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Dodgers, Mattingly Discussing Multiyear Deal

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The Dodgers are discussing a new multiyear deal with manager Don Mattingly, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.

Mattingly is under contract through the 2014 season thanks to a $1.4MM option that vested when his Dodgers defeated the Braves in the NLDS. However, Mattingly made his desire for a multiyear contract known shortly after the season in a surprisingly candid press conference.

Mattingly has enjoyed a winning season in each of his three years as the Dodgers' manager, and the team's record has improved each year under his leadership. After wining 82 games in 2011, the Dodgers won 86 in 2012 and 92 in 2013 after a remarkable midseason turnaround that saw the team win 54 of its final 81 games (including a ridiculous 42-8 stretch).

According to Shelburne, no deal is imminent, but both sides are confident that a deal can be worked out. Even after the organization was surprised by Mattingly's comments, writes Shelburne, he remained a good relationship with chairman Mark Walter.

LaTroy Hawkins Drawing Early Interest

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Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com writes that the Rockies are interested in free agent LaTroy Hawkins, and Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports (via Twitter) that Hawkins has received interest from as many as seven teams. The Mets are also known to have interest in Hawkins, who served as their closer in the season's final motnhs after Bobby Parnell was lost for the season due to injury.

Hawkins will turn 41 in December, but he showed no signs of his age in 2013. After signing a minor league deal that guaranteed him $1MM upon making the Mets' roster, Hawkins turned in a stellar 2.93 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9 in 70 2/3 innings — his highest total since 2004 with the Cubs. Hawkins saved 13 games down the stretch, boosting his career total to 101 in the process.

A one-year deal again seems likely for Hawkins, but he should have no problems securing a Major League deal this time around — likely one that will pay him significantly more than his $1MM base salary with the Mets.

The Rockies' reported interest is no surprise, as Hawkins enjoyed a successful season there in 2007, and the team is known to be looking for relief help. Other bullpen targets for the Rockies include Brian Wilson, Jose Veras and Joe Smith.

Rangers Sign Martin Perez To Four-Year Deal

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Don't expect to hear Martin Perez's name on the rumor circuit anytime soon. The Rangers announced Thursday that they have agreed to a four-year deal with their 22-year-old left-hander. Perez-MartinThe contract reportedly guarantees Perez $12.5MM and contains three club options, meaning that Texas will have the ability to control Perez, a client of Felix Olivo's OL Baseball Group, through the 2020 season. 

Perez receives a $1MM signing bonus and will earn $750K in 2014. He'll be paid $1MM in 2015 and $2.9MM in 2016 — a year that would've been his first arbitration eligible season. Perez will earn $4.4MM in 2017, and the 2018 club option is valued at $6MM with a $2.45MM buyout. The Rangers hold a second club option for 2019 at $7.5MM (with a $750K buyout), and the 2020 option is for $9MM ($250K buyout). All told, Perez can earn $32.55MM over the life of the contract. The extension came together in less than two weeks, Olivo told MLBTR owner Tim Dierkes.

Perez, who turns 23 next April, posted strong numbers in his first extended taste of Major League action, compiling a 3.62 ERA with 6.1 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 48.1 percent ground-ball rate in 124 1/3 innings (20 starts). Long hailed as a top Rangers prospect and one of the game's best pitching prospects, Perez ranked on Baseball America's Top 100 list for five consecutive years entering this season.

Perez is the third left-hander to receive an extension for the Rangers in the past three years, as Derek Holland signed a five-year, $28.5MM extension prior to the 2012 season and Matt Harrison signed a five-year, $55MM extension prior to the 2013 campaign. As MLBTR's Extension Tracker shows, Harrison and Holland signed their contracts with four-plus and two-plus years of service time, which explains the discrepancy between their guarantees and Perez's guarantee. This extension will buy out a pair of pre-arbitration seasons as well as Perez's first two arbitration years. The club options cover his final year of arbitration eligibility and his first two seasons of free agency.

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels seems to have followed the mold for extensions signed by Cory Luebke with the Padres, Wade Davis with the Rays and Brett Anderson with the A's. While three club options may typically seem to be particularly team-friendly, it's fair to point out that all three of those players would be considerably worse off had they not signed the deal, thus illustrating the benefit of opting for financial security. And, even if all three options are exercised, Perez will be able to hit free agency upon completion of his age-29 season, meaning he would still be in line for a significant free agent contract.

With this agreement, it seems that Perez can be penciled into the Rangers rotation for years to come alongside Holland, Harrison and ace Yu Darvish — an enviable collection of arms around which to build a team.

Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram was the first to report the $12.5MM guarantee (on Twitter). Joel Sherman of the New York Post added that roughly $2.5MM of that was a buyout on the option's first year (on Twitter). Perez's agent told MLBTR's Tim Dierkes the contract came together in less than two weeks (Twitter link). MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan provided the final breakdown.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Profile: James Loney

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James Loney was an afterthought in the August 2012 blockbuster trade that reshaped the Red Sox and Dodgers, with Boston sending Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett, Nick Punto, and cash to Los Angeles.  Loney joined various Dodgers prospects coming to the Red Sox, and soon after became a free agent for the first time.  He found just a $2MM guarantee with the bargain-shopping Rays, and made good by rediscovering his hitting stroke and playing his usual strong defense at first base.

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Strengths/Pros

Loney's line drive swing produced a .299 batting average this year, which ranked 13th in the American League.  His solid .285 career batting average is owed largely to his high contact rate.  He struck out just 12.9% of the time this year, a mark bested by only 17 AL players.  Loney's 29.8% line drive rate this year topped all of MLB.

Loney's strong batting average helped him to a .348 on-base percentage this year, topping the typical first baseman's .332 mark.  Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+), which is park and league-adjusted, measures a player's total offensive value against the league average.  Loney's 118 figure this year means he was 18% better than the league average hitter.  Among free agents with at least 400 plate appearances, Loney's wRC+ ranked ninth among all free agents, beating out players such as Kendrys Morales, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Justin Morneau.  Loney has shown he can excel in baseball card numbers as well, averaging 89 RBI per year from 2008-10.

While Loney's sweet swing had him batting fifth in the Rays' lineup for much of the year, his calling card is his defense at first base.  He was a Gold Glove finalist this year, and has continually been sought out for his defense.  Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman explained Loney's positives in August to MLB.com's Bill Chastain, saying, "James has been one of the better defensive first basemen in the game for a while, and fit right in with our emphasis on defense.  But he's also demonstrated good natural hitting ability, especially against right-handers, and a contact bat that adds a different dimension to our lineup. We felt that with everything he brings to the table, he had a real chance to thrive in our environment."

Durability is another strong suit for Loney — he's never been on the disabled list in a career that has spanned eight seasons.  Aside from his tumultuous 2012, Loney has averaged 159 games per season since 2008.

Loney has youth on his side, as he doesn't turn 30 until May.  And unlike free agent first basemen Mike Napoli and Kendrys Morales, Loney did not receive a qualifying offer and is not tied to draft pick compensation.

Weaknesses/Cons

Loney is underpowered for a first baseman, a drawback for those who believe the offensive standard should be higher at his position.  He's continually posted isolated power marks around .130, while the average first baseman was at .176 this year.  The typical first baseman can hit at least 20 home runs, while Loney is generally good for 13 or so.  Loney can still add value as a hitter, but he won't appeal to teams seeking power in free agency.

Loney hit .299/.339/.390 against left-handed pitching in 166 plate appearances this year, providing hope that he will not need to be platooned.  But from 2010-12, Loney was terrible against southpaws, hitting .218/.256/.299 in 425 plate appearances.

Loney had a rough 2012 in general, hitting .249/.293/.336 in 465 plate appearances.  Overall, his play was below replacement level.  Loney has only been worth two-plus wins above replacement twice in his career, in 2011 and '13.  Otherwise, he's often been around replacement level.  Though he drove in a good amount of runs from 2008-10, Loney was still just a league average offensive player, and his defense generally doesn't make up for that.  The Rays seemingly rescued Casey Kotchman's career in 2011, but he was terrible in the season that followed.  Fair or not, some teams might connect the two first basemen and wonder if Loney can maintain success outside of Tampa Bay.

Personal

James' parents, Ann and Marion, met when both were basketball players at SUNY Oswego.  James was born in Houston and still lives in Texas with his wife Nadia and their son, born this year.  James told MLB.com's Ken Gurnick in 2008 he had a hard time deciding whether to root for the Astros or Braves as a kid.  When the Dodgers drafted Loney out of high school in the first round in 2002, most teams viewed him as a pitcher, wrote Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times in 2011.

Loney is known as a laid-back player.  "Loney is so calm that sometimes you wonder if there's a pulse," wrote Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe in May.  "I think he's the most unaffected guy I know," Dodgers assistant GM Logan White told Hernandez in 2009.  Former teammate Randy Wolf used the word "spacey," and former manager Joe Torre agreed.  Giants first baseman Brandon Belt may own the nickname "Baby Giraffe," but Wolf used that term to describe Loney's awkwardness in the '09 article, and the first baseman's nickname was "Geoffrey" after the Toys R Us giraffe. 

Market

Loney changed agencies around the opening of free agency, jumping from CAA to The Legacy Agency.  Without knowing the details, the agency change prior to the biggest payday of Loney's career suggests dissatisfaction with his previous contract.

Several teams may be in the market for a first baseman this winter, assuming the Rays don't retain Loney.  The Brewers, Pirates, Twins, and Rockies don't have clear plans at first base, though the Rockies seem to be seeking right-handed power.  The Rangers could be an option if they move on from Mitch Moreland and find bigger bats elsewhere.  As far as starting first basemen, Loney's competition on the free agent market consists of Mike Napoli, Corey Hart, and Justin Morneau, plus maybe Kendrys Morales, Paul Konerko, Mark Reynolds, and Kevin Youkilis.

Expected Contract

I expect Loney's agent to set out with a three-year deal in mind, since he's a relatively young player and the average annual value on the contract won't be staggering.  Ultimately, I think he'll land a two-year, $16MM deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Commenting Policy

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James Loney Joins The Legacy Agency

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James Loney has changed agencies and will now be represented by agents Brian Peters and Scott Parker of the Legacy Agency, according to Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal (on Twitter). Loney had previously been represented by CAA Sports.

The 29-year-old Loney enjoyed a rebound campaign with the Rays, slashing .299/.348/.430 with 13 homers and his typically excellent defense at first base. Loney signed just a one-year, $2MM contract with Tampa this past offseason and will surely enjoy a considerably larger payday on his next contract.

The Legacy Agency represents a number of high-profile Major League clients including CC Sabathia, Carl Crawford, Aaron Hill, Francisco Liriano and Martin Prado, as can be seen in MLBTR's Agency Database, which contains info on nearly 2,000 Major League and Minor League players. If you see any omissions or errors within the database, please email us at mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.

Cubs Hire Rick Renteria

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THURSDAY, 12:00pm: The Cubs officially announced the hire.

WEDNESDAY, 8:50pm: Renteria's deal is a three-year contract that includes two option years, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

5:38pm: The Cubs are set to name Rick Renteria as their next manager, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter).  The press conference to introduce Renteria is expected to come tomorrow.

The former Padres bench coach has been one of the frontrunners for the Chicago job for several weeks and was said to have made a very strong impression on the Cubs' front office during his interviews.  However, there were several other strong candidates in the mix, including A.J. Hinch, Brad Ausmus, and Torey Lovullo.  Lovullo, of course, has ties to Cubs president Theo Epstein and is highly-regarded around baseball.

Renteria spent five years playing in the majors and has been coaching since the mid-90s.  There's no question that the soon-to-be 52-year-old's ability speak English and Spanish fluently also helped his case.  While Renteria has never managed at the major league level, he did manage Mexico's team in the World Baseball Classic earlier this year. 

Peter Gammons reported earlier today that the Cubbies would name their next manager on Thursday with Renteria as the likely hire.  Gammons tweets that Renteria was a shoo-in for the job as soon as Joe Girardi re-signed with the Yankees.

Boras On Ellsbury, Choo, Drew, Morales

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Agent Scott Boras joined ESPN's Keith Law on his latest Behind the Dish podcast.  A few highlights:

  • Jacoby Ellsbury has "illustrated that he's a highly durable athlete," according to Boras.  The agent explained that people running into Ellsbury, which caused his two major injuries, has nothing to do with his durability.  Ellsbury is "a game-changer for a lot of franchises," as the importance of leadoff hitters has increased as power has declined.  Boras says a player of Ellsbury's caliber is typically locked up by his team and does not reach free agency.  I projected a seven-year, $150MM contract for Ellsbury in my recent free agent profile.
  • Shin-Soo Choo is a "premium defensive outfielder at the corners," says Boras, which is further proven by him being able to handle center field for a season with the Reds.  
  • Seven or eight teams could "change the dynamic of the production of their infield" with shortstop Stephen Drew, in the opinion of Boras.
  • Kendrys Morales' metrics at first base are above average, Boras told Law, adding,  "He clearly is a good first baseman."  Boras feels that pundits don't appreciate the rarity of a switch-hitter with a middle of the order bat, in this case.  Morales is "the only other one really than Cano who you can say has the ability to be a run producer in the middle of the lineup" in this free agent market, says Boras, an assessment with which the agents for Brian McCann, Mike Napoli, Carlos Beltran, Curtis Granderson, and Nelson Cruz might disagree.

Yankees Notes: Cano, Grandy, Kuroda, Robertson

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Ken Davidoff of the New York Post feels that the Yankees recent connections to Omar Infante and Brandon Phillips are perfect examples of why the team cannot afford to lose Robinson Cano. Davidoff writes that while both fallback options are fine players, neither is on Cano's level. The reason Cano can afford to make such seemingly outlandish contract demands, says Davidoff, is that he's dramatically better than alternative options. Here are some more Yankees-related links…

  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports doesn't think it makes sense for Curtis Granderson to accept a qualifying offer from the Yankees. Rosenthal points out that Granderson shares the exact same career OPS — .828 — that Nick Swisher carried into last offseason before signing a four-year, $56MM contract with the Indians. I agree with Rosenthal's take that Granderson can do much better than a one-year, $14.1MM deal on the open market, even with draft pick compensation attached.
  • Rosenthal also spoke with one GM who thinks that the threat of Hiroki Kuroda returning to the Hiroshima Carp will force the Yankees to make an offer more lucrative than the $14.1MM qualifying offer (Twitter link).
  • General manager Brian Cashman told Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News that the team isn't annointing David Robertson as the closer just yet. Cashman said he will consider all avenues of improving the team this winter, though he declined to comment on specific free agent relievers. The Yankees were connected to Grant Balfour yesterday.
  • History could give us a glimpse into the Yankees offseason plans, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Yankees could have as much as $90MM to work with (depending on the fate of Alex Rodriguez), and Cashman has prioritized strikeout pitchers and left-handed power bats in recent free agent spending sprees.

Non-Tender Candidates

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By my count, 199 players are currently arbitration eligible and unsigned for 2014.  More than 30 of those can be considered non-tender candidates.  The deadline for teams to decide is December 2nd at 11pm central time.  Non-tendering a player makes him a free agent.  Below is my subjective list of non-tender candidates.  Please note that not all of them will actually be non-tendered.  Click here for MLBTR's projected salaries for these players, if they are tendered contracts.  Click here for our non-tender tracker, and here for our arbitration tracker.

Position Players

Tony Abreu
Darwin Barney
Daric Barton
Tyler Flowers
Sam Fuld
Mat Gamel
Chris Getz
Jesus Guzman
Brett Hayes
Paul Janish
Garrett Jones
Don Kelly
Lou Marson
Michael McKenry
Chris Nelson
Jayson Nix
Justin Ruggiano
Seth Smith
Travis Snider
Chris Stewart
Drew Stubbs 

Pitchers

Scott Atchison
John Axford
Andrew Bailey
Daniel Bard
Mitchell Boggs
Scott Elbert
Tommy Hanson
Frank Herrmann
Daniel Hudson
Kevin Jepsen
Cristhian Martinez
Fernando Rodriguez
Esmil Rogers
Joe Thatcher
Josh Tomlin
Jerome Williams
Blake Wood 

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