennings of the Journal News. Look for Boone Logan to reprise his role as Joe Girardi's go-to left-handed reliever as the veteran made 80 appearances last season.
  • With a lack of appealing first basemen left on the free agent market, the Red Sox figure to look internally for Mike Napoli insurance, writes Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal.  Boston recently inked Lyle Overbay to a minor league deal and the veteran can opt out of his contract if he isn't on the big league roster by the end of spring training.
  • Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira knows that fans see his eight-year, $180MM contract as an overpay, and he doesn't disagree, writes Daniel Barbarisi of the Wall Street Journal.  "Agents are probably going to hate me for saying it," the 33-year-old said. "You're not very valuable when you're making $20MM. When you're Mike Trout, making the minimum, you are crazy valuable. My first six years, before I was a free agent, I was very valuable. But there's nothing you can do that can justify a $20MM contract."
  • In an interview with Drew Voros of Index Universe, Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman explained that he tends to be conservative when pursuing pitching talent from Japan due to differences in pitching routines and the size of the mounds.  The interview also covers Cashman's approach to statistical analysis and his affinity for low-risk, high-reward type acquisitions.

Daniel Seco contributed to this post.

Orioles Notes: Wieters, Abreu, Rhodes

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The Orioles recently watched Fernando Tatis and Arthur Rhodes work out, but it doesn't look like the Os' will bring back either veteran.  Speaking of reunions, Baltimore would like to re-sign Joe Saunders but the left-hander might have a lucrative two-year deal on the table from another club.  Here's a look at the latest out of Baltimore..

  • Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com wonders when the Orioles and catcher Matt Wieters will get down to hammering out a long-term deal.  The backstop has three more seasons until he his eligible for free agency and his leverage will only increase if he can continue his strong hitting to go along with his stellar defensive play.
  • The Orioles wouldn't be a bad fit for Bobby Abreu, opines Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).  Yesterday, Heyman reported that the Marlins and Rays are among the possibilities for the veteran.  
  • Someone in the O's organization described Rhodes' tryout as a "courtesy," writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.  Rhodes apparently was the one who approached the Orioles the workout and wanted to find out if he had anything left in the tank. 

Poll: Who Will Be The Next Top 50 Free Agent To Sign?

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On New Year’s Eve, seven of MLBTR’s Top 50 free agents watched the ball drop without knowing where they would be playing in 2013.  Since then, Adam LaRoche (No. 15, Nationals), Rafael Soriano (No. 17, Nationals), and Shaun Marcum (No. 19, Mets) have all signed, leaving four still out there on the open market.

Michael Bourn (No. 3) is the top remaining free agent and his situation isn’t a whole lot clearer than it was a month ago.  The center fielder is tied to draft pick compensation and teams aren’t wild about giving up their first round choice for the right to give Bourn a lucrative deal.  The Mets could appeal to MLB to argue that they shouldn’t have to sacrifice their No. 11 pick, but one has to wonder if the cost-conscious club is ready to spend that much anyway.  The Mariners have also been linked to the outfielder but we haven’t seen a ton of movement on that front lately.

Kyle Lohse (No. 10) has also seen his stock fall thanks to the issue of draft pick compensation.  No one seems willing to go beyond two years for Lohse, despite his exceptionally strong work across the last two seasons.  The O’s will be in if the veteran’s price drops significantly and the Brewers won’t rule it out, but the Angels aren’t expected to chase him and the Cardinals continue to say that a reunion is very unlikely.

Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun heard earlier this week that Joe Saunders (No. 25) was offered a two-year, $15MM deal from a club, though those sources aren’t directly in on the talks.  If the offer is legitimate, however, it isn’t from the Orioles, who are only interested in a one-year deal with an option for year two.  The Twins are also keen on a one-year pact and the Mariners are also known to be interested.

Jose Valverde (No. 44) likely saw his market pick up after fellow Scott Boras client Soriano signed with the Nationals.  Early on, the Tigers decided that they wouldn’t have him back and things were quiet for the 34-year-old for quite some time.   This week, however, we learned that the Mets are pursuing Valverde.

Quick Hits: Pirates, Liriano, Indians, Aviles, Rockies

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Links from around baseball as Friday turns into Saturday..

  • Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington is non-committal about the likelihood of finalizing a deal with Francisco Liriano before the start of spring training, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.  “The process continues,” Huntington said. “We have ongoing conversations. I'm not an oddsmaker, so I don't know if it is likely or unlikely that we will add another pitcher.”
  • Indians GM Chris Antonetti says that it's hard to quantify the odds of the team working out a deal with Mike Aviles to avoid arbitration, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.  As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, Aviles filed for a $3.4MM contract while Cleveland is offering $2.4MM.
  • The Rockies' biggest offseason addition has been the acquisition of reliever Wilton Lopez from the Astros, but they shouldn't be overlooked in 2013, writes Tracy Ringolsby of MLB.com. 

Mets Notes: Byrd, Outfield, Bourn

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Earlier today, we learned that the Mets are pursuing Jose Valverde, and would even consider a reunion Francisco Rodriguez as they look to strengthen their bullpen.  The Mets were also thinking outside the box when they approached Roy Oswalt about the possibility of serving as their closer in 2013, but the veteran isn't interested in signing on as a reliever and isn't likely to come to Queens.  Here's more on the Mets..

  • Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson says "there are still a few options out there" when it comes to the possibility of trading for an outfielder, tweets Marc Carig of Newsday.  Earlier tonight, they picked up another outfield option when they signed Marlon Byrd to a minor league deal with a major league spring training invite. 
  • Speaking of Byrd, a Mets official told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter) that even though he was released by the Red Sox in June after getting hit with his 50-game suspension, it is viewed as already having been served.
  • Dave Cameron of Fangraphs looks at the case the Mets could make for protecting their first-round pick in the event that they decide to pull the trigger on signing Michael Bourn.  Cameron doesn't like the Mets' chances of winning that battle, but he opines that a ruling in their favor would help promote MLB's claim that draft pick compensation is for the benefit of losing teams, rather than driving down salaries.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Rhodes, Tatis, Rodney

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No one should be surprised if the Yankees engage in a major spending spree during the 2014 offseason, writes Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd).  The Bombers held off on going after the big free agents this winter as they look to get under the $189MM figure next year for tax purposes, but they'll get a clean slate on their luxury tax history after that point.  General Manager Brian Cashman could reload his rotation in 2014 with a free agent class including Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, Felix Hernandez, and James Shields.  If they want to take that route again the following year, the 2015 class offers David Price, Cliff Lee, Johnny Cueto, and Yovani Gallardo.  Here's more from the AL East..

  • The Orioles are not expected to sign Arthur Rhodes or Fernando Tatis to minor league deals, a pair of sources tell Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (on Twitter).  Yesterday, it was reported that the O's recently worked out both veterans.  Rhodes, 43, didn't pitch in 2012 but he's looking to return to baseball this season.  Tatis, 38, hasn't played in the majors since 2010.
  • Rays closer Fernando Rodney told MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez that a new deal with Tampa Bay is right around the corner. "It's in plans already," Rodney said in Spanish. "We've talked a few times, and I expect it to get finalized this month."  Earlier today, agent Dan Lozano said that no talks have taken place on a new deal for Rodney but the closer says he's confident that an agreement will be reached.
  • Red Sox manager John Farrell is still interviewing candidates for the bullpen coach vacancy and may have a decision early next week, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Carpenter, Mattison, Ramirez

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We'll keep track of tonight's outright assignments in this post..

  • The Red Sox announced that they have outrighted right-hander Chris Carpenter to Triple-A Pawtucket.  Carpenter, who was DFA'd to make roster space for Mike Napoli, missed significant time in 2012 after undergoing surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow.  He posted a 2.08 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 21 2/3 minor league innings and pitched just six major league innings last season.
  • Marlins outfielder Kevin Mattison cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A New Orleans, according to Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post (on Twitter).  Mattison will still be among the 72 players in major league camp with Miami.  The 27-year-old was DFA'd earlier this week to make room for Sam Dyson.
  • The Phillies announced that right-hander J.C. Ramirez has been outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after clearing waivers.  Ramirez, 24, spent time in Double-A and Triple-A last season, posting a combined 4.01 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9.

Mets Sign Marlon Byrd

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The Mets announced that they have signed outfielder Marlon Byrd to a minor league deal with an invite to major league spring training.  Byrd, a client of the ACES agency, is expected to compete with Andrew Brown for the Mets' fifth outfielder spot, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com (on Twitter).

The Cubs ate $6.1MM of Byrd's $6.5MM salary in an April trade with the Red Sox that netted them Michael Bowden.  The 35-year-old was suspended for 50 games in June after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs.  In 153 combined plate appearances with the Cubs and Red Sox, Byrd posted a combined .210/.243/.245 slash line.

Earlier this month, we heard that the Marlins had some interest in signing Byrd.  For his career, Byrd has hit .278/.336/.413 for the Phillies, Rangers, Cubs, Nationals, and Red Sox.

Quick Hits: Brewers, Lyon, Reds

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The latest from around MLB…

  • Rays closer Fernando Rodney continues to express confidence at the Caribbean Series that he'll get a two-year extension finalized, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports (on Twitter). Agent Dan Lozano recently said no talks have taken place between the Rays and Rodney, who's entering the final year of his contract.
  • Though the Brewers wanted to sign Lyle Overbay and Juan Rivera, the free agents went to American League teams in part because NL teams can't offer playing time as a DH, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).
  • Free agent reliever Brandon Lyon is still talking to several teams yet nothing is imminent, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports (on Twitter). Meister Sports Management represents the right-hander.
  • The Reds are monitoring the relief market and could make a deal if the price is low enough, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reported this morning (Twitter links). Though the Reds like their bullpen, GM Walt Jocketty acknowledged the team is "looking.''  The Reds have added Manny Parra since Crasnick provided this update, so it's not clear if they'll continue searching for arms.
  • MLBTR is seeking someone to lead an effort to fix a bug a few readers are experiencing, in which ads display incorrectly. Experience with DFP Small Business and TypePad is a plus. If you're interested in this job, please email Tim Dierkes at mlbtrhelp@gmail.com and explain your qualifications.

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