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Royals Exercise Club Option On James Shields

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The Royals have exercised their $13.5MM club option on ace James Shields, the team announced on Twitter. Shields' option was one of the easiest calls among the many contract options that are facing Major League teams.

Shields, 32 in December, was acquired along with Wade Davis last offseason in a blockbuster trade that sent top prospect (and 2013 AL Rookie of the Year front-runner) Wil Myers, Jake Odorizzi, Mike Montgomery and Patrick Leonard to the Rays.

In his first season in Kansas City, Shields racked up a league-leading 228 2/3 innings, posting a 3.15 ERA with 7.7 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 41.6 percent ground-ball rate. Baseball-Reference pegged his value at 4.1 wins above replacement, while Fangraphs was even more of a fan at 4.5 WAR.

Shields will return to the rotation alongside Jeremy Guthrie, but the Royals will need to offer up some serious coin to keep fellow front-line starter Ervin Santana in the fold. Other internal candidates for their rotation include Davis and top prospects Danny Duffy and Yordano Ventura. Barring an extension, Shields will be eligible for free agency following the 2014 campaign.

147 Players File For Free Agency

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The Major League Baseball Players Association has issued a press release announcing that 147 players have officially filed for free agency. This year's crop of free agents is headlined by the likes of Robinson Cano, Jacoby Ellsbury, Shin-Soo Choo and Brian McCann, as shown on MLBTR's Free Agent Power Rankings.

Teams will have exclusive negotiating rights with their own free agents for five days following completion of the World Series. In other words, free agents will be free to begin negotiating with all 30 Major League clubs at 12:01am EST on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

For a look at the top names available (minimum 20 IP or 50 plate appearances), check out MLBTR's 2014 Free Agent List.

Messenger Has Three-Year Offer To Stay In Japan

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Right-hander Randy Messenger has revived his career with three dominant seasons for the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball, and MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned that Messenger has a three-year offer to remain with the Tigers (Twitter link). The offer is in the $15MM range, which, as noted by NPB's Patrick Newman, would make Messenger the highest-paid foreign player in Hanshin's franchise history (Twitter link).

Messenger, 32, joined the Tigers for the 2010 season but didn't have a breakout campaign until 2011. Since that time, he's posted a 2.75 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 543 innings out Hanshin's rotation. Messenger was particularly impressive in 2013, boosting his K/9 to 8.4 and firing six complete games, including a trio of shutouts.

There has been speculation that Messenger might return to the Major Leagues and enjoy a similar success story to Colby Lewis, but a $15MM offer could very well be enough to keep him in Japan. The Twins showed interest last offseason, but the Tigers didn't want to let go of their right-hander, who was under control through the 2013 season.

Red Sox Notes: Ellsbury, Napoli, Bullpen

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In today's edition of his daily column, ESPN's Buster Olney reports (ESPN Insider required) some specifics on the two hard runs the Red Sox took at extending Jacoby Ellsbury. According to Olney, Boston offered Ellsbury an extension that fell just shy of $100MM following his runner-up finish in the 2011 AL MVP voting. Agent Scott Boras countered with a $130MM proposal, and the two sides weren't able to strike a deal. Last winter, the Sox again tried to extend Ellsbury, this time for something in the neighborhood of B.J. Upton's five-year, $75.25MM deal with the Braves (Ellsbury had a down season in 2012, hence the decreased offer).

Now, Ellsbury is primed to hit free agency, and reports have indicated that Boston may not go far beyond $100MM to retain him. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes opined recently that the question shouldn't be whether or not Ellsbury crosses the $100MM barrier, but rather whether or not he can reach $150MM. According to Olney, the Rangers and Mariners will be two of the most aggressive teams on the Ellsbury market this winter. Here's more on Ellsbury and the 2013 World Series Champion Red Sox…

  • Ellsbury spent the season's final month playing through a severe bone bruise in his left-hand and will undergo an MRI to provide further details, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
  • Mike Napoli feels that he's found a home in Boston and told reporters, including ESPNBoston.com's Tony Lee, that he hopes to return to the team in 2014 and beyond. Said Napoli: "I want to be here. I love this place… They've treated me so good here, the way they've taken care of me has been unbelievable. When the time comes I'm pretty sure we're going to have conversations." MLBTR's Tim Dierkes recently projected Napoli to earn three years and $42MM on the open market.
  • GM Ben Cherington deserves praise for the team's tremendous bullpen depth, as it became a key component to their World Series title, writes MLB.com's Barry M. Bloom. Bloom points out that Koji Uehara was fourth in line for closing opportunities to open the season, while Brandon Workman, who pitched the eighth inning in Game Six, opened the season at Double-A. Boston lost Joel Hanrahan, Andrew Bailey and Andrew Miller to injury at various points in 2013.
  • Cherintgon talked with Tim Britton of the Providence Journal about his team's incredible clubhouse chemistry last night, stating that while there was no real way to predict how this group would come together, he definitely thinks it was a contributing factor to their success: "When you're around it and you feel it, it's hard to say it's not valuable. I don't know that any of us know how to engineer it. But when you're around it and you feel the group coming together the way it did, I don't have any doubt it's valuable. I still don't know how to predict it."

Nationals Hire Matt Williams

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OCT. 31: The Nationals officially announced that they have hired Williams as their manager. According to the release, Williams will receive a multiyear deal. GM Mike Rizzo offered the following statement:

"I am thrilled to welcome Matt to our organization and am confident he is the best choice to lead the Nationals at this time. He is exceptionally prepared for the task. Matt came into the interview process already possessing an extensive knowledge of our organization: our roster, our Minor League system – and our fan base. He has genuinely creative, unique ideas on how to increase performance, and on cultivating leadership and team unity."

OCT. 25: 8:40am: Knorr told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (Twitter link) that he would stay in the event that he isn't selected to be the next manager, stating plainly: "I love this team."

8:27am: The Nationals plan to hire Matt Williams as their new manager with the hope of retaining Randy Knorr as their bench coach, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The timing of an official announcement is still unknown, he adds.

Williams has been the rumored favorite for the past week or so, with one evaluator recently telling ESPN's Buster Olney that he would be "shocked" if the Nats don't tab him for the job. The Nationals have also interviewed Knorr, third base coach Trent Jewett, Blue Jays bench coach DeMarlo Hale and Padres special assistant Brad Ausmus.

Williams served as Arizona's third base coach from 2011-13 and was the team's first base coach a year prior in 2010. In terms of managerial experience, he spent two months as the interim manager for the Diamondbacks' Double-A affiliate. Last year, he managed in the Arizona Fall League, leading the Salt River Rafters to the AFL East Division Title before falling in the AFL Championship Game.

Over the course of a 17-year playing career, Williams batted .268/.317/.489, earning five All-Star appearances, four Silver Slugger Awards and four Gold Gloves. He finished in the Top 6 in NL MVP voting on four separate occasions, including a second-place finish with the 1994 Giants after he batted .267/.319/.607 with 43 home runs and earned a Gold Glove at third base.

White Sox Exercise Matt Lindstrom’s 2014 Option

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The White Sox have exercised their $4MM club option on right-hander Matt Lindstrom, according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin (on Twitter). Lindstrom's option contained a $500K buyout, essentially making this a $3.5MM decision for White Sox GM Rick Hahn and his staff.

Lindstrom, who turns 34 in February, was the only option decision that the White Sox had to make this offseason. The veteran flamethrower turned in a 3.12 ERA with 6.8 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and 55.6 percent ground-ball rate in 60 2/3 innings in 2013. Lindstrom's fastball was once again blistering, checking in with an average velocity of 95 mph.

Lindstrom will re-join a relief corps that is fronted by closer Addison Reed and also includes hard-throwing setup man Nate Jones. While the White Sox have a number of internal options, it wouldn't be surprising to see them add at least one more veteran arm for the 2014 season. Their bullpen depth took a hit this season when they traded Matt Thornton to the Red Sox and Jesse Crain to the Rays.

2014 Contract Options

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The offseason is officially upon us, and the first order of business for most teams will be to address the various contract options that apply to the 2014 season. As MLBTR's Tim Dierkes noted earlier, most (and possibly all) of these decisions will be wrapped up by 11:59pm ET on Saturday.

Many of the options are no-brainers (e.g. James Shields), but others aren't quite as clear (e.g. David DeJesus). It's also important to remember that players with options can be traded in the coming days. For example, with the signing of Alexander Guerrero, Mark Ellis appears to have been displaced in Los Angeles. However, other teams may find his $5.75MM club option appealing and be willing to work out a trade with the Dodgers to acquire him at that price rather than take their chances on the open market. Most famously, we saw this one year ago today with the Royals' acquisition of Ervin Santana.

We've also already seen a few options exercised and declined. The Rockies picked up their $11MM option on Jorge De La Rosa and declined their $4.25MM option on Rafael Betancourt, who went down with Tommy John surgery. The Brewers exercised a cheap $1.9MM option on Norichika Aoki, and reports have indicated that, not surprisingly, Jon Lester's option will be picked up by the Red Sox as well.

With all that said, here's a team-by-team look at the various contract options — club, player and mutual — that each team will be resolving in the next few days.

AL WEST

Angels

  • None

Astros

  • None

Athletics

  • Brett Anderson: $8MM club option ($1.5MM buyout; will be arbitration eligible if option is declined)
  • Coco Crisp, OF: $7.5MM club option ($1MM buyout)
  • Kurt Suzuki, C: $8.5MM club option ($650K buyout)
  • Chris Young, OF: $11MM club option ($1.5MM buyout)

Mariners

Rangers

  • Lance Berkman, DH: $12MM club option ($1MM buyout)
  • Joe Nathan, RP: $9MM club option ($750K buyout; Nathan can void and elect free agency)

AL CENTRAL

Indians

  • Jason Kubel, OF/DH: $7.5MM club option ($1MM buyout)
  • Ubaldo Jimenez, SP: $8MM club option (Jimenez earned the right to void this option when he was traded from the Rockies to the Indians)

Royals

  • James Shields, SP: $13.5MM club option ($1MM buyout)

Tigers

  • Jose Veras, RP: $3.25MM club option ($150K buyout)

Twins

  • None

White Sox

AL EAST

Blue Jays

Orioles

Rays

Red Sox

  • Jon Lester, SP: $13MM club option ($250K buyout)
  • Matt Thornton, RP: $6MM club option ($1MM buyout)

Yankees

NL WEST

Diamondbacks

  • None

Dodgers

  • Chris Capuano, SP: $8MM mutual option ($1MM buyout)
  • Mark Ellis, 2B: $5.75MM club option ($1MM buyout)

Giants

Padres

  • None

Rockies

NL CENTRAL

Brewers

  • None (Aoki's already exercised)

Cardinals

Cubs

  • None

Pirates

Reds

  • None

NL EAST

Braves

Nationals

  • None

Marlins

  • Jacob Turner, SP: $1MM club option (part of a Major League deal signed out of the draft)

Mets

Phillies

  • None

2014 MLB Free Agent Tracker And Important Dates

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The 2014 MLB Free Agent Tracker is now available at MLB Trade Rumors!  All free agents are listed, and you can filter by position, signing status, signing team, qualifying offer status, contract years and amount, throwing and batting handedness, and any combination of the above.  For the most part, our cutoff for a player's inclusion on the tracker is 50 MLB plate appearances or 20 innings pitched in 2013.  Led by Robinson Cano, Jacoby Ellsbury, Shin-Soo Choo, Brian McCann, and Masahiro Tanaka, our Top 50 Free Agents list with predictions will be published Sunday night.  For now, make your wish lists with the free agent tracker, read up with our free agent profiles, and check out my top ten free agents from earlier this month.  We also have a basic list that shows which free agents remain available at each position, found here.

The Red Sox front office will have little time to bask in the glow of the franchise's eighth World Championship.  Upcoming important dates:

  • Players with at least six years of Major League service and no contract for 2014 are eligible to become free agents as of 8am central time today, October 31st.  That marks the opening of the Quiet Period.
  • MLBTR's Top 50 Free Agents list with predictions will be published the evening of Sunday, November 3rd.  Our prediction contest will open at that time as well.
  • The five-day Quiet Period ends at 10:59pm central time on Monday, November 4th.  During the Quiet Period, free agents may talk to any team about either side's interest, the player's potential role, the advantages and disadvantages of playing for that team and city, and length of a potential contract, guarantee provisions, and no-trade provisions.  A free agent may not, however, negotiate terms or contract with a new team during this period.  He may negotiate terms and enter into a contract with his former team.
  • During the Quiet Period, the former team may tender a qualifying offer, which is a guaranteed one-year, $14.1MM deal for 2014.  Qualifying offer decisions by the team are due by 4pm central time on Monday, November 4th.  Check out MLBTR's qualifying offer reader poll from September for an idea of which free agents are likely to receive one.
  • Additionally, option decisions must be decided by the end of the Quiet Period.  A large majority (all of them last year) will be resolved by 10:59pm central time on Saturday, November 2nd.
  • Once the Quiet Period ends Monday night, free agents can negotiate with any team.
  • A free agent has until Monday, November 11th by 4pm central time to accept a qualifying offer.  Any player who accepts is considered signed for 2014.  If a player declines a qualifying offer, his former team becomes eligible for compensation if the player signs a Major League contract with another Major League team before the 2014 draft.  The former team receives an amateur draft choice as compensation, while the signing team forfeits its highest available selection and the accompanying bonus pool money in the draft.
  • Baseball's GM Meetings are from November 11-13th in Orlando, Florida.
  • The non-tender deadline for arbitration eligible players is December 2nd.
  • Baseball's Winter Meetings are from December 9-12th, also in Orlando.

Hector Santiago Joins Excel Sports Management

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White Sox lefty Hector Santiago is now a client of Excel Sports Management, MLBTR has learned.  His primary agent will be Jim Murray.  Santiago had formerly been represented by Brian McCafferty of MSM Sports Management.  You can check out Excel's MLB client list here.  MLBTR's agency database can be found here.

Santiago, 25, posted a 3.56 ERA in 149 innings for the White Sox this year, including 23 starts.  With just over two years of Major League service at present, Santiago projects to be eligible for arbitration for the first time after the 2014 season.

Quick Hits: Red Sox, A-Rod, Cardenas, D’Backs

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The Boston Red Sox are the 2013 World Series champions, just a season removed from a last-place finish in the AL East.  CBS Sports' Jon Heyman details how the Sox focused on acquiring less-heralded free agents who could handle the pressure of playing in Boston, and almost all of those free agents delivered big contributions throughout the season and through the playoffs.  While the return to good health and good form by several holdover Red Sox stars also played a huge role, several teams will be looking to replicate Boston's free agent strategy in the coming offseason.

Here are some notes from around baseball as the Hot Stove League has officially begun…

  • The Red Sox were immeasurably helped by the "payroll miracle" of their August 2012 blockbuster trade with the Dodgers, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes.  The Yankees could get a similar "financial reset" if all or most of Alex Rodriguez's 2014 salary is removed from the books via suspension, allowing the Yankees to re-sign Robinson Cano, sign other free agents and also avoid the $189MM luxury tax limit.
  • Rodriguez's appeal hearing may not be decided until late December, Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger reports, which could impact the Yankees' offseason spending plans.
  • Adrian Cardenas, drafted 37th overall by the Phillies in 2006, walked away from a promising career at age 25 and with just 67 Major League PA to his name.  In a fascinating piece for the New Yorker, Cardenas details the thought process that went into his decision and his gradual disillusionment with the professional side of the game.
  • The Diamondbacks don't have much payroll flexibility for 2014, as The Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro notes in his breakdown of the Snakes' salary obligations.  Piecoro suggests that the D'Backs could sign free agents by backloading their contracts for 2015 and beyond, when the club has more money coming off the books.
  • The Dominican Republic recently passed a law stating that children of undocumented Haitian immigrants would no longer be considered Dominican citizens, even if they were born in the country.  Jorge Arangure of Sports On Earth investigates how this ruling could make it harder for amateur ballplayers of Haitian descent to obtain the proper visa or citizenship information to play in Major League Baseball.
  • The Pirates can afford to be more patient this offseason, GM Neal Huntington tells Jenn Menendez and Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  A.J. Burnett's future needs to be decided first, however, since his status will determine the rest of the Buccos' moves.  "If we retain A.J, that will be a significant positive, but also it's going to cost us a good chunk of the available money, and we'll have to react accordingly," Huntington said.
  • The Marlins could fill a few needs by targeting the Angels' Mark Trumbo and Chris Iannetta in trades, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro opines as part of a reader mailbag.
  • The Blue Jays have hired Kevin Seitzer as their new hitting coach, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports.  Seitzer previously worked as the hitting coach for the Diamondbacks and Royals, and he and Jays manager John Gibbons worked together on the K.C. staff from 2009-11.

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