Central Notes: White Sox, Tigers, Wells, Hicks
Here's a look at the latest out of the American League Central..
- White Sox manager Robin Ventura believes that this year's team has more potential than last year's squad, thanks in part to offseason additions that make them a stronger postseason team, writes Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. The White Sox kept their starting pitching in tact while adding Jeff Keppinger and Matt Lindstrom to the fold.
- Jason Beck of MLB.com wonders if the Tigers might make a move for Casper Wells after he was designated for assignment by the Mariners yesterday. Detroit had interest in making a move for Wells towards the end of spring training and will likely have to work out a trade for the outfielder before he hits the waiver wire if they want to grab him.
- The future is now for Twins prospect Aaron Hicks, writes MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. The center fielder, who is ranked 72nd on Baseball America's Top 100 list and 98th on MLB.com's Top 100, was given the starting job despite the fact that it starts his service clock earlier.
Rangers Release Brandon Allen
The Rangers have released Brandon Allen, according to the CBSSports.com transactions page. The Rangers signed the first baseman to a minor league deal back in December.
Allen, 26, appeared in seven games for the Rays last season before being sold to Japan's Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. In parts of four seasons at the Triple-A level, Allen owns a .283/.390/.543 batting line.
White Sox Acquire Lars Anderson
The White Sox have acquired Lars Anderson from the Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). Anderson was designated for assignment by Toronto on March 29th to free up room for waiver claims Alex Burnett and Clint Robinson.
Anderson, 25, spent most of the 2012 season at Triple-A, where he posted a .250/.353/.396 batting line in 470 plate appearances. He also has 30 games of big league experience to his credit with the Red Sox from 2010-12.
The first baseman has done his best impression of Carmen Sandiego, having moved around quite a bit this offseason. Anderson went from the Indians to the D’Backs in the three-team Shin-Soo Choo deal and before a series of roster moves led him to the White Sox, then the Blue Jays, and finally back to the White Sox.
Offseason In Review: St. Louis Cardinals
by MLBTR's Steve Adams
The Cardinals didn't make any significant changes, but spent big to retain their own players following a season in which they were one game from a return to the World Series.
Major League Signings
- Ronny Cedeno, IF: one year, $1.15MM (has since been released).
- Ty Wigginton, UT: two years, $5MM.
- Randy Choate, RP: three years, $7.5MM.
- Total Spend: $13.65MM.
International Signings
- Alex Reyes, P: $950K.
- Henry Alvarado, P: $150K.
Notable Minor League Signings
Trades and Claims
- Acquired IF Jake Lammerman from Dodgers for UT Skip Schumaker.
Extensions
- Allen Craig, UT: five years, $31MM. $13MM Club option for 2018.
- Adam Wainwright, SP: five years, $97.5MM.
Notable Losses
Needs Addressed
The Cardinals finished the 2012 season with 88 wins, a wild card playoff berth and a trip to the National League Championship Series. That was a strong enough showing for rookie manager Mike Matheny to cause the team to pick up his option for the 2014 season in February. 
Rather than investing money and/or prospects in order to pursue middle infield upgrades, the team elected to spend money down the line with extensions for Adam Wainwright and Allen Craig. General manager John Mozeliak was able to secure Wainwright for under $100MM, which many pundits thought would be difficult to do.
Mozeliak correctly determined that Kyle Lohse would turn down a qualifying offer in search of a hefty free agent payday (more on that later). Following the news of Chris Carpenter's season-ending (and career-threatening) injury, Lance Lynn and top prospect Shelby Miller are slated to round out manager Mike Matheny's rotation.
The Cardinals added a second left-hander to his bullpen to complement Marc Rzepczynski by adding Randy Choate on a three-year deal. Three years and $7.5MM for Choate was surprising, but it's hard to deny his dominance over left-handed hitters; in the past four seasons he's held opposing lefties to a .163/.230/.237 batting line.
Ty Wigginton was signed to add some right-handed pop off the bench. The 35-year-old is capable of handling both infield and outfield duty. He appeared at third base, first base and left field for the Phillies in 2012 and has a career .270/.354/.456 line against southpaws. He'll give the team a solid, albeit unspectacular bat off the bench.
Two long-time Cardinals were sent packing this offseason, as Kyle McClellan was non-tendered (he would go on to sign with the Rangers) and Skip Schumaker was dealt to the Dodgers. The two moves saved roughly $3.9MM, as McClellan had projected to earn about $2.4MM as a third-time arbitration-eligible player.
Ronny Cedeno was brough in to compete for infield playing time, but even after the news that Rafael Furcal would miss the entire season with Tommy John surgery, the Cardinals elected to release him and go with Pete Kozma as the starting shortstop. Cedeno has since signed with the Astros to be the team's everyday shortstop.
Questions Remaining
The Cardinals made a significant investment in Craig despite the fact that he's played just 238 career games at age 28 and has never topped 112 games in a season thanks to injuries. He'll need to prove that he's able to stay on the field and maintain his impressive level of production from 2011-12 (.309/.357/.532) over the course of a full Major League season.
The Cardinals are set to enter the season with a middle infield consisting of Pete Kozma and Daniel Descalso, following the Furcal injury and Schumaker trade. Middle infield was already a potential weak spot for St. Louis entering the season, but this tandem now looks even more exposed in light of Furcal's injury. Top prospect Kolten Wong is nearly ready for the Majors, but if that trio falters Mozeliak could be in the market for a middle infielder this July.
Lynn and Miller have yet to prove themselves over a full season of starting at the Major League level, but the team has players like Trevor Rosenthal and Joe Kelly as insurance in the event of an injury or poor performance.
Deal of Note
Even after the news of Carpenter's injury, the Cardinals still decided to go with internal rotation options rather than approach Kyle Lohse about a reunion. In a show of tremendous faith in its young pitching, the team decided it valued a draft pick and the resulting boost to its draft bonus pool that would come when Lohse signed elsewhere.
St. Louis watched a division rival — the Brewers — sacrifice value in this year's draft in order to strengthen its team and make a run at the division title or a wild card spot. Should Lohse thrive while this year's Cardinals rotation underperforms, there will be no shortage of people who look back to the month of March and wonder if signing Lohse would have altered the course of events.
Overview
Despite question marks in the middle infield, St. Louis has a deep lineup and enough pitching depth to make a run at a third consecutive trip to the NLCS. They may need to search for a shortstop and/or second baseman come July, but an NL Central Division title isn't out of question for a team that figures to be among the most well-rounded clubs in baseball.
AL West Notes: Rangers, Astros, Andrus, Norris
It was Opening Day in Texas on Sunday, but the Astros' 8-2 win over the Rangers wasn't the biggest story out of the Lone Star State. Late last night, the Rangers agreed to an eight-year, $120MM deal with an opt-out clause after year four that will keep star shortstop Elvis Andrus locked up until he's at least 30. Here's more out of the American League West..
- The Andrus deal shows that the Rangers are thinking ahead, writes Steven Goldman of SB Nation. While Andrus doesn't provide tremendous offensive firepower, he is among the best all-around shortstops in the game thanks to his defense.
- Bud Norris said that the adrenaline was flowing as he took the hill against Texas last night and one reporter asked if he was excited about the prospect of earning a trade out of Houston. The pitcher sidestepped the question, but Norris could be an attractive piece for a contending club this season, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
- Earlier today, Steve Adams rounded up reactions to the Andrus deal from around the web.
Nationals Notes: Desmond, Young
The Nationals will open the season a widely regarded postseason favorite for the first time in franchise history today. Offseason acquisition Denard Span is leading off, and Stephen Strasburg is on the mound. Here's more on the club as we approach Opening Day for a large portion of Major League teams…
- The team is "not even close" to an extension with Ian Desmond, tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Extension talks between the two sides have never been serious, according to Ladson.
- The Nationals remain in contact with Chris Young, who has yet to sign with a new team, according to Mark Zuckerman of CSN Washington (on Twitter). "The decision is his," said GM Mike Rizzo. Young opted out of his minor league deal with the Nationals last week in search of a Major League opportunity, but had nothing but the highest of praise for the Nationals organization.
Cubs Designate Rob Whitenack For Assignment
The Cubs have designated right-hander Rob Whitenack for assignment to clear roster space for Alberto Gonzalez, according to Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald (on Twitter).
Chicago needed to clear a 40-man roster space so that Gonzalez could open the season with the team following the news that Darwin Barney will begin the season on the disabled list.
Whitenack, 24, was an eighth-round pick by the Cubs in the 2009 draft but struggled through 51 1/3 innings at High-A Daytona last season. Whitenack posted a 5.96 ERA, 5.4 K/9, 4.7 BB/9, hit five batters and threw three wild pitches. Westnack had been in the midst of a breakout 2011 season before Tommy John surgery cut that effort short.
Baseball America ranked him 23rd among Cubs prospects this offseason, noting that his velocity was averaging just 90 mph after touching 96 mph in 2011 and that his slider had lost bite. If he can rediscover his 2011 form, BA feels that he has the ceiling of a No. 3 starter.
Elvis Andrus Extension Reactions
Earlier today it was reported that the Rangers and Elvis Andrus have agreed to an eight-year extension that will keep Andrus in Texas through the 2022 season and pay him $120MM in new money ($131.275MM total). Here's a look at some media reactions to the game's newest nine-figure player…
- Extensions will continue to become more and more frequent as the average team revenue from national TV contracts will jump from $25MM to $52MM in 2014, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal writes that it will be interesting to see how this affects the Yankees' negotiations with Robinson Cano, who, like Andrus, is represented by Scott Boras.
- Adam Kilgore of the Washington post tweets that the Andrus contract likely "throws a pipe bomb" into the Nationals' negotiations with Ian Desmond.
- Dave Cameron of Fangraphs calls Andrus one of the game's best examples of how defense and baserunning can make up for lack of power, and notes that the deal means Jurickson Profar is now the second baseman of the future in Texas. Ian Kinsler will likely move to first base, the outfield or another team, in Cameron's mind.