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AL West Notes: Angels, Ryan, Olt, Garland, Luetge

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The Angels are on the lookout for a backup catcher, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com writes, confirming an earlier report by Danny Knobler of CBS (on Twitter). Hank Conger is currently slated to back up Chris Iannetta, Gonzalez notes, but Conger has struggled with his throwing this spring. Luke Carlin and John Hester are also technically candidates for the backup job, but both are minor-league veterans with limited big-league experience. The Pirates, Phillies and Rays are also reportedly in the market for catching. Here are more notes from around the AL West.

  • The Rangers' Jon Daniels says he doesn't know of Nolan Ryan's plans, but that he "can't eliminate" the possibility that Ryan might leave the organization after its recent front office shakeup clouded his future with the team. Daniels' comments came in an interview with Norm Hitzges on KTCK-AM 1310 The Ticket, transcribed by the Dallas Morning News. Daniels says that the Rangers' baseball operations "have a really good thing going," and that he doesn't want Ryan to leave. Speculation about Ryan's role as CEO of the Rangers began when Daniels was promoted to president of baseball operations/GM and Rick George was promoted to president of business operations.
  • Scouts have been watching Rangers prospect Mike Olt, who doesn't currently have a position with the Rangers, but that doesn't mean Texas is likely to move him, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan writes. Olt has not hit well this spring, but Sullivan notes that manager Ron Washington has been impressed with Olt's defense in right field. Olt hit .288/.398/.579 for Double-A Frisco in 2012 and had a cameo in the big leagues, but has not yet played at the Triple-A level.
  • The Mariners will need to decide what to do with pitcher Jon Garland, who appears to have an out clause in his contract that he can exercise next week, Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times writes. Garland missed much of 2011 and all of 2012 with shoulder trouble.
  • Mariners hurler Lucas Luetge is in a different position than he was in 2012 after spending the year in the majors as a Rule 5 draft pick, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. Unlike last year, when Luetge's Rule 5 status meant he had to stay on the Mariners' 25-man roster the entire season, the Mariners have the option of sending Luetge to the minors. Luetge kept his head above water in 2012 despite having never before pitched above Double-A, posting a 3.98 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9 in 40.2 big-league innings.

Jeff Samardzija Says No Extension Talks Recently

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6:09 PM: A report that Jeff Samardzija and the Cubs were "far apart" in talks on an extension appears to have taken Samardzija himself by surprise, MLB.com's Carrie Muskat writes. "There really hasn't been any talks," says Samardzija, who says that he and the Cubs have had other priorities since the beginning of spring training. The two sides had talked about the possibility of an extension months ago, and they "were on the same page" at the time, Samardzija says.

5:03 PM: The Cubs made pitcher Jeff Samardzija an offer "well above" the nearly $30MM, five-year contract the Rangers gave Derek Holland last spring, but it doesn't appear that it will be enough to get a deal done, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  Samardzija, who has three years to go before he reaches free agency, is believed to be seeking something much more lucrative.

Theo Epstein & Co. have made two runs at signing the 28-year-old but the gap between the two sides is sizable enough that it has put talks on hold.  While the right-hander isn't afraid to hold out for what he feels is a fair number, Heyman notes that he has made no secret of his fondness for the Cubs organization. All things considered, there is reason for both sides to be optimistic that a deal will eventually be struck.

The 2012 season marked Samardzija's first in the rotation as he pitched to a 3.81 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9.

Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.

Blue Jays Claim Guillermo Moscoso On Waivers

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SATURDAY, 4:16pm: The Blue Jays announced that they have claimed Moscoso off of waivers from the Royals.  With the addition, Toronto now has 40 players on the 40-man roster.

FRIDAY, 1:37pm: An unnamed MLB team claimed right-hander Guillermo Moscoso, the Royals announced (Twitter links). Moscoso, who was placed on unconditional release waivers two days ago, has until March 20th to accept the claim or terminate his Major League contract and elect free agency.

The Royals claimed Moscoso from Colorado in November after he posted a 6.12 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 50 innings for the Rockies last year. The 29-year-old started 21 games for the 2011 Athletics, posting a 3.38 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 128 innings. He also played briefly with the Rangers in 2009-10.

Central Notes: Cardinals, Lohse, Royals, Hochevar

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Earlier today, we learned that the Cardinals are interested Astros pitchers Lucas Harrell and Bud Norris while also shopping for available shortstops.  The Cards were somewhat expected into looking at help at shortstop but their interest in pitching is a fairly new development.  Here's more out of St. Louis and other notes out of the Central divisions..

  • It would be a curious move for the Cardinals to trade from their surplus of young upside pitching to acquire more experienced pitching when their more obvious need is at shortstop, tweets Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  However, it's not surprising to Goold (Twitter link), that the Cards would go bargain hunting with a call to the Astros.  
  • More from Goold, who notes that if the Cardinals really saw a need for starting pitching, they could re-engage Kyle Lohse (Twitter link).  Lohse, of course, would only require money and not the forfeiture of prospects.  Goold doesn't see Lohse settling for a one-year deal yet, however.
  • In a Q&A, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star writes that the talk of the Royals asking for a lot to part with Luke Hochevar is more than a rumor.  The Royals appear to want a guy who could help the big-league club or a legitimate prospect and don’t want to eat a lot of his $4.56MM salary. 
  • When asked about an extra right-handed hitting outfielder, Tigers manager Jim Leyland responded "We want one. You can take that to the bank. It's 99.9 percent (sure) we'll have one," according to Tom Gage of the Detroit News (on Twitter).

Yankees Sign Brennan Boesch

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SATURDAY: Yanks General Manager Brian Cashman says that Boesch is on a split contract and will earn $1.5MM in the majors and $500K if he's in the minors, according to Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter).

FRIDAY: The Yankees have officially announced the team's signing of Brennan Boesch, tweets Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.  

The Yankees agreed to terms with the free agent outfielder earlier today, as reported by Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (all Twitter links). The Scott Boras client obtained a Major League deal worth $1.5MM plus incentives, Heyman reports. Boesch will earn $600K in incentives based on plate appearances.

The Tigers released Boesch two days ago after discussing possible trades with a number of interested teams. Ultimately Boesch's $2.3MM salary proved to be an obstacle, and the Tigers released him without getting anything in return. After Boesch's release, the Mets, Red Sox and Astros appeared to have some interest in signing him.

Boesch appeared in 132 games for the Tigers last year, posting a .240/.286/.372 batting line with 12 home runs in 503 plate appearances. The left-handed hitting 27-year-old remains on track to remain under team control through 2015.

Cardinals Interested In Harrell, Norris

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In addition to "asking about" available shortstops, the Cardinals are "interested in Lucas Harrell and Bud Norris of [the] Astros," reports MLB Network's Peter Gammons (on Twitter). While the Cards' interest in help up the middle is unsurprising (in spite of GM John Mozeliak's recent statements), St. Louis was not expected to be in on starting pitching.  

As MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith detailed at the start of the offseason, the Cardinals already "feature[] an effective starting rotation with a combination of established veterans and powerful young arms."  And as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently explained, the team was thought at this point to be narrowing its choice between Joe Kelly and Shelby Miller for the team's fifth starter spot.  Of course, the Cardinals have already allowed Kyle Lohse to test the free agent waters for quite some time after the veteran turned down his qualifying offer.

Meanwhile, Harrell and Norris (both righties) are coming off of solid, if unspectacular, 2012 campaigns.  Harrell, 27, threw 193 2/3 innings of 3.76 ERA baseball in his first full big league season.  Norris, in turn, is entering his age 28 season after posting a 4.65 ERA over 168 1/3 innings last year, and features a longer history of performance at the highest level.  Certainly, St. Louis is well-positioned to add either pitcher if it so chooses, as it possesses the kind of farm depth that would appeal to an Astros team that has been aggressively cutting payroll and adding young, unproven talent.

Quick Hits: Boesch, Mets, Red Sox, Catching Market

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Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch details the latest from Major League Baseball Players Association chief Michael Weiner on the union's views on drug testing.  Weiner also discussed the qualifying offer system, expressing that he is "pleased that the number of players that carried compensation dropped way down, from in the thirties to nine," while noting that neither the league nor the union "expected that a player the caliber of Kyle Lohse would have the difficulty he's having," an issue which he "would like to find a way out of … sooner rather than later, before 2016."  Elsewhere around the league:

  • Brennan Boesch detailed the series of events that led to him joining the Yankees yesterday, as Andy McCullough of The Star-Ledger reports.  Boesch was told "earlier this week" that he would be released by the Tigers despite still having multiple minor league options, which the outfielder viewed as "a favor" despite being surprised at the news.  When Boesch learned from agent Scott Boras of the Yankees' interest, he instructed Boras to just "get it done" because New York was his top choice.  
  • The Mets, unlike their New York neighbors, "weren't enthused" about Boesch because they saw him "as another Lucas Duda" and feel comfortable with their in-house options, tweets Jon Heyman.  Meanwhile, the club may need to fill in for star third-baseman David Wright to start the season, and Michael Baron of MetsBlog breaks down the internal options.  
  • Left-handed reliever Franklin Morales is out indefinitely as he deals with a bulging disk in his back, which potentially opens a spot in the Red Sox bullpen for Clayton Mortensen, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.  Morales' injury situation also makes it is less likely that Boston will deal Alfredo Aceves, Lauber explains, because "manager John Farrell has identified Aceves [as] the primary long man in the Red Sox' bullpen and their best option to provide a spot start in the event of injuries in the rotation."
  • As the Angels look over the market for available backstops, they are joined by the Phillies, Pirates, and Rays in looking for "experienced catching," tweets Peter Gammons of MLB Network.

Rule 5 Report: McGuiness, Kobernus, Rosenbaum, Inciarte, Fields

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To get the weekend started with some fascinating insight into the use of analytics by agents, look for the audio link at the 2013 SABR Analytics Conference Player Agent Panel page.  Let's take a look at a few updates on some Rule 5 draftees who are hoping to stick with their new clubs:

  • Chris McGuiness has impressed the Indians at first and in the outfield, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer, and the team is loath to return him to the Rangers.  According to manager Terry Francona, "in a perfect world, I wish he wasn't a Rule 5 pick and he was in our minor league system."  If the Indians are unable to keep McGuiness on the big league roster, Francona "hope[s]" that a trade can be worked out to keep him in the system, adds Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
  • Jeff Kobernus, primarily an infielder in the Nationals system, continues to battle with Quintin Berry for a spot in the Tigers outfield, writes Jim Hawkins of MLB.com.  While it is "possible" that both players could make the roster, according to manager Jim Leyland, that scenario is a "longshot."
  • Another player plucked from the Nationals, left-handed pitcher Danny Rosenbaum, "has put up a nice argument for himself in the competition for a middle-relief spot" with the Rockies, writes Thomas Harding of MLB.com.  Rosenbaum, who never saw a big league camp while in the Washington organization, spoke with Nats' reliever Craig Stammen to learn how to transition from the rotation to the bullpen.
  • Outfielder Ender Inciarte is in the midst of a solid spring and is making a play for the Phillies' fifth outfielder role, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.  Just 22 years old, Inciarte never played above High-A ball in the Diamondbacks organization.
  • Josh Fields came to the Astros from the Red Sox with the first pick in the Rule 5 draft, and acknowledges being "really, really excited when Houston picked me up."  As Adam Berry of MLB.com writes, the rebuilding Houston franchise hopes that the 27-year-old, righthanded reliever is ready for the big leagues after he posted a solid 2012 season in Triple-A Pawtucket.

Minor Moves: Cortes, Reifer, Flacco

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We'll track the latest minor moves here…

  • Righty Dan Cortes has signed with the Diamondbacks, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports on Twitter.  The one-time top-100 prospect last pitched in 2011 for the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate, tossing 39 innings and logging a 5.08 ERA, before he sat out the 2012 season.
  • The Cardinals have released right-handed relief pitcher Adam Reifer after previously outrighting him off of the team's 40-man roster, Eddy further tweets.  Reifer, 26, spent the last two seasons at Triple-A Memphis and last year posted a 4.90 ERA over 64 1/3 innings.
  • The Red Sox acquired minor league first baseman Mike Flacco from the Orioles for cash considerations, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (on Twitter). The Orioles could get a player to be named instead of cash, Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com reports (on Twitter). Flacco, the brother of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, spent the 2012 season at Class A and Double-A. The 26-year-old posted a .214/.284/.330 batting line with eight home runs in 396 total plate appearances last year. The Orioles originally selected him in the 31st round of the 2009 draft.

Quick Hits: Pettitte, Murphy, Soriano, Greinke

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Cesar Carrillo, a right-handed pitcher in the Tigers system, became the first player listed in the Biogenesis documents to be suspended, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports (twitter link).  As FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal and others have noted, MLB has "greater jurisdiction over minor leaguers like Carrillo than major leaguers who are protected by the players' union."  Here are some other notes from around the majors:

  • Mariano Rivera's retirement plans have fellow Yankee stalwart Andy Pettitte wondering how and when to end his own "long, strange journey," as Daniel Barbarisi of The Wall Street Journal describes it.  Pettitte sees some merit to ending his career around the same time as those of his long-time teammates, but does not want to "stop playing until I know that I'm done."
  • Outfielder David Murphy is still waiting to work out a long-term extension with the Rangers after discussing that possibility with the club earlier in the offseason, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.  While Murphy reiterated that he wants to remain a Ranger and has no hard feelings for the lack of progress towards a deal, he added that free agency is a "privilege" and that "waiting another year is not going to kill me."
  • While the Cubs "feel the presence of teams watching Alfonso Soriano," nevertheless "no substantive talks have taken place yet," tweets Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe.  Cafardo mentions the Phillies and Yankees as teams that are "on [the] radar" for a possible Soriano deal.
  • With Zack Greinke still dealing with elbow issues, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly indicated that the right-handed starter is facing an ever-narrowing window to be ready for the start of the regular season, reports Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.  As has previously been noted, Greinke's timeline could impact the availability of the Dodgers' excess starting pitching options, such as Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang.

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