Quick Hits: Rivera, Jeter, Orioles, Harang
GM Brian Cashman explains how the Yankees nearly traded Mariano Rivera for shortstop Felix Fermin in spring of 1996, as noted by Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. To describe the deal as "franchise-altering" would be an enormous understatement, since it would have affected not only Rivera but also then-rookie Derek Jeter.
Cashman, then an assistant GM, says that then-owner George Steinbrenner was concerned about entrusting Jeter with the starting shortstop job, and "it was a fight to convince The Boss to stand down" and avoid trading Rivera or Bob Wickman to the Mariners for Fermin. "And it wasn't because we knew what we had in Mo or Wickman," Cashman says. "It was, we had committed to go with young Jeter, and thankfully we didn't do that deal." As it turned out, Jeter won the 1996 AL Rookie of the Year award, Rivera finished third in Cy Young balloting, and the Yankees won their first World Series title since 1978. The Mariners, meanwhile, released Fermin in April, and he only ended up posting 19 more plate appearances in the majors. Here are more notes from throughout baseball.
- David Robertson tops the list of potential Yankees closer candidates once Rivera retires at the end of the season, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports. Joba Chamberlain and David Aardsma are also possibilities, Berry says. The Yankees have an entire year to choose a successor, however.
- The Orioles are on the lookout for catching depth, report Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com and Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports. Matt Wieters is, clearly, entrenched as Baltimore's starter, and Taylor Teagarden will likely serve as his backup, but the Orioles are concerned about their depth beyond those two. The only other catcher on their 40-man roster is Luis Exposito, although manager Buck Showalter is also curious about new addition Luis Martinez, who spent much of 2012 with the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock. With Wieters and several other options in the fold, it seems unlikely the O's will make a major move for a catcher, despite what Kubatko calls their "sloppy" play behind the dish this spring. Dubroff suggests that Eli Whiteside of the Rangers, Miguel Olivo of the Reds and Chris Snyder of the Nationals might be possibilities.
- The Dodgers' Aaron Harang says he isn't worried about rumors that he'll be traded, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com writes. "I don't even think about that," says Harang. "We know [scouts are] in the stands. I look at them as fans as well. I'm not worried about that." The Dodgers have a surplus of starting pitching, and Harang currently doesn't have a clear shot at a rotation job. The Brewers and Orioles could be potential suitors for Harang.
Indians Notes: CEO Explains Bourn, Swisher Signings
Indians CEO Paul Dolan explains his team's thought process following a 68-94 season in 2012 and says that a total rebuild was not an option, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. "None of us wanted to think about tearing it down. Our goal is to put together a team to win a World Series. Another goal is to avoid 20 years of losing, which some smaller-market teams have endured." The Indians did trade outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, but rather than also dealing veterans like Asdrubal Cabrera, Chris Perez and Justin Masterson, the team spent heavily on free agents like Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher. Here are more notes from Pluto's interview with Dolan.
- Dolan expresses "a high degree of confidence" in team president Mark Shapiro and GM Chris Antonetti, even though the Indians haven't had a winning season since 2007.
- Dolan also confirms that the Indians offered a four-year, $43MM deal to outfielder Shane Victorino, who ended up going to the Red Sox for three years and $39MM.
- Dolan says he didn't want to worry much about the possibility of Bourn's four-year, $48MM deal turning out badly, but the Indians' history with long-term contracts gives him pause. "We've not had good luck with some of our longer deals," he says. That includes pacts with Travis Hafner, Jake Westbrook and Kerry Wood.
- Pluto notes that season-ticket sales are up since the signings of Bourn and Swisher, but Dolan says that the Indians "will lose money" in 2013. Dolan views the team's offseason spending splurge as an investment in its future.
AL East Notes: Red Sox, Rays, Ortiz, Bradley
After a look at the Yankees earlier, let's take a glance at the rest of the American League East..
- If the Red Sox don't look out-of-house for someone to step up in place of David Ortiz then they'll have to get creative with what they have, writes John Tomase of the Boston Herald. Recently, Boston skipper John Farrell said that the club could explore a Plan B, though they haven't begun exploring that route just yet.
- One creative solution would be to shift Jonny Gomes to DH and promote Jackie Bradley Jr. to the majors to play in left or right field, but Farrell says that hasn't been discussed yet, tweets Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. At the same time, the manager says that nothing has been ruled out. Promoting Bradley sooner than necessary isn't ideal for the Red Sox as it would trigger his service time clock early.
- Jack Cust is looking for one more go-round this season with the Rays, writes Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.
Yankees Notes: Rivera, Teixeira, A-Rod, Jeter
Yankees closer Mariano Rivera officially announced today that 2013 will be his final season in the majors. Right-hander Ivan Nova says that he will miss Rivera not just as a teammate, but as a fan as well. “The first time I saw him, when he said, ‘Hola’ to me, I was nervous,” he said, according to Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger. “This was Mariano Rivera. I remember when I got called up in Detroit, the way he treated me there, it was like I was a veteran guy, too. That makes you feel really good.” Here's more on the Bombers..
- Even if Mark Teixeira’s condition proves worse than the Yankees initially believed, the team may refrain from disclosing that information to maintain their leverage in trade talks, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Yanks, according to major league sources, acted similarly regarding Alex Rodriguez’s condition while exploring trades and free agent signings at the GM meetings this winter.
- The clock is ticking louder on the Yanks' partnership between Rivera, Derek Jeter, and Andy Pettitte, writes Scott Miller of CBSSports.com. The news just became official today, but Jeter acknowledged that Rivera let him in on his plans to retire following the 2012 season.
West Notes: Rangers, Ryan, Giants, Cabrera
Here's a look at some items out of the AL and NL West..
- Rangers co-chairman Bob Simpson met with CEO Nolan Ryan in an attempt to smooth things out and sounded upbeat about the talk, writes Randy Galloway of the Star-Telegram. “Its been positive. We are working through it, and so far the results are positive. I wouldn’t say it’s been resolved, but hopefully we can get there," said Simpson. One member of the team’s ownership group told Galloway that prior to this, Ryan had had no contact with either Simpson or co-owner Ray Davis in almost a week, despite attempts by both to reach him.
- The Giants were involved in talks with Melky Cabrera about a lucrative contract extension just prior to his suspension for PEDs last season, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com. General Manager Brian Sabean and Cabrera's reps at ACES were discussing an extension worth something in range of $75-$85MM.
- A veteran of 24 MLB seasons, Omar Vizquel is now serving as a spring training coach with the Angels and the 45-year-old has his eye on eventually landing a managerial job, writes Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.
Central Notes: Tigers, Rondon, Sale, Inge
Yesterday, Bruce Rondon made his fifth appearance of the spring and delivered his best performance to date. While the Tigers have reportedly searched high and low for a proven closer, they may not feel the need to make a move if the rookie continues his strong play. Here's more on that and other notes out of the Central divisions..
- There has been a great deal of concern about the Tigers' plan to use Rondon as their closer, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports isn't buying into the panic. Detroit could make a trade for a ninth-inning option before Opening Day but the supply of bullpen arms will be more plentiful leading to the trade deadline than it is now.
- White Sox left-hander Chris Sale is happy to have his contract situation settled and says that he now feels that he can solely concentrate on playing in 2013, writes Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Sale, who turns 24 at the end of the month, will earn a guaranteed $32.5MM over the next five years.
- The Pirates believe that they have found a valuable bench piece in the versatile Brandon Inge, writes Tom Singer of MLB.com. The veteran signed a minor league deal with the Bucs less than a month ago and seems likely to make the big league roster.
Cubs Told Carlos Marmol’s Agent To Expect Trade
Top Cubs officials have told Carlos Marmol's representatives at Kinzer Management Group to expect a trade this season, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. However, Marmol won't be going anywhere in the next couple of weeks, despite the increasing trade talk surrounding him.
Theo Epstein & Co. could look to move the closer once he presumably re-establishes his trade value this summer and Kyuji Fujikawa shows that he has adjusted to the majors. Some people in baseball have doubts about Marmol's ability to be the go-to guy in the ninth and one high-level evaluator for a contending team told Wittenmyer that he feels the veteran simply can't close.
Marmol, 30, is set to earn $9.8MM in the final year of his contract. Several teams have reportedly inquired on the veteran, including the Tigers.
Rivera To Retire After 2013 Season
SATURDAY, 9:57am: Rivera made the news official with a press conference this morning. The 43-year-old told reporters that he has enough left in the tank for this upcoming season but after that he'll have "nothing left", tweets Jack Curry of the YES Network.
THURSDAY, 12:03pm: The Yankees have a 10am EDT press conference scheduled Saturday at which Rivera is set to announce that he'll retire following the 2013 season, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (Twitter links).
11:03am: Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is looking to come back strong in 2013 after missing the bulk of last season. This upcoming season could very well be the 43-year-old's final campaign and it's an open secret that if he intends to retire, an announcement figures to be around the corner and could be as soon as Saturday, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Olney asked Rivera this spring if he would have retired at the end of 2012 if he was able to return last fall, and he indicated that it would have been likely (Twitter link). Because of that, it would appear that the legendary closer is looking to go out on a high note.
In February it was said that Rivera had his mind made up on his future and would disclose it to the public prior to Opening Day. The right-hander has been remarkably sharp in his 40s, owning a 1.87 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in his age 40, 41 and 42 seasons.
Poll: Which Options Will Vest For 2014?
A few weeks ago, we looked back at vesting options from over the last three years and found that just 29% of them have been triggered. The requirements for an option year to vest often seem attainable when the contract is signed, but either injuries or simply age can get in the way of those plans. When looking at the players who have 2014 options tied to their 2013 performance, it seems like a lot of them could be eligible for the open market next winter.
The Orioles' Wilson Betemit needs 324 plate appearances to reach a combined 700 between 2012 and '13, but the emergence of Manny Machado may cut into his playing time. Lance Berkman can cash in on a $13MM salary for 2014 with 550 plate appearances, but he'll obviously need his knee to hold up in Texas order to approach that mark. Jamey Carroll can guarantee a $2MM salary for 2014 by reaching 401 plate appearances, a mark that he has comfortably surpassed in each of the last two seasons. Roy Halladay has to tally up a jaw-dropping 259 innings to guarantee an extra year at $20MM, but it should be noted that he came close to that number just three years ago. Barry Zito has an easier path to riches as he needs 200 innings on the mound for his $18MM option to vest. Johan Santana could be back in Queens for $25MM if he tallies 215 innings or wins the Cy Young. The former is obviously more realistic but that is still a lofty goal for him given his injury troubles.
It's time to place your bets. Which of these options do you think will vest for 2014?
Which Options Will Vest For 2014?
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Jamey Carroll 29% (2,459)
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Roy Halladay 24% (2,015)
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Barry Zito 18% (1,514)
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WIlson Betemit 12% (1,013)
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Lance Berkman 11% (922)
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Johan Santana 5% (439)
Total votes: 8,362
Quick Hits: Stewart, Young, Bray, Athletics
About 40% of MLBTR readers that participated in tonight's poll believe that the Angels should have paid Mike Trout $1MM or more to avoid any sort of conflict with their budding superstar. Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com (on Twitter) sees that as being too steep of a price as the Halos held all of the leverage and gain virtually nothing from a pay bump. Here are some links from around baseball as Friday turns to Saturday..
- Cubs third baseman Ian Stewart is anxious to get back on the field and show that he can stay healthy, writes Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com. Stewart inked a non-guaranteed $2MM deal with Chicago this winter and could be cut loose for a small termination fee.
- The Phillies' Michael Young knows that people are critical of his range but the third baseman believes that he has made the necessary adjustments to settle into the position, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The veteran is looking to make a smooth transition to his new role following the December trade that brought him over from the Rangers.
- The Nationals sent Bill Bray down to minor league camp last week to work on his mechanics and the club will have until the middle of the season to evaluate him in the minors, writes James Wagner of the Washington Post. A person familiar with Bray’s contract told Wagner that his opt-out date isn’t until June, giving the Nats plenty of time to try and get the left-hander up to speed.
- David Laurila of Fangraphs spoke with A's director of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference about the club's use of statistical analysis.