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Archives for March 2013

Orioles Likely To Stand Pat With Rotation

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The Orioles recently discussed signing Kyle Lohse last week and are still scouting Tigers right-hander Rick Porcello, but team officials are currently satisfied with their pitching depth and probably won't make any major acquisitions, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports.

Though Lohse and Porcello would add some veteran (and postseason) experience to Baltimore's staff, Rosenthal notes that Baltimore already has ten pitchers battling for rotation spots.  These pitchers include such promising young arms as Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman and Brian Matusz, all of whom aren't expected to make the rotation but will be in the minors and (in Matusz's case) in the bullpen for reinforcements should a need arise.

The O's have toyed with the idea of acquiring a veteran pitcher throughout the winter and have been linked to such names as Aaron Harang, Chris Capuano, Ted Lilly and Javier Vazquez.  They have shown interest in Lohse as well, though only if Lohse and agent Scott Boras were willing to lower their asking price and accept a one-year deal.  I listed the Orioles as a darkhorse candidate in my examination of Lohse's market last month, and as Rosenthal notes, Baltimore could stomach losing their first round pick (23rd overall) in order to sign Lohse since the team received an extra pick (37th overall) in the competitive balance compensation round.

Likewise, Rosenthal speculates that the Orioles could answer the Tigers' need for bullpen help and a right-handed hitting outfielder by offering a trade package like Nolan Reimold and a reliever in exchange for Porcello.  Baltimore is one of many teams who have been scouting Porcello during Spring Training.  Porcello projects as the Tigers' fifth starter though he could be expendable if Detroit feels confident that Drew Smyly is ready for a rotation spot.

Chicago Notes: Marmol, Tigers, Soriano, Floyd

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ESPN Chicago's Bruce Levine held his weekly chat with fans today and discussed several topics about both Windy City teams, including these hot stove items…

  • A source on the Tigers told Levine that the club wasn't interested in acquiring Carlos Marmol.  Levine recently reported that Detroit was one of several teams who were looking at Marmol.  There has been much speculation that the Tigers are looking for relief pitching to help their unsettled closing situation.
  • There is currently "no movement" on the Marmol trade front.  Levine doesn't think Marmol or Alfonso Soriano will be traded given the injuries that have hit the Cubs this spring.
  • The Cubs are looking for extra pitching depth and a utilityman who can play both the infield and outfield.
  • The White Sox will keep Gavin Floyd at least until July and perhaps beyond depending on where they are in the pennant race, Levine opines.  Floyd was rumored to be on the trade block earlier this winter and could be the odd man out of the Sox rotation if John Danks is healthy.  
  • Earlier today on MLBTR, Ben Nicholson-Smith reviewed the White Sox offseason.

Quick Hits: Lohse, Crosby, Tejada

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Kyle Lohse may not sign with a team until after the first-year player draft takes place in June, writes Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (Insider sub. required).  Where might Lohse sign?  Bowden writes that the Rangers are the most likely destination if he signs before Opening Day, while the Brewers, Orioles, Angels, and Reds are also candidates. Here are more links from around MLB…

  • Recently released infielder Bobby Crosby will look to continue his comeback with an MLB team, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. The Brewers released Crosby yesterday after determining that his chances of making the Opening Day roster were slim, but agent Paul Cohen said his client aims to continue playing.
  • MLB owners are moving toward eliminating the pension plans of non-uniformed employees, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports. White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has opposed the idea, which will be put to the vote in May. Most owners now want to abolish the pension plan, Rubin reports. This would affect front office executives and scouts, among others.
  • Miguel Tejada has already asked about managing the Dominican Republic team at the next World Baseball Classic in 2017, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports. "We'll see," said Moises Alou, the general manager of the Dominican team. Tejada, a veteran of 15 MLB seasons, last played at the MLB level with the 2011 Giants.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Cardinals Release Ronny Cedeno

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The Cardinals released shortstop Ronny Cedeno, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (Twitter links). Cedeno signed a non-guaranteed deal worth $1.2MM before Spring Training.

Cedeno played for the Mets last year, appearing in 78 games, mostly as a middle infielder. The 30-year-old posted a .259/.332/.410 batting line in 186 plate appearances with New York. He earned $1.2MM in 2012 and drew interest from multiple teams this past offseason.

Matt Adams has an excellent chance of making the Cardinals' bench now, as Goold notes. Daniel Descalso figures to back up Pete Kozma at shortstop and Ty Wigginton will provide depth at the corner positions.

Minor Moves: Padres, Cubs, Alvarado

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We’ll track the day’s minor moves here…

  • The Cubs acquired minor league infielder Jose Dore from the Padres for a player to be named later or cash, MLB.com's Corey Brock reports (on Twitter). Dore, 21, has a .222/.300/.353 batting line in three seasons as a professional. The Padres selected him in the eighth round of the 2010 draft.
  • The Rockies signed Giancarlo Alvarado to a minor league deal before the World Baseball Classic began, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). Alvarado, who will start for Puerto Rico in the WBC tonight, will join the Rockies’ camp later this week. The 35-year-old right-hander spent the 2012 season with the Yokohama Bay Stars, starting eight games. He posted a 3.92 ERA with 9.7 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 39 innings. Though Alvarado has yet to pitch at the MLB level, he has 17 seasons of minor league experience in affiiliated baseball, independent leagues, Mexico and Japan.

NL East Notes: Mets, Braves, Brown

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Links from the NL East…

  • There's little question within the Mets organization that Travis d'Arnaud will become the team's starting catcher at some point this year, Mike Puma of the New York Post writes. However, d'Arnaud will start the season at Triple-A Las Vegas, barring an injury. By keeping d'Arnaud in big league camp, the Mets are running the risk that he'll get injured and start picking up MLB service time while on the disabled list, Michael Baron of MetsBlog.com notes.
  • The Braves front office doesn't seem concerned about the possibility that their lineup will strike out often in 2013, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports. Martino also discusses the re-branding of the Braves in the post-Chipper Jones and Bobby Cox era. “We like talent,” one Braves person said.
  • Don't be surprised if Mike Minor of the Braves and Domonic Brown of the Phillies are among the players who break out in 2013. ESPN.com's Keith Law includes these players on his list of former top prospects poised for big performances in the coming season.

Rangers Intend To Keep Elvis Andrus

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The Rangers have enviable shortstop depth, but that doesn't mean they're planning to make a trade. GM Jon Daniels indicated that Elvis Andrus is not being moved, Peter Gammons of MLB Network reports (on Twitter). 

"We're not breaking up our strengths, and one of biggest strengths is the left side," Daniels explained. 

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported last week that the Rangers will look to trade Andrus next offseason if the sides don't reach a long-term extension. Rangers people aren't "overly optimistic" about signing the Scott Boras client to a new contract, Heyman reported. Andrus, 24, will earn $4.8MM in 2013 and $6.475MM in 2014 before hitting free agency.

Top prospect Jurickson Profar looms as a possible replacement for Andrus. There's no clear starting role for Profar presently, though opportunities generally emerge over the course of a six month season. Profar, who entered the season as Baseball America's top-ranked prospect, turned 20 last month.

The Cardinals would presumably be atop the list of potentially interested teams should Daniels revisit his stance and listen to offers on Andrus.

Offseason In Review: Chicago White Sox

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The White Sox retained their starting pitching and signed Jeff Keppinger after an 85-win season in 2012. 

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Trades and Claims

Extensions

  • Jake Peavy, SP: two years, $29MM. Club Option for 2015.
  • Chris Sale, SP: five years, $32.5MM. Club Options for 2018 and 2019.

Notable Losses

Needs Addressed

Rick Hahn kept Chicago's pitching staff together in his first season as the general manager of the White Sox. With Hahn in place and longtime general manager Kenny Williams promoted to the role of executive VP, the White Sox had a relatively cautious offseason.

Jake Peavy - White Sox (PW)

It began when Hahn re-signed Jake Peavy to a two-year, $29MM contract. The deal kept Peavy off of the free agent market following a tremendous 2012 season. The right-hander would have had a case for a three-year deal or a higher average annual value in free agency, so the White Sox did well to retain him on these terms. Making a two-year commitment to a 31-year-old pitcher of this caliber would make sense for most mid or large market teams.

The club also exercised Gavin Floyd’s option, preferring another year of production from the right-hander to the prospect of replacing him via trade or free agency. Floyd isn't a bargain at $9.5MM, but he's a solid mid-rotation starter who just turned 30. He has been worth two-plus wins above replacement for five consecutive seasons — good luck finding that kind of pitcher for less than $10MM in free agency.

The White Sox extended Chris Sale with a five-year, $32.5MM contract that buys out at least one of Sale’s free agent seasons. This contract makes sense for both sides, like most five-year deals in the $30MM range for players with two-plus years of service. The deal could become a big win for the White Sox if Sale, the sixth place finisher in 2012 AL Cy Young voting, continues pitching at last year's level.

Shortly after the World Series the White Sox declined Kevin Youkilis' 2013 option and turned to free agency to find a third baseman. They ended up signing Jeff Keppinger to a three-year, $12MM contract that looks like a scaled down version of Marco Scutaro's three-year, $20MM deal. Like Scutaro, Keppinger makes consistent contact and can play multiple positions. He's four years younger than Scutaro and cost significantly less. However, Keppinger broke his leg during the offseason, and he's not regarded as a valuable defensive player.

Hahn didn’t overhaul his club’s bench or bullpen, electing instead to add Matt Lindstrom and Dewayne Wise with a pair of low-risk moves.

Questions Remaining

A.J. Pierzynski was a fixture on the White Sox for the past eight years, averaging 134 games played with a respectable .279/.318/.424 batting line. The White Sox let the veteran catcher go after he established a career high with 27 home runs. While it was understandable for Hahn to avoid overpaying a 36-year-old coming off of a career year, the decision does leave the White Sox with reduced catching depth. 

Tyler Flowers now gets the chance to show that he can be a regular catcher at the MLB level. Given his limited offensive output at the MLB level it's somewhat surprising the White Sox weren't more aggressive in seeking catching this past winter. Few teams enter the season with inexperienced backstops if they expect to contend (though there are exceptions, such as the 2013 Yankees).

Replacing Pierzynski on the field for 130 games per season won’t be easy, and the club will also miss his left-handed bat. Other than Adam Dunn and Alejandro de Aza, the White Sox have a righty-heavy offense. It won’t be surprising if the need for a left-handed hitter re-surfaces midseason.

It would have been encouraging to see the White Sox add a left-handed hitting outfielder to complement Dayan Viciedo and limit his struggles against right-handers. They did add Wise, but there's a reason he has been bouncing on and off of 40-man rosters for the past few years: he doesn't hit. I expect the 35-year-old Wise to return to his career norms on offense instead of matching last year's career high total of eight home runs. Players such as Nate Schierholtz and Nate McLouth were available in free agency for modest prices and would have been worthy targets for Hahn in my view.

Deal of Note

More often than not managers are looking for increased job security. Few field bosses get long-term contracts and even those that do are just a long losing streak away from increased scrutiny. It was a surprise, then, to read that Robin Ventura turned down a one-year contract extension offer from the White Sox.

Ventura, who’s now entering the second year of a three-year contract, said he prefers to focus on one season at a time. It worked for him last year, when he led the White Sox to 85 wins as a rookie manager. By the time he negotiates his next deal, Ventura will have a longer resume as an MLB manager and, perhaps, enough accomplishments to increase his leverage with the team.

Overview

The White Sox showed last year that they can contend. But they didn’t add much at a time that many of their division rivals improved — at least on paper.  The AL Central is still the Tigers’ division to lose, and the White Sox don’t look like a probable 2013 playoff team.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

MLB, MLBPA Talking Worldwide Draft

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TUESDAY: MLB is willing to make "significant concessions" to the MLBPA in order to implement a worldwide draft, sources tell ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (Twitter links). The players could obtain an increase in minimum salary, have a lower service time threshold for arbitration eligibility and more, Olney writes.

MONDAY, 1:26pm: Rob Manfred, MLB's executive VP, said there's a chance of a deal by June 1st, Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal reports (on Twitter). The most likely outcomes are a single global draft or the current draft plus a second draft for international players, Mullen reports.

10:37am: Major League Baseball could have a worldwide draft in place sooner, rather than later. MLB and the MLB Players Association are pushing to strike a deal for a worldwide draft by June 1st, Eric Fisher of the Sports Business Journal reports (Twitter links). 

If the sides don’t reach a deal then expanded international spending restrictions will take effect. The possibility of increased international spending restrictions exists to encourage talks about a worldwide draft.

Amateur players from the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico are now eligible for baseball’s Rule 4 draft, which takes place each June. Instituted in 1965, the draft does not apply to international players. Instead, amateur players from countries such as Venezuela and the Dominican Republic negotiate bonuses with teams. 

Baseball’s most recent collective bargaining agreement introduced major rule changes designed to restrict international spending.  For example, teams had $2.9MM to spend for the 2012-13 signing period. Though MLB and the MLBPA announced the five-year Basic Agreement just over a year ago, the sides acknowledged from the beginning that talks for a worldwide draft could take place before the expiration of the CBA.

Commissioner Bud Selig has consistently expressed public support for the worldwide draft. The implementation of a worldwide draft has the potential to limit expenses for the owners without presenting a direct threat to the earning potential of MLBPA members.

Diamondbacks, Goldschmidt Discussing Extension

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The Diamondbacks are in the midst of negotiating a long-term contract with Paul Goldschmidt's representatives at SFX, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).

Goldschmidt, 25, has established himself as one of the game's most impressive young first basemen over the course of his first 193 games. He batted .286/.359/.490 in 2012 with 20 homers and 18 stolen bases in 21 attempts. Goldschmidt's case would be fairly unique, as he is currently under control through the 2017 season and two years away from arbitration eligibility.

As MLBTR's Extension Tracker shows, no first basemen have signed long-term deals with between one and two years of service time, though several hitters have done so. Interestingly enough, Goldschmidt's former teammate, Chris Young, inked a five-year, $28MM extension with the exact same amount of service time that Goldschmidt currently has — one year, 59 days.

If the two sides are indeed in the midst of negotiations, it would signal a change in Goldschmidt's attitude. Just over a month ago, GM Kevin Towers told reporters that he approached Goldschmidt about a long-term deal, but was rebuffed as the first baseman wanted to hold off on that discussion.

An extension for Goldschmidt would be the fifth such contract issued by the Diamondbacks this offseason. To date, the team has extended Aaron Hill (three years, $35MM), Martin Prado (four years, $40MM), Cliff Pennington (two years, $5MM) and J.J. Putz (one year, $7MM).

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