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NL Central Notes: Beltran, Samardzija, Burnett

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Here's tonight's look around the NL Central..

  • Cardinals skipper Mike Matheny says that another club has already made an offer to free agent outfielder Carlos Beltran, tweets Jim Bowden of SiriusXM.  The veteran figures to garner a great deal of interest this winter and it looks like his interest in the Yankees is finally being reciprocated.
  • In a chat with David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com (Twitter link), Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija explained that he is not in a rush to work out an extension.  "I have two more years of arbitration so there is a lot of time to get something done," said Samardzija, who turns 29 in January.
  • Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett remains undecided between retirement or returning to pitch in 2014, agent Darek Braunecker tells Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via Twitter). The Bucs opted against extending Burnett a one-year, $14.1MM qualifying offer yesterday. The veteran pitched to a 3.30 ERA with 9.8 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, and a 56.2 percent ground-ball rate in 191 innings in his second season with the Pirates.

AL Central Notes: Hosmer, Santana, Twins, White Sox

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The Tigers would love to hammer out an extension with Max Scherzer, one of three finalists for this year's AL Cy Young award, but Tim Dierkes wrote yesterday that it is highly unlikely to happen this winter.  The standout hurler is projected to earn $13.6MM in arbitration this year and his rising price tag could even lead Detroit to explore a deal this offseason.  Here's tonight's look around the AL Central..

  • The Royals have yet to discuss an extension with Eric Hosmer, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter).  "I’m locked in for another four years, and we have guys whose contracts expire before mine," Hosmer said.  The 24-year-old hit .302/.353/.448 with 17 homers this past season.
  • The Twins have formally expressed interest in free agent hurler Ervin Santana, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter). Santana could prove to be too pricey for Minnesota, however, as Tim predicts that he will command a deal in the range of $75MM over five years.
  • Walk year disappointments and poor investments have made it difficult for the White Sox to take advantage of the qualifying offer system, writes Jim Margalus of South Side Sox. The White Sox could have gotten one for Jake Peavy last year, but they instead signed him to a two-year deal and flipped him to Boston in a deal that netted them Avisail Garcia.
  • The Twins have a host of problems to address, but their biggest shortcoming is their starting pitching, writes Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN.  Twins starting pitchers ranked last in the American League in ERA, innings, strikeout rate, and Wins Above Replacement in 2013.  

Red Sox Contacted Jarrod Saltalamacchia

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7:05pm: The Red Sox called today to express their interest in bringing Saltalamacchia back, agent Jim Munsey tells MLBTR's Tim Dierkes.

5:09pm: Jarrod Saltalamacchia has received calls from multiple teams, he tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, but he's surprised that there have yet to be any talks with the Red Sox:

"I’m a little surprised with not more conversation going on just because I thought we had a common idea of where we wanted to be. I put so much time and effort into the team and into the organization and they’ve done the same for me. But like I said, I may be premature and they might call out of nowhere, or might have already called and I just don’t know yet."

Saltalamacchia, who is represented by agent Jim Munsey, was the only of Boston's major free agents not to receive a qualifying offer from the team; Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Napoli and Stephen Drew all received the offer. Saltalamacchia went on to say that he felt lucky to be able to go to Fenway Park for work each day for the four years he spent in Boston, and that his preference is to remain with the Red Sox. Saltalamacchia went so far as to say that as long as the offers were close, he'd turn down a larger offer from another team to stay in Boston.

The 28-year-old Saltalamacchia enjoyed his best season in 2013, batting .273/.338/.466 with 14 home runs in a career-high 470 plate appearances. He will be one of the youngest free agents on the market this offseason. That youth, his strong season and the lack of quality catching options throughout the game led MLBTR's Tim Dierkes to project a four-year, $36MM contract on the open market.

Yankees Notes: Cano, Granderson, Jay-Z

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Robinson Cano's agent, Jay-Z, may have inadvertently violated the MLBPA's agent regulations by giving his client a $33,900 watch as a birthday gift, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.  The regulations state the following: "No Player Agent or Applicant shall provide, cause to be provided or promise to provide, any money or any other thing of value to any player, or any person related to or associated with such player, the purpose of which is to induce or encourage such player to use or continue to use any person's or firm's services as a Player Agent, Representative, or Draft Advisor.''  Agents are allowed to give their clients gifts, but anything with a value over $500 must be reported, writes Crasnick.  Here's more on the Bombers…

  • Cano's $300MM asking price was the cost for the Yankees to keep him from hitting free agency, not his contract demands for right now, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The ten-year, $300MM proposal was given to the Bombers before the All-Star break.  Meanwhile, a return to the Bronx is still the most likely outcome, Rosenthal writes.
  • In a radio interview earlier today, Curtis Granderson said he is considering accepting the Yankees' qualifying offer of $14.1MM, echoing what his agent said last week, writes Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News.  "Well, it's definitely something you've got to think about and I appreciate the Yankees extending that offer to me," Granderson said during an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM. 
  • In today's mailbag, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com addresses the Yankees' potential pursuit of McCann and their bid to avoid the luxury tax.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Yanks Made Preliminary Inquiry On Brandon Phillips

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Preparing themselves in the event that Robinson Cano signs elsewhere, the Yankees have placed a preliminary call to the Reds on Brandon Phillips, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Cincinnati's asking price for Phillips is said to be "way too steep" according to Heyman.

Phillips, 32, batted .261/.310/.396 with 18 home runs this season but was involved in a pair of ugly PR incidents: one in which he publicly complained about how the Reds handled his contract negotiations and another in which went on a tirade against a Cincinnati reporter for pointing to his low on-base percentage. He is owed $50MM over the final four years of his six-year, $72.5MM contract.

Reports from this past weekend indicated that the Yankees made a similar preliminary inquiry on free agent Omar Infante. The Yankees are still considered the favorites to re-sign Cano this offseason, but it's not surprising to see GM Brian Cashman doing his homework in the event that another team swoops in and lands the All-Star second baseman.

Randy Messenger Has Deadline For MLB Offers

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4:15pm: The Twins are not one of the teams interested in Messenger at this time, MLBTR has learned.

3:51pm: MLBTR's Tim Dierkes tweets that Messenger's offer from Hanshin is worth $10MM over three years, plus $5MM worth of incentives. That would explain why Messenger is looking for a comparable amount on a two-year deal to return to the Majors.

3:46pm: Right-hander Randy Messenger has set a Nov. 15 deadline to field offers from Major League teams, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. The 32-year-old has revived his career by posted three dominant seasons for the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball — a team that has already extended him a three-year offer, as MLBTR's Tim Dierkes reported last month.

That three-year offer, which could reach $15MM after incentives according to Passan, is the reason for the deadline, as Hanshin would like an answer to their proposal by mid-month. Messenger, a Sosnick/Cobbe Sports client, is looking for a two-year deal worth $8-10MM to return to Major League Baseball. Passan reports that multiple teams have offered one-year deals, while one team has pushed the boundaries to one year plus an option.

Messenger's resurgence is in part due to the addition of an effective splitter, and some scouts have seen his fastball touch 96 mph (though it usually sits 92-93 mph), Pasan writes. A former member of the Giants and Mariners, Messenger has posted a 2.75 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 543 innings out Hanshin's rotation from 2011-13. He was particularly impressive in 2013, boosting his K/9 to 8.4 and firing six complete games, including a trio of shutouts.

The Twins were said to have interest in Messenger last offseason, though it's unclear at this time if they're one of the teams that has made an offer.

Latest On Brian McCann

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One catcher is already off the market with the news that the Rangers have re-signed Geovany Soto to a one-year, $3.05MM contract, but the biggest fish on that market is likely to take his time. As it stands right now, the Red Sox, Yankees and Rangers could all be players for McCann.

Agent B.B. Abbott of Jet Sports Management tells Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald that the Red Sox would be a consideration if Jarrod Saltalamacchia signs elsewhere:

"Certainly Boston is a city that Brian likes, and he has always respected the organization and the front office," said Abbott. "Obviously, the coaching staff and clubhouse unity is attractive. He has also always been fascinated with the fan base, their support of the Red Sox and the history of the organization. Boston would certainly be a place that would be a consideration for Brian."

Abbott wouldn't comment on whether or not the Red Sox have actually reached out regarding McCann, but Andy McCullough of the Star Ledger reports that the Yankees indeed have contacted Abbott regarding the longtime Braves backstop. McCullough spoke with a pair of rival executives who believe that the bidding for McCann could top $100MM, which would be a stark increase from the five-year, $80MM deal predicted by MLBTR's Tim Dierkes in his free agent profile of McCann.

Andy Martino of the New York Daily News echoes the report on the Yanks' interest, adding that the Red Sox and "especially" the Rangers are expected to be serious competitors for Yankees GM Brian Cashman in his pursuit of McCann (Twitter link).

McCann is coming off his seventh straight 20-homer season despite starting the year on the disabled list. The seven-time All-Star made a bid for his sixth Silver Slugger award by hitting .256/.336/.461 in 2013.

Minor Moves: Perez, LaRoche, Nickeas, Cardinals

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

  • The Blue Jays announced that they outrighted left-hander Juan Perez off the 40-man roster and re-signed him to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. The 35-year-old southpaw posted a 3.69 ERA with 9.4 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 31 2/3 innings for Toronto this season and held lefties to a .200/.280/.333 batting line.
  • The Blue Jays also announced that they've re-signed catcher Mike Nickeas and and infielder Andy LaRoche to minor league deals with invites to Spring Training. Nickeas, 30, posted just a .507 OPS at Triple-A this season while LaRoche, the younger brother of Adam LaRoche, slashed .271/.339/.433 in 104 games at the same level.
  • The Cardinals announced that they have outrighted catcher Rob Johnson, outfielder Brock Peterson and outfielder Adron Chambers off their 40-man roster. Each has elected free agency, per the MLB.com Transactions page. Johnson spent most of the season in Triple-A, but found his way onto a big league roster for the seventh straight season. In 829 Major League plate appearances he's a .200/.275/.295 hitter. Peterson, 29, made his Major League debut after 11 seasons between the minors and indepedent ball. He collected just two hits in 26 at-bats but dominated Triple-A, hitting .296/.364/.531 with 25 homers in 508 PAs. The 27-year-old Chambers hit .252/.338/.387 with eight homers and 16 steals in the minors, adding 29 big league plate appearances and making the Cards' postseason roster as well.

Rangers Re-Sign Geovany Soto

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The Rangers have re-signed catcher Geovany Soto to a one-year, $3.05MM deal, according to Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram (via Twitter).  Soto will have the opportunity to add to his salary with incentives.

Soto, 31 in January, posted a .245/.328/.466 slash line with nine home runs in 54 games last season.  He also threw out ten of 34 (29.4%) attempted base stealers in 2013.  For his career, which was spent mostly in Chicago, Soto has hit .248/.335/.439.

It's not a surprise to see Soto back in Arlington after it was reported that he was interested in a return.  Meanwhile, fellow free agent backstop A.J. Pierzynski remains unsigned and while he also wants to come back to the Rangers, he could be lured away by another club in search of a catcher.

It's a decent raise for the veteran as he had a $2.75MM base salary in 2013.  Soto is represented by Kinzer Management Group.

Five To Six Teams Interested In Rafael Furcal

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Rafael Furcal appears to be drawing quite a bit of interest with free agency in its early stages. Jorge Castillo of the Star Ledger reports that the Mets have already reached out to the former Rookie of the Year and three-time All-Star, and Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets that as many as five to six teams have shown early interest.

Furcal, who turned 36 just two weeks ago, didn't play in 2013 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but should be healthy for the 2014 season. Castillo notes that Furcal participated in fielding drills with the Cardinals prior to postseason games without any noticeable hindrance.

Furcal flopped in his final season with the Dodgers, prompting a trade to the Cardinals where he restored quite a bit of his value. Furcal helped the Cards to the 2011 World Series, and his strong performance in St. Louis was enough to earn him a two-year, $14MM contract that offseason. Furcal spent 171 regular-season games in a Cardinals uniform from 2011-12, slashing .262/.323/.367 with 12 homers and 16 stolen bases in 748 plate appearances.

In addition to the Mets, contenders such as the Pirates and Cardinals have a need at shortstop. The Twins have little stability at the position outside of Pedro Florimon's defensive wizardry, and other teams such as the A's and Indians could make sense. Oakland could play Jed Lowrie at second base and use Furcal as a bridge to top prospect Addison Russell, while the Indians, who likely would be open to dealing Asdrubal Cabrera, could use Furcal as a bridge to Francisco Lindor in the event of such a trade. Doing so would allow them to reallocate some or all of Cabrera's $10MM salary to fill other needs.

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