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Archives for September 2013

Arroyo Wants Multiyear Deal To Remain With Reds

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Bronson Arroyo enjoys pitching for the Reds and "would love to retire in this uniform," but the veteran right-hander stressed that he was looking for more than a one-year contract on the free agent market this winter in an interview with Pete McCarthy and various fans during an MLB.com Chatting Cage segment (MLB.com's Mark Sheldon and Jeremy Warnemuende have a partial transcript).

Arroyo said it would take at least a two-year deal for him to remain in Cincinnati:

"There's obviously a limit to how long we can play this game, and we're all trying to maximize our opportunities as far as money. If it wasn't for the dollar bill, I know I would be in this uniform until the day I retire, because I know they enjoy what I do around here, and what I bring to the table on and off the field and inside the locker room. But at the end of the day, dollars and cents always weigh a little heavier than anything else in life, usually.

"If my price tag is a little bit too much or they feel like they don't want to give me more than a one-year deal here, then it's going to be very difficult, because it's probably going to be the last time I have an opportunity to go out and sign a multiyear deal with a ballclub."

The Reds have enjoyed unusual durability from their starting rotation over the last two seasons, as Arroyo, Homer Bailey, Mat Latos and Mike Leake have combined to make 239 starts.  Johnny Cueto was a perfect 33-for-33 in 2012 but has made multiple trips to the DL this season, opening the door for rookie Tony Cingrani to impress in his place.  Cueto's health status could make the Reds think about bringing back a durable veteran like Arroyo, who has averaged 208 innings over his eight seasons in Cincinnati.

The problem could be a payroll crunch.  The mid-market Reds already have $79MM committed to the 2014 payroll, and that's before counting arbitration raises to Bailey and Leake or counting what the team may have to spend to re-sign (or acquire a replacement for) Shin-Soo Choo.  Cincinnati also has promising young arms like Robert Stephenson and Daniel Corcino in the farm system and Aroldis Chapman could still be converted to a starter.  The Reds could prefer to spend on extending Bailey and/or Leake rather than locking up a pitcher who will be 37 next Opening Day. 

That said, the Reds will get a revenue increase in the form of a new TV contract in 2016, and the Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips extensions show that the club isn't afraid to spend big on key players.  Arroyo obviously isn't the class of those players, but his durability and good form will surely net him a multiyear deal from some team this winter.  Arroyo has a 3.62 ERA, 5.6 K/9 and 4.15 K/BB over 179 IP this season.

Indians, Joe Smith Mutually Interested In New Deal

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The Indians and right-hander Joe Smith are both interested in continuing their relationship past this season, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.  The Tribe spoke to Barry Meister, Smith's agent, earlier this season about a new contract for the 29-year-old reliever, and Hoynes notes that this wasn't the first time the team has floated the idea of an extension with Smith. 

While those talks didn't lead anywhere, Indians GM Chris Antonetti said the team would "like to keep Joe with the Indians moving forward and we appreciate the work that he's done."

Smith has posted a 2.47 ERA, 46 strikeouts and a 2.19 K/BB over 54 2/3 relief innings this year and he has a 2.81 ERA, 7.1 K/9 and 1.98 K/BB over his five seasons with the Indians.  The side-armer avoided arbitration (in his third year of arb-eligibility) with the Tribe by agreeing to a one-year, $3.15MM contract last winter and now Smith will be a free agent after the season ends.

"I'd love to stay," Smith said.  "Now you see the organization bringing in people, spending money on the free-agent market.  It gets exciting. It shows which way they're going. You can't bring in Terry Francona as manager and sit back and do nothing."

Retaining Smith would help the Tribe stabilize a bullpen that has a few question marks going into the 2014 season.  Chris Perez is slated to return as Cleveland's closer, though he has been rumored to be a trade candidate due to his rising arbitration salary.  Vinnie Pestano, though to be the Indians' closer-in-waiting if Perez left, has struggled through an injury-filled season.  With Perez and Pestano's situations in mind, Smith could get some consideration at closer if he re-signs, though he has only two career saves.

Astros Designate Hector Ambriz For Assignment

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The Astros have designated right-hander Hector Ambriz for assignment, the team announced via Twitter.  The move was made to create 40-man roster space for Eric Thames, who was claimed off waivers from the Orioles earlier today.  Ambriz is represented by LSW Baseball.

Ambriz, 29, posted a 5.70 ERA, 6.7 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 over 36 1/3 relief innings for Houston this season.  The righty signed a minor league contract with the Astros in June 2012 after being released by the Indians.

As shown on MLBTR's DFA Tracker, Ambriz joins nine other players in DFA limbo.  The Astros have 10 days to trade Ambriz, release him or outright him to the minors.

AL East Links: Anthopoulos, Betemit, Rays, Bard

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It was on this day in 1914 that Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run.  Playing for the Providence Grays of the International League, Ruth went yard during a road game in Toronto, an occasion marked by a historical plaque at Hanlan's Point.  This was the only homer the Bambino would ever hit in the minors, as he spent the entire 1915 season with the Red Sox and never again visited the farm during his legendary career. 

Here are some notes from around the AL East…

  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos' job isn't in jeopardy, MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm writes as part of a reader mailbag.  Anthopoulos "appears to have the full backing" of upper management and should continue to do so for at least the next couple of seasons, though obviously the Jays will be expected to contend at some point.  Earlier today, Anthopoulos discussed a number of topics in an interview on Sportsnet 590 radio.
  • Also from Chisholm, he predicts that if the Blue Jays don't extend a qualifying offer to Josh Johnson and he hits the open market, Johnson will likely sign a one-year contract with an NL team to try and re-establish his value for the 2015 free agent market.
  • Wilson Betemit's time with the Orioles is probably coming to an end, as Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun writes that the O's "likely won't pick up" the $3.2MM option on his contract for 2014.  Betemit has missed almost all of the season recovering from March knee surgery and the team already seems to have moved on, as Betemit has only nine plate appearances over five games since returning from the DL.
  • St. Petersburg mayor Bill Foster criticized MLB in a memo updating his city council about the Rays' stadium issue, Mark Puente of the Tampa Bay Times reports.  Also in the piece, Puente notes that the Rays' ongoing search for a new ballpark could be an issue for Foster in November's mayoral election.
  • Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer's history with Daniel Bard made it no surprise that the Cubs would acquire the struggling right-hander on a waiver claim from the Red Sox, manager John Farrell said.  Farrell told reporters, including MLB.com's Jason Mastrodonato, that his team didn't have the time or roster space to nurture Bard back to form but he thinks Bard can do it.  "I guess the most important thing is that we wish him well. We hope he gets back on track. There's still a good pitcher in there once he gets back on track," Farrell said.
  • From earlier today around the AL East, the Astros claimed Eric Thames off waivers from the Orioles, the Nationals claimed Mauro Gomez off waivers from the Blue Jays and the Red Sox aren't sure if they'll be willing to re-sign Jacoby Ellsbury if it will cost much beyond $100MM.

Mets Notes: Kazmir, Prospects, Duda, Yankees

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Scott Kazmir will take the mound for the Indians on Friday night in his first career start against the Mets, the team that originally drafted him 15th overall in 2002 and infamously traded him for Victor Zambrano in July 2004.  ESPN New York's Adam Rubin talks to Kazmir about the trade, his brief tenure with the Mets and his comeback with Cleveland.  Here are some items about the Amazins…

  • The Mets heavily scouted other organizations for power-hitting prospects earlier this season, a rival executive tells Newsday's Marc Carig.  The Mets will put a priority on obtaining some big bats this winter, as manager Terry Collins admitted the team is lacking in power. 
  • Some of that power could come from internal options like Lucas Duda, who has hit well since taking over the first base job from the injured Ike Davis.  Metsblog.com's Maggie Wiggin thinks Duda could be a cheap and potentially very productive first base option for New York next season.  Duda has hit better over his career when playing first, possibly due to being freed from the pressure of playing the outfield, where Duda is a major defensive liability.  If nothing else, Wiggin thinks Duda's September audition could make him a trade chip for an AL team looking for first base or DH help.
  • The Mets could look across New York for help on the free agent market this winter, as ESPN New York's Mark Simon lists Curtis Granderson, Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain as possible fits for the Mets in 2014.

Red Sox May Not Go Far Past $100MM For Ellsbury

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There appears to be mutual interest between the Red Sox and Jacoby Ellsbury in a new contract this winter, though the Red Sox may balk at re-signing the center fielder if the bidding goes far past the $100MM mark, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports.  Boston's return to prominence this season has been built around signing "mid-range" free agents like Shane Victorino or Mike Napoli and the team may wish to continue this strategy rather than splurge on a major free agent contract.  Sources connected to the team tell Heyman they "aren't necessarily optimistic" that the Sox will be keen on handing Ellsbury a Carl Crawford-esque deal.

Crawford's contract (a seven-year, $142MM pact in December 2010) was cited by Scott Boras, Ellsbury's agent, as perhaps not being large enough for his client since Ellsbury plays center field, has experience hitting leadoff and also has had success playing in Boston.  Boras, as you might expect, used a colorful metaphor to describe his feelings about Ellsbury as a franchise cornerstone and about the "mid-range" free agent signing strategy. 

“Free agency is like the Navy. You can have a number of mid-range missiles, but they only work as long as you have the aircraft carrier to put them on.”

I used the Crawford deal as a comparison myself when I examined Ellsbury as a possible extension candidate back in March 2012.  At the time Ellsbury was coming off the best season of his career — a .321/.376/.552 slash line, 32 homers, 39 steals, 119 runs scored and a league-leading 364 total bases.  Since then, Ellsbury has hit .287/.340/.403 with just 12 homers over 941 PA, though his 2012 season was limited to only 74 games due to injury. 

My proposal at the time was a seven-year, $133MM deal between Ellsbury and the Red Sox that would have covered Ellsbury's 2013 season and his first six free agent years.  Ellsbury hasn't kept up the power since then and he turns 30 years old next week.  As we saw with Michael Bourn (another Boras client) last offseason, teams are hesitant to give major deals to speed-centric players entering their thirties.

Some executives tell Heyman that Ellsbury could be in line for a five-year/$75MM deal like B.J. Upton while others think the Boston outfielder will indeed crack the $100MM mark.  My guess is that Ellsbury seems like a lock for a $100MM+ contract on the open market this offseason due to both his talents and because this winter's free agent outfielder market is rather slim.  MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has had Ellsbury rated no lower than third throughout his 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings since the season began, and Ellsbury has claimed the No. 2 position (behind only Robinson Cano) for the last two months.

Red Sox owner John Henry reportedly "very much likes Ellsbury," though the team kept Jackie Bradley Jr. at the trade deadline as insurance should Ellsbury left in free agency  There should be strong interest in Ellsbury on the open market; Fangraphs' Paul Swydan recently noted that up to 12 teams could vie for Ellsbury's services.

Minor Moves: Teagarden, Sappelt, Brown

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Here are today's minor moves from around the league…

Nationals Claim Mauro Gomez

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The Nationals announced, via Twitter, that they have claimed Mauro Gomez off waivers from the Blue Jays. The first baseman/third baseman was designated for assignment by the Jays on Tuesday.

Gomez, 28, hit .275/.324/.422 with a pair of homers in 111 plate appearances for the Red Sox last season before being claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays this April. In 453 plate appearances for Toronto's Triple-A affiliate this season, Gomes batted .249/.322/.521 with 29 homers. While his average and OBP were down from his career marks at Triple-A, Gomez's .272 ISO was an improvement. In 1436 career plate appearances at the Triple-A level, he owns a .289/.350/.542 slash line.

Primarily a first baseman, Gomez does have 89 games of third base experience at the minor league level, including 10 games at the hot corner in 2013.

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Astros Claim Eric Thames

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The Astros have claimed outfielder Eric Thames off waivers from the Orioles, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The 26-year-old outfielder was designated for assignment on Sunday to clear a roster space for pitcher Eric Beaulac.

Thames was a seventh-round pick of the Blue Jays in 2008 but was traded to the Mariners in exchange for right-hander Steve Delabar last season. The Mariners eventually traded him to Baltimore for infielder Ty Kelly.

The left-handed-swinging Thames is a career .250/.296/.431 hitter with 21 homers in 684 plate appearances. He's been significantly better in Triple-A throughout his career though, as evidenced by his .312/.389/.506 batting line in 870 plate appearances at that level. Thames will join a crowded outfield mix in Houston that features Robbie Grossman, L.J. Hoes, Trevor Crowe, J.D. Martinez, Brandon Barnes and Jimmy Paredes.

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