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Archives for December 2013

Mariners Close To Re-Signing Franklin Gutierrez

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The Mariners are close to re-signing Franklin Gutierrez to a one-year deal, sources tell Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports 1 (on Twitter).  The Mariners need a right-handed outfield bat and have been encouraged by recent reports on Gutierrez's health, motivating them to facilitate a return, Morosi tweets.

Gutierrez, 31 in February, has a .256/.306/.391 career batting line but has a strong defensive reputation and a career .818 OPS against lefties.  He became a free agent on November 1st when the Mariners turned down his $7.5MM club option and gave him his $500K buyout instead.  

The veteran inked a four-year, $20.5MM extension with the Mariners after an outstanding 2009 season in which he batted .283/.339/.425 with 18 homers, 16 stolen bases and turned in the best center field defense in the game, all totaling a stellar 6.0 WAR.  Unfortunately for both parties, several DL stints over the life of that contract kept him from living up to that deal.  Gutierrez has battled hamstring, pectoral, and oblique issues and also dealt with a serious concussion.

Gutierrez is represented by Octagon, as shown in the MLBTR Agency Database.  Over the course of the offseason, the Phillies, Red Sox, and Giants were all reported to have interest in the outfielder.

West Notes: Dodgers, Giants, Astros, Benoit

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The Dodgers' total player expenditures last season – including payroll for a 40-man roster, incentive bonuses, benefits and tax payment, comes out to $248MM, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. The Dodgers were assessed $11.4MM under baseball's luxury-tax system, according to a person familiar with the matter. More out of the AL and NL West..

  • Giants GM Brian Sabean says the club is probably done with major league deals, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Because it would be tough to make additions to the big league roster, he's not looking at minor league invites.
  • After losing Jose Veras to the Cubs earlier this evening, Astros GM Jeff Luhnow says he's looking into other pitchers, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. "We're still talking to other relievers," Luhnow said. "Again, the closer role is really going to be determined during Spring Training, and from the standpoint of Josh Fields, Chad Qualls, and Matt Albers, they all have the arm strength and pitches to pitch in the ninth inning. We'll just kind of see what develops. We're not necessarily done on pitching. We're still talking to some pitchers, and we'll see what happens."
  • Corey Brock of MLB.com (on Twitter) gets the sense that Joaquin Benoit is very much in play for the Padres as they're still willing to add a difference maker in back end.

Central Notes: Cubs, Veras, Santana, Pirates

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The Jose Veras signing makes sense for the Cubs since he comes at an affordable rate, has experience, and can groom the younger guys like Pedro Strop, opines Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com (via Twitter). Earlier tonight, the Cubs agreed to sign Veras to a one-year, $4MM deal with a $5.5MM club option for 2015.  Here's more out of the AL and NL Central..

  • Before agreeing to his deal with the Cubs, Veras tells Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (on Twitter) that he also had an offer from the Mariners. The Rockies and Astros were also among the clubs with reported interest.
  • Even after the Mike Pelfrey agreement, the Twins are maintaining dialogue with Johan Santana's representatives, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter). For his part, Santana is very open to a return.
  • Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel checked in with Brewers GM Doug Melvin and it doesn't sound like the club is closing in on a first base solution.  "It's pretty quiet," said Melvin. "We know all the names. It's a small group. Nothing changes from one day to the next. Ike Davis is the one player people talk about. Other than that, there's not much available."   Haudricourt also asked Melvin about Rangers' first baseman Mitch Moreland, but Melvin says that at last check, Texas said they won't move him. 
  • With multiple question marks, David Schoenfield of ESPN.com feels that the Pirates are likely to regress in 2014.

NL East Notes: Phillies, Rollins, Marlins

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The Phillies have a contender's payroll, and therefore Ruben Amaro Jr. is still in win-now mode despite an aging and declining core, writes CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury. However, the Phils may be just one bad half away from Amaro finally conceding to a rebuild, says Salisbury, who recalls a quote from Amaro at the Winter Meetings where Amaro acknowledged the possibility.

  • Salisbury's colleague, Corey Seidman, opines that the Phillies are stuck with Jimmy Rollins, much like they are with Jonathan Papelbon. Though there are a few contenders in need of a shortstop upgrade, but Rollins' $11MM salary plus his 10-and-5 rights make it nearly impossible to move him.
  • The Marlins are willing to trade from their wealth of starting pitchers to acquire a third baseman, president of baseball operations Michael Hill told MLB.com's Joe Frisasro. Said Hill: "This is why you build and try to create depth, to allow you to do what you need to do to win games at the Major League level."
  • Since Mike Rizzo took over as Nationals GM in 2009, he’s seven different trades with A's GM Billy Beane of the Athletics.  Chase Hughes of CSNWashington.com looked back on all of the deals that have gone down between Oakland and Washington.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Pirates Interested In Ike Davis, Mitch Moreland

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7:28pm: The Pirates spoke to the Mets about trading for Davis, a source told Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

3:48pm: The Pirates have seen a pair of first base candidates come off the board in the past week with the Rays re-siging James Loney for $21MM over three years and the Mariners acquiring Logan Morrison. However, they're still looking at the trade market and currently have their sights set on Ike Davis and Mitch Moreland, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link).

Davis' name has been most frequently connected to the Brewers in the past week, but Pittsburgh also has a hole to fill at first base. Davis batted .242/.334/.434 overall in 2013 but was strong against right-handed pitching, as can be seen in his .256/.356/.471 slash line. That would seem to make him an ideal platoon partner for Gaby Sanchez, who roughed up lefties at a .333/.438/.539 clip in 2013.

Moreland offers similar platoon issues, having batted just .236/.295/.362 against left-handers in his career. Both he and Davis can be controlled through the 2016 season, though Moreland is projected to earn just $2.7MM in 2014 (per MLBTR's Matt Swartz), while Davis is projected to earn $3.5MM next season. It's not known at this time what the Rangers would be looking for in return for Moreland. New York is said to be asking the Brewers to part with right-hander Tyler Thornburg.

Royals Sign Omar Infante

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TUESDAY: Infante will get $5MM in 2014, $7.5MM in '15, $7.75MM in '16, and $8MM in 2017, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).  The $10MM option for 2018 can be bought out for $2MM.

DECEMBER 16th: The Royals have announced the signing, and they'll hold a press conference Tuesday morning. The deal evidently includes a team option for 2018, although the terms aren't yet known.

DECEMBER 13th: The Royals and Omar Infante have agreed to terms on a four-year contract, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (Twitter links). The deal is for $30.25MM and also includes incentives, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman tweets. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports first reported that the two sides were "very close" to a deal (also on Twitter). Infante is represented by agent Gene Mato. Infante was MLBTR's 18th-ranked free agent heading into the offseason.

Infante, 32 in two weeks, batted .318/.345/.450 with 10 homers and solid second base defense for the Tigers in 2013. The veteran also drew interest from the Yankees and Reds, with the Yankees reportedly offering a three-year deal worth $24MM.

The move marks the next step in the Royals' offseason, a relatively eventful one for a small-market team. In addition to Infante, they've also added Jason Vargas and Norichika Aoki. As with Vargas' contract, Infante's offers the Royals a very reasonable average annual value, although it's a strong possibility that Infante won't be particularly effective at the end of the deal, when he'll be 35. Infante had been rumored to be seeking north of $8MM per year, and he settled for slightly less, though four years is a longer contract than he might have expected. At the beginning of the offseason, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes predicted Infante would win a three-year, $25MM deal.

Before Infante agreed to terms, Emilio Bonifacio and Johnny Giavotella had been the Royals' top options at second base. Infante did not receive a qualifying offer, so the Royals will not have to sacrifice a draft pick to sign him.

Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.

Red Sox Sign Watanabe, Release Carpenter

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The Red Sox announced that they have signed Japanese right-hander Shunsuke Watanabe to a minor league contract.  Boston also disclosed that they have released the contract of right-hander Chris Carpenter to the Yakult Swallows of the Nippon Professional Baseball league in exchange for cash.

Watanabe, 37, is a sidearmer who boasts one of the lowest deliveries in professional baseball.  While his pitches top out around 70 MPH, his tricky delivery has frustrated hitters across 13 seasons with the NPB's Chiba Lotte Marines.  For his career in Japan, Watanabe has posted a 3.65 ERA with 4.8 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9.

Carpenter, who came over in the Theo Epstein compensation deal with the Cubs along with fellow right-hander Aaron Kurcz, saw eight big league games with Boston in 2012 and spent the bulk of 2013 with the club's Triple-A affiliate.   

Minor Moves: Tolleson, Treanor, Pino

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Tonight's minor moves..

  • The Blue Jays announced that they have agreed to terms with infielder Steven Tolleson on a minor league contract with an invitation to attend big league spring training.  The 30-year-old spent last season with the White Sox's Triple-A affiliate, batting .288/.381/.426 with eight home runs.  Tolleson has appeared in 54 Major League games for Oakland (2010) and Baltimore (2012).
  • The Indians announced that they signed catcher Matt Treanor to a minor league deal with an invite to major league spring training.  He'll earn $800K if he makes the big league roster, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer.  Treanor had 122 plate appearances with the Dodgers in 2012, posting a less-than-stellar .175/.281/.282 slash line.  The 37-year-old did not play last season as he recovered from surgery on his left knee.
  • The Twins signed right-hander Yohan Pino to a minor league deal, according to the MLB.com transactions page.  Pino, who turns 30 on Dec. 26, spent the bulk of last season with the Reds' Triple-A affiliate, posting a 3.26 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 16 starts and 15 relief appearances. 

Jason Knapp Attempting Comeback

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It's been more than four years since the Indians traded reigning Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee to the Phillies in exchange for a package of four prospects headlined by right-hander Jason Knapp. Since that time, Knapp has undergone a pair of shoulder surgeries and been released by the Indians, but ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports that the former top prospect will be attempting a comeback at age 23 (All Twitter links).

Knapp hasn't pitched professionally since 2010, but Crasnick reports that his fastball is back up into the 90s. As Crasnick notes, if Knapp truly is healthy, he figures to draw interest from plenty of teams. Knapp is the type of player teams will dream on — a low-cost, low-risk pickup of a player that was once one of the game's best pitching prospects. From 2008-10, Knapp posted a 3.63 ERA with 12.0 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 across two minor league levels with the Phillies and Indians.

The Phillies drafted Knapp — who was last listed at 6'5", 235 pounds — out of high school in the second round of the 2007 draft. Following the 2008 season, Baseball America ranked Knapp 64th among all prospects and called him the best player the Indians received in the Lee haul. BA then praised Knapp for a fastball that could touch 98 mph, a sometimes-plus 12-to-6 curveball and a changeup that had the makings of at least an average third pitch. At the time, BA wrote that if he could remain healthy, Knapp could develop into a front-line starting pitcher.

Padres Sign Alberto Gonzalez

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The Padres have signed infielder Alberto Gonzalez to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, per the team's Transactions page. The deal was first reported a week ago by Hely D. Rodriguez of the Venezuelan newspaper El Siglo (Twitter link).

The 30-year-old batted a combined .193/.217/.281 in 60 plate appearances between the Cubs and Yankees in 2013. In parts of seven Major League seasons, the Venezuela native has a .239/275/.315 batting line with four homers. He has more than 400 innings of experience at shortstop, second base and third base, and he's also made brief appearances at first base and each of the outfield corners.

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