Mets Expected To Target Choo In Offseason
It's no secret that the Mets are willing to spend this winter, and Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports that indications from rival executives and a pair Mets officials are that the team will be very interested in Shin-Soo Choo.
One Mets official told Martino, however, that GM Sandy Alderson and his staff aren't particularly interested in entering an aggressive bidding war over the 31-year-old Scott Boras client. Such a bidding war could end up being necessary to acquire Choo's services, given Boras' history and Choo's solid numbers.
While one big knock on Choo is his susceptibility to left-handed pitching — he's hitting just .211 against southpaws with a .247 slugging percentage — he's still managed a .350 OBP against same-handed pitchers and sports an overall batting line of .291/.425/.472 with 20 homers and 17 stolen bases.
The Mets would shift Choo back to right field if they were to sign him, Martino reports, due to Juan Lagares' outstanding defense in center field. That's the right call, as Choo grades out as the worst defensive center fielder in baseball, among qualified players, according to both UZR and The Fielding Bible. Those same metrics suggested that Choo was poor in right field in 2012 as well, but historically he's been a serviceable glove in right. Martino adds that Eric Young would likely shift to a fourth outfielder role and notes that the team would like to see Young at second base more as well.
Choo, who ranked fifth on the most recent edition of Tim Dierkes' Free Agent Power Rankings, will also reportedly be pursued by the Cubs this winter. Back in May, Reds GM Walt Jocketty very candidly said that the Reds would love to be able to re-sign Choo but would be hard-pressed to make such a deal work from a financial standpoint.
Quick Hits: Qualifying Offers, Peralta, Harrison
The list of pitchers likely to receive qualifying offers this year includes Hiroki Kuroda, Ervin Santana and A.J. Burnett, Dave Cameron of Fangraphs writes. But Cameron also looks into some less obvious candidates, like Tim Lincecum of the Giants and Josh Johnson of the Blue Jays. Three pitchers (Kuroda, Rafael Soriano, and Kyle Lohse) received qualifying offers last offseason; Cameron seems to think that number should be slightly higher this winter. Here are more notes from around the big leagues.
- Jhonny Peralta, who was suspended for his role in the Biogenesis scandal, will soon be eligible to begin a rehab assignment, but the Tigers aren't sure what they'll do with him, MLB.com's Jason Beck reports. The season has ended for all the Tigers' minor-league teams, which makes the Florida instructional league, which begins September 19, the most likely possibility. The Tigers must decide by September 26 whether to place Peralta back on the active roster. They don't appear to have made that decision yet. Peralta becomes a free agent at the end of the season.
- Starter Matt Harrison had his third surgery of the season on Monday, but the Rangers have insurance on his contract, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports. Harrison is signed to a five-year, $55MM contract that begins this season. He's set to make $13MM annually in 2015 through 2017. The insurance on Harrison is fortunate for the Rangers, as is the fact that Harrison's latest surgery is on his non-throwing shoulder.
Central Notes: Pirates, Giambi, Baker, White Sox
With a 1-0 win over the Rangers Monday night, the Pirates clinched their first winning season since 1992. 2011 draftee Gerrit Cole pitched seven dominant innings for the Bucs on Monday, and the Pirates have, of course, gotten big contributions from draftees like Andrew McCutchen (2005) and Pedro Alvarez (2008). But much of the Pirates' success in 2013 has stemmed from Neal Huntington's spectacular 2012-2013 offseason. He signed Francisco Liriano and Russell Martin, who have emerged as two of the Pirates' top players behind McCutchen. He also re-signed Jason Grilli, who dominated as the Pirates' closer, and traded for Mark Melancon, who has been even more dominant and who stepped in as closer after Grilli got hurt.
Mike Axisa of CBS Sports digs deep into the construction of the 2013 Pirates, noting that many of this year's Bucs also came from earlier trades. He singles out the then-unpopular Nate McLouth trade, which brought back Jeff Locke and Charlie Morton, as an important one for the Bucs. Here are more notes from the Central divisions.
- Jason Giambi wants to return to play for the Indians next season, Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer reports. "I would love to play next year," Giambi says. "Hopefully it will be here. I love it here. I love the direction the team is going and the things we've got going here." Giambi is hitting .186/.278/.372 in 198 plate appearances this season.
- The Cubs are giving Scott Baker starts in September, but it's unclear whether he'll be playing for them next year, writes Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com. Baker made his first start since 2011 on Sunday, after missing most of the last two seasons with an elbow injury. The Cubs figure to have Jeff Samardzija, Travis Wood and Edwin Jackson in their rotation next year, with a variety of possible back-end options, including Jake Arrieta, Carlos Villanueva and Chris Rusin. Mooney notes that the Cubs will likely pursue more starting pitching in the offseason.
- The White Sox will pursue position players via free agency and trade this offseason, MLB.com's Scott Merkin reports. Sox GM Rick Hahn says he will be "open to" trading young pitching in order to acquire hitters. The White Sox's top young-ish pitchers at the big-league level include Jose Quintana, Nate Jones, Addison Reed and Hector Santiago. Chris Sale would obviously be a very valuable trade chip, but he's an elite talent and the White Sox signed him to an extension before the season, so that appears unlikely.
Minor Moves: Wells, Ambriz, Watts, Liddi
Here are today's minor moves from around the league…
- Longtime starting pitcher Kip Wells has retired, although he's hoping to remain in baseball now that his playing career is over, ESPN New York's Adam Rubin tweets. Wells was released by the Angels in May, and was considering retirement as of early July. The righty pitched parts of 12 seasons, suiting up with the White Sox, Pirates, Rangers, Cardinals, Rockies, Royals, Nationals, Reds and Padres, and posting a 4.71 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 1,338 1/3 career innings.
- The Astros outrighted Hector Ambriz to Triple-A Oklahoma City, according to the International League transactions page. The 29-year-old right-hander was designated for assignment over the weekend after pitching to a 5.70 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 36 1/3 innings for Houston this season.
- The Nationals released catcher Kris Watts, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com (via Twitter). Watts, 29, hit just .211/.342/.328 in 43 Triple-A games this year. The former 16th-round pick is a career .250/.351/.372 hitter in 2,006 career minor league plate appearances between the Nationals and Pirates organizations.
- The Orioles announced that infielder Alex Liddi cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A. Liddi was acquired from the Mariners along with a No. 3 international bonus slot for the M's No. 2 int'l slot. Baltimore designated the 25-year-old for assignment last week to make a 40-man roster spot for Chris Dickerson.
- With Liddi in Triple-A Norfolk, there are two players in DFA limbo, according to the MLBTR DFA Tracker – James McDonald of the Pirates and Cody Ransom of the Cubs.
Steve Adams and Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.
Blue Jays Notes: Rasmus, Anthopoulos, Happ, Mottola
The latest out of the AL East..
- The oblique strain that has Colby Rasmus sidelined will have a serious impact on his 2014 earnings, writes Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. Nicholson-Smith spoke with five agents and MLB team executives experienced in the arbitration process and learned that while Rasmus hurt his value by missing time on the disabled list, he could still get a pay bump in the range of $2MM.
- Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star looks at what he deems the worst trade of Alex Anthopoulos' tenure as Blue Jays GM, but it's not the trade most would think. Griffin understands the logic behind last offseason's blockbusters with the Marlins and Mets, but he questions the 2012 trade that brought J.A. Happ, Brandon Lyon and David Carpenter to Toronto in exchange for Francisco Cordero, Ben Francisco and prospects Carlos Perez, Asher Wojciechowski, Joe Musgrove, David Rollins and Kevin Comer. As Griffin points out, Lyon, Carpenter, Cordero and Francisco were all expendable pieces, making the trade essentially Happ for five prospects.
- Also in his piece, Griffin talks with Jays hitting coach Chad Mottola about Brett Lawrie's turnaround, an organizational hitting philosophy, how he deals with criticism and the enjoyment he takes in watching his pupils succeed.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
Dodgers Nearing Deal With Alexander Guerrero
6:17pm: The two sides are nearing a five-year, $32MM contract according to the latest update from Sanchez (on Twitter).
2:46pm: The Dodgers and Cuban infield prospect Alexander Guerrero are closing in a multi-year deal worth $32MM, industry sources tell Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. The deal is expected to be between five and seven years and an official announcement is expected this week.
Guerrero probably projects as a second baseman in the majors since his range and first-step quickness aren't strong enough to stick at shortstop, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America (subscription required). The offensive-oriented infielder doesn't figure to be a premium talent, but his raw right-handed power has impressed clubs.
The Twins, Red Sox, and Braves have also been in the mix for Guerrero, but the Dodgers have long been the favorites to sign him. The 26-year-old also garnered interest from the Reds along the way, but it's not clear how serious they were or if they were still in the mix towards the end.
In his final season in Cuba, Guerrero hit .290/.402/.576 with 21 home runs in 328 plate appearances for Las Tunas. For the last five seasons, Guerrero has posted solid offensive numbers, though the Cuban league is known for inflated offensive numbers. Badler says that Guerrero is likely ticketed for Double-A or Triple-A to start out.
Guerrero was cleared to sign with Major League Teams by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) over the weekend. He defected from his native Cuba in January and has been a known quanitty for some time, so the Dodgers were quick to strike a deal once it was possible.
It remains to be seen what impact, if any, the signing will have on the Dodgers' pursuit of a second baseman this winter. Of course, the Dodgers are viewed as the biggest threat to sign Robinson Cano away from the Yankees over the offseason.
NL West Notes: Padres, Owings, Rockies
Earlier today, it was reported that the Dodgers are nearing a deal with Cuban infielder Alexander Guerrero, who has officially been cleared by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control to sign with a Major League team. Here's more out of the NL West…
- Padres GM Josh Byrnes isn't sure what this offseason will hold, but he told MLB.com's Barry M. Bloom that he's certain that the team's payroll will go up again. Byrnes also spoke about his feelings on the Mat Latos trade in hindsight. Since the swap, Yasmani Grandal was hit with a 50-game suspension and has missed time with injury, Yonder Alonso has been hurt, and Edinson Volquez was released after a disappointing 2013 season.
- The Diamondbacks will take a long look at Chris Owings over the final weeks of the season as they try to evaluate their shortstop position in the long-term, manager Kirk Gibson tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Owings won Pacific Coast League MVP honors this season by hitting .330/.359/.482 with 12 homers and 20 steals. Gibson praised his positive attitude in the face of last offseasons acquisitions of Didi Gregorius, Nick Ahmed and Cliff Pennington. Gregorius, who started out the season on a hot streak, has hit just .208/.288/.277 over his past 55 games, opening the door for Owings to make an impression.
- Wilton Lopez's disappointing season and Matt Belisle's regression will likely force the Rockies to rebuild their bullpen this offseason, even if it means overpaying for arms, opines Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Sulia link). The Rockies will also be without Rafael Betancourt, who elected to undergo Tommy John surgery and could retire due to the injury.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
Mets Won’t Non-Tender Ike Davis
There's still plenty of doubt about Ike Davis' future in Queens, but the Mets aren't willing to lose him for nothing. There is no consideration being given to the idea of non-tendering the first baseman in December, team insiders tell Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
With Lucas Duda and the shaky Davis both in the fold, a decision has to be made regarding the club's plan at first base, so the possibility of trading Davis remains. However, club officials believe that Davis will not be cost prohibitive in 2014 in a way that would force them to cut him loose. Davis, 26, earned $3.125MM this season as a first-year arbitration eligible player.
It's extremely rare for a player’s salary to decrease during their arbitration years, but the Mets appear to think they may have a case for a salary reduction if it ever got to a hearing, Rubin writes. A player could receive as much as a 20% cut from his previous year’s salary either through an arbitration hearing or a pre-hearing settlement, leaving Davis' floor to be $2.5MM for 2014.
Rubin found only a handful of salary cuts in arbitration over the years with the most recent one taking place in 1993. Royals pitcher Aaron Crow agreed to a 20% pay cut before the 2013 season, but that was an unusual case in which he was not yet arbitration eligible and his 2012 salary had been worked out when he was drafted No. 12 overall three years earlier.
Even if Davis gets a salary similar to his $3.125MM pay this year, it won't be a major impediment for the Mets, especially when considering the amount of money they have coming off of the books.
Mets Could Trade Frank Francisco
Frank Francisco made his season debut with the Mets yesterday, pitching two-thirds of an inning and issuing a walk in a scoreless appearance. A free agent at season's end, Francisco may not even close out the year with the Mets, as one team official told Adam Rubin of ESPN New York that it's "certainly possible" that the Mets will trade Francisco soon.
According to Rubin, the Mets weren't pleased with what they perceived to be a lack of urgency on Francisco's part to get back to the Major Leagues. Francisco is earning $6.5MM in the second season of a two-year, $12MM contract he signed to be the team's closer. He's been disappointing in New York, to say the least, having pitched to a 5.44 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in just 43 innings of work. Since joining the Mets, Francisco has missed time due to an oblique strain, right elbow tendonitis and recovery from surgery to remove bone spurs from that same elbow.
Interested parties could look at Francisco's track record and hope that he's a low-cost upgrade if he's back to full health. Prior to signing with the Mets, Francisco had compiled a 3.54 ERA with 10.5 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and 49 saves from 2008-11. He also dominated on his minor league rehab assignment, yielding just one run on eight hits and three walks with 14 strikeouts over 12 innings across three levels.
The Mets would be happy to simply receive some relief on the $746K remaining on his salary, writes Rubin. Of course, an acquiring team wouldn't be able to include Francisco on its postseason roster, but he could still play a role in helping a team get to the playoffs. Such acquisitions aren't particularly common, but the situation wouldn't be too dissimilar from the Rockies' 2010 acquisition of Octavio Dotel. Rubin speculates that the Yankees could be a fit for Francisco.
Alexander Guerrero Cleared To Sign With MLB Teams
Cuban infielder Alexander Guerrero has been cleared to sign with Major League Teams by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reported over the weekend (Twitter link). Dionisio Soldevila of ESPN Deportes agrees, adding that an official signing could come at any minute (also via Twitter).
Guerrero has been most heavily connected to the Dodgers, though initial reports that the two sides had agreed to a seven-year pact were premature. The 26-year-old has also been connected to the Twins and Braves over the past six weeks. In his tweet above, however, Wolfson doubts that the Twins will be the team to ultimately sign Guerrero. Soldevila adds, in a separate tweet, that the Dodgers are still the favorite.
As Ben Badler of Baseball America pointed out in a subscription-only scouting report in early August, interested parties likely view Guerrero as an offensive-oriented second baseman. Questions about his range and first-step quickness will likely prevent him from sticking at shortstop in the Majors, according to Badler, who added that raw right-handed power was Guerrero's best tool.